Have you ever been in a new school? Not like going to a school your districted for, but actually moving? This is what's happening to me, Lily Williams. New School day was yesterday, with a new school, new life, new "friends". And, at my last school, I was one of the quiet people. I had friends, sure, but there was only one who I could call a true friend. So when my best, most trustworthy friend-Destiny Herondale-moved when we were in 7th grade, things got harder for me.

She was the only one who was always there for me, the only one I could tell about my...'problems' at home when I needed to. But, when she left, I didn't have anyone to tell because I never trusted anyone else besides her... So it got bottled up and I started to isolate myself because I felt so alone without anyone to put my burdens on and make me feel weightless-even if it was just temporary.


And because I made myself a loner, people started to pick on me. It was only a light teasing at first when they'd call me Lonely Lily or maybe give me disgusted looks. It continued like that for a while, me being on the receiving end for everyone else's leftover hate. That is, until it turned violent. They began to chase me down throughout the school and begin to beat me as soon as they got me cornered. It was mainly Patricia Alexis- the most popular girl in school-and her popular crowd. And since she was the Queen Bee, everyone decided it was only right to follow her rule. Just to gain stupid popularity. I wondered if they thought it was worth it to inflict so much pain on me that I've visited the hospital so many times, that they knew my name as soon as I walked through the double doors....the idiots. Patricia was the one that made my other school life horrible and I was hoping with all I had left that this new one wouldn't be as bad. Then again, I just moved in 2 days ago, so I can't really gauge how bad it's going to be.

I grudgingly walked into the school grounds and went to where my homeroom was, Mr. Clent. And I mentally growled when I saw Alicia was already here. I was here long enough for me to know that I wouldn't like this girl. I was right to not like her because she crashed right into me-on purpose-while I was at my locker, and made me drop all of my stuff.

The jerk... I guess I've officially marked her down as a new bully.

"Here, let me help" I heard someone say. The person helped me pick up my stuff. When we both stood up straight with all of my stuff in both our hands, I looked whoever in the eye to thank them, and I noticed something. She looked so familiar.... Where had I seen her before? I wondered.

"Lily!?" this supposed stranger shrieked, her eyes looked like they might as well pop out of her head.

"Yeah?" I asked in a questioning tone, having a look of pure confusion cross my features.

"It's me, Destiny! Destiny Herondale!"

What are the odds? I thought, but it is kinda sad that I didn't recognize my own best friend... "Wha-what!?"

"Yeah it's me!"

We squealed and gave each other an extreme hug. It felt so good to actually hug someone in so long...to experience some form of affection. It was so...warm.

"Guess what!" she said as we pulled away.

I raised my eyebrow

"Apparently, I'm the most popular girl in school!"

What? she never really seemed to be the popular type...

"I thought Alicia was..." It was true, and I only thought that because of how mean she was. Popular people are always mean, trust me, I know from experience. I never expected t to ever be Destiny.

"Nope, but she, Brooke and Kaila are good friends of mine who would do all sorts of stuff for me!"

"Oh, cool..."

"Who do you have now?"

I showed her my schedule and to my surprise she had all classes with me. We both looked up ad smiled at each other, this is already better than my last school!

I forgot who my homeroom teacher was... Oops... Wasn't it Mr. Clent? Yea Mr. Clent! I was looking over my schedule and I couldn't even pronounce my 5th period teacher's name. It read....Mrs. Kaavalanciawa? Mrs. Kavansawa? I don't know... Destiny laughed at my mispronunciations. It was funny since she read my mind...or did I just say it all out loud..? Because I do that a lot...Oh well, nice to know we probably still have our sisterly connection.

"It's Mrs. Kavansawa... Mrs. K for short."

"Oh thank god she has a shorter name too."

Destiny laughed. "Well I gotta go to my homeroom."

"Same"

"See ya later!"

"Bye!"

