“The little fat pig is sitting around alone and learning again,” Mira giggled and tossed her bleached hair back. "What else."

"Please...just leave me alone," I whispered, afraid my voice would shake. Even though I was insulted every day, it still hurt me, but I tried my best not to let it show. This was my only chance to drive them away.

"Well, that's just how it is when you don't have any friends," laughed Mike, who had appeared next to Mira and was hugging her waist. "But who wants to be friends with you?" They walked on giggling.

Take a deep breath, Aria. Don't let it show, just don't start crying. But they were right; I had no friends. Like every day, I sat in the far corner of the cafeteria, alone at a table, a book open in front of me. I never ate here... I was just afraid that it would encourage the others to mock me even more. But no matter what I did - whether I ate something, just stared out the window, or read - they always found something to hurt me with.

Finally the bell rang for seventh period and I packed up my things so I wouldn't be late. We had English with Mrs. Wiehert and it was better to arrive on time if you didn't want to stay until eighth period.

I quickly sank into my seat next to Joline.

"Hi," I murmured and she gave me a small smile. "Hey."

Joline and I weren't friends, but she was pretty much the only one who was at least friendly to me.

"Tomorrow everyone!" Mrs. Wiehert placed her ugly, large briefcase on the desk and clapped her hands. "We're going to do partner work today. I'm going to give you different short stories and the two of you will then discuss what the author wants to tell us."

Annoyed murmurs spread throughout the class.

"And this time I will assign you a partner."

Loud moans this time, but no one dared to object.

Mrs. Wiehert assigned us a partner while she handed out the stories. ".. Mira is with Tobias and Mike, you are with Aria." Oh no please do not..

I quickly glanced at him. Mike grimaced in disgust and Mira gave him a sympathetic look.

I sighed quietly and made my way to Mike. I sank into the chair next to him, but he moved to the edge of his table. I pressed my lips together and looked at the paper that Mrs. Wiehert had handed out. That too.

It was about a girl who was teased by her class and gradually became desperate. She didn't know what to do and decided to get help. Even though she didn't really believe in it, she wanted to at least try before she finally gave up. Lo and behold - eventually everything got better, she found friends and was happy.

Paah, whoever believes it. That was nothing but a pathetic little story. In real life it wasn't that easy. And I spoke from experience.

Mike laughed in amusement. "How fitting," he said, loud enough for everyone in the class to hear. He read a few passages out loud, using my name instead of the girl's. The whole class burst out laughing and I buried my face in my hands. I only realized I was crying when my hands started to get wet.

"Mike, enough is enough!" warned the teacher. But he noticed my tears and that seemed to spur him on even more.

"Ohh, the little pig is crying. Was that too much for you? Can't you handle it? Don't worry - we all can't handle you." And he laughed. Everyone laughed. Once again everyone laughed at me.

I jumped up and ran out of the class.

Just go away. I just wanted to get very far away.

Tears were streaming down my face and I couldn't even really see where I was going. The main thing is to get away from them; I wouldn't be able to cope with any more humiliation today.

When I stopped a few minutes later, I realized I was standing in front of my cousin Leah's house. Was she there? She was only a year older than me, but unlike me, she wasn't interested in school, which is why she usually didn't go. In general, we were quite different: she was pretty - I wasn't. She was slim - I wasn't. She did whatever she wanted while I let myself be humiliated. But for some inexplicable reason she seemed to accept me as I was - almost the only one.

I hastily wiped my face and rang the bell. Minutes passed, but she didn't open the door. I was about to continue walking when a sleepy, contrite but pretty-looking Leah opened the door. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Well look at this: Aria Benson is skipping school! That I can still witness it." She laughed, hugged me and let me in.

"Tell me, were you crying or something?" Leah asked, pointing to my face.

"Wieso?"

She raised one of her perfect eyebrows. "Your eyes are red. And since I doubt you smoked weed..."

I sighed and tugged at my baggy blue sweater. "I just can't take it at school anymore... all the teasing. I mean, I don't do anything to them, but I still do everything wrong."

Now she also sighed and sat down on the couch next to me. "You're not doing anything wrong! Except maybe you're just accepting it. Why don't you just tell them what you think?"

"Because that wouldn't do any good! I'm not like you... they'd just annoy me more." I grabbed a cookie from the small table and took a bite. Only after two bites did I realize what I was doing and put it down. I didn't want to get any fatter.

"Oh, Aria, I don't know either. I would suggest that you do what I do and not go to school at all, but since you're not me..." She shrugged her shoulders. "We'll find a solution."

"I doubt it." I slumped my shoulders in discouragement.

She stood up and tied her robe tighter. "Come on, while you're here - we could watch Sex and the City again." She grinned.

