(4. Talk of the Town) The Last Of The O'Hanigans (Pete Wentz)

Dylan told me that we’d meet her friend Ember at her locker. She lead me through the school hallways, weaving between groups of people while keeping up a stream of chatter. The school wasn’t that big, though it seemed over subscribed and full of people, and I was beginning get my bearings about where things were. We arrived at Dylan’s locker before her friend and I was happily able to remark that mine was just a few metres down and on the other side of the hall.

We only had to wait for a minute or so before we were approached by a girl with short brown hair hardly visible under a dark grey and pink flat cap. She was only about an inch taller than me and the same sort of shape but she gave off this ‘don’t-mess-with-me-or-I’ll-punch-you’ aura that made her quite intimidating. And, honestly, the shiny new bruises along her cheekbone didn’t really help. However, Dylan greeted her cheerfully and it made me think that these two seemed to make an odd pair.
“Gooood afternoon Em, I see you have already had an eventful day,” Dylan said, referencing those prominent bruises
“Don’t even mention it to me. It was that stupid dyke Tiffani sent on a mission by her mistress. I was about to kick her head in but Mr Newley saw me and thought it best to give me a detention and Tiffani a warning.”
“Oh he’s always been a bastard,” Dylan said soothingly, “and knowing you, Tiffani won’t be getting away with it for long”
Ember smiled at that but turned her attention to me, standing uncertainly just behind Dylan.
“Found yourself a little friend?” She asked Dylan, as if I wasn’t there. Dylan smiled, ignoring Ember’s sarcasm
“I have,” she said proudly, “Sadie - Ember, Ember - Sadie. Sadie’s British and it’s her first day, so be nice!”
“Hmmm…” was the not particularly reassuring answer I got.
“Anyway, I’m starving, let’s go have lunch.”

I was right in thinking that the school was small, oversubscribed and low on cash. The cafeteria was only big enough for those who ate school lunches, so everyone else was forced to eat outside unless it was raining, in which case you could eat lunch in your homeroom. However, teachers were reluctant to declare it raining since it meant giving up their lunch break to supervise their homeroom class.
Luckily, today it wasn’t raining. However, it was mid March and although it was an ‘unseasonably warm’ March in Illinois, that still only meant a not particularly warm 10oC. Especially on a windy day like today.
Dylan, Ember and I settled behind a wall where it was more sheltered and didn’t feel so cold. We ate lunch and Dylan and I chattered happily about me, her, Ember, school and general teenage stuff. I got out my timetable and Dylan picked out what lessons she and/or Ember would be in and I was pleased to see there were quite a few I would be sharing with Dylan and slightly less thrilled there were also a fair number I’d be sharing with Ember. I got the distinct feeling she didn’t like me.
“Have you been accosted by any preps yet?” asked Dylan
“No, why?” I asked, slightly puzzled
“Since you’re new meat I’m surprised they haven’t attempted to suck you into their ranks,” commented Ember
“Exactly,” continued Dylan, “Dannii - the queen prep - will kick herself when she hears. Good thing we got here first,” she said with a smile. I smiled back, mildly confused but not letting it worry me.

The rest of lunch passed all too quickly and then it was back to afternoon lessons. Em and Dylan pointed the way to my maths class (I was in a higher set than Dylan but lower than Ember) and then after that it was off to chemistry.
I hate chemistry with a passion. Of all my years doing it I swear I never understood a word and all the revision books and tutors in the world hadn’t been able to fix it. Eventually Mum and I had both excepted it and I’d simply worked harder at my other sciences to keep my overall grade up until the glorious day I’d been able to drop it. But Gloria the receptionist had told me my timetable didn’t quite fit so I either had to pick up chem, the only thing that did fit, or switch one of my other subjects. I decided a few hours sitting in the back of the chem lab looking bored was worth my other subjects but little did I know my teacher would be a complete sadist.
His name was Mr Newley, whose name I recognised for Dylan and Ember’s early conversation. And they were right, he completely favoured a select few of the class, most of whom weren’t even good at the subject, and ignored or was rude to the rest of us, even those who clearly were good at chemistry. After and hour and a half in his company, I was tempted to go back to Gloria and beg her to let me change, even though I knew she said my choice was final. At the end of the day I met Rhys out front and bitched all the way home instead.
Charley was reassured that our first day at school hadn’t been horrendous and confidently told us over dinner as soon as we’d settled into a nice routine things would be better. Rhys and I mumbled vague agreements and after dinner I did some of the homework and work I needed to do to catch up I’d gotten that day since I had nothing better to do. Well, in reality I sat with my chin propped in my hand and wondered what was happening back home.

