Small towns suck. Whoever romanticizes small town life is seriously way off because there isn’t a single romantic thing about it. Everyone knows everyone else’s business and the older people hate the younger people because ‘they are rambunctious and noisy’ as our neighbor, Mrs. Thelma Davis said to me. I mean sure, some parts of it is okay, like the fact that traffic never really gets backed up and it’s safe to walk to the mall or to school without your parents worrying, but there is bad things about it too. The worst part of it is the fact that everyone has their own opinion about you, and they don’t mind sticking their prissy nose up at you if they deem you undeserving of their attention.
   Don’t take that the wrong way, by thinking that I care what the prissy girls in school think of me, because I don’t, it’s just annoying to constantly be looked down on because you don’t have bleached blonde hair and way too tanned legs that obviously came out of a bottle. Being popular didn’t matter to me personally, because I just don’t want to have to deal with the responsibility of Pepper Lawson or Emily Hightower. 
   Pepper and Emily are the uppity rich girls that think they are gonna make it big or something, like they are gonna end up in the magazines like Angelina Jolie and Alyssa Milano. Both of them probably could become models, except for the fact that they have this pact that where one goes the other follows and all that bull crap. See the thing about me is, I am realistic. I know that one of them could make it big, but logically speaking they won’t either one make it big if the other is holding the other back.
   I sighed and traced over the same drawing I’d been drawing on since I sat down in class thirty minutes ago, and looked to my left to see Lydia. Lydia was quite the sight, honestly. She was the poster child for all things dark and scary—if you’ve ever seen beetlejuice then you have seen basically her younger twin—and she was proud of it. She tried so hard to stay in the scary category, and I hung out with her because she wasn’t actually that bad of a person—you know, unless you count the times she glares at you like she could eat you. Lydia and I actually go way back, and she wasn’t nearly as stone cold as she pretended to be most of the time. There were plenty of times we had watched a scary movie and we both had to take turns going to the rest room with the other at the door keeping watch for demons or ghosts. Of course she’d never admit that to the doom squad but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t do it.
   The doom squad was what I called the rest of our friends. There’s six of us in total, and only four when you take Lyd and I away from them. There was Chris, and he was like the leader of the doom squad I guess besides Lydia. Damon, who only hung out with us because he didn’t fit anywhere else, was in too. There was also the freshman, Mary. She was new to the group, and she hadn’t exactly found where she fit yet. And then there was Colton, Colton was completely in love with Lydia, I had realized, but I hadn’t mentioned it. I’m pretty sure everyone else saw it too, but they didn’t say anything either. Colton and Lydia would make a pretty good couple—based off of their personalities they’d get along great. They’d just lie around eating strawberries and chocolate all the time.
   Lydia is actually really pretty, she’s kind of pale, but I can’t tell if that’s because she uses ‘pale in a spray can’ or not. She’s got light brown eyes and a skinny frame that makes even Pepper jealous and she’s got long dark hair that normally stays in a messy up do on the top of her head. She wears black eyeliner and light purple lipstick but she somehow makes it work. I myself can’t even make light pink lipstick work, but hey, different people.
   I’m not bad looking, but I’m nowhere near as pretty as Lydia.
   I’m sort of just the one that is actually kind of pretty sometimes, but not always. I have my days where I can be pretty, but most of the time I don’t put much effort into my look. I have dark purple hair and crystal blue eyes. I am skinny even though I eat more than I should, and I don’t have a blemish or scar on my face at all and I’ve been told once or twice that I have a pretty smile.
   “Harley, what are you thinking about at this moment?” Colton asked, and I pushed my purple bangs out of my eyes and looked at him. “You look so spaced out.”
   “I’m just bored,” I said dryly.
   “Me too,” Lydia chimed in, her head buried in her arms so her voice came out muffled slightly.
   Colton nodded and laid his head down on his arms, staring blankly out the window looking ready to die. Mrs. Carly, our English teacher was rambling on and on about the importance of Shakespeare in modern culture and the three of us just sat back in the back, looking like we were ready to sleep for an eternity. I don’t know why, but Mrs. Carly’s voice lulls me to sleep, sadly.
   I felt my head slipping forward but I was too tired to try to wake myself back up.
  
   I didn’t know what happened exactly, but the next thing I knew, the bell signaling class changed screamed in my ears and I jumped up, startled. I fell asleep? Okay that’s cool. I took a power nap.
  Lydia walked up to me and held her arm out for me and I took it, walking with her tiredly. “Thanks for waking me up, Lyd. I couldn’t have lived without that scare.” I said.
  “That’s what friends are for.” She said and I smiled lightly.
  “You are a horrible best friend.”
  “Yeah but you love me anyway,” she said, and I nodded, pushing her arm slightly.
  I wasn’t watching where I was going, or maybe he wasn’t watching where he was going, but me and one of the most popular boys in school collided, and I got throw back into a locker and hit my head. “Crap watch where you are going, moron!” I snapped, and he looked guiltily at me.
