Page 52 of Bad for Me

“Mary! It’s green!”

The light turned green, but I was so enraptured by the historical buildings and surrounding trees I didn’t notice. Snapped back to reality once again by my mother, I stomped on the gas a little too hard, catapulting us both back in our seats. I grinned.

“Jesus Christ! Watch where you’re going!”

I rolled my eyes, ignoring her and grabbing the printed-outmap questpapers from the dash.

A large, steepled church passed us on the left. The massive structure had a lighted sign out front that saidBright Hope Church: Welcome home.

A chill ran up my spine, and I blinked my eyes a few times, trying to get rid of the image of the pastor at the pulpit of our old church. The church where I met Sadie.

A small pitter patter of raindrops pelted the windshield, and I turned on the wipers. “Is that snow?” I grimaced at my mom.

“I wouldn’t doubt it, Tanner said the winters in Vermont are brutal. I’m glad we bought an SUV instead of something like the cabriolet. She was a good little car, though.”

I rolled my eyes. My mother got very attached to people, places, and even things.

There’s one blazing commonality we have.

Turn after turn, we couldn’t seem to find the one-story ranch in the photos of theCraigslistad. Finally, I tired of driving in circles and pulled into a gas station that looked more like a cottage.

I was excited to see my cousin Liv, who was always a little strange, but strange in a good way. Maybe it would be easier like this. I’d already have a friend here, and she’d always promised to teach me more about Tarot and Witchcraft if I ever came to visit.

“Ma, the orientation starts at one and its already five of, let’s just go to the college and we will find the house later.”

I didn’t wait for her response, just continued to pull out of the parking lot, heading to the college. She just nodded, continuing to stare out the window at the colorful maples.

As I pulled into the campus entrance, my belly flopped, and I grinned again. The possibilities were endless; just thinking about the newness of this campus caused goosebumps to rise all over my skin.

And the anticipation of seeingher.

After I parked, I checked my reflection in the flip down mirror. My eyes were a stormy greyish blue, my skin pale but flawless. I adjusted my silver septum piercing and ran my tongue over my front teeth, the canines pointy since growing in that way when I was in third grade. They made me look just a touch menacing…as did my piercing. I really never wanted to look pretty. I wanted to look haunting.

Raking fingers through my long hair so the top of it slightly covered my eyes, I readied myself for a new beginning.

2

PURE PERFECTION

Mary

I waslate to the show, starting the semester two months in. I didn’t mind; I was a fast learner.

This was my chance for a fresh start, an opportunity to beliked, not picked on relentlessly day after day. Starting over felt like a new freedom each time, and after moving around so much after high school, I was getting better at adapting. It only made me stronger—better.

My need to be accepted probably had a lot to do with the fact that my father had left me when I was so small. It left me feeling like anyone would never accept me if my father didn’t.

What was it about me that was so inherentlystrange?Was it because I didn’t listen to the popular songs on the radio and didn’t dress in the mall-pop clothes the others did?

I walked into the first class of the day, Liberal Arts, and two of the girls in cheerleading uniforms made rude comments about my ripped jeans and piercings under their breath. It didn’t bother me until they mockingly invited me to join the cheer squad.

I sat in front of them, readying a notebook and pencil, watching the students walking to class through the oversized windows.

“Mary is a name of purity, so why does such a slag have a name like that?”

I had gathered that her name was Courtney by a cute guy with floppy hair seated next to me, and I could hear everything she said about me to her lackey friend, Rachel. I ignored it, continuing to jot down notes about the women’s movement that Mr. Kelly was so avidly explaining at the front of the classroom.

“Hm, maybe her mom hoped she’d walk the right path, but failed miserably. Someone with piercings and tattoos belongs in a strip club somewhere.”

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