Making a Bad first Impression

Sue and I stood under a tree a few feet away from the car, watching as Dad tried to drag Jerry out. After several failed attempts to skip the first day of school, Jerry decided that he was going to stick to the car even if it kills him... or if Dad kills him, whichever one comes first. I moved further back and whistled while studying my nails. Note to all passers-by: I do not know these people. After failing to drag him out of the car, Dad resorted to threats. "Jerry," he began calmly, "get your lazy ass out of that car or so help me, you will be grounded for a month!" Jerry was unfazed and tilted his head at Dad, "Does that mean I'm not allowed to go to school?" Dad lost his calm. "Get down now!" he roared. Jerry puffed his cheeks in a pout. This trick could have softened Mum's heart, but to Dad, he probably looked like a gassy blowfish. Sue walked towards them with a hiss, "Time to end this shit." I grinned. Uh oh, Jerry's in trouble. Dad sighed and sidestepped when she approached. She said, "Jerry, love." I choked on my gum and got a tiny heart attack. Then she continued, "Get down from that car at the count of five before I show you what pain and suffering truly mean." Jerry swallowed, and I sighed in relief. Good, my sister hasn't been kidnapped by aliens. Sue raised a glossy black manicured finger, "One, two, four..." Jerry scrambled out of the car, "What the hell happened to three?" Sue said, "It died... just like you would have if you didn't get down." Dad started the car. "Have a great day at school, kids," he pulled away, "and Jerry..." "Yeah?" "You are grounded for a month." "What the..." The car disappeared out of sight. A few early-bird students already passed by us. Dad was resuming his new job today, so he had to go extra early. In such a situation, Mom would have dropped us off, but she was yet to move in with us. She still stayed in our apartment in the city. She was a fully booked surgeon. I don't think she will be moving down here until at least two months. The three of us walked into the school building. As much as I wanted to hate this town, I had to admit that it was artistic, and I have a soft spot for good art. I couldn't paint, but I could carve wooden blocks. Sue thinks it's special, but Jerry sees my animal sculptures as lame. It's a good thing that I don't give a hoot about what he thinks. The building was twice the size of our former school, and our former school was huge. Despite the size, it gave a warm fuzzy feeling. It was the only school in town and was combined, so you could see kids both old and young in its halls. A wooden sign upfront proclaimed it as Lupus Academy. At exactly seven o'clock on the dot, everyone was gathered in the main hall. Sue and I sat together at the front while Jerry sat two rows behind us. He said something about not wanting people to know that we're related. I fiddled with the charm bracelet on my hand. I made one for me and Sue. My tiny carvings on a string. Suddenly, a shadow fell on us. Sue and I looked up to see a girl about our age with three other girls behind her, sneering at us. She had shoulder-length blonde hair—I couldn't tell if that was dyed or the natural color—and green eyes. She was dressed like your typical mean girl. She glared at us. "Get up, newbies," she demanded. Sue eyed her. "Why?" One of the girls behind her answered, "Because that's our seat." Sue turned back to look at her chair. "Hmm, I don't see a name here. Is there any name on yours?" I checked mine. "Nope... so how is this your seat?" The girl in front, obviously the leader, hissed, "Don't try to play smart with me." I grinned. "Of course not. One can only play smart with smart people." Sue snorted. "Good one." "Thanks, sis. I learn from the best." Another girl said, "How dare you insult her? She's the next..." The leader raised her hand to silence her and looked down at us. Her nose was so high up that I was sure she must be breathing hydrogen. "You smell weak and pathetic." I raised my hand to sniff my sleeve. "How did you know? The name of my perfume is 'Weak'." Sue nodded. "Yup, and mine's called 'Pathetic'." It was obvious that we were making fun of them. One of the girls behind her, the quieter of the three, tugged on her jacket. "Leave 'em, Sue. Let's go." I guffawed. "Hey, sis, your namesake is a bitch. Hehe." The two Sues looked like they ate something bad.