Chapter 1

I keep my head down, my legs crossed, on a plastic, infant chair in the middle of the school corridor. As I examine my fingernails, the black acrylic nail varnish seems to have chipped away. I sigh, carefully flicking my nails in an attempt to remove the varnish altogether. I really need a manicure.

The bell sounds, and I fix on an 'I couldn't care less' scowl as I watch students and teachers bustle past me, in a hurry to leave for the weekend. A couple freshmen, glance in my direction, peering at me cautiously as if I were a lion, caged in a zoo.

I can practically hear their thoughts.

Who's that girl?

What is she doing?

She looks like she's on a time-out.

WOAH, isn't that the girl who--?

I bare my teeth and narrow my eyes dangerously, watching as they nervously back away from me and quicken their paces. I smile to myself in satisfaction, carefully brushing a lock of hair out of my face and leaning back comfortably.

My name is Charlotte Knight, (don't ever call me Charlie)

And I never tend to last any longer than a full semester at any school. Whether it may be a strict, girls-only boarding school or a laid-back, public, mixed one. None of them, seem to understand me, or my 'colourful' personality.

"Miss Lockwood is ready to see you now."

I turn my head and glance up towards the school secretary, and she sniffs distastefully, her owl glasses balancing on her pointed nose.

I smirk to myself.

I've always thought that she had an uncanny resemblance to Mrs Battleaxe from Horrid Henry.

Slowly rising to my feet, I let her lead me further down the corridor, towards the headteacher's office, where I expect to have a sweet conversation with the lovely, warm-hearted Miss Lockwood.

Based on how I almost set the school Science Lab on fire.

We stop outside her office door, and the secretary motions for me to walk in. I nudge the door open with my shoulder and casually make my way towards a seat, just opposite her front desk, kicking my feet up to balance them onto her table.

"Just letting you know now... it wasn't my fault." I instantly state out loud, before she's able to get a word out.

True story, I actually thought she was a dude, when I first joined Lincoln-High last semester. Her moustache is highly noticeable, and her pits are almost always sweaty, seen right through her t-shirt or blouse. And don't even get me started on her breath.

She glares, shaking her head slowly. "I've never had a student quite like you, Charlotte."

"Thanks." I smile sweetly.

"It's never your fault, is it? You honestly think you can just cause havoc around my school and not expect any sort of consequence?"

Her high pitched voice, gradually rises through the anger, and I wince, silently praying for my eardrums.

"Jesus." I mutter under my breath.

"I'm just about sick of your attitude!" she shrieks, using a finger to nudge my feet off her desk, and I groan, crossing them instead. "I'm sick of your lack of enthusiasm towards schoolwork-"

"What are you talking about? I absolutely adore algebra." I deadpan. "Is that enthusiastic enough for you, Miss? Or should I add in a cartwheel?"

She continues rambling, barely responding to my clever remarks. "Would it kill you to behave for one day?"

This time, I decide to press my lips together, keeping my mouth shut.

"And now, I hear you've set the Science lab alight with a god-forsaken bunsen burner, by disobeying your tutor's instructions. But not only that, you knock it over, consequently damaging the table and putting other student's lives at risk."

I roll my eyes. Lives at risk? Seriously?

I knock over a little candle, and suddenly, I'm jeopardizing the lives of every student in the building. This actually couldn't get any more ridiculous.

"What do you have to say, for yourself?"

Again, I don't speak.

"Charlotte, I am talking to you!" she snaps, rising to her feet, causing a spray of spit to attack me straight in the face.

"Yes, Ma'am I heard you. I'm simply choosing not to respond because I have nothing decent to say. Unless you want me to speak my mind? Because we both know you'd hate that." I give her a toothy grin.

"You're seriously testing my patience today, Charlotte Knight." she says through gritted teeth. "And it isn't even the first time this week."

"Aren't you just happy nobody got hurt?"

"Don't talk back."

I roll my eyes. "So what now? Call my Mum? Inform her of my extra-curricular activities this afternoon, and boot me off to after-school detention? I'm way ahead of you Ma'am, don't worry. I've already texted my Mum in advance." I wink, not showing any sign of defeat.

"You're not receiving an after-school detention tonight, Charlotte." she sighs.

