Having recently just arrived at the school, Jamie wandered down the hallway towards the dorms. Many of kids she passed looked similar to herself, and seemed to either sulk quietly or be in each other’s faces, either happily or angrily. Jamie didn’t feel the need to greet them or make eye contact at the moment, so just walked briskly, a hidden anger starting to boil over.

Jamie’s mother had thought that the solution to her drinking and smoking problem was to place her with a bunch of other kids like herself. Rejects, Suicidals, Disorders, or just the kids who had nowhere else to go. At least she had her gelding Dezi to comfort her.

Finally reaching her destination, she shoved the key into the doorknob and pushed the door open tentatively. She was supposed to share this room with a girl named Casseidy, but it seemed that nothing of the girl’s was in here yet.

Jamie sat down on one of the twin beds and pulled the note from her mother out of her purse. She read it quietly to herself.

Dear Jamie,

Be a good girl for me, okay? Please listen to your teachers and respect them. If they catch you drinking or smoking, you’ll be sure that I’ll know. You’d better stop it. It’s not a good habit to be into. Love you lots.

Sincerely,
Mom xoxox

The girl sighed, put the note back, and started rummaging through her bag. She knew it was just a habit of hers to look for a cigarette, and that she wouldn’t find anything, but she had to try. They were really her only comfort at the moment. Instead of finding one, she took out her iPod, which was rhinestoned with hello kitty designs, and flipped to her favourite song by the band ‘Hellogoodbye.” She hummed along quietly.

Just as the song was almost finished, she heard a knock at the door. Not sure if it was Casseidy or another girl, she went and unlocked the door, and sat down again without actually opening the door.