Chapter 8: 7:22 A.M 08/11/2004 (Fall of 2004)
Sophia Hess
She looked on, slightly bored as she waited for the bus. Her Mom couldn't give her a ride- not that it mattered, it would have been a miserable ride anyways.
Not to mention- people like her Mom were boring to her.
What she could do herself was many times more fun than anything her Mom could think of. That was one of the many reasons why she liked to be alone.
Her mom was limited, not just in her mind but in her actions. If she wanted to do something, she'd always, without fail, find a reason not to do it, or have it.
She was a sheep in a pen, and wanted Sophia to follow.
She wouldn't. So she tried to do what she wanted, when she wanted to, ignoring what people like her mom tried to tell her to do, and their 'rules'.
So, she tried new things, finding what she liked to do, finding herself drawn to seeing how she could push the buttons of people, seeing what it would take for them to break their rules, like making any two friends she could see, fight.
It was funny to think that people could get so angry that they would prefer to stop being friends after years of being close because of a spark of feelings.
So her game was to see how small of a thing she could break some friendships over.
It was starting to get challenging, but it just made it more interesting. If a someone like Jenny, liked a boy, like York, she would make sure to find who Jenny was best friends with (best friends were her favorite-) then go talk to York, and say that she heard that Jenny was making fun of him, and make up anything funny that crossed her mind.
Like, that Jenny thought that his ears were just a little too big, and that he had small, baby hands.
Next, she would bring up Jenny's friend, and say that she heard Jenny's friend, Heather, say that she thought he actually pretty cute, and that she might like him.
Then she would ask him if he thought Heather was pretty, and if he liked her, too.
Most boys would go red in the face, and go like "Uh, sure."
She made sure that they were close to other kids, for them to hear them. After, she would fan the flames, spread the rumor, that York thought Heather was pretty, and that he liked her.
Then she would see how things fell.
Now Jenny was screaming to Heather about why everyone was saying that York liked her.
Sometimes, they got over it, something Sophia didn't expect, but she found that while they were still angry, she could talk to Jenny, for example, then pretend that she heard Heather call her dumb for not believing her.
Then Jenny would call her an idiot, which gave her things to say to Heather about what Jenny was saying about her.
She got caught sometimes, but that just made her think about ways to be smart about it, which was why she stopped being the one who told them, face to face.
People wouldn't trust what she said if she kept on doing that, so she had to start telling other people, who would then tell other people.
Within a few days, sometimes, they would go from being two peas in a pod, to hating one another.
It made her laugh, how dumb they were.
She didn't understand how some people could be so stupid, if she ever got a best friend, they wouldn't be as dumb as those girls, they wouldn't trust what other people told them, especially not her- she was smarter than that, than them.
No rumors could make her stop being friends with whatever interesting person she picked.
But she still hadn't met anyone that she thought was good enough to be her friend.
Still, she had her games to keep her distracted. It was getting harder, now that she had to be smarter about it, but she was getting the hang of it.
One time, she even got two friends to hate each other over a 'missing' five bucks that ended up in the others' backpack, and was revealed in the middle of class, in front of everyone, because 'someone' tipped the teacher that they saw them steal some money, and put it in their back-pack.
So, the teacher had taken the back-pack out of the cubby, and that was the end of them being friends.
She felt a wide smirk creep across her face, as she stopped herself from laughing.
The sounds of the bus sounded out the quiet morning, and she watched as it turned a corner a few streets away.
She got ready, ignoring the noise coming from the other kids a few few feet behind her.
She made it clear a long time ago, she didn't like people in her spot, so they knew not to stay where she liked to be.
Which was the reason why she was confused by the idiot who came stomping next to her, his head stuck in a comic book, with a stuffed backpack.
He nearly ran into her, until he looked up, into her eyes.
She looked at him too, as the kids behind them stopped talking.
"This is my spot." She said, even though it was more of an order.
"I don't care." He responded, shrugging his shoulders, looking back to his comic.
She took a half-step towards him, but his eyes shot up- focused, like a laser, waiting for her to do something. Amber, like hers, she noted.
The look in his eye… was new.
She grinned, feeling like there was something interesting about him. She wondered what it was in him that made her think that it was a bad idea to push him, like she was thinking.
"What's your name? I don't know you." She stated, her eyes locking onto the scars on his face, wondering how he got those.
How interesting…
"Lincoln... Willow." He responded, not bothering to ask her name, as the bus stopped by. He got on, his boots clacking on the metal steps.
She followed, but not before looking for someone in the crowd fit for her next… idea.
There. She saw exactly who she needed. Dexter.
She waited by the front row seats, until he passed by.
"Dexter. That new kid- he got on my nerves. You want hmm… ten bucks to teach him a lesson?" She sweetly asked, being sure to keep her voice low.
He looked at the new kid, no doubt thinking about how loose his already small shirt hung on him.
"Fifteen." He said.
"Look at him, he doesn't stand a chance." She argued, ignoring her urge to roll her eyes.
Dexter puffed up a little, a small quirk rising at the edge of his lips.
"Fine. But you owe me, my mom's gonna kill me if I get suspended again." He grumbled.
"Right, so just give him a little shove, show him he's not all that." She suggested, wondering what would happen.
Her instincts said it wasn't going to like she expected.
She walked to the back of the bus, past the new kid.
He was entirely absorbed into his comic book, the seat next to him taken by his back-pack. He didn't seem interested in making friends, she realized.
She gave him one more glance, before she sat down, taking in his curly, short sand-blonde hair, amber eyes, and strangely thin arms.
She didn't understand why her attention was caught by him, but she was going to find out. Maybe, just maybe, she'd found a friend?
{A/N: JustAnotherFan217, You wound me, with your words of honesty! In a good way, of course. In all seriousness, I completely agree- but I want to lay the groundwork for that to happen, and with a few... complications that the logical side of being a thinker can bring... I think it would be a challenge to make someone like Lincoln behave that way- YET...
On a side note, thanks for the compliment of even comparing me in the slightest to the Original Worm- I'm trying pretty hard to capture the gritty surroundings that molded someone like Taylor to begin with, and I'm glad it brings up some semblance. It means I'm on the right track, I believe.}