CHAPTER FIVE

Hazel examined herself in the full length mirror, she kept a photographic timeline on the edge of her mirror. Thank the lord for mothers- one year, after a particuarly nast fight with Nicholas she had scribbled all over his face with permenant marker, and nailpolish. He was in almost half of the photographs. A pretty good effort for someone who was never around.
She observed a photo of her fourteenth birthday party, more than two full years ago. Removing it carefully from the tangle of pink stin ribbon holding it in place she examined it closely. Everytime her friends looked at the photographs and then at her they would tell her how much she had changed.
"No I haven't. I've just grown up." Hazel would always say.
And it was true.
She still had blonde hair and purple eyes, yes, the chubiness had risen giving her a young womans physique and yes, the freckles had faded. Oh, and thanks to the miracle of modern dentistry she had perfect teeth, but that didn't matter to her.
In her eyes, she was still the same person she was so many years ago, just, in a different shell.
"That doesn't matter anymore." She said thinking out loud and pulling more photos off her mirror. She turned around and surveyed her room. For the first time in sixteen years there were no pictures of her friends and family on the walls, there weren't any posters of her favourite boy bands. Her book case was almost empty, as was her wardrobe you see, for the first time in sixteen years, Hazel was moving.
Hazel crossed her room and sat behind her desk. Picking up her class list, as well as the list of students she read over the list her scowl growing.

YEAR 10-A
TEACHER: ROWAN Bethany (Mrs).

ABBOTT, Zachary
BLACKWOOD, Rosalie
BUCHANAN, Richard
CARTER, Celeste
CHANDLER, William
DENNIS, Parker
FINCH, Marcus
FLETCHER, Hazel
GREEN, Hannah
HAYDEN, Jack
JAMES, Roger
KING, Leif

Hazel was happy that she had a smallish class. She was with her boyfriend, that was an added bonus. The only thing wrong with the picture was Marcus and Zachary, even at the age of sixteen Hazel still felt hurt, felt pain, felt violent rage even, when she thought of those boys.
She didn't hate them. She didn't fear them. She just, didn't want to waste her time on them.

"I don't hear you cleaning your room!" Her brother James said, mocking Geff.
Cleaning of course, meant restacking the boxes in a more organised fashion. "Sorry daddy-oh." Hazel said playing along. James left his sisters room laughing.

There was only one positive to Geffs presence. Well, there were three. Their names were Taniia (Tan-EE-ya) Michelle Simpson, Veronica Candice Simpson and Toby Aaron Simpson. His Kids. Taniia was the same age as Hazel, one week younger in fact. Veronica was two years older than Hazel and Taniia, Toby (he went by Aaron) was only one year older than Taniia and Hazel, yet he acted around the twins age.
"Hazel. Sorry about Dad getting in on Leif like that." Toby said hugging his future step sister and moving to help her lift a particuarly heavy box.
"No Aaron, it's totally cool. He's trying to protect me or something like that." Hazel said trying to take the box off of Toby, he didn't let her.
"Yeah, he was."
"Well, it's cool. After the verbal pounding my mother gave him he agreed to let Leif come over tonight."
"Geez Hazel."
"What Aaron?"
"Tonight is going to be like a more realistic version of 7th heaven!"
"Only more crowded!" Hazel agreed, and like with everything else in her life Hazel wrote a list.

"PEOPLE OVER TONIGHT
-Mother
-Geffory
-Me
-James (Jay)
-Taniia
-Veronica (Ronnie)
-Jonah
-Raffealla. (Raffy)
-Aaron (Toby)
-Leif
-Aiden (Ay)
-Amie (Aimes)
-Tashaylah (Tasha)
-Princip
-Princip Jr. (Prinny/ Mr.Pad)"

Toby laughed and scribbled a few more names down. Some of his friends from school (Rochelle and Tim) and then a few more names, something like six or seven names, then quickly tore the hunk of paper off.
Hazel looked at him inquisitively and he tapped his nose.
Hazel through her stuffed cow, Stanely at Toby and he quickly left with a smile.