Black Velvet

I walked into art and went straight to my table where Bret and Andy were sat. Marnie followed me, giving me a small smile as we both sat at the table. Everyone was bustling about finding their self portraits to continue with them. Marnie got up, hastily offering to retrieve my own self portrait, I thanked her quickly, looking over my shoulder to see if Mr. Way was in the classroom yet. I couldn't see him lingering so I turned back around to see Andy and Bret staring at me, small smirks on their faces.

"What?" I questioned, feeling self-conscious.

"Looks like the girls have done their little transformation on you, looking good Mia," Bret sneered, practically purring.

"I've made some changes," I replied, raising an eyebrow at them both. Marnie came back over and sat beside me, pushing my work in front of me, "Why do we sit with children?" I whispered to Marnie, she giggled and shrugged.

"Come over here and I'll show you I'm not a child," Andy laughed, staring at me with a goofy grin on his face. Usually I would've ignored his comment but something inside me pushed me to reply.

"Do you have to be such a fucking idiot?-" I began before being interrupted.

"Okay, lets all calm down here," Mr. Way suddenly cut in, standing behind me. I could feel my cheeks become warm and was glad of all the make up I had on to avoid the rosy embarrassment I was about to endure.

"Mia's winding me up, Sir," Andy snickered.

"I'm sure she is but lets all grow up just a little and start on work?" Mr. Way asked, "Guys I want some good work today, put your iPod's in or whatever let's just keep the volume down and not distract each other please!" Mr. Way then bellowed, quietening everyone immediately. I could feel his presence behind me but didn't dare turn around as I was already breaking into a clammy sweat. My head bowed I reached for my pencil and resumed my self portrait, aware of Bret and Andy's eyes on me.

Throughout class I tried hard on my self portrait, part of me wishing Alex was here to help me with a plan of attack on Mr. Way. I felt my personality and my new look weren't gluing well and the more I thought about it, the more I felt awkward and paranoid. I chewed at my fingernails worriedly. Behind me I could hear the hushed whispers of another group of girls that were in our class. I didn't know their names but I recognised them from different classes. I could hear my name being passed around throughout their chatter and although I couldn't hear what they were saying exactly, it didn't help my paranoia.

"Can you hear them?" Marnie muttered to me, looking over shoulder with a glare. I nodded lightly. Marnie raised an eyebrow at me, her pink lips moving as she chewed the gum in her mouth. Her blue eyes narrowed and she once again turned around, "Excuse me?" she said, tucking a lock of neatly curled bronze hair behind her ear. One of the girls turned around, her eyes wide. She looked at Marnie and then at me, looking slightly scared.

"Yes?" she asked, playing with her nose ring.

"I keep hearing Amelia's name being chucked around between you girls?" Marnie asked, her mouth smacking at her gum. The girl didn't say anything but she simply shrugged her shoulders, "Mia, wouldn't you-"

"Marnie! Mouth! Close it please!" Mr. Way yelled loudly from the front of his classroom, I glanced at him quickly, his nose was buried in a book. Marnie rolled her eyes and turned back in her seat. I did the same, happy that the hushed whispers from the other girls also stopped. I tried to continue on my self portrait but before I could put my pencil on the paper I was being interrupted again. Marnie tapped my shoulder and I turned to her. She gestured silently to the girls behind us. I looked over also. They were carefully passing notes between each other. I shook my head forcefully at Marnie, who was eyeing the piece of paper that was now being held by the girl with the nose piercing. Marnie suddenly reached out her manicured hand and snatched the note quickly. The girl turned around angrily, furrowing her eyebrows. She made a silent sound of disgust before she went back to giggling with the girls around her.

"Don't think you're going to get away with this bitch," Marnie hissed at her after reading the note. She then pushed the note into my hand, her eyes burning holes in the other girls heads. The whole time I had just been staring at them like a deer in the headlights but I took the note gingerly.

'Turning into Alex no 2'
'This school doesn't need anymore of Alex'
'
'Clones are the last thing'
'She's got her head up the ass'
'No part of me understands why A poached her, she's ugly'
'Ugly? Try fake and dumb?'
'Long live the reign of queen Amelia. Yay!'

