Calliope

        The stairs down to the library is her favorite place to spend lunch. A good book and silence was all she wished for in a school full of teens trying to be heard in the most loud and obnoxious ways. Calliope couldn't wait for her senior year to end, the escape from the constant requirements of her peers. She was always quiet growing up, her only friend being Tara. She knew Tara since the 3rd grade. She was always popular in school, but Tara would always make time to spend with her and stand up for her when she was targeted by bullies. They say a nail that sticks out gets hammered, Calliope spent her life trying not to gain attention, head always down avoiding the judgmental gaze of others, fearing that they might pay her an inkling of attention. As much as she tried to not be noticed, her indifference made her a beacon for others to point and make fun of. Books were her escape. Fiction was her favorite but she admired the teachings and poetry of the writers of old. They were honored for being intellectuals, but some were shunned yet now their writings are immortalized and praised. Today she was reading The Art of War by Sun Tzu. This was an interesting book for it was poetic to her even though it was teachings of war. There she sat, leaned into a corner eating an apple, gazing quietly into her book. She had tan skin with a small scar on her left brow, how she got it she never knew. Her hair was long though she never styled it only for the red strip that Tara forced her to dye. She tells herself that but she enjoys her bits of girl time that her friend spends with her. She always sported a sweater with the hood pulled over her head, with jeans and a pair of converse sneakers who would care to look upon someone with little glamour in her apparel. Wrong. She heard them coming, their footsteps and laughing but most of all she heard Sheila. Sheila was the most popular girl in school, known throughout the school for that accolade but also for her tenacity though none would dare speak of it around her nor her constant relations that were mostly short lived. They turned the corner atop the stairs until Sheila spotted her then the all stopped along with her.

"Well, if it isn't Gollum hiding away gazing into her books as if it were her precious." She said.

Her posse giggling after. Calliope stayed gazing into her book. This happens often so she's grown accustomed to the torment. Usually when they've finished with their insults they move on but Sheila was relentless this time around. She had the look of frustration at Calliope's lack of attention. She rushed down the stairs to her level and tried at it again.

"I'm talking to you bitch!" she said her hands now clenched hoping this was the trigger.

Calliope looked up for a second then proceeded to read only now she slipped her headphones on. Sheila's eyes widened as if the reaction, though harmless, was insult enough. She snatched the book from her hands and in an instant Calliope stood up to grab it back only for Sheila to throw it down to the next level.

"If this is about the essay you wanted me to write for you, the answer remains the same. I'm not interested." She said.

Sheila's eyes widened only this time it was out of surprise. Her friends knew nothing of the transaction and now they know that she actually requested help from someone she would bully relentlessly and call a 'loser'. Her expression turned to anger and then she reacted, grabbing her under her chin and shoving her into the wall. Calliope looked into her eyes and saw something different. This was real. Sheila was no longer another stuck up teenager. Her demeanor even scared the audience that was growing by the second.

Close to Calliope's face she said. "You fucking bitch. I don't need you. Nobody needs you. Nobody wants you. I wouldn't be surprised if your own brother wants you gone. You could drop dead right here and the rest of the school would trample your corpse to get to class rather than give a piece of shit like you a moments notice."

She released her and started back up the stairs, her crew following after like lambs. Calliope stared in their direction, enraged. Usually she can ignore the jokes and insults but this confrontation was physical and worst, she threw her brother, one of the only people that she held dear, into the insult. Her reaction came fluidly without thought.

She clenched her fists "Maybe if you spent more time opening a book instead of your legs you wouldn't need to beg someone to do your school work. Also, I doubt you would ever know what my brother wants. After his date with you he spent the rest of the night playing video games which tells me that you weren' that memorable.

She released her fists. Before she could process what just happened Sheila rushed back down the stairs.

"I'll fucking kill you mortal!" she screamed.
"Enough!" another voice hollered.

Everyone stopped and looked. Tara stood atop the stairs with a menacing look. Sheila may have been the most popular girl in school but even she knew who not to cross.

"Don't think for a second that we are done here" Sheila stated lastly before she stormed off with her group.

"If your gonna stand up to a group that size at least make sure I'm there to help hide the bodies. I don't know if I should advise caution or tell you how proud I am of you having Cally" Tara said jokingly. Calliope stayed silent before letting out a breath of relief. She had mixed emotions about the event but they were all running through her head at the moment. Tara approached her and held her by her shoulders.
"Hey, are you alright?" she said face full of worry and concern.
Calliope nodded her head and finally looked up at Tara.
"I'm fine, really, can we ditch for the day?" she asked.
"Lets go." Tara replied and the two left through the exit to the football field.
They walked in quietness until they were clear from the building and final made it to the field. Tara broke the silence first.
"Where do you wanna go?" she asked cheerfully to lighten the mood.
Cally stopped, dropped her bag, and put her hands behind her neck before letting a deep breath out; eyes welling up with tears, she turned quickly to hide it from Tara.
"Stop.....hey c'mon....." Tara said as she moved to get face to face. "Whats really bothering you?"
"I don't want to do this....this bullshit anymore!" Cally said, wiping her eyes dry and finally stopping to face Tara. "I don't know whats wrong with me that makes people hate me."
Tara grabbed her by her arms to keep her from turning away again. "Nothing is wrong with you, I don't hate you and neither does Bastion or your mother-"
"But that's been it since we left grade school!" she said cutting Tara off. "I don't fit in so I try to get used to it but I cant even have that. Its one thing to be ignored and unwanted but now the only interaction I have besides you and my family is the school bully. What the hell do I have to do to be left alone?!"
"Cally, I....."
"What do I have to do to be wanted?!" a slow wind began to pick up around them; Tara noticed it was still everywhere else besides the wind that was circling them. "Do I need to give up? Do I need to fight?" the wind picked up more.
"Cally, you need to calm down....." Tara said as she looked around observing their surroundings, worried it will intensify "....you just have to listen to me!" she stated with concern.
"I just wanna be left alone!" she yelled and fell to her knees. At the same time the wind blew outward from her in every direction almost knocking Tara down. She stayed kneeling, slumped forward eyes closed, head down with her hands palms up on her thighs. Tara took a few steps forward and noticed Cally start to fall forward; she caught her and held her head up to look at her face. Cally's eyes were closed but opened slightly when Tara began to pick her up.
"Hey.....hey!" Tara snapped to get her attention.
"What happened? Why am I so tired?" Cally said weakly. Tara didn't have time to exlain things but needed to get Cally home quick.
"You passed out...." she took a moment to think something up. ".....I think you didn't eat much today." she paused to see Callys reaction, hoping she doesn't feel its the stupidest excuse like she does.
"Oh......I'm fine..." Cally said standing up. "...I just need some sleep, lets go home." she finished and started walking, quietly with her head down, toward the end of the field. Tara stayed standing; having a look of dread on her face. After a moment she accepted what had happened finally and began to look in various directions; she now carried an angry and determined expression until her eyes locked on the highest row of the bleachers at the opposite end of the field. There stood only two of them; the tall one was a Nubian man wearing a thawb, his face was blank but his gaze on Caliope never broke and the other was a girl of small stature with jet black hair; she wore ripped jeans and a black leather biker jacket. The girls gaze was on Caliope also then shifted her attention to Tara who saw what she thought was a red glint in the girls eyes. The girl smiled at Tara but never broke eye contact until the man began to leave and she finally turned to follow. Head lowered now and eyes closed and a look of sadness she whispered "Please....not Cally."
"You coming?" Cally asked in the distance.
"Ya, right behind you." she answered with a smile to hide her worry.