Black Hole

         I tugged nervously at the hem of my shirt, where the thread was coming loose. It was black with cow prints across the arms and had a picture of the most popular Japanese anime slapped on the front in color.
         “Miss Azumi,” Principal Waters started, “this is the second fight…the SECOND fight you have gotten into and it is only the first week of school! What am I going to do with you?” he sighed, his chest sunk into the desk like Jell-o. Jell-o only made me hungry.
         “Well, it isn’t my fault,” I murmured, and tugged at my shirt again. “He grabbed my butt,” I continued and glanced up at Mr. Waters. This man had no sense of humor, no matter how serious I was being, and no feeling whatsoever towards anyone or anything. As long as he did is job, or thought he was doing it, he was content, no matter what people thought…and as long as he got paid. Money, these days, is everything.
         “Why anyone would want to grab your butt,” he pointed a chubby finger at me and started again, “is beyond me.”
         “Well, Mr. Waters, why don’t you just call him into this lovely office of yours and ask him yourself so we can continue on with this lovely day and the rest of our lovely lives?” I asked with my usual idiot smile on my face. My father always said that my attitude, along with that smile, was going to get me killed one day.
         Mr. Waters grunted and handed me the usual paper addressing that I would have detention in Room A303 after school till four on Friday. Just lovely. Mother would be happy to see another one of those.
         “Once again, thank you for all the problems you solve in this world. It means so much to me and the lives that you could actually change if you tried,” I stated, smiled, swung my bag across my left shoulder and walked out of the principal’s office. He wanted to hit me. Oh yes. I had finally accomplished something.
         I stared at my sandwich, wishing it would melt. It definitely looked less than appetizing, something that might have been scraped off of the highway with a backhoe I’m sure. I threw it back on the red lunch tray that sat in front of me.
         “How anyone can eat this crap is either dead or has had their tongue ripped out and had their taste buds burned off,” I murmured and sighed. Standing up, I picked up my bag and tray, threw the “food” into the garbage can, and walked out of the cafeteria, the only place where people were allowed to engorge themselves with fattening food, something extremely life altering, and coming from only god knows where.
         Walking down the long empty white-floored hallway, I shot glances to some of the people sitting outside the classroom doors. They glared back. I could understand why. It is not everyday you see a girl wearing a pair of black combat boots, purple tights, short red skirt, and a black t-shirt featuring the most popular anime movie previewing in Japan along with cow-print sleeves. I shook my black hair behind my back and then ran my ring-banded fingers through it. I wear way too much jewelry, my parents say.
         I deal with it though.
         I checked my watch, reading 12:50. I had ten minutes to kill before the sixth period bell rang. I continued down the hall and out the door into the commons area, which was an area set aside for the students to let them outside and breathe the REAL air, something that wasn’t quite so idiot-infested.
         I sat down on one of the metal benches conveniently placed in a square around a state-planted tree with cute little bushes. It made me want to gag.
         Setting my black bag on the bench, I pulled out my pink book and a green mechanical pencil. I ripped the one of many necklaces off of my neck and used the key that was placed on the end to open the pink book. Looking up at the sky, I murmured a few words and then started writing the poem that was churning in my head.
Black Hole
         Rain clouds my emotions
         Covers my heart
         Sinks into the river of tears I cry
         Cry at night
         My eyes, the stars in the crystal water clear blue sky
         Then the light, your love
         Pierces the darkness
         The darkness covering my heart
         But you still lose
         My heart, the black hole
         Where even the brightest light is swallowed

         That is how I write. It is always depressing and anything I write no one wants to read. Then the bell rang. I groaned and locked the book with the key, placed it back around my neck, and shoved it in my bag. I slung the bag back around my shoulder and walked back into the unruly high school.
         I sat in the back of Mrs. Reese’s classroom, the detention room. It was Friday, finally, and I was here to serve my time because of the butt-grabbing incident. Someone grunted in front of me. It was the same guy: the guy who had grabbed my rear and violated my privacy. How very rude that was, so I slammed him in the back of the head with my Physics textbook. He spilled the tea that he was sipping. He was drinking tea in detention?
         "I don't really need to ask what you're doing here," I murmured.
         "Ouch!" he yelled and then turned around to face me, his cheeks flushed. "What was that for?"
