Big Bad Bully

Keep your head down. Stay quiet. Don't cause trouble. The phrases repeated in her head like a mantra. Words she had always lived by, and habits that had become hard to break. Moving to a new town and starting a new school is difficult for anyone, but for Kass, it had become second nature. She knew she wouldn't stay in one place long enough to make any real friendships, so she never tried. People often mistook her indifference for rudeness or coldness, but they just didn't understand. There was no point getting attached, the second she set up roots, it would be time to move again. This way, she at least got to avoid painful goodbyes. Kass glanced around the principal's office as her Aunt chatted with him. She stopped listening to the conversation as soon as she got the impression Mr Henderson was more interested in her Aunt's emerald green eyes and long legs than in Kass's sterling grades and impeccable report card. She couldn't blame the guy. Her Aunt Sylvia was absolutely stunning and charming with the kind of charisma that Kass could only dream of having. As if somehow aware of Kass's lack of involvement in the conversation and her growing boredom, Sylvia swiftly took her cue and wrapped up the meeting. 'Well thank you very much for your time today, Mr Henderson. I will leave Kass in your very capable hands,' She winked to Kass before adding, 'and if you need anything, sweetheart, please phone me! I hope you have the bestest first day.' She stated as she gave her niece a bear hug, holding tight as if to squeeze out some of the anxiety. 'Always so dramatic, Aunt Syl.' Kass giggled, rolling her eyes, 'I am starting a new school, not being deployed in the navy.' 'Hey, there is nothing wrong with being a little dramatic.' She smirked before turning back to Mr Henderson, 'Thanks again Stuart.' she shook his hand and left, giving Kass one last little wave before exiting the cramped office space. The second the door closed, Kass felt instantly anxious. Sylvia was like a security blanket. With her there, everything felt safe. Kass knew she would adjust eventually. She always had before, it just took a little time. 'Try not to worry. I know it can be daunting being somewhere new, but you will settle in well here. I have one of our students waiting outside to show you around, if you follow me.' He said as he got up from his desk, Kass following closely behind. 'Kassandra, let me introduce you to Stephanie. She is one of our most academically gifted students. Stephanie, if you can show her around the building, where her classes are and make sure she feels welcome, please.' He smiled towards the beautiful girl sitting on the bench outside his office. 'Yes Sir, I will.' Stephanie beamed back brightly and he nodded before leaving. As soon as Mr Henderson was out of site, the smile slipped off her face. 'So where did you move from?' She began with the usual line of questioning. Kass was so used to these introductory conversations. 'Just here and there, I move about a lot. This is my third school this year.' Kass responded with a smile. 'Oh, that is a lot. Moving about so much must really affect your grades?' Stephanie asked. 'Yeah, maybe a little. I manage I guess.' 'I am in the top percentile for grades here. But don't get any ideas. I won't tutor. Have you got your timetable yet?' 'Yeah, here it is.' Kass replied as she removed the piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Stephanie. 'Is this right? You're in all AP classes?' She questioned as a look of confusion crossed her features, to which Kass nodded hesitantly. Something in Stephanie's expression tightened briefly, before she shook it off. 'Very well then. Let's go.' She almost huffed out, the instant chill in her tone took Kass off guard, but she tried not to dwell on it. She just silently followed behind as Stephanie pointed to several classrooms and muttered the names of various departments nonchalantly. 'Your first class is English Lit. That is the classroom over there, but class doesn't start for another 20 minutes. You can go and sit in early.... or don't. Your tour is over either way.' 'Oh, okay. Thanks again for showing me about Stephanie.' Kass forced a smile at her, but Stephanie did not return the look or even reply verbally. She just gave a half nod, then left Kass alone in the corridor. Something about Stephanie's demeanor gave Kass the impression that the girl didn't really like her. Although, she knew she wasn't exactly best at picking up social cues, so she convinced herself it was in her head. Sucking in a deep breath, she exhaled slowly, as she worked on steadying her shaky nerves. She tried to reassure herself, just keep your head down, stay quiet, and don't cause trouble, she repeated to herself. Nothing could go wrong, just as long as she stuck to her usual routine. She wandered into the empty classroom and found a seat near the back. She reached into her backpack and grabbed her novel and began reading, escaping onto the pages and taking her mind to her happy place. Before she knew what was happening, 20 minutes had passed and the room began to fill with rowdy teens. She could feel their eyes on her, but she didn't tear her attention away from the pages for even a second. The chatter was loud, seeing someone new always caused such excitement. She was used to the drill, and she knew it would die down quickly. It wasn't until a short, stout lady entered the classroom that she finally slipped the book into her bag and gave the teacher her full attention. 'Settle down, settle down everyone. We have a new addition to the class here today. Kassandra Murray welcome! I am Miss Irwin. Would you like to introduce yourself to the class?' Kass sucked in a deep breath. This happened at every single school. Why did teachers think that getting the new kid to stand up and introduce themselves in front of the whole class, when they are riddled with new starter anxiety, was a good idea? She couldn't lose her nerve now though. A quick intro, that was all she needed to do. She could feel a swarm of beady eyes pierce into her as the whole class shifted their attention to see what the new girl had to say. She slowly rose from her seat, and coughed lightly to clear her throat. 'Hello, my name is Kass, I am new to town. I just moved here last week. And ah... I am looking forward to getting to know you all.' She smiled before sitting back down. Lies! She thought to herself. She couldn't care less about getting to know any of them. She just wanted to make it to the end of the year without any issues. 'Thank you, Kassandra,' Miss Irwin smiled, 'and class, I hope you all make Miss Murray feel welcome.' Kass awkwardly shifted in her seat as the classroom attention slowly started to redirect to the teacher and off of her, and she sighed in relief. However, she quickly felt the presence of someone's gaze returning to her. She looked over to the far side of the class to meet a pair of molten brown eyes that pierced into hers. Her breath caught in her throat as she finally registered the male staring. He was beautiful, with stunning soft features made more prominent by his short hair. The moment was brief as he promptly returned his attention to the teacher and Kass covered her reddening cheeks with the long sleeves of her top as she too redirected her gaze to Miss Irwin. As the class went on, Kass could have sworn the brown-eyed stranger looked over several times, but she couldn't be sure as she refused to check over to confirm. Awkward eye contact was not on the agenda for the rest of her day.