   “I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to.” He said, looking me in the eyes sincerely. I rolled my eyes. “Can I walk you to the nurse’s office? I want to make sure I didn’t hurt you.” He said and again, I rolled my eyes.
   “I’m fine.” I said dryly and Lydia had her ‘get lost’ look going on.
   “Sure you are. Just let me take you to the—,” he started, but Lydia cut him off.
   “You’ve done plenty to help,” she said and looked over me slowly, and then glared at him. “I can’t believe you KNOCKED HER INTO A LOCKER!!!!” she snapped, and pinched his ear tightly in her gasp.
   “I DIDN’T EVEN MEAN TO!” He gasped, pulling his ear out of her hand quickly. “That seriously hurt!” he said.
   “Did you expect it to not hurt?” she asked, and he shook his head rubbing his ear. “Good. Then you are a smart idiot.” And I just listened to the two of them bicker back and forth.
   Sometimes I wonder why I deal with Lydia but then I realized, she was just the only person I’d ever hung with that I related to in any way at all. Sometimes it was hard but I loved her anyway and I knew that she’d always have my back. “Lyd its okay, just drop it. Let’s go.” I said, and she pouted, but nodded and turned away from him.
   “I’m sorry Harley!!” he called after me, but I didn’t pay any mind to him as I walked, ignoring the fact that he had called out my name.

   I found myself alone sitting in the library at the school because I had a study hall without Lydia, and I can choose where to do my study hall, so I chose here, where I feel most comfortable with life. No one really bothers anyone here, and I’ve never ran into a prep here, so I’ve got it pretty amazing.
   I ran my black fingernail over the page I was reading. “And then the prince pressed a gentle kiss to her hand, the young girl blushed brightly and looked upon him. ‘Who are you,’ she asked him,” I mumbled as I read along in the book, “He looked upon the young, beautiful girl smiling slightly ‘I am your king, for I hath chosen you to be my wife’ he said, and she looked at him carefully, ‘But why me?’ she questioned him and he smiled at her, ‘Because you are truly the most beautiful girl I’ve laid eyes upon,” I smiled as I read it, “She looked at him confused, ‘how can you, the richest, most powerful man, think I am the most beautiful girl that you’ve ever seen?’ she asked him and he said—,” I mumbled before being cut off.
   “Some things even money cannot buy you and that is true beauty and love,” Xix said, sitting down in front of me. I looked up at the guy and thought about rolling my eyes but I didn’t want to waste too much energy to waste on someone like him. “What, I’ve read it a few times.” He said.
   “Me too,” I whispered, looking at him hesitantly.
   “So I can assume you are curious as to what I want,” he said, and I nodded slightly. “I’ve never been one to associate myself with anyone in this school, and frankly I don’t even care too now, but I decided you didn’t look to awfully bad to talk to and I don’t normally talk to people.” He said, and I rolled my eyes. Captain obvious much? Xix Miller is the most talked about boy in this entire building. Xix has the most expensive car you can buy, with the nicest leather clothes you could dream up, and the most beautiful grey eyes you could possibly see, and that’s not all. His parents are the richest couple in the eastern part of northern America. Not to mention that he is a loner. “But since I’m going to be here a while,” he made a slightly irritated face while saying it, “I decided I might as well make one acquaintance while I’m in this terrible place.” He said.
   I stared at him dumbfounded for a minute before I blinked twice and nodded. “I’m Harley, Harley Quinn, like the girl from TV show.” I said.
   “Interesting, it’s pretty.” He said and tapped the desk with his fingertips loudly. “Much like you, Harley Quinn,” he said and I blushed, not really sure exactly how to respond. “So how do you like the book?” he asked.
   “It’s good. I like the way it’s part way in the past and partway in the present. I think it’s really cool how they wrote it to where the main character, Rosalina went from being a street rat to being a princess, and then she went from being homeless to living with Princeton in the feature part too, it’s really cool. The author is amazing.” I said.
   “I completely agree with you. Both aspects make it so much more appealing to anyone with a brain bigger than a peanut.” He said. I nodded and patted the seat next to me.
   “You can sit you know? I’m not going to go rogue and kill you or anything like that.” I said.
    “I don’t know, Harley Quinn, you are pretty violent on the television.” He said.
   “Shut up!” I giggled, punching his arm lightly. “I’m hardly as pretty as Harley Quinn and I’m hardly as violent either. You would be closer to get the actual violence side from my friend Lydia.” I said and he shook his head.
   “Nah, see I just want to hang out with one person. More people cause more drama and I honestly have no time to concern myself with dumb high school drama.” He said and I nodded, “I don’t mind tagging with you when you hang out with your friends, but you will be the only one I talk to.” He said.
   “Alright,” I said just as the bell rang.
   “Well Harley Quinn, it’s time for me to go. I’ll see you at lunch.” He said and I nodded, picking up my backpack and slinging it over my shoulder. “Nice to meet you, Harley Quinn,” he said and I smiled a little, liking the joking manner he was talking to me in.
   “Well Xix Miller, it was actually nice to meet you too,” I said and he waved at me as he left, and I smiled to myself as I watched him go. He was pretty awesome after all.