         "You know exactly what that was for, and don't mess around with me because I will kick your…"
         "Excuse me for your little "socialization time" but may I ask what is going on?" I flung my head up, and I sat back down in my chair. There stood the teacher, Mrs. Reese, her red hair wrapped around her face. She had big bottle-glasses and tiny eyebrows. It made her look like a gopher. It was far from humorous; it was actually very scary. I shut up since I didn't exactly feel like explaining everything to her and how I ended up here in the first place. She began taking roll, calling the names one by one.
         "…Blah, blah, blah, Ashley Richardson…" I raised my hand.
         She continued naming people
         "…Blah, blah, Simon Mathis…" The boy that was sitting in front of me raised his hand. I grunted, and he spun around. I glared at him. He glared back. I had to admit, he had beautiful gray eyes. I couldn't help but stare into them, then through them, and into his empty skull.
         "Do you have something to say Miss?" Simon asked, interrupting the silence and the eye contact.
         "No, not at all," I shot back and smirked.
         "Right…nice shirt," he commented.
         "Arigatou," I murmured and looked down at my paper. Arigatou was "thank you" in Japanese. I also muttered hentai, which meant pervert. I mean he WAS the one who grabbed my butt. He just turned around and grinned again.
         I decided to study Physics so I flipped through the pages of my textbook and took out the notes I had taken earlier in my class. Thirty minutes later, I was out of that class and on my way home.
         The Mummy was playing on the large-screen T.V. in the living room. Mum was sitting on the leather loveseat placed in front of the tube.
         "Patience is a virtue," said Evelan from the movie.
         "Ha," I laughed and dropped my bag next to the counter. "If only people could actually remember that." Mum looked up from her magazine.
         "Make anyone cry today?" she asked.
         "Sadly, no."
         "Well then, I guess you didn't have a very good day."
         "I've had better."
         "And why are you an hour late?"
         "Just detention, don't get your panties in a twist."
         "I wear a thong so I think that would be very hard to do." She shook her finger at me.
         "Oh jeeze, thank you mother. What a nice visual."
         I rolled my eyes and she laughed. I picked my bag back up and walked upstairs into my bedroom.
         My mother isn't exactly the kind of person you would expect to be a mother. She is my exact opposite. She works at a beauty salon during the day and then is a bartender at night. You can only guess how those two jobs actually fit together. Sick actually. She wears skimpy clothes, which are way too tight for anyone her size and, during her free time, she files her nails. Applying make-up is her hobby…her ONLY hobby. I don't think she is my real mum, but I guess that's what I have a birth certificate for. Just to prove that theory.
         I flopped my butt onto the purple bedspread and clicked on the radio that was placed on the tableside nightstand. Some Japanese music was playing on the station that I had preset on the boom box. A song about ai (love) and itamu (pain) was playing, sung by Ayumi Hamasaki, and I, Ashley Richardson, was probably the only person in Indiana who actually knew what she was saying. See, I think people need to get out more and expand their horizons on foreign countries…or something of that sort.
         I scratched at a mosquito bite on my arm, and just sat there, looking at the wall, when the phone rang.
         "I'll get it," I yelled downstairs, and walked into my mum's bedroom, where the upstairs phone was located. My mum grunted.
         "Hello?" I asked, picking it up.
         "Hello. Um, yes, is Ashley there?" came a hearty voice across the other end.
         "Sure is! May I ask who is speaking?"
         "Oh. Hello, this…t-this is Simon."
         "Hentai! Oh, how are you!" I exclaimed sarcastically and then slammed down the phone down into the receiver. What did he want? Screw him. I decided to go on a bike ride around the park since I had nothing better to do. I walked back into my room and shut the door behind me. Opening my closet door, I threw off my school uniform and tossed on a light tank top and a pair of black shorts. I shoved my CD player in my backpack and grabbed the water bottle sitting on the dresser next to my door, then ran down the stairs.
         "Bye mum," I said and jumped out the front door.
         "Whatever," I heard her say before the door closed behind me, cutting me off from the world inside her head.
         Whirl went the tires beneath my bike as I sped down the road toward the library. That was what I did everyday; I went for bike rides. Keeps up the stamina, it does. There was a giant hill leading down towards the library on the bike path, which was as steep as anything else. My bike slowly began to gain momentum as it traveled down the slope. My brakes had broken a few days before: the front one after hitting a mailbox, and the back one after running into an actual person. Not my fault he wouldn't move after I screamed at him about a billion times.
