I folded my arms, trying not to look at him. Blake was one of the biggest jerks I've ever seen. He's broken so many girls' hearts; he had no regard for their feelings অথবা anything. Now he was dating Heidi, a girl I also didn't care for. He looked at me with an expression of... fear? অথবা was it hate? Who knows.

"Uh.." he ব্যক্ত stupidly. "What's your name?"

"Irina," I mumbled.

"I'm Blake," he said. I nodded, not really giving a fuck. "...Do আপনি want to get to work?" I shrugged.

"What're we doing?" I asked quietly. He explained that we were to interview each other; find out about each other's lives, and then write a small biography on who we interviewed. Mr. Sullivan apparently ব্যক্ত it would "be a great experience for us to meet someone new, and it'll teach us that there's আরো than meets the eye." Frankly, I didn't want anyone to know about my life. People assume I'm some kind of freak অথবা whatever the hell they say behind my back. I've heard so many things ব্যক্ত about me, sometimes I just wanna laugh. They always say আপনি should always give people a chance. But why should I if they didn't give me one?

We started our project. I interviewed Blake first.

"Tell me about your family," I sighed, পাঠ করা from the worksheet. I didn't even bother to try sounding interested.

"Well, I live with my parents, and I have an older sister in college, a younger brother, and a younger sister." Damn. He has a big family. Lucky...

***

We didn't get far into the interview. Since I had been late, there was only about twenty মিনিট of class left. And Mr. Sullivan was not allowing any আরো class time to work on it.

"Uh... so, do আপনি want to come over this Saturday to work on it?" Blake asked, grabbing his textbook.

"I can't. My car's broken," I said. He sighed. He seemed like he really didn't want to come to my house. Well, good. I didn't want him there.

"Fine. Gimme your number and address. I'll give আপনি my number..." I took out a piece of paper, and he told me his cell number, and I did the same for him. "Bye," he said, probably as a courtesy. He didn't sound interested at all.

Lunch came a couple hours later .The sophomores flooded to the cafeteria, but I stayed behind. I waited until all the lunch monitors went in, leaving the hallways bare and empty. Then I went out the front door, and around to the side of the high school. I took out my brown paper bag, and dumped out a veggie burger wrapped in foil, a bottle of water, and a small bag of a potato chips. I began eating my lunch, when I heard someone whisper my name.

"Irina... Help..." it said. I looked up to see Briar, only instead of trying to climb out of the first story window like she usually does, she was hanging from the সেকেন্ড story one. I jumped up, and held my arms out to catch her.

"Oh my God! Don't worry! I gotcha!" I said. She peered down at me, then squeezed her eyes shut and released her grip on the window. She flew down toward me. I caught her, but we both tumbled backwards onto the grass. Briar sat up, still sitting on me, and spit out a leaf.

"Well the landing was a little off... I give it seven points." I glared at her and pushed her off of me.

"Are আপনি insane?! আপনি could've killed yourself!" I said.

"Well I didn't. And it's not my fault! Mrs. Fairel's class got moved up to the সেকেন্ড floor, and no one's allowed to leave!" Briar explained.

"That doesn't mean আপনি go jumping out of সেকেন্ড story windows!" I scolded. She rolled her brown eyes. She ran her fingers through her wavy, medium-length brown hair. Briar's a freshman, so she has lunch a different ঘন্টা than me. So she ditches study hall to come have lunch with me instead. Briar laughed. Just then I noticed something on her neck. I gently moved her hair to the side, to find a hand shaped bruise wrapped around the side of her neck. There was an identical one on the other side as well.

"Oh... Briar..." I whimpered. She lowered her gaze sheepishly.

"It's nothing. He just... got mad..." she ব্যক্ত quietly. Briar's boyfriend is a junior named Skye. He's best বন্ধু with my boyfriend, Drew.They're almost exactly alike in personalities... They're both fucking assholes. Drew wasn't always like that of course. Otherwise I wouldn't have ever gone out with him. I met him at work one day, at the movie theatre. He kept flirting with me, and he was a really sweet guy. A couple days later we started dating. Still, he was a perfect guy. About a মাস later, he just... changed. He didn't smile anymore. He didn't tell me I was pretty অথবা cute অথবা anything. Those words changed to "bitch," "slut," and I won't repeat some of the others. He became very violent too. He hits, slaps, punches, and kicks me, for the most irrelevant reasons.

Skye is probably worse than Drew. He's way আরো violent. A মাস ago, he almost took Briar's life. She's not the same much anymore. She used to be so social and talkative. Now, she dropped all her বন্ধু except me, because I'm going through it too.

"Are আপনি going to Drew's tonight?" Briar asked. Drew was having a "party" at his house tonight. That meant I had to come; I always had to be there. I'm "for show," as Drew once put it. I don't understand. He's always telling me I need to change. To be different, not like who I am now. But then I guess since I'm the only girl he can get, because I fell for his act, I must be there to "show off."

"I can't. I gotta work," I told her. Her eyes widened in fear. That would mean she'd be there alone. And it's not like she could just stay home. Her parents are alcoholics, so they wouldn't notice a guy breaking into their house and forcibly taking their daughter to a party. "Do আপনি wanna stay over at my place tonight?" I offered. Anything to keep her safe. She nodded quickly.

"Thanks Irina," she smiled sheepishly.

"No problem."

After school, Briar walked প্রথমপাতা with me. We finally got back to my tiny old house, and I got ourselves something to drink. Briar asked for water, and I got myself one of Dad's বিয়ার bottles that he never drinks. Briar pouted. She hates when I drink around her. I rolled my eyes. There was a pound at the door.

"Go to my room. Lock the door, and don't come out until I tell আপনি to," I instructed. She nodded and went to my bedroom that's past the kitchen. I opened the door to Drew.

"Hey," he ব্যক্ত indifferently. He let himself in. "So, আপনি have to supply the বিয়ার tonight," he said. I took a deep breath.

"I can't. I have to work tonight," I ব্যক্ত quietly. He glared at me.

"You knew we had plans tonight! Just call in sick!" Drew ব্যক্ত bitterly. My হৃদয় was pounding against my chest.

"I can't. I'm running out of my medication. I need the money," I tried to explain, but his palm slapping against my face shut me up. I yelped involuntarily, and covered my face with my hands.

"'I need আরো medication!'" he mocked. "That's bullshit!" he shouted. I pushed myself up against the wall, trying to stay as far away as I possibly could. "You're such a whiny little bitch! If আপনি don't প্রদর্শনী up, I swear... Y'know what? I don't give a fuck. Go to work. You'd better be grateful that I'm being generous tonight." He stormed out of the house without another glance in my direction. I stood there, stunned and shocked. I'd been expecting a lot worse, actually. My face felt red hot, and I went to my room and knocked on the door.

"Briar? It's ok now. আপনি can unlock the door," I said. I heard the door unlock. briar jumped up and wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me. She had tears streaming down her face. It must've been terrifying for her to hear that.

"Are আপনি ok?!" she asked. I nodded and rubbed her back.

"I'm fine," I assured her. "I gotta get ready now."

I got dressed in my work uniform; a white button up shirt, black pants, and black shoes. I had to take out my বারবেল and put a retainer in. Since my septum was still healing and I can't take it out, I carefully flipped it up to hide it. I tied my hair back in a long ponytail.

"Ok, I'm going now. You'll be ok here for a couple hours?" Briar nodded. "Ok. If আপনি need me, just call my cell."

"Be careful," she said. "I'm going to go sleep for a while," she said, making her way to my room.

"I will. See ya."