1 || Chapter 1 ||

Natalie's POV

My day started off well, if I do say so myself. Woke up as usual and began my daily routine before coming to school. And as soon as I arrive at school, what happens? I get into trouble. Staying out of trouble was always hard for me, it would seem, everywhere I went. No matter if it was a school transfer or minding my own business at the park or mall. Either I was addicted to trouble or trouble was addicted to me.

Perhaps I should have rethought my actions before I acted on them…

Step one: Don't do something you'll regret. Step two: Make sure what you want to do, you won't regret it. Step three: Do things right the first time so you don't have to start over again. And step four: If you don't have anything nice to say don't say nothing at all.

My name is Natalie Havens. I'm a high school student shooting for her goal. What's my goal you ask? Graduating like everyone else and making something of myself. Perhaps I should start by changing myself, I guess. Staying out of trouble. Because if I keep getting into trouble, I'll end up in detention and being held back a grade… continuously.

So here I sit, tapping my pencil in aggravation on the desk, as I watched the big hand on the clock as it slowly clicked. I could feel my eyes getting heavy as boredom was slowly taking over. I was tired of sitting in this class room. I wanted to go out and hang with my friends. Go to the swimming hole and splash around like a puppy in water.

But instead I was sitting in detention. What did I do to deserve this? Oh right, I purposely punched the living heck out of this chick who insulted my friend. But I was the one who was getting detention. Lovely right? Wrong. That little stinker lied, saying I just flat out hit her for no reason. And I thought this school had an anti-bullying program that restricted other students from verbally bullying one another. I guess being the principal's daughter has its advantage. Treating everyone unfairly seemed to run in the family I suppose.

I rolled my eyes and slammed my head on the desk and stared at the clock whose hands seem to move slower with each tick. This was depressing. It felt like my life was going in slow motion along with the clock. I was in here doing my time and she was out there, gloating. I could think up different ways I could've handled the situation, I guess. But I acted on impulse. I had the temper of my father.

Most would say I was, and am, a trouble child. I hadn't seen my father in ages ever since he left my mom when I was a little girl. A parent leaving can do a lot on a girl. And broken promises had followed. But I won't go into that right now. There were more serious matters to attend as of now. I was in detention for standing up to a bully. That was a serious matter, I guess. Or punching someone was more serious in the eyes of these teachers and maybe even the school board.

"Natalie, I'm sure you've learned your lesson by now," Mr. Davis announced standing in front of my desk as he fiddled with his glasses as usual.

Mr. Davis seemed to be one of the teachers who had it out for me. He never failed in finding fault in everything I did. I could breathe wrong and he would set me in this room after class hours. He just figured me not having a father was the cause of my "destruction", as he cleverly put it. But perhaps he was right. Or maybe it was that no one ever listened to me.

I looked up at him lazily and shrugged. "Sure, why not."

He gave me a look and walked back to his desk. "Very well. You may go. Just don't let this happen again."

"You got it," I said, giving him a salute and walking out the door.

I wouldn't do it again... On school grounds that is. I chuckled to myself and swung my bag over my shoulders as I walked down the empty halls. What luck, me being in the "slammer" just for standing up to a bully who got away with it. One day, Scarlett... One day. I rolled my eyes once again and screamed on the inside as I felt my aggravation creeping up. This was all just stupid. If I wasn't in trouble at school, I was in trouble somewhere else. I could be casually driving to the park or something and be pulled over by a cop. Only to get a warning and waste my time when I could've been at my destination.

"Hey, Natalie!" I hear my friend, Carol, call from the parking lot.

Thank God I'm saved. I waved with a smile and greeted her with a huge hug. Carol had always been there for me ever since I first started coming to this school and her finding out my father left us. She was a very bright and bubbly person, which was totally opposite from my personality. And it did keep our friendship interesting. My mother also liked her, saying Carol was a good role model for me to be around. My mom hoped one day Carol's personality would rub off on me and I would straighten up.

Carol was even a stylish person. Her crazy stylish ideas were good enough to become what she's always wanted to be. A fashion designer. She even styled her hair at times which made some people stare and giggle at her. But she never allowed that to dim her light.

I gathered my wits and smiled at the dirty blonde-haired girl who was grinning at me from ear to ear with her green eyes dancing with excitement.

"I'm free! Let's go do something fun!" I said sliding in the passenger seat of her Nissan. That's all I needed today. Fun. Biggest majority of my day consisted of waking up, doing my daily get-ready-for-another-day-of-boring-town, going to school, standing up to a bully, doing time in detention after classes, to now. What else could I ask for? I couldn't wait to graduate high school and start my life how I wanted. Maybe perhaps go to college and get a degree in something interesting like writing or music. Perhaps I could be like Carol and become a fashion designer even though I wasn't as good as her. But it would be worth a shot, right? I just wanted this day to end so I could wake up and start a new day.