         I pushed my feet into the cement to slow myself down as I went hurling down the hill. There was a street coming up very, very soon. Trees covered each side of the road so I couldn't see if there were any cars coming.
         Flying past the red stop sign, I thought I got lucky when WHAMO. I flew into a black car that had pulled out in front of me, and I was thrown to the ground. Gasping for breath, I lay there on the ground, and just before I blacked out I saw grayeyes; they flickered with the light that wasn't there. I was going to kill Simon…but only if I lived myself.
         "Open your eyes, open your eyes," came a voice outside of my head. I looked up, and there he was. I was lying on the cold, grassy ground, and Simon was sitting by my side tapping my cheek so that I would wake up. Apparently, he was slow. My back was killing me, and my head hurt. It felt as though it had been bleeding. I brought my hand up quickly to feel my forehead and my fingers grazed over a wrap that was bandaged over a cut.
         "Ouch," I groaned and sat up. Then the realization hit me. "I'm going to friggen' kill you!" I screamed at Simon, tackling him. He went flying into the ground and smacked his head on a rock. I was on top of him, and my hands were around his throat. I wasn't really going to kill him, just scare him a little.
         "What are you doing?!" he coughed out. "I just saved your life!"
         "Well," I started while moving my hands away, "you shouldn't have."
         We both paused and he looked up at me, his gray eyes shone with the moonlight. I must have blacked out for a while because now it was nighttime. He looked very sad.
         "I have to go," I stated, while rising to my feet. My legs weren't going to work because the minute I stood, I fell. I didn't even know where I was going to go since I was in the middle of a forest. How did I end up here? Simon grabbed my arm and picked me up to my feet.
         "Let me go!" I yelled and shook free.
         "Look, I was only trying to help…" he started.
         "Ok, I know you are just trying to be nice and whatever, but I don't need your help, all right? I don't need anyone's help." I sat back down on the ground, since my legs weren't about to save my life.
         "You don't have to be so stubborn, you know? Are you always like this?"
         "Nope, only when I meet people like you." I ripped at the grass.
         "Fine. You know what? I hope you die out here. See what I care anymore." He picked up his coat and walked through the trees. Then he was gone.
         "Where did his car go?" I asked myself. "And where am I?" I guess I did need him…but only to get out of where I was. I didn't have a clue where I was or how I was going to get home. I couldn't walk. I looked up at the stars and the moon and realized just how very alone I was. Then I started to cry. I brought my knees up to my chin and just cried .
         I woke up, the sun pierced my hazel eyes, and I stretched. My whole body ached, and I was surprised to see that a coat had been carefully placed over me. I brought the collar up to my nose and inhaled the sweet tealeaf smell from the jacket. It was Simon's. He was the only boy I knew that drank tea. He had even drunk it during detention.
         So he did care.
         "Don't waste your time," I murmured towards the trees. "Now how do I find my way home?" I asked the air. I really didn't know where I was. I stopped thinking for a moment and just listened. I heard trickling water. That meant there was running water near so at least I knew I couldn't die of dehydration. I slowly rose to my feet.
         "Nice to see that you're awake."
         I spun around. There he sat on a rock, about twenty feet away from me. He looked at me.
         "Oh, was the little girl crying last night?" he mocked. I chucked his jacket at him.
         "Thanks, I greatly appreciate your hospitality, but if you could please just tell me the way out of this place, I would be even happier…if that's possible."
         "I want to see you shed more tears. You look pretty that way."
         "What way? Insecure?!"
         "Tell me what makes you hurt."
         "I wouldn't tell you anything. Kiss my ass." I shot the words at him and smacked my rear.
         "Alright," he replied and was in front of me before I could exhale.
         "You touch me and I'll kill you."
         "I'd like to see you try," he smiled and cocked his head left, his bangs shaking over his forehead.          That's when I grabbed his wrist, spun around so we were back to back, and, using all of my strength, flipped him over my left shoulder. He let out a scream as his back hit the ground. I laughed and as he lied there, he did the same. What was his problem? I thought he was laughing at something in the sky so I looked up, and when I did, he grabbed my foot and tripped me with his leg. I fell onto the ground beside him.
         He shot me a look, and I glared at him.
         "Has anyone ever told you that you need counseling?" he whispered.