I walked off, shaking my head at our stupidity. We were... interesting little people for the lack of a better term. I mentally shrugged, it was pretty accurate.

As soon as I walked through Mr. Clent's door, the first thing I noticed was that Alicia was in my homeroom.

Terrific...

And of course, she was forced to sit next to me... The universe can be cruel sometimes. "Hello," she said meanly.

I didn't dare speak, only just awkwardly look down at my lap and play with my jacket arms. I was in a short sleeve shirt with a jacket on my waist. The jacket was dark and was ripped at the wrists for me to fit my thumbs into a lot. I felt like my sleeves and hood make me invisible, so I'd wear my jacket nearly 24/7, just so I wouldn't get noticed.

But apparently Alicia noticed me and I saw her grab a very sharp looking lead pencil from her purse. At first, I didn't pay much attention to it. But then, I gasped in pain when Alicia used her pointed lead pencil and forced the lead into my arm until it drew blood. The liquid gushed on the lead pencil as if it were water flowing through a river. I watched her as she smiled and began to drag the pencil through my arm, ripping open my skin, leaving the blood to spill over. I almost screamed, but her glare was so threatening that I clamped my mouth shut. This was one of the only times that I'm thankful that I cut myself. Since I did it so much, the pain was slightly dulled and now that I think about it...kinda felt good.

She violently jerked the pencil out of my arm. I looked down at the damage she'd done and took in shuddering breaths. There was now a cut all the way from my shoulder to three-fourths above my elbow.

I looked back at Alicia, my expression warm and forgiving, "Thank you..." I whispered before I got up and ran out of the classroom without a word. I had to get to the nurse's office. Quick. But I was slightly slow going because I just wanted to bask in the pain for a bit. Because of course,

I deserved it.

And, I'd already receded back into my shell. I was Lonely Lily once more.

*****************************************************
I told the nurse that I tripped, and she believed it surprisingly. So I got stuck walking around with a wad of gauze wrapped around my arm. So, I put my jacket on so nobody'd notice.

I rushed out of my third period-I got back to class during first period-and hurried to my fourth, hoping not to get caught by Alicia and her crowd.

Oops, spoke too soon.

Alicia sauntered over to me, her idiotic cronies in tow.

"Hi Lily. Why are you walking to class by yourself?"she asked all too sweetly.

"W-well b- beca-" I began stuttering in fright. I couldn't believe I was so scared of a pansy like her, but... Patricia must have scarred me and changed the way I look at people like her.

"No wonder your such a loner," she rolled her eyes and scoffed in annoyance," No one'd want to talk to someone with that simply unbearable stutter of yours."

I made myself shrink. I couldn't help stuttering when I was nervous. But she wasn't done yet. Alicia sneered and gave me a disgusted glare.

"And I think I'd help if you weren't so. Damn. Ugly."

She smirked when she saw my face crumble.

"I know..." I whispered.

The last thing I saw was her and her clones' three shocked faces before I pushed passed them and walked towards Mr. Adrian's classroom. I burst through the door and everyone's heads swirled towards me, having either a sneer or confused expression on their faces. A rosy pink crept up my cheeks and I ducked my head and speed walked to my desk in embarrassment. But of course, I just couldn't have even that peace. Someone just had to stick out their leg so I would trip... and I did. If it was a friend, I would face-plant with a 'Whee!' since it would be a joke, but Alicia doing it wasn't a joke. Then the entire classroom gave me a look. A look as if I deserved this torture. I looked toward Destiny and she was too busy writing down stuff from the board. I didn't pay much more attention, everyone was just giving me looks.

"Hey, why have you been ignoring me all day?"

"What?" I turned and realized it was Destiny. "Oh, sorry, I've been a little busy today, learning the rules and the material and everything."
"What's that? That wasn't there earlier," she said referring to the gauze on my arm.
"Nothing," I said trying to pull my jacket back up, but obviously failing.