Day two: my second day of high school and I was already grumbling as my alarm went off and I was forced to pull myself out of bed and start the universal routine: wash, dress, hair, makeup, breakfast, school. Today I went for a denim skirt and grey V-neck jumper combo, with tights for warmth.
Day two and it seemed Rhys and I were already destined to be old news; at least on the bus anyway. As its yellow doors creaked open and we got on no-one batted an eyelid or said a word. We live on a sociable bus route. The bus was late so as it pulled up to school people filed out and went straight into school. I said goodbye to Rhys as we went our separate ways at the main entrance and headed off to homeroom, only I soon realised that, coming from a different direction this morning, everything looked kind of different and I wasn’t sure where I was going. There were a few kids lingering in the halls but I didn’t feel confident asking them directions. I turned down a hallway and recognised it as being close to my homeroom. Relieved, I speeded up slightly but when I got to the end and turned onto a new corridor, there were three preps right out of Mean Girls blocking the way between me and homeroom. They perked up a little when they saw me and crossed the difference between us, meaning not only were they blocking the hallway; they were now standing a foot in front of me.
“You’re Sadie right? The new kid?” The middle one asked. She looked like she was the leader and possibly the queen prep Dylan had mentioned at lunch yesterday. It dawned on me that this was probably the ‘accosting’ I had been warned about. I nodded though part of me though it would be cleverer to deny my identity.
“Great, I’m Dannii and this is Jenna and Tiffani,” she stood back slightly to look me up and down. I did the same but more subtly.

Dannii looked like she was the type to go on My Super Sweet Sixteen: she looked rich and had lots of wavy blond hair and a big lip glossed pout. Jenna was more tanned with brown hair and she looked shrewd and bitchy, while Tiffani was slightly thicker set and taller and had Ember’s don’t-fuck-with-me air, which was when I realised it was Tiffani who had punched Ember yesterday morning. I was brought away from my thoughts by Dannii giving her judgement on me in her over sweet voice.

“You have great hair Sadie, it’s so long and pretty. And I hear you‘re British, that must be so awsome”

I smiled in a non-committal way, determined not to be drawn in or give anything that could be used as ammo. Apparently this was not the answer Dannii expected.

“Don’t you think so Jenna?” She asked, a harder edge to her voice. Jenna flicked her eyes over me and I was beginning to feel like a piece of meat being eyed up.

“She certainly has potential”

“Look, we’re offering you a great opportunity here, one that you should be grateful for,” Danni had cut the crap now, “We’re giving you the chance to become one of us.”

“A trial membership,” stressed Jenna

“And we’re pretty much in charge here, so think carefully about giving us your answer. Jenna said she saw you hanging around with that red-haired freak and Megadyke. So you can either hang around with those losers or we can make you one of the most popular and powerful people in the school.”

Apparently ‘dyke’ was a term used with equal gusto between Ember and these guys.

“On a trial” Jenna once again pointed out

“Quit interrupting me Jenna,” Dannii shot her dark-haired counterpart a quelling look, “So anyway, it’s up to you.”

Now these people were beginning to annoy me. Not only did being friends with them sound like hell, they were dissing my new found friends. As I didn’t have many, I was going to be quite protective of them. These three girls were expecting me to gush about how ‘totally thrilled’ I was to join their gang and fall in line behind them as they paraded down the halls.

“Piss off.” I said, giving them a derisive look and pushing past to get to homeroom.

I didn’t give them the pleasure of turning round, but if I had I would have seen three totally stunned and indignant preppy girls.

I finally got into homeroom and Ms Dartt simply glanced at me and marked me present. Today she was sat doing a sudoku instead of teaching. I wondered what the classes she taught were like as I sat down in the same seat as yesterday. Thankfully I was so late I was only forced to drum my fingers on the table for a total of fifteen seconds before the bell rang and I once again entered the hallway. Next lesson was music, which I was both excited and nervous about.