I groaned and had to grin too. "Again? We just watched it last week."

"It's very instructive," she crooned and led him into the kitchen. "I'm making popcorn, you go find the movie!"

I went to her TV cabinet and looked for the DVD. There were a lot of other DVDs stacked up there, like the complete seasons of Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars or Vampire Diaries, but also films like Hangover or 21 Jump Street. But Sex and the City was definitely the most worn out.

I put the DVD in the player and waited for Leah to sing some song in the kitchen.

Suddenly my phone vibrated in my pocket. A text message from Dad:

Aria, please come home as soon as possible after school is out. We have something to discuss with you.

A slight panic rose in me. Did the school call him and tell him that I just ran away? Did they also tell him what happened? I hoped not, because my dad didn't know about any of this.

"Leah? I have to go home," I called to her and put on my shoes.

"What? Why?" she came out of the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn and looked at me in surprise.

I showed her the text message. "Uh oh, that doesn't mean anything good. So she's with him. Maybe Sally's pregnant?"

“What, do you honestly think?” I asked, horrified. Sally was my dad's 'new' girlfriend. I liked her...but somehow I didn't like her either. Which might have been because she just wasn't my dead mum.

"It's possible," Leah replied and she picked a single popcorn out of the bowl. "Call me when you know what's going on, okay?"

I nodded and hugged her goodbye. On the way home I tried to shut out my thoughts. I didn't want to think about shitty Mike or worry about what might be going on at home.

Ten minutes later I arrived at our apartment and hastily unlocked the front door. I found Sally and my dad in the kitchen, chatting somewhat excitedly. Sally beamed from ear to ear. Oh god, what if she's really pregnant? My stomach tightened.

My dad was the first to notice me. "Aria, nice to have you here. Please sit down."

He didn't seem to wonder why I was home so early. The school hadn't called him; so that wasn't it.

"What's going on here?" I asked suspiciously, sitting down next to Dad.

"Okay, we don't want to beat around the bush now, so let's just say it..", he took a deep breath, but Sally beat him to it. "We're going to move in together!"

Excuse me, what?! "What are you going to do?"

"We!" my dad said and smiled. "What are we going to do? And yes, you heard me right. You, Sally and I are going to move in together. We've arranged a viewing appointment for tomorrow and you can come along if you want."

I must not have looked particularly happy because Sally asked, frowning, "Aren't you happy?"

But honestly - why should I be happy? I didn't even really know Sally! And anyway, why wasn't I asked? Do I have no say at all?

"You're serious, aren't you? You honestly... want to move in together." I was somehow stunned. It all happened so quickly. Mum wasn't dead that long, just three years and now this?

"Aria -"

"No, don't. I - I need to be alone for a moment, okay?" I interrupted him and stormed into my room. I quickly dialed Leah's number and she answered on the second ring.

“They want to move in together!” I shouted into the receiver.

Kurze Stille. "Oh."

"Oh? That's more than oh, that's...that's..." I didn't know what it was. Terrifying? Absurd?

"But look at it this way, at least it's not a baby," she said and I agreed with her. It's not that I didn't want siblings - I would have wanted them. Then at least I wouldn't be so alone anymore. But did I want this baby to be Sally's? I did not know it. Sally was pretty nice and always friendly to me, but I couldn't imagine my father with any other woman than my mom.

"Maybe it's even nice in your new home. Say, you definitely need your own bathroom! Is it actually an apartment or a house?" Leah wanted to know.

"I don't know. The viewing is tomorrow. Should I come?"

"Of course you're going! Pick the best room," she said and I laughed.

"Okay, I'll do it, ma'am. I should really at least give it a try. Maybe it'll be really nice," I murmured.

I heard a door close in the background near Leah. "It definitely will. Call me tomorrow, I want to know everything! I have to hang up, my mom is here." I could practically see Leah rolling her eyes.

"Well then, see you tomorrow," I said goodbye and hung up. A moment later I heard a knock on the door and my dad poked his head into the room.

"Can we talk?" he asked, coming all the way in.

"Dad-" "Aria-" We smiled.

“You start,” I asked him.

"I know, we took you by surprise... and it's all too much for you all at once. You looked pretty scared and well, maybe it wasn't such a good idea and -"

A question was on the tip of my tongue and I interrupted him. "Dad, are you happy with Sally?"

He seemed surprised, but finally nodded. "Yes that's me."

"Then I won't come between you. And I'll come with you tomorrow." I could almost hear the stone falling from Dad's heart. He took me in his arms and rested his chin on my head. I don't know why, but suddenly tears welled up in my eyes - I hadn't hugged my dad in a long time and I realized that I felt better. It somehow comforted me.

"You don't know how happy this makes me," he murmured.

And I smile .