Secret Life Part 1

“Hi, my name is Malibu MacFarlane, I’m 18.I’m an only child. I moved to Trenton yesterday because my mum got a promotion.” I say looking around the class room.

There were 3 people looking at me, possible listening to me, they were all male, staring at my chest, so I don’t think that counts, but the rest of the class were talking amongst themselves or drawing.

“Thank you Malibu” the teacher says.

I quickly sit down.

Every school does it. Makes the new kid stand up and embarrass them by asking them to ‘tell us a bit about yourself’. I hated it. I’d only done it 3 time, this being the third. I hated it. I wasn’t here to make friends. I just wanted to get my High School diploma and move back to Chicago. I would still be asleep if it weren’t for my mum waking me up at 8 am and making me come here. I look around the room and realise these are the people I’ll be spending a year with. A whole 12 months.

I see jocks arm wrestling. Skanks putting lip gloss on. Goths painting their nails black. I’m not a jock, I’m not that skanky and I’m not that goth.

I was a loner. I knew it from day one.

“Malibu?”

“Mali” I say trying to see who’s acknowledging me. Beautiful icy blue eyes were staring into mine.

“Mali, I was thinking since you only moved her yesterday you wouldn’t mind someone showing you around Sunnydale?”

“Yeah, I’d like that” I say.

“I’m Joey by the way. So meet me out the front of the school at 4?” Joey says.

“See you then” I say after the bell rings.

*****

I go through another 45 minute period before it’s 3 and I can leave this hell hole they call Sunnydale High.

“Malibu? Can I sit here?”A quiet voice asks from behind me.

“Yeah sure” I say moving my bag off the seat next to me.

“I’m Rocella Cavaldi” the girl says sitting down. “But people find it easier to call me Roxy. My name’s so French” she says shaking her head and smiling.

“Ok Roxy. I’m Malibu MacFarlane” I say smiling.

“You’re new here?” Roxy asks

“Yeah, moved here yesterday” I say copying notes off the black board.

“Me too, I mean, not yesterday. I’ve been here 3 days and I know 2 people. Both of which I’m sure just want something off me” Roxy says writing in her book.

“Well I met a few jocks I’d rather forget.” I say writing.

Roxy and I spend the lesson writing and chatting.

*****

“So I’ll se you tomorrow morning” I say as Roxy walks up her drive way.

She lives 3 houses down from me so we’re walking to school in the morning.

It’s 3:30 and I have 30 minutes to get changed (to look fabulous for ‘the eyes’) and meet him at the school.

I put my hot hipster jeans on and a cashmere jacket over my long tube top.

I get to the school at 5 to 4. Joey’s already there.

“Hey” I say coming face to face with him.

“Hey” He says looking me up and down.

“He steps towards me and I get a little uncomfortable so I take a step back.

“So where are we going first?” I say trying to get his attention off me.

“I was thinking down town” Joey says smiling.

Before I know it he’s pushed me against the gate of the school and is holding my hands while kissing my neck.

“GET OFF ME ! I MEAN IT JOEY STOP!” I yell pushing him off me. He doesn’t. Just as I start panicining someone jumps next to Joey and with one punch knocks him off of me and onto the ground. I watch in shock as this person pulls Joey up by the scruff of the neck and growls at him. Joey looks worried and growls back at him saying “I do what I like you can’t stop me, you never could”.

I start heading back home to get away from the scene.

“Hey, Mali! Are you ok? Sorry if I scared you”

I turn around and the guy who punched Joey out was running towards me.

“I’m ok. Thanks by the way. I didn’t realise Joey was such a creep.” I say as he walks beside me.

“Well Sunnydale IS a creepy place. I’m Lewie by the way” he says extending his hand for me to shake.

I smile to myself thinking the last time I shook a person’s hand, the person was over 50.

“Malibu, as you apparently already know” I say shaking his hand.

“Yeah, you’re in my English class, you moved here yesterday right?” Lewie says

“Yeah”

“And Joey was going to show you around. On behalf of the human race I apologize about him” Lewie says shaking his head.

“That’s ok. You saved me. I mean....You saved me from beating the shit out of him.” I say a little embarrassed.