Music had always been my favourite lesson back home and I was intrigued to see what it was like here, while praying it wouldn’t be a disappointment. The music department had once been a separate small building right next to the main one, but they’d joined the two with a corridor. This part of the building was lonelier, with much fewer people milling around. The narrow corridor ended with another hallway running horizontally and a series of doors in front of me. Most had the names of famous composers stamped on and I guessed they were practice rooms. I pushed open the only door that had a room number on and poked my head round tentatively.

The room was about the size of two classrooms, with one half set out like a regular room and the other half an open space with music stands, cupboards and instruments filling the edges, which was where the door opened into. The classroom had the two person tables I was familiar with back home instead of the single desks in all the other classes I’d had arranged in a horseshoe shape. There were just over half a dozen kids sitting chatting happily with each other and a young looking teacher standing at her desk sorting paper. She looked up as I opened the door and smiled welcomingly at me.

“Hey! You must be Sadie, I‘m Ms Kelson”

I nodded, smiled and made my way to the classroom part. It was like being in another world, all the kids smiled at me or said ‘hi’ and it just felt a million miles away from regular school life.

“Now, let me see, you’ll need somewhere to sit. Well here and here are both free,” the teacher pointed out two seats, “Or basically anywhere else where someone’s not sitting but then you’ll be by yourself, we’re a pretty small class.”

The thought crossed my mind that maybe it was safer to sit on my own, but I was feeling confident, why alienate myself on purpose? I chose the closest seat Ms Kelson had pointed out and it seemed whoever I would be sitting next to wasn’t here yet. How many more people would be arriving? She’d said it was a small class but, doing a quick mental count, there were only nine people including me.

“Well I guess we might as well start since everyone’s here except… Whitney?”

“Whitney’s sick, she told me she’s not coming in today,” answered a pale, willowy girl with fluffy curls

“That’s a shame, so that just leaves Patrick?”

“Here!” came a slightly out of breath voice from the back of the room. This must be Patrick, bringing the class to a total of eleven people if everyone was here.

“Perfect timing,” smiled Ms Kelson, “And today’s your lucky day, you’ve finally got someone to sit next to.”

“Awesome,” Patrick said happily as he took his seat next to me.

“I’m Sadie”

“Patrick, you’re in my math class, aren’t you?”

“Am I?” I asked, trying to remember. Patrick nodded

“Yeah, I remember you just joined yesterday didn’t you? I sit behind you though, with my friend Joe. He has big curly hair.”

“I remember now,” I said with a laugh

“Right everyone, you’ll pleased to know today’s going to be a theory lesson” announced Ms Kelson, and even I groaned along with everyone else at that.

By the end of the lesson I was on top of the world; the lesson had been better than I could have imagined, it was much less formal than normal lessons and full of laughter and jokes. I chattered away with Patrick and realised I’d boosted my friend count up to three, he was so nice and friendly.

“Oh, Sadie, I forgot to ask earlier what instrument you play,” Ms Kelson asked just as Patrick and I were leaving

“Piano,” I answered

“Oh excellent,” Ms Kelson enthused, “We don’t have a pianist and the class has had to put up with my awful playing all year,”

“She’s not wrong there,” Patrick muttered to me and I laughed Patrick walked with me to Geography where I would be spending my first lesson with Dylan and Ember. Patrick left for English just before I reached my class where Em and Dylan were waiting.

“Heard you’ve been making quite an impression on Dannii and her clones” Ember said as I reached them. I’d forgotten all about my encounter earlier than morning and I asked them how they knew as we picked our seats for Geography and waited for the teacher.

“It’s all round school! Everyone’s amazed that the new kid stood up to the mega preps” exclaimed Dylan, “Did you really tell them to fuck off?”

“No, I told them to piss off. It’s really not a big deal. They were so annoying with their ‘come join us, we’ll make you so popular because we’re so awesome’” I said in my best American teen drama accent, making Dylan and Ember laugh.

“Well unfortunately you’ll probably have made yourself an enemy out of the Kenneth Francis Cox prep population. But don’t worry, Ember did that to herself long ago and she’s still here,” joked Dylan.

How could I have got it wrong? Sadie O’Hanigan, old news on her second day of high school? Impossible.