Prologue - Back in the day

TARA'S POV

Chaos, is the word I would use. Mere chaos. That is what the school hall is every morning at this same hour. Hundreds of kids swarming around, hurrying to homeroom or lingering behind in order to stay the most possible with their friends. Typical American high school. and of course, a typical American high school has social groups. The food chain, my peers call it. It's cliché yet not at the same time, it's like a pyramid, each clique fits in one block, and there they are supposed to stay, no changing. Nothing can change your position once you've acquired it, therefore presenting at your best the first day is essential. I learnt that the hard way.

When I arrived to this school, I came from an elite Catholic college, all girls, teachers were nuns, contact with the outside world, the male world in particular, was not allowed under no circumstance ... unless it was Father Carmine come to hear our monthly confessions, of course. So you see, when I first arrived to a public school in a jolly town, I was like a fish out of water. I had no idea what to do, how to behave, and that condemned me.

Like I said, there are groups, each one has its own place in the pyramid, the Food Chain. Each group has acquired such position because of three main factors that dictate law here: money, looks, popularity. Shallow, I know, but that's it. So let's start the tour.

The top of the food chain. The jocks. Attractive (either overly or averagely), great at sports, very popular, practically gods in high school. It doesn't matter which sport do they practice, it just needs to be a sport, it may vary in each school, however, mine is quite cliché, so yeah, the main sport is football. Normally, jocks accompany themselves with those who are called mean girls. I'm sure you've seen the movie. As beautiful as venomous. That's the second block of the food chain, although some would say they are interchangeable, mean girls wouldn't be at the top without the jocks, jocks wouldn't be at the top without the mean girls, so ... they're equally at the top of the Food Chain, I guess.

Then there are the Geeks. All about Math, Math, Math, well, computers mostly. Opposite to the average school, they're not bullied nor anything, no, in Lincoln High's Food Chain, the geeks come right after jocks and mean girls. Funny, huh? I think it has to do with this one being a town that mostly gains from computer sciences and engineering more in general, so, because geeks will supposedly be the leading class of tomorrow, it'd be very stupid of mean girls and jocks to antagonize them, right? I'll admit I was amazed when I first learned this, but it's a perfect deterrent, I guess. I mean, geeks are respected here, they are ... cool people.

We also have what we call fashion victims, but usually they coincide with mean girls, if they don't, then it's usually people that risk their neck trying to cross the border and climb the food chain. Suicide mission. Nobody crosses the border. Never. Like I said, the position you acquire when you first arrive, it's gonna stick to you for the rest of your high school days. Rumor has it that one or two people made it, back in the day, but there's no proof.

So, in order of importance, jocks, mean girls, geeks. What am I missing? Right, the artists. Those who excel in figurative arts, more specifically painting and sculpture. The other half of the town's income is art, we have a few great galleries, quite well known in the State too, so it's easily explained. After the artists, there are the rockers, kids that try to make it in the music world, they're pretty cool, actually, but very much locked up in their own clique, so not very much liked in school. Following, the nerds ... not very much popular, they're the fourth-to-last step of the Food Chain, worse than them the weirdos ... and no, they don't coincide. Nerds are the encyclopedic kids that can tell you anything about anything, but because nobody likes a smartass, they're not very much appreciated. Weirdos are just ... well, weird. As in creepy, some call them the Dark Ones, because they're all as pale as vampires and always wear black. They're creepy because they look like crows ready to eat your eyes when they stare at you.

Last but not least, the lone wolves. Those that keep to themselves, without ever interacting with anyone. Yes, these do coincide with the weirdos sometimes. The lone wolves may not be respected, but they are dreaded, and I guess that's kind of the same sometimes.

But that's not over. After jocks, mean girls, geeks, artists, nerds, weirdos and lone wolves, what's the lowest of the low? Me. Well, the unfit people in general. No, I don't mean fat, I mean unfit as in, they don't fit in any group. The grey area. The ones that, if they're lucky, they can find friends, too, otherwise, they are condemned to solitude. I would be a lone wolf actually, but because lone wolves are usually introverted yet tough, perfectly confident, badass, while I ... I'm so shy, I can barely speak up in class, I can't be counted as lone wolf.

Technically, I do have friends, well, more like, one best friend I hang out with. Sheila. She became my friend when I was completely alone, having just moved in, I was honestly surprised when she came to me, because, I mean, she may not be part of the mean girls, but she's quite popular, heck, she's number one on the Queen Bee's black book exactly because people know her, love her, want to be around her, boys fall at her feet, girls crave to be like her ... she'd be your stereotypical Queen Bee, wasn't she totally against this kind of thing.4

As I made my way through the mayhem, I could already spot Sheila by her locker, which happens to be right next to mine. I really don't know what I'd be without Sheila. The girls at the Catholic college were pretty stuck up, so I had literally no friends, like ... not a single one, if you don't count my sister, who's older than I, so by the time I'd gotten used to the comfort that having my sister in school with me gave me, she'd already graduated. I'd have stayed at the college also through my high school years, but Kelly decided I was to be saved, so I don't know how she succeeded, but was able to persuade our parents that I could go live with granny, which I did, while Kelly went to university, one pretty close to the town anyways, so she lived with us until last year, when she got her degree, and moved to New Jersey with her boyfriend, Kevin.2

I walked through the maze of kids, ignoring each of them, smiling, because I was happy to see my best friend after Christmas holidays, which we spent separate, as usual. However, the smile inevitably slipped off my face as soon as I spotted the boy beside Sheila. Right. I forgot one ring of the food chain. The bad boy. The star at the top of the Food Chain. Like I said, the Food Chain bases off money, looks and popularity. He has them all, therefore he is the absolute king of Lincoln High.4

How do they say? Not a leaf stirs but God wills it. Exactly. Nothing, nothing happens unless Lukas Bennet agrees with it. Even jocks, who are supposed to be the tip of the top, are afraid of him, although I think they also admire him, envy him, and ... well, simply know better. Because he's rich, very, very rich, I've never seen his house, but, as I've heard, it's kind of a mansion, his father is practically a god in this town. So, he's rich, then he's so extremely popular, and ... he's got a really bad temper, so definitely, Lukas Bennet is the type of boy you really don't want to make mad.

