foxychick asked: I’m writing a, well, i guess you could say a book. And advice is welcome! =)
“No! Please! No!” I screamed as the shadowy figure closed in behind me. His face was a twisted evil, an evil that was so wicked it beat ****** or Osama bin Laden by far. I was being chased by this ‘thing’ down a dark narrow hallway. There were no doors, no windows, only frames with paintings lining down the hall. The paintings contained graphics so horrible, that if I could describe them I don’t think I’d tell another soul.
I screamed bloody murder as I sped on, though I wasn’t sure how I came to be running from what appeared to be pure evil, or what brought me to the place I was in, or what I was in. In fact, the only thing I appeared to know was that I had to keep running; otherwise something terrible would happen to me. The whole scene was a tented red, and you could sense darkness a mile away. I continued running, completely oblivious to anything else around me. Then suddenly the whole world seemed to slip above me. I was in absolute blackness. You couldn’t see a hand one inch from your face! I was still running, no, falling. I was falling now into what seemed to be and endless pit. I was falling towards my end, towards my death.
-Beep beep beep beep-
I bolted up right with a start. My heart was pounding so hard you could almost hear it. My wavy, dark brown hair fell down my shoulder in a tangled mess. I often had nightmares like this, but never had they been so intense.
“Colby! Colby Regina Drakes, are you out of bed? You have school today!”
“I’m out Mom…” I grumbled as I slowly made my way out of my bed. I hated to be called my full name. I liked Colby, and that was it. Mom knew it too; I think she calls me that on purpose. Just to make me mad, my mom and I don’t get along very well. No, not since Dad died. There’s always been this tension between us. Ever since he died, everything changed for us. We had to leave our huge house and come to this old, crummy apartment. Mom is tired of working all the time, she keeps up a double shift two nights a week just to stay on top of the bills. Apparently, Dad took up gambling, and lost all our money that way. After that, Mom and Dad were constantly fighting. Then one night he just left. We never heard from him, or of him. Not until that newspaper article, it stated that Mr. Joe Drakes had spent a late night at the casino. He got in the car, too drunk to notice anything, and had run off the road into a ditch. By the time police found him, there was absolutely no hope in saving him.
I pulled off my pajamas and hopped in the shower. I was so lost in thought I hadn’t realized I had shampooed my hair three times. I stepped onto the bathroom rug and scrunched my hair, the bright red tips of my otherwise brown hair were beginning to fade. I threw on my black, plaid, skinnies, and a red shirt, and pulled a black wristband on my wrist to cover the cut marks. My average height kept me from standing out, that is until I got into high school. I had been asked out time and time again, and invited to parties at least each month. I turned down every offer. Not wanting to do anything but sit in my room and play the guitar. It was my only salvation. The only thing I ever wanted to do was write a song or play my guitar. Most music I couldn’t stand. All those flashy singers who have it all, but sing about what they don’t have. Rap was so annoying, and who could anyone stand screamo? Classical was out too. I stole a look at my clock. 7:50. I was running late. Hastily, I applied eyeliner to my dark, almost black eyes. Grabbing my homework and stuffing it in backpack, I ran into the kitchen and grabbed a piece of toast. I lived a block away from school, so I walked each morning. Or, usually I walked, this morning I was running late so I had to hurry. I couldn’t afford another detention, Mom would be so furious! She’d hit me again, I’m sure. I’m a junior in high school, only 17. I couldn’t wait to turn 18, freedom! My red converses were thumping along with every step I took, my heart thumped wildly. I had to make it one time! I pulled out my cell phone, if it could be called that, and checked the time. I had three minutes.
I slid through the school doors and into my class room with five seconds to spare. I had made it.
Algebra was first, and my least favorite subject. Not because I was horrible at it, actually, I was doing ok. It had more to do with who I was assigned to sit by.
“Psst! Colby!” was the hoarse whisper that came from Veronica, almost immediately after I sat down.
Veronica is the most annoying girl I have ever met. She’s high-class and preppy, but seems to think we are “best friends”. Her curly blonde locks were always perfectly positioned. She had these flashing, glitter-covered, hot pink sunglasses she always wore on her head, even if it was raining. She wore her skimpy little skirts and shirts that showed WAY more skin then needed. And Veronica alw
And Veronica always had tons of shimmery make-up on. Guys were always drooling over her like she hypnotized them; I don’t see what anyone sees in her.
“Colby!” she nearly yelled again.
I sighed, “What Veronica?”
“You’re coming to my birthday party tonight, right?”
I had forgotten about her party, and no way did I want to go!
“Uh, don’t think I can make it,” I said, and mumbled some excuse.
“Hmph, see if I ever invite you to a party again!” that’s what Veronica huffed every year, and every year she kept inviting me. I don’t think this girl can take a hint.
There are very few people in the school I hang out with.
Sara has been my closest friend since preschool. We’re extremely tight. Her shoulder length black hair is also tipped red, (we did that together in 9th grade). Her typical outfit is black pants and a ‘My Chemical Romance’ T. She loved to act, and be on stage, she loved the thrill of it. Nick and I have been friends since grade school. His shaggy black hair always seeme
perfect to me, his gorgeous hazel eyes always popped out. He was the best on the track team, and his tall body didn’t hurt. I’ve liked him since I first laid eyes on him. But Nicole Glory, his girlfriend, hates me and won’t let me come near him, ever. We talk a bunch when she’s not around, every night on the phone, on the computer. You name it. He was there for me the time Dad took off. And every time Mom beats me I call him up, and he stays on the phone and soothes me until I stop crying.
