The next day of school was awful. On the bus ride, Hazel couldn't help but pry about what happened two days ago on Monday in the cafeteria.

"It's nothing, Hazel." I tried. She wouldn't give in.

"Come on, Neeks, you can tell me. I'm your sister."

"It's not that simple, Haze."

"Why not?"

"You don't want to know, trust me."

"But Nic-"

"Hazel, please. Just drop it."

And that was the end of the conversation. I'm not ready to tell her yet. If she finds out before I'm ready, then it'll be by the rumors at school, not by my own lips. Even if she hates me for that, which I'm sure will be the least of her worries once she founds out what "it" is that she's so curious over.

When we reached campus, I wasn't excited. More people should know by now. More people will be watching, whispering. More (ugh) people. I wish I could fly away and live a dream.

But I can't. My feet are planted on reality, and I should act strong and confident. That's how today will be.

"Hey, freak." a girl commented while walking by. I flipped her off, but I don't know if she saw.

"Nico-"

"Hazel." I warned. She stopped talking. We continued inside.

I thought about how stressful things are for me. Grades, secrets, safety... it's all in my face, threatening to knock me out. Little did I know it'd get worse.

~ time skip ~

Are class is my sanctuary. I can plug in music and do what I love. I can draw the patterns and colors I see from my music. I can create something entirely different. No matter what it looks like, it's still art, and it cannot be denied. Art is something special. It's something solid, and precious. It teaches things, and it is taught. It speaks truth, or is portrayed as a liar. It is diverse. It is kind, or hateful. It's a perfect example of a human being. And you can make this human being to be whatever you want. Yes, others will misunderstand it, but in the end it doesn't really matter, because you know what lies behind it.

Sitting in my little corner, with water colors and pencils covering my desk, I listen to music that makes me feel emotion. I translate it to abstract art on paper. Usually, I would sit and do this all class long. However, those plans were tossed out the window today.

"Hey, nugget," a chic with pink clothing and overly-done makeup stood in front of my desk. With an innocent smile, she brushed all my materials onto the floor.

"Hey, what the-"

"Shut up, freak!" a boy yelled from the front of the class. "Nice going, babe!"

The girl in front of me giggled.

"Can you leave me alone?" I barked at her.

She gasps, "Did you really just say that to me?"

The boy from the front of the class walks behind her, and grabs her waist.

"Is this guy bothering you, babe?" he asks.

She eyes me, "Yes."

The boy, who seems to be on the football team, eyes me as well. He grabbed the top of my shirt, and I glared. He didn't let go.

"Listen here, freak," he spat. "Leave my girlfriend alone, or you'll find yourself behind an alleyway dumpster."

I eyed the two as they walked to the front of the class. I'm fuming. Why is it such a big deal? I see colors. SO WHAT, I see COLORS, BIG DEAL. I growl to myself in frustration.

Everywhere, I'll have to deal with this. Whether it be math class, gym, or a place I love as much as art class. At home, with my (ex-)boyfriend. I won't escape the constant judgement, and harrassment, from people like /this/. Ain't it great?

~ time skip ~

After the little incident in art class (which the teacher paid no heed to), it was time for lunch. With noise everywhere, the colors were everywhere, like normal.

Normal.

I decided to eat away from the cafeteria, without telling Hazel. Some alone time would be nice. Lucky me, I'm not lucky like that.

As I slid down my locker, my food in my lap, I saw a group of kids a bit aways laughing and pointing at me. I didn't really pay much attention to them until they all walked towards me. They started spitting insults, left and right. None of them got aggressive, but it was annoying. I couldn't even shut them up, their voices louder than mine.

After lunch, the rest of the day was boring. I had gotten home soon enough, where I collapsed on my bed.

I'll just have to get used to the bullying. It's not too hard to, it's just not wanted. That's okay, though, I'll make it work.

About an hour after dinner, which I did eat some of, I received a text from an unknown number. The person asked if it was me, to which I replied with "Who is this?"

Unknown: My name is Will Solace, I'm a student at your high school. I was instructed by Ms. Hathaway to, well, be your friend. But I was genuinely interested in you, since I heard a bunch of rumors. I wanna get to know you for myself.

I sighed. Of course I'm on the watchlist, and the teachers hooked me up with a "friend." I didn't reply to so-said "Will," and slipped my phone into its charger. I decided to hit the hay early, to which I found myself looking at the colors the voices of my family make from downstairs, that danced around everywhere, until they decided to sleep as well.