He's in the principal's office one day every two, he's undisciplined, irresponsible, reckless, his grades are so awful that you wouldn't understand why is he still promoted, didn't you know that his father is Larry Bennet, who practically runs this town even without being mayor. He's got money, looks and a bad temper, how couldn't he be the king? Girls swoon as he walks by, rumor has it that he's bedded each and every single girl of Lincoln High, freshmen included. He's a junior like me, but even seniors worship the ground he walks on. King Arthur, practically. Well, King Lukas.1

I don't know Lukas Bennet personally, thank goodness, but he knows my best friend, quite well, I'd add ... they've been flirting since the beginning of junior year, I don't know if they've done more, I just know that, since last September, I can't even rejoice of the five minutes before class when my best friend and I can talk on our own, because he'll always be there, flirting, dropping disgusting innuendos, making me sweat my guts because I'm freaking terrified by him.

You see, the person that is telling you this story, might sound brave, but real me, real Tara Baker, is the shiest, most coward chick you'll find around. That's why, other than head over to my best friend, I skipped directly towards homeroom, my heart racing like a fool because, no matter how fast I sprinted, I could still feel those icy eyes on me.

He does that. Lukas Bennet. He does that, watching me with those icy blue eyes of his, I bet he likes seeing me get all worked up, becoming as red as a freaking tomato, my breaths itching and all. I think he fuels on fear. The more people fear him, the more he puffs up. Ugh, I hate that kind of people. Unfortunately, Sheila likes him, very much so, therefore I'm forced to see him every freaking morning at our lockers. Lately he even waits for her outside. Was I a common person, I would take refuge amongst my other friends, but ... well, the sole reason why Sheila's friends tolerate me is because of Sheila herself, so ... nope, I've got no one else to go to.

Homeroom lasted only a few minutes, then we were eagerly sent to class. Most people lingered as much as possible, I scuttled away, fearing Principal Lipinski, such a harsh, harsh harpy. When I arrived to class, I was very much disheartened to find out that Mr. Bad Boy had decided to show up this morning, therefore he was there, at the back of the class, one of the mean girls lasciviously sat on his lap as they made out. Ugh, that's one thing I hate the most about him. Why does he bother my best friend if he can't stick to one girl? I have him in a few classes, and in each and every single one of them, I always find him sharing saliva with a different girl. When he deigns of showing up, that is. I told that to Sheila, but she doesn't care, I really don't understand her. What's so great about this boy? Yes, he may be very handsome, but there's nothing more than a pretty façade, he's rotten to the core, like ... Dorian Gray, beautiful outside, but decayed on the inside. I seriously don't understand why is Sheila so fixated on him.1

Taking a deep, deep breath, I swallowed my nervousness and stepped inside the room. There were already a few people chatting amongst them, but not even their voices were enough to cover the obnoxious and disgusting sound of those two making out at the back of the class. Ew.

Adjusting my glasses on my face, as soon as I'd sat down, I dared let out the breath I'd been holding in since I came out of my house, consequently causing all the fat to be released so violently that it almost toppled the desk. Well, maybe not toppled, but it did move it a little. I'm not ... on the featherweight side, as you can guess. I've always been like this, mostly because, well, I eat more than I should and not as healthy as my mother would want me to. I barely see my parents as it is, but when I do, the first thing my mom craves to remind me is that, if I don't change habits, nobody will want me. Really adorable, yeah.

Sighing for the third time in half an hour, I reached for my backpack after having checked the watch, and I pulled out my book. I just love reading, it's like a medicine to me, every time I feel depressed, books are there to save me. It's way more than I can say about my parents.

I dipped into my read, trying to focus as much as I could not to hear those disgusting sounds, but it didn't entirely work. Damnit, do they really need to be so loud? Was I any braver, I would snap at them, but ... well, I care too much for my life, I would never even dream of snapping at Lukas Bennet. No, he wouldn't hit me, I know he doesn't, he's got this thing – the sole one I like about him, actually –, he cannot stand violence against women, only last week he nearly had a jock piss himself for how harshly he smashed him against the locker. Only because he'd seen the boy slap his girlfriend.

No, Lukas Bennet would not hit me, but ... socially, I'm already at the very bottom of the food chain, life is already awful in this school, just how worse would it get if I made myself such a powerful enemy? Not even Sheila could save me, I'm afraid. Besides, I'm a coward, I never rebelled against the witches that pushed me around at the college, how could I dare speak up now?

I breathed out of relief when the door finally opened to reveal the teacher. Normally I wouldn't be glad about this particular class, but anything to save my poor ears! Although ... Mr. Covington is really so, so boring and so sluggish ... by the time his class is over, I'll be 40 already.