My eyes skimmed the sheet of paper and a lump appeared in my throat. I stared at it, my jaw clenching. I knew I couldn't cry and run out of the class, even though that's all I wanted to do. Marnie kicked me under the table and my eyes darted up to hers, she stared at me and moved her eyes towards the group of girls who were still busily giggling at being caught out. My heart thumped I screwed up the note, dropping it to the floor before reaching over and grabbing the girl by the arm, yanking hard to make her look at me.

"What the fuck was that?" I hissed, trying to will the tears that threatened to fall to stay in my eyes whilst also trying to keep my voice down, "You don't know me," I added, my eyes narrowing.

"There's nothing to know," she smirked. I was so shocked she could be that judgemental, or maybe I was shocked that I could potentially come across like that.

"Marnie's right, you won't get away with this. You don't talk about me like that," I spat, trying to keep my voice steady. I glanced at Marnie and she was grimacing at the girls, nodding along to everything I said.

"Oh, she bites. You won't do anything Amelia, Alex will play with you and throw you-"

"You're a piece of shit," Marnie suddenly barked viciously.

"Girls! What is even going on over there!" Mr. Way suddenly shouted from the front of the classroom, putting his book on the desk. None of us said anything, we all just stared at Mr. Way guiltily, "No explanation?" Mr. Way asked, "Well then you can all see me after class. Marnie, Amelia, Rebecca, Erica and Naomi, I expect you still all be sat in these seats when the bell rings," he ordered, "Now get back to work," he then added, picking his book back up delicately.

Marnie and I turned back in our seats and ten minutes later the bell rang, the five us stayed still and silent in our seats. The class filtered out loudly, their shoes squeaking on the floor. Mr. Way stayed at his desk until everyone had cleared out.

"Right, what's going on here?" Mr. Way asked, walking around his desk and towards where we were all sat. He leant against an adjacent desk awaiting an answer with his arms folded, "Come on girls this is stupid!"

"We don't get on and they were saying things about Mia so we were standing our ground," Marnie said, her own arms folded.

"I gathered you don't all get on and that's fine but lets not all curse and be awful to each other," Mr. Way sighed, "Can we all agree to just stay away from each other?" he asked us, receiving a pathetic nod from the five of us, "Now go about your day girls. Amelia stay here I have some stuff to talk to you about," he then ordered. The legs of their seats squeaked as everyone pushed the chairs back and made their way silently from the classroom. I stayed sat on my seat, my head still bowed, my teeth nibbling at my bottom lip.

"Am I in trouble?" I asked Mr. Way nervously, looking up at him.

"No, you're not in trouble. I'm just concerned," he sighed, crossing one leg over the other as he leant further back on the desk, eyebrows slightly raised.

"Concerned about what? I'll stay away from those girls," I told him.

"Good but I'm not worried about that, I'm worried about you. I think you need to keep your head down in this class. I'm going to split you and Marnie up-"

"-What? Why? We didn't do anything!-"

"-Exactly! I've already told you I've seen the work from your last school and we need to work with that," he said loudly, interrupting my interruption.

"Is this about the other night?" I asked daringly.

"Of course not Mia, this is me being your teacher and asking you to apply yourself as my student," he asked, lowering his voice again, "Don't dumb yourself down," he continued. I stared at him, grinding my jaw, not enjoying the extra lecture I was getting.

"I haven't dumbed myself down. Those girls distracted me today, I'll do my work," I ground out.

"What were you even fighting about?" Mr. Way asked, vaulting up onto the desk he was leaning on. I shrugged my shoulders and he silently replied by casting his eyes down to the crumpled note on the floor. He slipped off the desk and collected it from underneath.

"Can you not read that?" I asked, my voice sounding limp. Mr. Way ignored me and smoothed it out on his leg slowly, his eyes scanning over the paper.

"Oh... Amelia, that's not nice stuff," he sighed, itching the back of his head awkwardly.

"Save it, I know you're thinking the same thing," I replied snappily, "Are we done now?" I asked, standing from my chair and looking at Mr. Way sternly. He shrugged and nodded, letting out a deep sigh as I left the room.

Notes