Monday.

First day of new school.

Transferring from a rich school to a complete dump.

Obviously, I thought I would instantly fit in with the popular girls, 'cause I'm from LA and "all that".

I was wrong.

Turns out; just because you're from a rich, upper-class High School, where everybody knows you by name, doesn't mean you're the target of everyone's eye in this place.

They were here before me. They know every nook and cranny of this domain. I'm a newcomer.

And in this place; newcomers aren't welcome.

Time to play Cat and Mouse.

Except for this time: I'm the Mouse. *Squeak-Squeak*.

First; let's get my hands dirty.

Introduction to my High School Hell: *Approximately five minutes from the second I stepped into the building*...

"OMG!!!! HOW ARE YOU???? I MISSED YOU SO MUCH-" *Glares at me as I pass by*.

"OHMYGOSH. HAVE YOU SEEN HOW CUTE JOSH HAS GOTTEN-" *Glares at me as I pass by*.

"OHMYGOD! I LOVE YOUR LIPSTICK AND YOUR HAIR AND YOUR-" *Glares at me as I pass by*.

A cute guy is walking towards me and I could swear he is looking right at me; "Hey," he says in a deep voice, and I swoon as I open my mouth to say- And he walks right past me, scooping a blonde girl into his arms and shoves her into a locker as he aggressively kisses her. #BARF!

Another cute guy stares at me as he leans against a locker. I maintain eye contact with him for a good three seconds before I slam into a locker, and hear him guffawing behind me.

I disappeared into the nearest women's restroom and locked myself in an empty stall. Inappropriate drawings made in sharpie litter the walls that enclose me from the other toilets and disgusting comments are scrawled on the door. 

A toilet flushes in the stall next to me and I hear someone clear their throat as the stall unlocks and a pair of the cleanest white Nikes I've ever seen step out of the stall.

And stop right in front of the door to my stall.

I see the left shoe start tapping lightly against the floor.

Then a female voice says; "Well aren't you gonna let me in"?

I try to hide a smirk at the odd comment as I sit up from my perch on the toilet seat and reach forward to unlock the door.

It clicks open and a tall brunette girl with too much mascara on her eyelashes swiftly slides into the minimal amount of space this stall provides.

She sticks her long neck out of the stall, sweeps her head side to side, yanks it back in and slams the door closed, making the stall walls shake.

She spins back around to peer down at me from where I'm awkwardly seated on the lid of the seat and blinks at me, her hands resting on her hips.

"You can't just hide in here all day".

"Yeah, I know. What's it to you"?

"Nothing. I just don't enjoy watching people suffer from their first torturous day at the labyrinth known as Westmore High".

I stifle a laugh, liking this strange girl already.

She cocks her head to the side and says; "What's your name"?

"Felicity Sparrow. But you can call me Fee. Yours"?

"Emily Cox. You'll get used to the last name". (What Emily looks like is above). 

"Nickname preferences"?

"No. No nicknames. No "Em" or anything. Just Emily, is fine".

"Okay". 

"Okay".

I smile; "Okayyyy".

"Okay," then she grabs my arm, flips the lock, and bangs out of the stall.

She pulls me into the hallway just as the bell rings, only a few people lingering, not caring that they're going to be late.

"What are you doing!?" I whisper-yell.

"Getting you to class," she says, taking a sharp turn to the left.

She paces forward a few more steps then asks; "What's your first hour"?

"English".

"Good, then we're going to the same place," and she changes course, going back the way we came, and taking another sharp left.

We arrive in front of door 115 and she strides in with the confidence of a soldier marching into battle.

I can feel everybody's eyes on us as we walk into class.

No, let me change that: I can feel everybody's eyes BURNING into the backs of our heads as Emily drags me behind her.

The teacher who I now know must be Ms. Finkle stands up, gives us a once over, nods at Emily and says; "And you are"?

It takes me a couple of seconds to realize she's talking to me.

"Oh, um, Felicity. Felicity Sparrow".

Someone in the back of the room makes a bird call and everyone laughs.