“Don’t worry about it.”

We reach my house.

“So, I’ll see you tomorrow.”: Lewie says.

“Yeah, thanks for walking me home’ I say.

“No problem Mali”

*****

“So, Lewie? I never heard of him.” Rocella says as we’re walking to school.

“Yeah, I know I saw Joey in English, sitting with he jocks, but Lewie, I would have definitely recognised him if I saw him, I mean you don’t forget a face like his” I say picturing his eyes and his mouth.

“Hey Malibu, enjoy last night?” Joey yells out. He’s standing with a group of friends, all looking at me eagre. I realise Joey’s the type of person who, after last night, would have told all his loser friends that we made out, instead of the truth, he got beat up for sexually harassing me.

“Yeah, great time, too bad you couldn’t get it up” I yell out. All his friends look at him and start laughing, he looks at me angrily and Roxy and I walk away.

*****

Roxy and I have the first 3 periods together than in Art I go to the bathroom and meet Lewie in the hall.

“Hi” Lewie says heading towards me.

“Hey”

“So where are you off to?” Lewie asks me.

“What’s it to you?” I ask jokingly.

“I’m actually a hall monitor” Lewie says smiling and showing me a laminated piece of card board with “Hall Monitor” printed on it.

“Oh, sorry, Bathroom” I say blushing.

Lewie looks over my shoulder and I turn to see Joey looking angry and heading towards us.

“You had some nerve last night! You had NO right interfering with me.” Joey hisses in Lewie’s face. Lewie grabs my arm and pulls me to his side.

“And you had no right harassing Malibu last night. After all these years, you still haven’t got it that no means no” Lewie says back to him.

“You can’t stop me. You never could. I’m winning” Joey says.

“You’re loosing and you know it, otherwise you wouldn’t be panicing like you are, I see it in your eyes” Lewie says getting right into Joey’s face.

“OUCH!” I yell pulling my arm out of Lewie’s grip. I look down at my arm and it’s bright red. I didn’t notice how hard he was gripping me because I was so into the conversation between him and Joey.

“Sorry” Lewie says looking down at my arm.

“LEWIE LENNOX, MALIBU MacAllister and Joey Rozzman. What’s going on?” A teacher poked his head out the door and started yelling at us.

“Nothing Sir, goin’ to class” Joey says looking angrily at us before walking down the hallway.

“Malibu? Lewie?” The teacher continues.

“Us too Sir” Lewie says as we walk past the teacher back to my classroom.

“Sorry about your arm” Lewie says watching me rub my arm.

“It’s ok. I think. I’ll see you later ok” I say opening the door to my class.

*****

“So basically, they were talking like they were playing a game or something. like ‘I’m winning’ and ‘you’re loosing’, really weird. I have no idea what it’s got to do with me.” I tell Roxy on the way home.

“It was really intense, I mean look at the bruise on my arm, that was 2 hours ago and already look it this” I say rolling my sleeve up to reveal the fingerprint bruises around the top of my arm.

“Damn!” Roxy says.

“Yeah, and the weird thing is, I never even noticed he was still holding my arm, until it REALLY hurt” I say folding my sleeve down again.

“Thank God tomorrow’s Saturday. No school” Roxy says

“Yeah, I could sleep until 11.” I say getting 4 letters out of the letter box and heading up my drive way.

“See ya later” Roxy yells out as she keeps walking to her house

*****

I put the letters on the table and go upstairs to unpack some more of my room.

*****

“Mali? Can you come down stairs please” My mum yells out about an hour later.

I head down stairs and find her sitting in the lounge room with the 4 letters from the Eagleston Organisation on the coffee table. I take a seat across from her and say “Gee, you’re home early” and then notice she’s got black mascara running down her face.

“Mum what’s wrong?” I ask scared of her answer. She only cries when it’s really bad.

“Mali, I have to tell you something” she says quietly.

“I have a secret. I never had to tell anyone, until now. I’m sorry Mali. I thought moving would help. Maybe it would save us, but it hasn’t. I’m sorry Mali, I really am” Mum says to me still crying.

“Mum, what’s wrong, you’re scaring me” I say feeling my eyes sting.