"Who did that to you!?" she asked, almost screaming, but that's her way of being her concerned self.

Alicia was being a bully, but she was Destiny's friend and I didn't want to cause more trouble than I already had. But I knew I was gonna have to tell her sooner or later.

"Alicia..." I said in a small voice, looking down.
"What?"

I hesitantly looked up at Destiny's hard face. "I said it was Alicia..."

Destiny's face fell for a moment but then she got an angry expression.

"Just because you may not like her, doesn't mean you can go around blaming her for something she'd never do." She was holding back her temper for my sake. I could tell because her voice was deadly calm.

"B-bu-" A choking sound escaped my lips and my mouth remained open, no words coming out. She didn't believe me... Her best friend...
"You know what? Never mind..." She sealed her lips in a tight line and walked away towards the back of the classroom, where her "friends" were. I sighed and walked up to the front of the classroom, watching out for any lags in the way...

****************************************************************

Third period went by without a hitch. Destiny refused to talk to me and I felt alone even more than usual. So, yeah, it was the usual. It was already lunchtime and I had gotten my tray. I looked from side to side in the busy cafeteria looking for Destiny so I could try to apologize and everything would be all better... I hoped.

I continued to look around until I bumped into somebody. "Umm...sor-"

A scoff...
"Oh it's you."

I looked up. It was Alicia. Just my luck... I thought. She had her usual sneer on her face and it was uglier than usual because she caked even more make-up on her face during a restroom break. I giggled but quickly sniffled it at that thought.

"What." she began slowly,"Are you laughing at?" she said, enunciating every syllable as if I were an idiot. Which I wasn't-for the most part.

At your ugly make-up caked face, skank, I thought. Suddenly, a hush overcame the lunchroom and all eyes were on me.

"What!?"she repeated, screeching what she heard in disbelief.

Shoot... I must've said that out loud...

"Uh, nothing!" I squeaked before trying to push passed her.

Of course I couldn't get a break...

As soon as I tried to push past, one of her triplets tripped me, sending me face first into my tray of soggy lunch meat, they claim to be meatloaf. Everyone pointed and laughed at me. I guess it just gets funnier each time. I chuckled dryly lifting my head out of the ketchupy meat. If that wasn't enough, all three just had to dump their soup on my head. My usually pale face was cakes with ketchup smears that were mixing in with the brown water they call soup. Vegetables and noodles were tangled in my hair, which was now stuck to my face in a black mess of knots.

I felt so...

Yuck...

I snapped back into reality and began to hear the laughter of everyone around me. I even heard the occasional camera snap as they took- pictures!? I had to get out of here. I ran out of the double doors with a slam and into the nearest bathrooms. I walked in, got into a stall, sitting on the toilet seat in a ball and began to... cry...

I began to sob into my knees, letting go of the pained, hopeless cries that lingered in my locked up heart. Every single bit of laughter felt as if a shard of glass is pricking at my skin until it finally stabbed my heart.

Speaking of stabbing...

I sniffed, allowing my tears to fall some more before grabbing my pocket knife, I used it when I needed some release... I always kept it in my boot. I took the blade in my right hand and let out a large sob before I dug it into my skin. I hissed in pain and pleasure. It felt great knowing that I'd feel a little better after this. I drew the knife down my arm , making a large red line begin to form in its wake. I let out a shaky breath as I let the blood seep out and stain my skin. The stinging made me feel alive. I continued to cry and let the salty water run into my wounds. The cut only stung more. And....

It felt great...

I let my arms hang limp at my sides while I relished in the pain. It felt so, so good.

The bell rang all too soon and I knew my 'happy' hour was up. I sighed and got off the toilet seat, walking off without even bothering to bandage the wound. If I see Alicia again today, I will lose it. I got my stuff and ran to my 5th period, being careful not to run into Alicia, wherever she was. And Destiny's still upset, like really upset. Great, now I know the whole world is against me...