Beautiful to Me. (2 page)

             
“Ivy, like in Poison Ivy? Are you poisonous?” Lena said in an evil tone, giving me a chill down my spine.

“
PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE.” I wrote in BIG LETTERS on a piece of notebook paper and held it up to her. “Ha, that’s rich of you to ask instead of demanding.” Lena chuckled out her comment. I noticed Miss Rah-Rah was now talking to another Rah-Rah and they were both glaring at me, laughing and acting all dramatic. They were loud enough for me to hear, which it was obvious that was their intent. “She must shop at thrift stores. Look at her.” The Rah-Rah said to her BFF Rah-Rah. “Ugh, yeah maybe, looks more like garage sale shit.” The other one said and they both started laughing.

             
I didn’t understand why this girl took so much pleasure out of making fun of me. I never did anything to hurt her. Why is she in my face every time I see her? I wanted her to just let it out and get this over with. I didn’t have a clue what was wrong.

             
Lena practically tackled me in the hall after class. “What in the hell are you doing flirting with someone who is WAY OUT of your LEAGUE?” Lena asked in a tone that sounded like she was Satan’s spawn love child or something. “Who am I flirting with?” I asked not believing the nerve of this girl accusing me of doing something I would never do. “Dominic is not your type and you Poison IVY are certainly NOT his. Leave him alone. Or you will regret it Ivy.” Lena said, practically hovering over me. “I wasn’t flirting with Dominic. Please leave me alone.” I asked nicely. I tried to see if Dominic was around some place to help me. Nada, no dice. Then she mad some “hmm” sound and “accidentally” knocked my books out of my arms. “Oh, Ivy you should really be more careful.” Lena said, making the hall roar all together in laughter. I seen Bobby turn down the hall way at that moment and everyone seem to pretend they were busy again for some reason. Apparently Dominic had some power over this bunch of degenerates. And I really didn’t understand why everyone acted so mean all the time. I really didn’t bother anyone. Ever. Yet, teens can be so cruel. I don’t believe our parents have any clue at how vicious their beautiful kids could be so hurtful.

             
“Hey you ok?” a soft voice spoke, leaning down to help me. I smiled. “Thanks, just lost my grip is all.” I said to the chubby short girl wearing glasses. “Yeah, well I seen how that really happened. I’m Becca.” She said softly. “Hi Becca, thanks so much for your help. My name is Ivy.” I filled in as we both stood up. Dominic walked passed us, pretending to not even notice me. I felt my heart drop a little when he passed us by and didn’t attempt to at least look at me. I mean, nothing.

             
“Hey care to do lunch together or do you have it in a different period?” Becca asked eagerly. “Nope, I have lunch now, thanks I would love to join you.” As we turned to walk away, Dominic made a casual turn to slap some other jock on the back and looked back at me and winked. I felt my cheeks get warm instantly and I quickly turned back the opposite direction as Becca was continuing her discussion with me that I had no clue of what she was rattling off about. I see this Dominic guy and I go blank.

Becca introduced me to her table of unimportant people as she called them.
“The jocks, and Rah-Rah’s act like no one else is important. Labeling us the “un-importants.” Becca spoke with such drama and character. It was easy to like her. She was always trying to make her friends laugh. She seemed happy in her own skin. I admired her, and wished I was more like her. But I do know that just because you have a smile on your face, doesn’t mean you are smiling on the inside. Judging a book by its cover is not fair, and very dangerous.

             
We all finished our lunches and I had caught a quick peek at Dominic with his foot ball pals. All laughing and telling strange looking stories with their facial expressions. Made me giggle to myself as I walked past them at a safe distance. I love people watching. I love to study human behavior. It was interesting to see how certain people interacted with others, visa versa. We all exchanged phone numbers, programmed them into our phones and headed back to our routine for the day. I thanked Becca again and told her I would call her maybe after school as I head back to my locker with all my new books I wished I could just throw in the garbage.

