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Nelly looked at the dull building. This was her junior year, and by far her most boring feeling one.
She pulls up to the parking lot as she watches the other students walk towards the school. In Smalltown, California, it practically felt as every teenager will be here. Nelly sighs as she drags her backpack out of the passenger seat as she walks towards Smalltown's only high school.
Nelly stared at the gates, which were now finally beginning to open. She twitches an ear, annoyed at how slow the teacher opens the gate. When the teacher finally opens the gate, she hears a familiar voice behind her.
"Well, if it ain't fox girl?"
Nelly flicks her head to check who it was, she knew it was her, but she just had to check. The suited TV box headed girl stood behind her.
"TV head bitch." Nelly growls.
"Woah, no need to get defensive already!" The TV box headed girl laughs.
Nelly's tail was twitching with irritation. Josie. The entire last year, the year they met, Josie's smugness always would piss Nelly off. Josie was the type of person who would act like they're better than everyone else. She would always wear a cardboard box designed to fit on a human head. Josie would always wear a suit and gloves to school. Never anything normal, a suit. Nelly always thinks it's to make Josie seem more rich than others.
"Listen Josie, I just want to be chill this year. I don't want any of your bullshit to be anywhere near me." Nelly says.
Josie giggles, "Oh, fox girl, you get worked up too easily."
Nelly opened her mouth to threaten Josie, but the teacher yelled at them to go into the school. She grumbled as she walked in. Josie always acts like this, a bold, cocky bitch.
She takes her phone out to check her schedule, she groans as she realizes she has math first period. Nelly hated math with a burning passion. A quick glance back shows Josie is behind her. Was that TV box headed hoe following her? Surely not.
When she arrives to the math building, Josie was still behind her. Nelly walked towards the classroom door and opened it. Josie stepped through the door.
"Why thank you, sweetie," Josie taunts.
Nelly felt her ears burn up. She had at least ONE class with Josie. One too many. She stifles a growl as she walks into the classroom. Jesse, Nelly's best friend, waves to her, the chat bubble on her left eye saying "hi!" Nelly goes to sit down next to her.
"Hi Van Van!"
Jesse looks at Nelly, Jesse tilting her head and her left eye changing to say "uh-oh"
"You look upset. What's wrong?" Jesse asks.
Nelly tilts her head in the direction of Josie.
Jesse sighs, "Dude, you have got to let go of last year. All she did was say a few snarky remarks and now you declare her your 'enemy' for life!"
"I get that, but everytime I see that box on her head, I get this burning feeling in my heart," Nelly mumbles.
"Like I said, you're in love."
"No I'm not."
"You know you are."
"It's a burning feeling of anger, not love."
"Believe what you want," Jesse snickered.
Nelly watches the teacher talk about the stuff for the year, always feeling the same. The entire last year, Jesse has been shipping her and Josie. Nelly knows that she will never like Josie that way. Nelly has been and is straight. No change for 17 years.
She keeps thinking about it until Jesse nudges her out of her trance.
"You always zone out when you know all what the teachers tell us-"
"Shush."
Nelly grabbed her backpack and walked to her next class, then to the next class, then to the final period of the day. Unexpectedly, she got pinned to the wall. As Nelly recovers a harsh voice she remembers too well screams in her face.
"YOU BITCH WHERE'S MY MONEY?!"
Collin. All Nelly did was borrow 20 bucks from him and now he expected more in return for "interest" Since 7th grade he would not stop harassing her, and his dad is the principal of the high school and his mom the vice principal of the middle school, no report could get him in trouble. Colin's the definition of spoiled child. By junior year, he started demanding around 1,500 bucks.
"Collin I told you. I already gave you 20 bucks WHEN I WAS 12."
"And I told you INTEREST EXISTS, VANELOPE!"
Nelly visibly winced at him saying her full first name.
"Oh? You don't like that, Vanelope? How come? You used to love your name, Vanelope."
Her eyes close, her hands cover her eyes, her ears hide away, and tears start to fall when she hears a thud. Like someone threw a brick onto the ground.
"WHAT THE HELL YOU CRAZY BITCH?!"
Nelly peeks through her hands, what she's able to see shocks her. Josie is there, her fist still clenched in anger.
"Don't talk to her again, drug addict." Josie says in her scarily calm voice.
Nelly's ears perk back up again. She can't help but smirk. Then a realization hits her like a chair. Why would Josie be protecting her? Maybe Nelly has been thinking of Josie wrong. Maybe there's something underneath the TV head.
Collin turns to Nelly, "This won't be the last time, hoe."
Collin runs away, Josie watches.
"Umm… Josie?" Nelly whispers.
"Yes?"
"…Why'd you do that for me?"
"I like teasing you, I don't watching you get physically and emotionally hurt."
Nelly was speechless. She didn't think Josie would care for in that much.
All Nelly could let out was a, "Thanks…"
She than ran away as fast a she could. She could feel her ears burning. She ran into the girls bathroom, and as soon as she was in, she took a deep breath. Nelly felt herself blushing like crazy. The last time she blushed was when she met her first boyfriend. Even weirder, Nelly has always been straight. Not even once has she shown intrest to a girl, let alone her enemy. Well maybe not enemy anymore.
Nelly quickly splashed some water on her face and quickly left as if nothing had happened. Maybe she'll tell Jesse tommorow, maybe not, who knows?
Always an intresting first day of school, no matter what.