"Ugh. Then please don't make it a lunchtime detention then, especially on a Tuesday. They're serving flapjacks in the cafeteria on a Tuesday and you know how much I love those." I sigh, pouting my lips slightly. "How about Monday? I'm sure I'll be free then... wait don't they serve jacket potatoes on a Monday?" I blink, quizzically. "Hold on Ma'am, let me check the menu-"

I reach for my handbag but she slams her hand on the table, instantly snapping me to attention. If looks could kill, I'd definitely be buried 6 feet under by now.

"I'm calling your mother to pick you up-"

"Yeah, but I already-"

"To inform her of your expulsion."

"Wait..." I hold up a hand and rise to my feet slowly, looking her dead straight in the eye. "You're expelling me? Permanently?"

She nods grimly. "You've had enough warnings."

I pause, my mouth hanging open. I clasp a hand over my mouth before throwing my head back and letting out an excited cheer. "Fuck, yes!" I cheer, wiping away the happy tears and doing my own little happy jig on the spot.

"Thank the lord, sweet baby Jesus!" I screech excitedly.

No more cranky old Lockwood, no more stupid boring lessons in this poxy old school. I swear, I've never been happier in my life.

"Mind your language! And stop causing such a racket in my office or else I'll-"

"You'll what?" I sneer, mercilessly. "It's not like you're my fucking head-teacher anymore are you?"

X X X

"Expelled?"

"Yup." I grin, making my way over to the pantry and snatching bottle of champagne.

My mother and I live in a small, damp, residential flat on the edge of town. We hardly own a lot of money from Mum's office job, scraping up just about enough money for the bills. She occasionally forks out enough money for the latest designer outfits and shoes, but not as much as I'd like.

I don't really mind, though. My friends help me out with those sort of things. And my Mum really can't stand the type of people I chose to hang around with.

True Friends don't convince you to shoplift and break the law. She would usually say. Which I think is a little over-dramatic. We don't break the law, we just bend the rules a bit.

Or a lot.

Think about it this way: We steal from the rich (New Look) and give to the poor (us). So in a way, we're just another version of the modern day Robin Hood. Right?

"You didn't last longer than a month in that school, Charlotte." she says tiredly, sitting herself down on the worn out sofa, holding her head in her hands. She's still in her work clothes, as she had to pick me up from school in straight after work.

"Which is why we should celebrate! Your only daughter is a worldwide record breaker!" I exclaim, popping open the bottle and pouring two glasses. She doesn't even look up.

"My only daughter, is an insane, teenage delinquent. Where on earth did I go wrong?" she mutters almost to herself.

"Oh, I'm not sure." I pretend to think, tapping my chin thoughtfully. "Maybe your fault was, moving us around so many times that I never really got to fully adjust. Or maybe you don't feed me properly. Or perhaps it was the day you decided to drive my own Father out of my life." I say the last sentence through gritted teeth, with as much venom in my tone than intended.

"He chose to leave us, Char."

"And you let him! What kind of mother are you, anyway?" I grumble, this time throwing the glass of champagne in my hand to the ground, causing an ear-splitting crash. I wince, only just noticing the damage.

"Easy, Charlotte." Mum says soothingly, but I flinch away from her, narrowing my eyes. "For goodness sake, today was meant to be a happy day! I just got promoted at work. Which means, I'll receive a bigger income and we can afford a proper house this time."

"Oh joy." I say through gritted teeth.

"Well. Perhaps this a chance for you to start fresh, all over again. Because we're moving out of town. Leaving Wisconsin and all the bad choices behind. They're transferring me to California."

My jaw drops open.

"But this time, when I say 'fresh start', I mean it Charlotte. One mistake is all it takes. If you get yourself chucked out once again, there will be consequences."

"Like what?" I sneer.

"Like leaving the country. Sending you off to a boarding school in Australia, where your grandparents are. They say it's a highly disciplined school for troubled teenage girls. If we come to that stage, I'll have no other choice."

I mutter a string of curse words under my breath. I cannot stand my grandparents, and I know they hate me too. They're Mum's parents, but my Dad's mother and father have long ago passed away, before I was even born.

"So start packing, Char. " she ruffles my hair before forcing a smile and disappearing into the kitchen.