             
As I made it to English, I was grateful to God, none of the three musketeers were in my class, and I began to relax a little. I suppose knowing what classes you had and who was in them, put my mind at better ease. The class went by in a breeze. I had that Mr. Lake for class as my teacher. Like Dominic was explaining he had in his first period. Lucky for me, I had only two classes left. Music/Art and Gym. I was happy gym was my last period so if I wanted to go home, I could from that point and hurry to take a shower as soon as I got home, or stayed and ran around the track after school. I didn’t want to really try out, per say for any athletic sports that required my time after school. Nope, I enjoyed being alone. Besides, I have a great many years experience doing just that, being alone. And I am positive no one could do it better than I could.

             
I went inside the class and found a seat. I wasn’t really paying attention and didn’t realize the class began. When I looked up, Dominic was sitting next to me, smiling when he noticed me looking at him. I snapped my head back to face the front and slammed my mouth shut from the gaping hole I left it in when I was staring at Dominic.

             
After class rang to be released for its cages, I scrambled to get out of the class as soon as possible before I said and did anything stupid again. “Hey, what’s your next class?” Dominic asked me. First I didn’t think he was actually talking to me. I looked around and then behind me. I turned back to face Dominic when I heard him let out a low chuckle.  “Ivy, I was talking to you silly.” Once again, making my cheeks feel all warm and pink at the very least I was sure of.

             
“”Oh, um… Gym.” I told him putting everything in my back pack. Walking towards the door, Dominic started to say something when we both made it out in the hall, but the jocks took him into their grasp and he vanished then. I slammed everything into my locker for this time, just to see what was to happen in gym class. Can’t wait.

             
I made it in the gym quickly and changed into my designated gym attire, walking back out to class I noticed the boys practicing basket ball over on the courts. Dominic was playing and shoved the ball at someone when he looked up and smiled at me. I smiled, but with swift movements, planted myself in the back of the class of girls sitting on the gym floor.

             
Class was so boring it was a joke. Most of the time the girls in our class stared and drooled over the boys in the opposite class. The guys were playing basketball and the us girls were doing aerobics. Not too sexist are we? How about Us girls play basketball and the boys can do aerobics and we can let them drool over us? I don’t even bother making a comment because who would listen or care? No one.

             
After class I decided to do some running. I just everything in my locker and took off to go outside. I didn’t bother looking for Dominic or anyone else. I knew my mom wouldn’t be home and I would be sitting there, alone. So I might as well run the track.              

             
I was really getting into my run. I had my ear buds in and I was listening to that Justin Timberlake song, Sexy back. I smile when I think of that song thinking back to Texas. The school I went to did some sort of mob stunt. Everyone did a choreographed dance that we all practiced for months. We did it as a fund raiser to help a family from our town and their kids went to our school. The kids ended up getting hit in the car from a couple drunk drivers and the kids and parents didn’t have health insurance. We raised over 20,000 bucks for the family and really had a blast.             

             
I was just finishing my third mile, in my own little world and then I happened to notice the football team practice on the field that was in the middle of the track. How I didn’t notice them sooner, I have no idea. The other fun tidbit of information I have is the Rah-Rah’s were practicing as well, again I was still clueless. Low and behold, my new BFF strolls out into the track, trying to block me when I just ran around her. I kept moving, not paying attention to anyone as I did my return on the lap I was on. Again, Lena, jumps out and so does two of her friends on her squad. I began to slow down and began to walk towards them.

             
“What do you think you are doing?” Lena sounding snotty as she had been all day. “Well, Lena, it appears that I am running.” I leaned down to do my stretches. “Whoa!” Not a clue of what had happened, I realized I was on the ground. “What is your problem Lena?” I shouted. She just started laughing and left me on the ground as she had all her friends in on their little fun session with me.

             
I ran back inside, and gathered up my things in my locker and took off for home. I didn’t have the nerve to see anyone after all that.

             
Once I got home, I took a hot shower, grabbed a snack and began my homework. And basically that is how it went for the first two weeks. Lena tried to degrade me every day. Most laughed, no one helped. Dominic looked concern a couple times, but obviously I wasn’t a person of interest so why would he stick his neck out for the plain jane new girl? I guess since I don’t look so pretty as the cheerleaders, I didn’t give the impression I actually had feelings. Becca got bugged a lot too. All the stupid fat jokes. I tried helping her out a few times that I had been around. Mostly just made us a new joke to them, calling us a couple and names in reference to being gay. Becca seemed more worried than I did. I had friends in previous school who were loud and proud and no one gave a shit. Maybe it’s the town or states. I don’t know. Some schools the kids were nice, and some well, are like where I am currently at. HELL!

             
The morning of my birthday, I went into the kitchenette area of our little apartment to get breakfast before heading out to school. My mom didn’t forget my birthday. She left me a note.
Happy Birthday Baby. We will Celebrate soon! Promise! XoXo~ Mom.
Awe, now wasn’t that sweet. I turned 17 today and I got a note from my mother, I basically never see and a package of oreo’s left under the note. I grabbed the package of cookies and wandered back to my room to get ready for school.

             
School was school. I didn’t bother to tell anyone about my birthday. Why bother? I either received calls from people, thinking they were being funny or cute when all they did was make me feel like I was some damn 5 year old that needed to have the happy birthday song sang to me. I saved the only one I wanted to hear every year. The one from my big brother, who passed away from Leukemia three years ago. I am positive a big factor in my parents getting divorced. After they buried Mitchell, they never spoke of him. Like he never existed. If I brought him up, they would just shut down, yell, then get mad at each other, fight and storm out. He was five years older than me and my guardian angel. He was my best friend and was always there for me. I decided to skip classes today. I figured it was my birthday and the only person I wanted to be with was my big brother. So I sat under the bleaches at the football field and played all the messages he left me. He gave me this phone as my last birthday present before he passed away. It’s pretty worn out, but I can’t see me ever throwing it out. I sat there for God knows how long, opened my package of oreo’s I received for my birthday from my mother, no call or card from my dad. But he was now a new dad. He was busy. I listened to my favorite message from Mitchell.

Hey Peanut. HAPPY HATCH DAY! You know… like birds… they hatch… you get it? (He laughs) Happy Hatch Day to you… Happy Hatch Day to you… Happy Hatch day…
DEAR  IVY  LEAGUE
… Happy Hatch Day to youuuuuuuu… (More laughing at his own joke)

I love ya kiddo. I hope you like your gift. The P
’s will have a shit fit. Don’t worry, I will get them to deal with it. Mean time, the call package is unlimited everything and paid for the next five years for ya. I will see ya soon. Ivy, I miss ya kid. Hope you didn’t forget about me. When I get home next week for winter break, we will do our annual date night. Pizza and a movie. You pick. See ya soon lamb chop.

I laughed when Mitchell laughed and cried in every other part. And I played it over and over and over. And then again two more times. God I can’t believe Mitch left me in this hell.

             
“Hey, is that you Ivy?” I heard his voice ring out.

SHIT!
“Hey, one sec.” I shouted back, saving the phone message carefully so I didn’t loose it. As I finished wiping my eyes off, I sniffed and looked up and Dominic was standing there. I fake laughed trying to make him think I was having fun ditching class. “Hey. What are you doing here?” I asked clearing my throat, grabbing my mirror from my purse, and trying to keep my hands busy, and avoided looking at him. “Aren’t you cold out here Ivy? What are you doing?” He looked concern. I don’t know why. Never seemed to phase him before when people were being mean.

“
Yeah, I’m… I’m good, yeah. Just thought I would ditch school. Why are you out here?” I asked back hoping to make him stop looking at me the way he was. Like pity was what his face showed. I started shoving shit back into my back pack. I needed to get out of here, FAST. Why did you ditch today? Dominic asked looking at the cookies I was licking the frosting off and tossing the cookie disc’s all over the place. Looking back up to my face I was trying to hide, he places his hand over my busy ones and I froze. “You were talking to someone weren’t you.” Dominic asked. “Yeah, I guess I was. Sort of.” I replied while I looked all over the grass, the bleachers, the sky… Just don’t look at him I kept telling myself.