         "Counseling is for the weak and simple-minded who can't even solve their own problems," I spat.
         "You're cute when you're angry."
         "Then apparently, that's the only way you've seen me."
He grinned again and I slapped him. He grabbed his cheek.
         "Why do you do that?" he asked.
         "Why shouldn't I?"
         "Because you're going to end up really hurting someone. Believe me."
         "Why should I believe you?"
         "Why shouldn't you?"
         "Because I don't believe anyone," I mumbled.
         "Why not?" Apparently, he had heard me.
         "Because they've never given me a reason to."
         "How come?"
         "I don't know! Why don't you ask them?"
         He finally shut up.
         "I always win an argument," I said, running my fingers across the palm of my hand.
         "Oh, is that so?"
         "Yes." I glared at him. "Now are you going to help me out of here?"
         "Why should I?"
         "Because if you don't, I'll pummel you," and I hit him in the arm. Not very hard by my standards, but apparently he thought it was. He hit me back and then a playful fight broke out. He hit me in the arm and then I shoved him in the chest and then he threw me on the ground.
         "Itai," I murmured and touched my head. Itai is ouch for Japanese.          I grabbed his leg and pulled him back on the ground. But what I didn't plan is that he would fall forward instead of backwards and before I knew it, he was on top of me. His face was two inches away from mine; his breath was prickly on my sweaty skin.
         "Umm…" his mumbled and his cheeks flushed a very startling deep red. I looked up into his eyes…that pretty gray. I smiled and stared, and then there was that deafening silence…
         "Can you get off of me?" I asked politely and tapped him on the forehead. He scrambled to his feet and I jumped to mine as well. I watched him stare at me as I brushed myself off. It was now the middle of the day and I knew that mum would be worried…not. She probably didn't even notice I was gone. Serves her right when I end up at the front door accompanied by police for some odd reason.           I looked up and I cocked my head to the right.
         "Go that way," Simon said pointing towards where the river was. "Just over that water and about fifty yards past the trees is the back of the school. I assume you know how to get home from there?"
         "I'll find my way," I said and bowed. "Arigatou," I thanked him and then ran through the woods and made my way back home.
         I sat in front of my mirror brushing my hair and looking at my basoomas. They were definitely getting bigger. They were the only things that I didn't like about myself. They were just sitting there, in front of me, plastered to my chest. They were all mine I mean, they weren't REALLY plastered to me, like through plastic surgery or something. That would be sick. I turned sideways and looked at my profile. I could get basooma reductions? I hated them.
         I walked out onto the porch, the vines from the gazebo draped down over my head. The Japanese beetles flew around my shoulders and around my waist. It was a beautiful Sunday and I didn't think that there was anything that could ruin my half-happy mood. For once I was almost happy. Usually I was on the bad/moody side.           I walked down the two-story stairs and across the grass leading to the cage that kept Tzusi, my pet lizard, a regular premadonna Godzilla.
         Walking down the street, I carried Tzusi, on a leash…the same kind of leash you use on a dog. Expect Tsuzi is just a little stronger than any dog I've ever met. She just walks around and eats every bug in her path, or not in her path, for that matter. She's very stupid actually. She just runs into everything and she scares the heck out of dogs. It's funny. I've never really wanted a normal pet. I wanted something that wouldn't be so loyal or reliable…something that would just turn around once and rip your head off without even a care in this bloody world. See? Being around those idiots at school definitely keeps my sense of humor in place.
         And there was Simon. Ironically, he was showing up wherever I was.
         "Hey, look Tzusi, it's the man who almost killed me," I shouted. Lizards do not have the best hearing, but apparently idiots have an exception with their ears.
         He waved and I flashed a fake smile. Then I flicked him off.
         "Will you stop following me already you friggen' stalker?!" I screamed. And then I sent Tzusi after him. She WAS just like a dog. She needed to stay in shape anyways so she might as well have fun while she's chasing something she could eat later. Simon screamed and ran towards me, which was kind of awkward because you usually don't run after something that's coming towards you.
         "Ah! Leave me alone!" I screamed and flaied my arms so that he might be surprised and turn around and leave me alone.           "Tzusi, come here!" I yelled and clapped my hands.
Tzusi stopped dead in her track, turned around and stared at me. Simon stopped running towards me as well.
         "I just wanted to give you this," he murmured and took a few steps forward. I stepped back. He finally reached me and held out a piece of green paper.
