I never needed an alarm clock, because my cat would always wake up, looking to be fed. Figures that the first day I was ever late for school was the day after my mother gave her to my cousins.

I had cried all night, begging her to bring my kitty back, but I knew as well as her that I couldn’t keep her, or I might do something I would regret. I’d had an episode, and tried to put her in the oven, but mom caught me, and had to keep me from throwing myself in there when I realized what Id almost done. I didn’t want to give her up, but she was right. Until I got better, there couldn’t be any animals in the house.

Most of the time, people don’t notice me at school, unless they’re the new kid, and then they always stare at me. It’s not a good thing, because they aren’t looking at me, they’re looking the scars, and the black circles. I don’t mean scars like…you know, suicide attempts. They’re on my face. When I was little, I got attacked by a dog, and now the right side of my face is stretched down a little bit, making me look like Two-Face when I smile.

That day, though, everyone looked at me. I briefly wondered if I had come to school naked, because my meds put me in this haze where I could remember doing things like getting dressed. I shifted, and my pants rubbed against my leg. Okay, so I wasn’t naked.

Thank God.

“You’re late, Jillian,” Mr. Schieben raised his uneven eyebrows. His wife must have waxed them again. I shifted my feet, frowning. “My…alarm didn’t go off…Im sorry..” He shook his head at me. “Just go sit down…you didn’t miss anything…”
Ugh, little liar. I was thirty minutes late.

The boy (I think his name was David…Daniel…Demetri…Whatever, it started with D) who sat next to me nudged me, perhaps a little too hard, so I glared at him, slamming my book down on the elbow when it came to nudge me again. “Stop jabbing me…A note would suffice…” He looked confused. Oh, right, small words. “Write me a note if you want to tell me something.”

He sneered, and I kicked him under the desk. “Keep going, clown…Push your luck.” He frowned and turned back to his book. I threw mine open, grumbling. Today was a bad day, and it could only get worse. Going to school made every day get worse, except lunch.