"Jimmy! Get up! Why are you not dressed yet?" my mother shouted, snatching my pillow out from under my head. The sudden noise of my mother's rough morning voice mixed with my head's impact against the firm mattress startled me awake. I tore off my covers and rushed past my mother into the bathroom.

"What time is it?" I asked as I surveyed my sloppy appearance in the mirror.

"Six fifteen! You know very well that we have to leave by six thirty!" she responded. I panicked as I rushed into the shower, not bothering to try and tame my semi-sentient hair and making sure that I at least smelled okay. I dried off and bolted towards my room, rummaging through my clothing until I found a clean tee shirt and jeans. I threw my usual comfort hoodie over the haphazard ensemble and clumsily fumbled down the stairs. I grabbed a quick granola bar for the road before meeting my mother in the foyer, her keys in hand. She gave me the once over before straightening out my clothes and fussing over my hair.

"Come on, mom. I thought you were the one rushing me." I said, annoyed by her maternal habits. She looked at me with an all too familiar glare. "You can never take away a mother's right to pick at her kid. Now get your cheeky butt in the car." she said, giving my shoulder a light shove out of the front door. I chuckled and opened the passenger side door to find my five year old sister, Bella. "What are you doing, brat? Get in the back." I said. She simply stuck out her tongue in response.

"I woke up first, so mom said I could ride up front." she said, a cocky grin spread across her puffy cheeks.

I turned to my mother for help, but she walked by wordlessly, confirming Bella's statement. I frowned as I opened the backseat, squeezing myself into the small, cramped back half of the old sedan. "Wake up on time, and you'll get your front seat privileges back." my mother said as she pulled out of the driveway. It was a fifteen minute drive to my school, a ten minute drive to Bella's daycare and another twenty minute drive to mom's day job at the office (not counting traffic and weather) so we always left early in the morning.

Getting to school early didn't exactly help my social status either. I started this year at a completely new school, and I had fallen asleep before the first bell on my first day. The beginning of my junior year of high school had been stamped with the everlasting nickname of "Sleeping Beauty". The totally original and funny label was created by Scott Parkins. You'd think that being called beautiful every day would be great, but it's dampened by their insistence to poke fun at my narcoleptic tendencies.

I normally wouldn't mind being a social outcast since that seemed to be a recurring theme from one school to another, but there were always other outcasts I could flock to. Sun Valley High, however, had next level bullying, and Scott Parkins was the king of these halls. If he didn't like you, no one did. The staff absolutely adored his golden report card and quarterback status, and the student body feared the power he held over them. I had never done anything to him, let alone breathe in his direction, but he hated me.

My life was starting to feel like a bad teen drama, but even those characters that everyone hates had one friend to help build their confidence. I didn't. I had a few friends at my old schools, but none of them were good at keeping in touch after my family moved across the country. I did have a cousin who went to the same school but she had the biggest, most obvious crush on Scott's best friend, Bobby Adams. So, in the end, even she had ended up hating me and refusing to admit that we were in any way related.

"Have fun at school, honey." My mother said as she pulled up to the door and parked the car. I gave her a half-hearted smile. "Trust me. I won't." I said, still smiling as I got out and headed inside. There weren't many people here this early, since school started at eight. The only life that could be found were teachers preparing for classes and students who were forced to come in early for extra curriculars. I found my usual spot between a wall and an unused vending machine to sit down and finish a few assignments before school started.

I know how sad that sounds, but I actually preferred sitting here. It was quiet, and no one ever saw me. There were no whispers, shouts, or grumbles. Just the quiet hum of the vending machine and my thoughts.

... Okay, so maybe there was a reason I didn't have any friends.

I finished up the rest of my homework and checked my phone, seeing that it was 7:05. Shit. Before I could run, I saw a dark shadow loom over me. I already knew who it was before I could even look up.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty."