I wish I could get you
Out of my mind
But I think about it all the time
And I wish I could not think
For once in my life
But when I see your face
I can't escape my mind

“Really?”
“Yeah, fake bitch. Think some dress makes you a girl?”
“I don’t need to prove anything to you.”
“Let’s check, Zach, How’s that feel?”
“Let me go and you’ll feel something!”

I woke up after striking the headboard of my bed. The event replayed every time I closed my eyes and each time it played out the same until the moment where I had a chance to do something. Every time I would cold clock Zach I’d wake up after slamming my hand into everything. I wanted to just drive to school and show everyone that I was not going to back down again. I had done it once, had the therapy sessions, and got the t-shirt. It was three-thirty in the morning, but I decided to get up as sleeping was not therapeutic.
I sat in the front room and stared at my reflection in the window.
“Why are you up?”
“Can’t sleep, Julie.”
“I can see that.”
“Why are you up?”
“Don’t know really. I guess I’ve been wondering why someone would do this to you.”
“You and me both. It’s not like I invite people to hate me. I’m not trying to push something. I’m not getting in anyone’s face and up til now, no one else did either. Maybe they talked about me amongst themselves. That used to not bother me.”
“But now it does.”
“I got slammed to the wall and treated like garbage by two pieces of trash and I couldn’t do anything about it.”
Julie nodded and sat down in the chair next to the couch.
“I close my eyes, and I see them. I try to think of something else before I fall asleep, and it keeps repeating.”
“You know what I would do?”
“What?”
“Leur botter le cu.”
“Translation, please??
“Kick their ass.”
“I wan to do more.”
Julie nodded.
“But, all I’m going to do is go to school tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? I thought you were going to stay home.”
“Decided not to. Assuming you’ll drive us to school.”
“Us? Oh, yeah, Frank.”
“We’re not going to pick up April,” I said with a scoff.
“April is Frank’s girlfriend, right?”
“Yes. She’s trying too hard to be everything to him. I think she’s playing mind games with him.”
“Mind games? With Frank?”
I scowled at Julia and shook my head.
“Well, yeah, he’s a guy and guys are stupid when girls pay attention to them.”
“He’s taking her to Winterfest.”
“And not you?”
“I don’t want to go the dance, but I also don’t him to go with her.”
“I sense jealousy, Joanna.”
“No, just hatred,” I replied.
Julie looked around the room and then looked at me. “Why don’t you just tell him you like him?”
“Because I’ve known him since forever. He has always thought of me as a friend, and I’ve thought the same about him. I’m fine with that. I’m just against April. She could have chosen any other idiot at Reardan High School. She still has a boyfriend in Medical Lake, you know? So, Frank and me, are financing her social life right now with rides, food, and attention.”
“And she goes and chooses your idiot. You should say something to him in the morning.”
“I am not going to, and neither are you.”
“Fine,” Julie sighed. “At least ask him to help you get to class.”
“I plan to demand him.”
The hallway light clicked on and Dad stuck his head into the room.
“Why are the two of you up?”
“We’re talking about how Joanna’s going to handle going to school tomorrow.”
“You’re not going tomorrow,” Dad replied. “I said I was going to talk to the principal and the sheriff.”
“I want to. Can you drive me and Frank in?”
“I’m coming too,” Julie chimed in.
“You’re going to school before the cast?”
“She’s got pills for the pain, Dad.”
“You’re not helping me with this, Julie Anne,” Dad replied with a deep sigh and his eyes closed.

There was a light dusting of snow in the morning and when I say “light” I mean at three inches fell. Our school never closed unless the snow was so deep the plow drivers would shake their heads and mutter “Nah”. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately for Frank my dad knew how to drive in ice and snow. Frank tried to keep a brave face and to not grab onto the “oh shit” handle, only to just break down and grab onto it like his life depended on it.
Frank never mentioned if we could stop to pick up April. He was probably too afraid to ask my dad to divert from the paved roads and get stuck. That, and Dad’s truck could only comfortably fit four and I doubt he wanted to see April sitting on Frank’s lap.
“The teachers are going to be surprised to see you today.”
“It’s just going to be a normal day for me…as long as you can help me between classes.”
“I thought you said you were okay to go back, Joanna?” Dad asked. I met with his eyes in the rearview mirror.
“I am, I mean, if I drop a book or a folder it’s going to be kind of hard to pick it up.”
“We’ll sling everything into your backpack, so you won’t have to go back and forth to your locker, Frank suggested.
“Builds muscle,” Julie replied with a nod.
“I’d rather just have help between classes.”
Dad accelerated and passed a car on the highway; the snow-and maybe ice-covered highway.
“I’ll help you, Jo,” Frank replied as he grabbed the handle once more.

Frank was the first to get out of the truck. He grabbed my backpack and bolted out as fast as he could possibly to search for April.

“You should have said something to him.”
I shrugged my shoulders and attempted to get out without falling into the snow with Julie’s assistance.
Dad followed behind us as we walked to the side door and into the hallway.
“Looks about the same,” Julie replied.
“I’ll be at the office.”
“I’ll stray with Jo until first period and then I’ll hang out at the office.”
Dad nodded and walked ahead of us.

There were whispers and the look of shock on a few faces. I looked like I took a few rounds with “The Rock” but there I was, staggering down the hallway.
Frank ran up to us with April close behind. He had my folders and books for first period.
“I’m sorry for what happened to you,” April said as she grabbed onto Frank’s free hand.
“Thank you.”
“Why would they do that?”
“Jealousy,” Julie responded as she looked around. Jealous their lives are crap and they’re braindead, so they have someone tell them what to do. Idiot Stupide.”
“No one’s going to take Jo down again,” Frank replied as he let go of April’s and to hand over my books.
“Thank’s Frank.”
“Now, how do we find the mastermind?”
“Mastermind?” Julie asked.
“Yeah, our original suspect has been cleared.”
“Has he really? Where is this Tony person anyway.”
“We’re not going to go and deck Tony, Julia.”
“What’s with this ‘we’?” Julie asked as I looked ahead and saw Tony walking down the walkway. He had a small smile on his face that immediately went into a neutral expression. Frank said Tony helped me, and I believed it, but was it possible he was pretending and putting himself into the investigation by helping me?
“Joanna, are you okay?”
“Julie, this is Anthony Riesche.”
“So, you’re Tony,” Julia replied with a little bit of disdain.”
“Yes, and what Joanna has said about me, it’s the truth. Feel free to lay it all out on me.”
“Works for me,” Julia replied. “I’m going to meet Dad at the office.”
“Are you coming to pick us up this afternoon?”
“Either me or Dad.” Julia walked away from our quad.
“You’re sister?” Tony asked.
“Yep.”
“She wanted to punch me, didn’t she?”
“Yep,” Frank replied.
“Duly noted. Can I help you get to class, Joanna?”
“You can call me Jo,” I replied as I grabbed onto his arm.