Chapter 1

 

The silver letters, frigid and sharp, stretched across the school, like a metallic, bold warning. Wilkon Middle School. My heart was pounding. Each beat was a cry for help. 

“Sweetie, you have to go in eventually.” 

My mom hugged me tightly, crushed my ribcage, and then left. I was alone. 

​

Just last month, me and my friends were discussing which middle school we were going to. It was supposed to be Wilkon Middle School, but then something changed. First, it was Jessica. Next, it was Carlos. Then it was Mia and Dean. They had all chosen their schools. Those private schools where only the rich, privileged, posh British students go, or at least, that’s what we all used to say. Until they decided that they wanted to go to these schools. The schools with the students we used to poke fun at. Looking back, yes, we were mean, but it was funny. We were just joking around, but now, it felt like the joke was on me. They started a group chat without me, started sending these inside jokes to each other, and made fun of kids like me, whose parents couldn’t afford these fancy schools. Now, there was a fresh, bloody, and cold scar on my back. They had stabbed me in the back, and I was left to pick up the scraps of what we had. My heart was broken. I felt fragile, vulnerable, and helpless. I had no one. Only myself. I fixed up the courage and walked into the school. The doors opened automatically. Automatically into a foggy void. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I hated not knowing what was going to happen. I hated that everything was changing.