Pushover

         "Abby, why do you look so sad?" Roger Trescott questioned as I sat alone on the green wooden bench during my lunch period.

         "I'm not sad." I stuttered. "I'm just tired." Roger wasn't the most ordinary kid in this school full of irritable people. Roger had intentions to be sweet but some of the things he did were a tad strange. He had some sort of autism or something. I couldn't put my finger on exactly what is was but he definitely wasn't normal. Roger, like myself didn't really have a lot of friends. I wouldn't really consider Roger and I to be friends, however. We were just two loners who sometimes happened to be together. I knew he'd love to befriend me but I wasn't too sure I wanted to climb aboard that boat.

         We went to elementary together and then Roger had to go visit the alternative school for a couple of years. He threw a binder at his teacher, a text book at the principal and wrote cuss words all over the blue, plastic playground slide when we were only third graders. He wasn't the most together person I knew and I feared that if I ever did something to tick him off, he'd come for the kill. We lived in the same neighborhood, he was just one street over. He could totally murder me if he desired. Therefore, I didn't want to get too involved with him.

         "You always say that."

         "Well, I'm always tired." I assured.

         "Are you sure?"

         "Yeah. Don't worry about me, Roger. I'm fine."

         Honestly, there had been some things bugging me lately. I was tired of being Pushover Abby. People only wanted to be my friend when they needed a ride to school or if they wanted to copy my homework. There was no, "Hey Abby, come over and hang out." type of thing. After elementary, my life just kind of fell apart. My social disorders got the better of me and all of the friends I had, made new friends. Eighth grade hadn't been the best year of my life. If anything, it had been the worst.

         "Hey Abby!" Ruby Swainson greeted and I piled my text books in my locker after the dismissal bell.

         "Hey." I greeted quietly. Ruby only conversed with me when she wanted something.

         "Can I have a ride home?" I made a face of disgust with my head buried in my locker.

         "Not today. I have to go to the dentist." I lied. Today I was not in the mood for her crap. To be honest, I had just visited the dentist last week but what Ruby didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

         "Please. I don't want to walk. It's cold outside." She complained.

         "Sorry. I have to be there in less that fifteen minutes." I replied, running off without even exchanging proper goodbyes. As I headed out the back doors of the campus, I ran right into another so called friend of mine, Lola.

         "Abby! Can your mom take us to the movies this weekend? I told Shanna, Zoe and Paula I'd meet them there." Last time Lola had invited me somewhere, she ended up ditching me once we reached the destination. She only invited me for the ride.

         "Oh. No, I have to go to my grandma's." I replied. "It's her birthday." I began to run, heading for my mom's van. The people in this school were so irritating. High school started in five more months. Hopefully there I'd meet some friends.