Bette Porter’s POV

I look around in my school. The hallway is empty. Once again, Ms. Link threw me out of the classroom. Fuck her. I look around again. Cleveland High. It’s my first year at this high school, but I’m a junior, and I’m quite popular.

I am part of a gang. My mates are Shane McCutcheon, Marcus Allenwood, Alice Pieszecki and Dana Fairbanks. The last two are a couple. We don’t have a name like our ‘enemies’ who call themselves Lipstick. I mean what a stupid name, right? There is a guy on that gang who claims NOT to be gay. I mean, Jesus man, you are in a gang called Lipstick! Sure, the name was already that before he had a say in it but still, it’s Lipstick. Their ‘leader’ is Tina Kennard, a pretty blonde who is the head cheerleader of the school and changes boyfriends as if it were underwear… if she even wears that, she may not wear it because she takes it off so much. I mean, she is really a B-I-T-C-H. Seriously. Her sidekicks are Anya Carson, Blair Jefferson, Tristan Smith and Gemma Jacoby.

Our school is divided in two camps. Theirs and ours. I would describe Lipstick and their followers as a group of straight people who hate gay folks and people that tolerate and respect us. They think they are better than us and don’t let any opportunity pass to ruin or day. I actually think they just want to ruin our lives. I mean, what the hell did we do wrong? We were just friends hanging out and then they began picking on us, without we ever said something to them. It’s pretty fucked up.

Tina and I really HATE each other, we cannot walk in the same hallway or we are practically killing each other. I don’t think she even knows my name, she just thinks my name is ‘Gross Dyke’. It’s so stupid. The problem is: I cannot go to the teachers with this. I’m not out of the closet and if I have to explain to my parents why me and my friends are practically bullied to death at school, I will be on the streets in no time. I am popular though because I’m the leader of the people that follow us.