         "You know what? Why don't you just give up and leave me alone? I liked being by myself." I stated, picking up Tzusi in my arms, which wasn't the easiest thing since she WAS a big lizard. He still stood there holding the paper.
         "Being alone is bad. You might do something dumb. Besides, I think I …I-I think I love you."
         I stopped for a minute and raised my eyebrow. I couldn't believe him. He just came out and said that? Idiot.
         "Well…love…love for me…let's see here," I started and cleared my throat. "Love makes me feel like an angel, sitting up there on Cloud 9, playing my golden harp without a care in the world, when all of a sudden my wings are ripped off and I am sent plummeting towards the ground and down through Hell into the sulfuric abyss of pure misery."
         He stared at me; his outstretched hand had fallen…just like my hopes about love. I then turned around and walked back home.
         "Oh god, he's so… so…" I sat there, stammering my words, trying to find just the right one to describe Simon.
         "Annoying?" exclaimed Tzusi. Of course, she WOULD have said that had she been born with the verbal skills and voice box. She just sat there and grunted.
         "Consistent," I muttered, "and just waiting for me to make him cry."
         
         I think I had fallen for him.
         
         Knock knock came from the front door.
         "Mum, can you get that?" I shouted from the doorway of my bedroom. "I'm sorta naked at the moment." I had just gotten out of the shower and I was not about to go give the person at the front door a show.
         "Sure honey, whatever you say," she mumbled and I heard her shoes hit the floor as she walked into the entryway. I shut and locked my door once more and clicked on my boombox.
         Knock knock came from MY door this time.
         "Honey, there is someone here to see you, and, might I add, he's soooo cute!"
         "Shit," I murmured and tossed off my towel. I grabbed the skirt that was sitting on the floor and threw it on along with a white tight tank top. Forget underwear.
         "Thanks a lot mum," I exclaimed while opening the door. I grabbed the brush on my dresser and continued, "He's got such pretty eyes, doesn…" I trailed of because to my surprise, it wasn't my mother standing there. I swallowed hard.
         "Out of sheer curiosity, why do you keep following me?" I questioned.
         He looked up, his black hair covered his eyebrows, but his eyes flashed with lightning. I thought that I would die.
         "What? You don't like me being here?" He asked.
         "I never said that."
         "You don't say a lot of things."
I continued to brush through my hair. It was wet and long and as dark as midnight… just like his. We could pass for siblings. Except for the fact that I had green eyes and he had gray.
         "And I don't intend to," I continued. "Oh, and I appreciate the fact that you actually let me get dressed before you came to see me. How sweet." I turned around and walked back into my room.
         "Welcome to my humble abode," I started. " Simple, but I love it anyways." Simon walked in behind me and looked around.
         "Nice and…"
         "Roomy? Spacious? Empty?"
         "Interesting."
I did have a lot of my drawings on my walls and a LOT of the photos I had taken. Photography was just another way to express myself… without having to hurt anyone.
         "Who you listening to?" He asked and pointed to my radio.
         "Oh that. That's Fiona Apple. I've learned to love her, and I listen to what she has to say." The song that was playing was called "Criminal", a favorite of mine.
         "I've been a bad, bad girl," I started to sing along with the music. Mum always told me that I had a nice voice.
         "I've been careless with a delicate man," I continued and started walking slow circles around Simon. "And it's a sad, sad world," I stopped right in front of his face, my voice entering his throat, "when a girl will break a boy just because she can." I was caught in his gaze. Silence.
         And then knock knock and a giggle from my mum. I turned towards the door and so did Simon.
         "Oh, hi mum." My cheeks flared. "This is Simon," I muttered, pointing to the boy frozen in front of me. I punched him in the stomach. "Simon…this is my mum."
         "Oh, nice to meet you Miss."
         Mum giggled like an idiot once again. I glared at her.
         "Just don't get too frisky!" She exclaimed and I almost went after her. Frisky?! What was she talking about? And then she walked back downstairs.
         "You'll have to excuse her. She is a mad lady living in my home and I still haven't figured out why she is here," I explained and Simon looked at me again. "What?"
         "You're just so different from everyone else I've ever met. You see the world in a different way."
"Oh, you don't know me that well, believe me."
"Why should I believe you?"
"I never said you HAD to. I'll just leave that decision to your own making."