Here we go again”, she thought miserably. Why couldn’t her dad have a regular job so they could live in one place longer than two years? Once more she would have to endure learning the layout of the building, the timeframes, the locker nightmare, the teachers, being looked at like her hair had been electrified, teachers making an example of her just because she could answer a question and someone wanting to beat her up because they don’t like the way she looks and what is always worse, some jealous, stupid girl who is afraid that her boyfriend may like her, as if she cared! “This time,” she promised herself, “it would be different.” After all, she was in the eighth grade now, almost to high school.

As she had known, the abuse had already begun but somewhere in her, she knew this time would be different. She and her little sister got on the bus one sunny, warm, Georgia morning and were almost at school. Dreading the day, she looked around to see how her little sister seemed to be doing with the new move. The girl in the seat next to her little sister had leaned over and had her index finger nail against her little sisters nose and was threatening to beat her up. “That’s it”, was her only thought as she shoved the other girl backwards away from her sister. Suddenly, she became aware of her surroundings and that the bus driver had looked back. The other girl said her friends would be there when they got off the bus.

Standing by the flag pole waiting to go in, she kept close watch on her sister. She was a little older than the girl who had been bullying her little sister, so true to form, the girl brought in her “bigger” guns. She felt no fear whatsoever, only anger for having to go through this yet again. Angry that her parents couldn’t stop with their terrifying, nightly, dish throwing fights, angry that they were hungry too much, mad that someone would just pick on someone else for no reason, pissed that some girl had already blamed her for the fact that the girls boyfriend had looked at her and mad that they were here at all. She looked at the little girl that had started with her little sister and back to the larger friend. She asked the larger friend with what must have been a fierce look, “What exactly did she say to you?” Before the friend could respond, she quickly turned to look at the girl and added, “if you lied, I’m kicking your ass.” After that, the friend walked off.