Ms. Finkle doesn't even bother to call out whoever made the crude noise and points to two empty desks in the back of the room.

Emily, still holding my hand, lead me to the desks.

Someone tries to trip me by sticking their leg out into the aisle but my reflexes kick in and I swiftly jump over the leg without flinching, and a few people gasp, probably out of shock or admiration.

I take my seat and deliberately stare at everyone in the room, daring them to say a word to me.

They all turn to the front of the room.

Satisfied, and triumphant, I cross my arms and lean back in my seat.

And before I know what's happening, the chair is pulled out from underneath me and I'm on the floor.

Everyone is laughing their heads off and whispering to each other, making fun of the new girl.

Ms. Finkle gets up to aid me but Emily is already on top of it.

She waves Ms. Finkle off and helps me up even when I try brushing her off, saying; "I can do it myself".

She picks my chair back up and situates me before sitting herself back down.

A spitball hits the side of my neck and I whip my head around to see a brown, shaggy-haired boy with an oversized tan shirt on, holding a makeshift spitball stick, leering at me.

I glare at him and he looks over at Emily and says; "What's with her"?

"What's with your face?" she snaps back.

He turns back around and smacks palms with the next to him, jeering over hitting his target.

Everyone is still hollering over what happened over the last three minutes when a shrill voice booms out; "EVERYBODY SETTLE DOWN"!!!!

The noise cuts off like we were struck by a match, and everyone's heads snap around to look at Ms. Finkle who has her palms spread wide open over the desk at the front of the room, her shoulders heaving from yelling so loud.

"Now. This is. No way to. Treat a new. Student." she gasps.

No one objects.

"Everyone. Will stop this. Nonsense. At once. Or I will. Be reporting this. To your. Parents".

Once she can finally breathe normally, she looks at me, and says; "Its, Felicity, right"?

"Yes," I mutter.

"Well Felicity, would you like to come up here and introduce yourself to the class"?

No.

"Okay".

Emily grabs my shoulder as I start to stand up and says; "You know, you don't have to do this".

"I know. I'll do it to prove I'm not scared of them".

She smiles, and lets go of my shoulder.

I smile back and walk to the front of the room, nobody daring to try and trip me after Ms. Finkle's rant.

I stand at the front of the room and fold my hands in front of my waist.

"The floor is yours," Ms. Finkle says.

I clear my throat and scan the room once before starting.

"Um, hi. I can see we didn't get off on very good terms so far, so I'd like to start over".

"Get on with it!" Someone says.

"SHHHHHHHHHH!" Ms. Finkle hisses.

I give her a look of thanks, and continue; "My name is Felicity Sparrow," and I pause, waiting for another bird call, but nothing comes; "I just moved here from LA and-" someone makes a whooping sound and Ms. Finkle's head snaps up, zeroing in on a blonde guy who's head is down on the table, his shoulders shaking from laughter.

"I just moved from LA where my mom worked as a world-seller artist and my dad was the owner of a company that worked with cars".

*Crickets*.

"I have a brother named Jake who goes here, and he's a Sophomore, and I'm looking forward to my Junior year, here".

No applause, as expected.

"Where do you live now?" Ms. Finkle asks.

"We moved into the old house with the dead cornfields," I casually say, with a shrug.

Everyone in the room goes completely silent.

Some people's eyes have narrowed at me.

"You've... heard of it?" I ask, unsure.

Then a girl with pink braces and long black pigtails sitting in front of me pipes up; "Wait. Are you saying, you live in the Demon house"?

"I'm sorry, the what"?

The girl next to her joins in, saying; "The Demon house. Twenty years ago a family of three lived there and their daughter was possessed two months after moving into the place. Haven't you researched it"?

"Actually, I have. I just didn't think it would be that much of a shock to you all".

Everyone starts whispering to each other and I know it's about where I live.

"Alright, thank you Felicity for sharing with the class, you can take your seat now".

Everyone is staring at me as I walk back to my desk.

Emily looks at me and then asks; "You know what happened there, right"?

I think before answering her; "Yeah. Now I why everyone is so Ga-Ga about it".