Strum The Strings

A Chapter by Trublood13

I don't want to be a teenage cliche.
I slid my fingers through my wet hair, letting this thought sink in, along with the conditioner I just put in.
I don't want to fall stupid in love with some boy who won't care about me in the end.
I don't want to be depressed and moody, lost within myself, wondering where I'll end up.
I huffed, stepping back into the rays of lukewarm water.
If only I had had these thoughts sooner..
My chest trembled with my breathing, and my eyes began to sting.
I don't..I don't want to be a teenage cliche.
-----

Her laugh was loud and sudden, and I jumped, dropping my book at my feet.
"Oh, hey, Kristy." I laughed as well, kneeling down to pick up the large green thing. Whoever thought green was a good color for a math book should take a long, hard look in the mirror.
"Isn't today beautiful?" She sang, leaning against the navy locker beside mine. A guy stood by, looking impatiently at her. I assumed it was his.
"Uh, I guess so." I laughed at her dramatics, and she flashed her famous grin at me. I rolled my eyes. "Micheal."
She squealed with delight; just as his name, she got so happy.
"He brought me a flower."
Oh, a flower. I am shocked she hasn't slapped a ring on that boy.
Please don't ever let me be that dumb.
"Don't you have a class to get to?" Another voice sang over my shoulder. I didn't bother to turn and see who it is. I talk to too many people, hear too many voices a day to match a face to it.
"Don't you, Haley?"
Oh, so that's who it was.
They laughed, playfully shoving each other while I closed my locker. I never understood how girls could be so touchy and sarcastic with each other; I never had a friend like that.
I turned and walked, mentally preparing myself for math, when I felt a hand tug at the cloth of my uniform top. I turned around, my eyes landing on Alice.
Finally, my best friend.
A smile broke my usual empty features and I laughed, turned and walking, knowing she'd be beside me.
"No classes together this semester, huh?" I asked, glancing sideways at her.
Her response was quiet, most of hers were.
"Yeah, it sucks so bad. I don't talk to anyone, I just-" She continued on into one of her tales of woe, about how crippling her social anxiety is, and how she wants my help.
And I have helped.
Hell, in the past 5 years of our friendship, I've made more progress than anyone else.
"Well, I'll see you." She said softly, turning to go to her class.
"Text me." I threw out one of my automatic goodbyes. From 'text me' to 'I love you', they ranged. The words were meaningless now anyway, I didn't care if they texted me, I didn't care if I 'saw them later'. I didn't care, period.
I entered my classroom with pretty much the same enthusiasm as a jailbird has returning to his cell.
------

Class went by quickly. Maybe that's because math was easy for me, or because I tuned most of it out. Either way, didn't matter. It was over, and I was glad.
Now to lab.
I loved lab. I adored it, actually. I was so glad I chose to come to this school. It was a career center, where you chose something you were interested in, and only had two classes a day, then three hours of lab. Downside, those classes are really long. An hour and a half each. And sometimes, it seems like a lot.
I stepped into the entrance of what had become my haven, and slipped into the back corner with Alice and Susan. They were huddled together, laughing about something, and the sight made me smile. It was nice to see people happy. Alice's long, brown hair, straight as a pin, trembled with her laugh, and Susan's shorter straight blonde hair did the same.
"What's so funny?" I asked, sitting my book bag down. I was met by Susan's blue eyes.
"Nothing." She giggled, shaking her head and I laughed as well, even without knowing what had been 'so funny.'
"So." Susan said, watching me as I sat down in my usual seat. "See anybody cute?" I glanced around, trying to humor her as she spoke.
"Hmmm, just you, cutie-pie." I leaned forward, pinching her cheek, and she swatted at my hand.
"You know what I meant."
I laughed, glancing at Alice. She always fell silent whenever somebody else was around. I never thought much of it.
"Don't we have a project to be doing?" I asked, hoping to derail her long enough to make her forget.
"But-"
The bell rang for lunch, cutting her off.
"Lunch!" I sang, standing, and moving quickly out of the room. It was a relief.
Susan quickened her pace beside me, trying to keep up. She was awful short, only 5'0. Alice was behind me as well, which was comforting in a way. Even if she never said anything. We moved down the hall in silence. It was hard for me to come up with anything to say. When you're friends with people who have anxiety, you have to talk.
A lot.
I plopped down at our usual lunch table empty handed. I never ate in front of people, that was a no-no. Except maybe Alice. But that took 5 years in the making.
The other two sat beside me, empty handed as well.
Even with this small table, it was rather empty. I let my eyes wonder, listening to other people talk effortlessly. It was so easy for them to be happy. To push our conversations, and make friendships.
I glanced back and forth between Susan, who I met this year, and Alice, then sighed.
I loved them with all my heart, though I didn't know why.
Between them, I saw a boy sitting alone. I narrowed my eyes. I hated seeing anybody sit alone. It seemed so sad.
"Should we ask him to sit with us?" I asked Alice, leaning close to her so she didn't have to talk loud if she didn't want to.
She glanced at me curiously, then at the boy and shook her head.
"No, he looks fine alone."
She turned back to Susan, and they both began to talk about whatever it is those two talk about. I could never really pinpoint it.
But my eyes lingered on the boy with the red lunchbox.
And then he glanced up from his phone, and his eyes met mine.
My heart did something weird, like stop. And my stomach flipped, and I dropped my gaze quickly, my hands gripping my seat.
So..So brown.
"Right, Rhe?" I heard Alice's voice ask from somewhere, a laugh layered in it.
"Rhe?" Susan asked.
The bell rang, we moved to go back to lab.
But all I could think about was that deadly brown.