“Hear Me Roar, puta!” a Hispanic girl around the age of 18 screamed as she threw a huge cup filled with dark soda at a nerdy kid whom I assumed was a freshman.

It was my senior year and I was back here in dreadful Boise, Idaho in October. My name is Nicki Puccini and here’s my story. My friends from Texas call me Nic P. for short. I just moved from Austin, Texas so you know the Midwest isn’t exactly on my favorite places to live at the moment.

My father, Travis Puccini, is a trauma surgeon who unquestionably took a year long contract at a local Idaho hospital for a quarter of a million dollars which brought, Susan, my mother and I here. I knew that was a lot of money and I would have too taken the contract. My mother was a “retired” Broadway singer so we weren’t hurting for money by all means. I did use to live in Boise when I was much younger but moved when my dad took the job in Texas. So here, I was 12 years later back.

I stepped over the wet spot on the ground as the freshman was crying with his head down in his hands. I pulled him closer to me and held him as he sobbed. This was beyond sad for me. No one should ever have to feel like this.

“Hey, it will be okay… Sshhh…”

He nodded as I patted him on the back with the same gentleness my mother possessed. I noticed when the crowd was watching me intensely.

In such a bitter tone, “Move the fuck along, people.”

They all scattered as I walked him to the front office. I think that I am going in the right direction.

As I walked down the hallway with authority, I saw the most beautiful girl in my life. Her legs were toned as she walked with the Hispanic girl that had caused the boy grief earlier. Both of the girls had tennis rackets in their hands as they had turned the corner.

I heard a thick Aussie accent, “That is Kayla Riley and Nelly Rodriguez.”

I looked over at the guy with a gentle smile, “So, you do speak?!”

He pushed his glasses back to his nose adding with a shy, tiny voice, “My name is Calvin Marshall. I am a foreign exchanged student.”

        I shook his hand as I pulled off my now wet shirt which I exchanged with my favorite Red American Eagle hoodie from my black mesh backpack.

      “Nic P or Nicki Puccini…” I said checking my lip gloss with my mirror.

He nodded profusely, practically drooling over my toned abs as I smirked into the small compact.

“Those girls are bitches as I learned from my American sister, Ellen.” He definitely had my attention when he told me the history behind the girls whom were cheerleaders and tennis players. Apparently, Nelly was an out lesbian and had an ex-girlfriend by the name of Ellen James but Ellen broke up with Nelly due to her cheating ways while Kayla was a young teen mother. Apparently, no one talked about it because it was a huge scandal since her child’s father died in a car accident. By the way, I knew her ex-boyfriend, Kyle Parks, very well. I played with him all the time when I was in preschool and Kindergarten.

I shook my head as I walked to my second period class which was AP Senior English. This school was full of drama and I had a funny feeling that my day hadn’t even started yet. I walked in and gave my late slip to the teacher from the front office. She nodded and introduced me to the class. The only seat available was the seat by the one and only Kayla Riley. She definitely had her guards up when I sat down. She moved her chair over as I slung my backpack on the desk.

‘Sup’ I said as I sat down in the chair.

She nodded as I pulled out my phone to text my friends back home.

“You need to pay attention.” Kayla whispered in a hiss as she took down notes. I turned around to see everyone engrossed with note taking. I had already learned about proper citation and grammatical errors in college applications at my old school so this definitely was boring me. I smirked because she was looking at me with a perfectly arched eyebrow raised. I nodded in defeat as I pulled out my notebook for English. She smirked as I started taking notes.

The bell rung.

Second period was over.

Some guy was waiting by the door talking to other girls as he waited for Kayla, I assumed. She had dropped a letter as she walked outside. I slipped it in my pocket as I watched her kiss him on both cheeks. I did not know where my sudden jealousy was coming from but it definitely was slowly brewing as I walked to my next AP class: Government.  It wasn’t too bad. The day passed slowly so by my last class I was very sleepy. The last class was a study hall. What the heck was study hall? I never had that in a million years but I was able to get all my homework done. It was mixture class from freshmen to seniors.

I suddenly remembered the dropped note that Kayla had dropped.

“Dear Life,

            It’s me again. I am so sick of Kevin and his bullshit. Okay, I know that I had fucked up tremendously with having baby as a teen. I know I am destined to be more than just a housewife. I raise my baby by myself. I work part-time at the Hospital by reading to the elderly. I still keep straight A’s along with playing sports. I attend church, every Wednesday and Sunday. My parents are the best by all means because they gave me the choice of free choice about having Chelsea Amie Riley . I just want someone to love me for me. This bitchy front is getting old. I got accepted to Harvard Pre-Law program and I am so scared to leave Finn behind. But if I most move on then I will.

Sincerely,

Kay”

Damn, I sat back as I was stunned by the admissions in the letter. This girl definitely was pulling at my strings in my little cold  heart now.