-ring-
I had made it half way through school. It was lunch time. I walked into the cafeteria. Tuna salad, ick. After going through the line I looked around to find Sara, she’s usually who I sit with. I finally found her, she had already obtained her lunch and was sitting down…right by Steven Drumond, the captain of the football team, and also the cockiest guy in school. Wait, correction, not sitting by, drooling over.
“Not only that, but she was wearing a mini skirt and a shirt that must have been 2 sizes to small. It was disgusting. I walked up to her anyways, because I wanted sit by someone, but she didn’t even notice my existence. Finally I sauntered around and tapped her on the shoulder.
“Oh! Colby…I didn’t notice you,” Sara looked very startled, and slightly embarrassed.
“Tell me something new…” I mumbled.
“What?” she asked
“Never mind, so, is there a spot here?” I tried to be subtle.
“Um,” she began, and everyone at the table shifted as if to make sure there wasn’t any room for me. “It doesn’t look like it,”
“Uhuh, then I guess I’ll go sit somewhere else,” I rolled my eyes.
I couldn’t believe it. “Ok,” I told myself, “it’s just lunch…” No! It’s not just lunch! The skirt, the shirt…it’s not like her. We used to pretend to *** when people who dressed like that passed by. But that’s not what bummed me the most.
The person I had been closest too, just dumped me for a stupid guy that had 3 girlfriends all ready, and that hurt.
“Colby! Colby, over here!”
It was Nick.
“Hey! Where’s your witch of a girlfriend?” was my reply.
“Nicole? Oh, she’s playing hooky today, something about a sale at the mall,” He exclaimed, but what I was really thrilled to hear was what came next, “but it doesn’t even matter anymore Colby, I dumped her.”
“Really?” I shrugged, but inside I was screaming I was so happy!
“Yeah! After a few days with her, I realized she was a stupid prep and didn’t give a dang about me.” he began, “but I was too chicken to call it quits so soon. Then one day I found her making out with Steven Drummond -him again- and it was over.”
“Wow. I told you she was a jerk.”
“So do you have a place to sit?” he asked. “Where’s Sara?”
“There ‘wasn’t enough room’ for me at her table,” I stated boringly, “she was sitting with Steven.”
“Ouch,” he looked disgusted, and I could detect a hint of sadness in his eyes. “Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to come to church with me Sunday?”
The only thing bad about Nick is that he was a Christian. They went to church every Sunday morning to go worship their god or something like that. And Nick had been trying to get me to come.
“Oh, I dunno…” I began, but Nick looked hurt as soon as I uttered the words. I could tell he was trying to hide it, but I knew him better than that. “I think I’m free that morning.” I stated, but I wasn’t so sure about it.
“Great!” He exclaimed, “I’ll pick you up around nine.”
By then we had finished lunch, and it was time to go to our next classes.
I slid my key in the door and heard the familiar ‘click’ of the lock. The lights were off in the house, Mom’s not home.
I walked through my house towards my room, I smelled cigarette smoke. “Mom doesn’t smoke, she must have had one of her boyfriends over,” I thought.
I went into my room and flipped open my laptop. I signed into my Instant Messenger, Sara was on.
“Hey,” I started, “what was up during school today?”
“What?” was the reply.
“u barely talked 2 me at all today, and when u did, it didn’t really count as talking.”
“Oh, well, can u blame me? I mean, I’m finally noticed n school! u know we were both nothing n school, but some of the girls bought me like, the outfits and stuff, then Steven asked me 2 sit with him, and like, now I’m popular!” she sounded excited.
I was so startled, I didn’t think it was this bad.
“So, that’s all I am to u now? Nothing? u ditched me to be ‘popular’, and for a guy who has three girlfriends?” I replied.
“Well…”
“C’mon, we both know there was enough room for me at the table. You just didn’t want me there.” I was getting really mad, but suddenly I felt hurt. Like a deep hurt, one I’d never felt before, and there’s not many kinds of hurt I haven’t felt.
“ ’k, so maybe there was enough room for u, but would you really would have been happy n that group? Oh and, I’m gonna have 2 go soon. Steven’s coming over tonight.”
“I would have been happy knowing I was accepted by you, no matter how different I am from those other ‘friends’”.
“Hey, I’m who I wanna be, and maybe I wanna be a prep! And maybe, in our screwed up school, preps can’t talk to girls who cut themselves and can’t afford to buy normal clothes!”
“You aren’t being a person! You’re being a clone, just the same as them. That’s not being an individual.”
No reply.
“So you’re ditching me because I don’t wear the newest designer jeans? Or because if you’re “friends” caught you talking with me they’d kick you out of your little ‘popular clique’”
“YES, ok? You were a great friend, but I can’t be caught dead talking to you! Otherwise I’m out!”
“’were’? So you are totally killing this relationship?” I was in tears, but I had to keep my ‘tough appearance’ online.
