Red Rimmed: Chapter One.

“Lissa, you’re going to be late for your first day if you don’t get up soon!” my mother shouted to me.

“Okay, keep your socks on!” Monday mornings are definatly not a teenager’s best friend. This is a fact for anyone my age. It was once again the start of a new school year, in a new country. I’ve had to move around a lot in my 16 years.

So, the first six years of my life were in Russia. It was where I was born and my earliest memories are from there. We lived in Moscow, me, my mom Samantha and my dad Matthew. My mom has always wanted to travel the world, so we move around every few years. I don’t really like this, but I get to see a lot of mesmerising places, so it’s not all bad.

When I was six years old we moved to New York, Brooklyn. We lived there for three years, until I was nine.

A few weeks after my ninth birthday we moved to Pennsylvania. We only lived there for two years. Mom was getting really anxious about staying there for too long. She would always say that we needed to move frequently. I don’t know how she got the money to move so often, nor do I know why we have moved so often. It’s just a mystery to me.

I thought we had finally found a place to stay when we moved to Ireland. But I thought wrong. I had been quite upset about moving again, I had only just started to make a few friends. We lived there for four years, from being eleven to being sixteen.

Now, I live in England, Birmingham to be specific. I like it here so far. We moved in last week. And now it was time for my first day at North Treton High. I have not met anyone yet, but I put this down to the fact that I haven’t left the house, apart from going to town with my mum to buy new clothes and school supplies. I count this school as lucky. We don’t have to wear uniform, unlike my last three schools. This gives me a boost in confidence, I have a chance to show people who I am through my appearance and not my grades. People judge me too much on the fact that I get top marks on all of my exams. I don’t like this, and I guess it is what makes me shy. No one see’s me for me, they see me as a geek. But I’m not a geek. I am nowhere close to that category. You can bet on that.

I have secrets, just like everybody else. But if I told anyone my secrets, people would think I was crazy. I asked my mother about some things, things I haven’t been able to get my head around. I asked her about my eyes. I asked her why they have a tinge of red in the centre of the dark brown.

She told me it must have something to do with my grandmother. I never had a chance to meet her since she died quite few years before I was born, but mum talks about her quite a lot. She tells me that things would have been a lot different and better if she was still here. I don’t quite know what she means, but I suppose she just misses her mother. I know I’d miss mum if she died.

As far as first impressions go, they are important, really important. They determine on how you’re going to be treated throughout the school year.  I need to make good first impressions this time, if I want to fit in, that is. I need to be confident. But confidence does not come naturally to me, so I guess I will have to put on a brave face and go along with whatever people think of me. Fake it I guess…

Clothes are another issue. I don’t want to wear anything too flashy because I will look spoiled, nor do I want to wear anything too laid back because I’ll look ‘geeky’, exactly the image I don’t want to receive. So, my black leather skirt is the perfect option. I can match it with my dark purple shirt, the one with the small white skulls that fit together to make one larger white skull in the centre of the fabric, my favourite shirt in other words. I’ll wear my black combat boots too, with my favourite pair of tights, thin black material with thicker material forming together to make miniature black skulls as the pattern! I’m basically just aiming to be myself. Let my personality shine through for once. Give people a taste of who I am.

“Perfect outfit, but now for the makeup…” I mutter to myself.

Makeup is definatly a drastic necessity for most girls my age. But sadly, the majority of us don’t apply it properly… you can get the orange Barbie dolls, or the deathly white vampires. I’d put myself in the middle. I’m not orange. In fact I don’t even wear foundation, I don’t need it. I have a natural tan. But, I wear slightly dark eye makeup.

 So, I am going to use my MAC black eyeliner, my collection 2000 liquid eyeliner and my benefit mascara. I’ll use liquid eyeliner first, a neat thick line on the top eyelid with a small flick at the end, just where my eyelashes are. Then I’ll use a thinner line of the pencil eyeliner on my bottom eyelid, just where my eyelashes are. And to finish off, I’ll apply a few strokes of mascara, just enough to define my eyelashes. I do my makeup like this a lot.

I think it looks good, and it makes me feel like I look… right.

*  *  *

Once my appearance was sorted, I headed downstairs for a bite to eat.

“Good morning Liss.” My father said as I walked into the kitchen. As per usual, he was sat at the table, with his cup of black coffee and blueberry bagel, reading the paper

“Good morning.” I replied with very little enthusiasm. “Any coffee left?”

“Yes, help yourself. Oh, and there’s bread in the cupboard, and the bagels are on the side.”

“Thanks dad, where’s the peanut butter?”

“Same cupboard as the bread, the jam is in there too.”

“Thank god!” I said and started to put together a bagel, topped with peanut butter and strawberry jam. A strange combination, but it tastes delicious! I sat at the table, across from dad, with my own coffee, but with milk and 3 sugars (I have a very bad sweet tooth), and my bagel.

“So, it’s your first day…” Oh no, here he go’s again, every time I start a new school, he has the same speech.

“Dad, I don’t want to hear this again, I get it. I’ve heard it before, and I know that I need to try and fit in, don’t listen to negative criticism and be myself.”

“Ok, well, you best be on your way. Good luck Liss.”

“Thanks dad. Bye mom!” And with that I headed out the front door.