Moira's Point of View: Let the Flames Begin.
"Welcome to Stephenville High school!" The secretary said to me after my parents finished signing the release forms. The papers that pretty much say 'we have the right to pretty much do anything, anywhere, and if something goes down, we aren't to blame'.
I faked the best smile I could and stood up.
I had been home schooled for most of my life, which meant that I had absolutely zero contact with anyone normal or reasonably sane. It's hard being so socially deprived, because I feel that sudden need to be accepted and to fit in. And it really doesn't help that my IQ lowers dramatically whenever that happens. My stutter comes into place, and I can't get the words out right. That's why, I work really well with nods. Nods and smiles. I can handle that.
The secretary looked at my parents and smiled. "She doesn't talk much, does she?"
"She's just shy." My Father explained, not getting too much into detail, thankfully.
I had given my parents the 'how to be cool' speech about a year ago and they failed it. My parents are kind of... well... insane. They think that just because I've met a total of twenty people in my life, it shouldn't make a difference when I'm compared against a regular teen.
I have absolutely no experience what so ever on how to do deal with people! What if someone tells me to get them a drink, and I don't, and then I become socially shunned for the rest of my life? Like a morbid, brooding pariah. What if it becomes so bad that I lash out at them and kill them? Isn't that how all serial killers start out? They kill one person, and then they start to like it!
No. That can't happen.
I think my parents noticed my worried face.
"You'll be fine, we're at the restaurant a block away, if you really feel left out-then come visit us." My Mother tried to reassure me.
"I'll be fine, Mom." I rolled my eyes.
I heard the noise of a door swinging behind me. There was a boy standing there, in ragged jeans and a leather jacket. He started looking at me strangely, kind of like he didn't want me around. He has this long dark black hair, that creeped around his eyes, and those eyes... man. He could kill with those eyes, they were so dark and mysterious. I felt my stomach churn as I tried to digest them. So dark and very uneasy.
Should I say Hi? Should I turn back? Should I pretend that I didn't see him? Should I run for dear life? Why was he looking at me strangely. Oh God, it was my hair. I knew I shouldn't have let my Mom touch it this morning! This is what I get for letting my parents control my life! I get stared at by the first teenager I meet at this school! Great going Mom! Way to keep me alive in the High school JUNGLE!
"Anyway..." My Mother broke my mental rant. "I'll see you at the end of the day at the Restaurant, okay? Tell me how it went." Then, she did the worst thing a Mother could ever do in a High school hallway. She kissed me on the cheek and hugged me.
I wanted to die.
When my parents turned away and started to walk off. Leaving me alone in the jungle with their mess that I had to clean up. God, how could my parents be so uncool? What happened to the 'cool parents' speech? I knew I had to be on disaster control.
But, when I turned around, the boy was gone. I hadn't even heard his steps! Did he go back into the washroom?
I mentally slapped myself.
This is good, it means he didn't see the kiss and hug routine that my Mother did. Just pretend it didn't happen, and no damage control has to happen.
I breathed out a sigh of relief, and swung my backpack over my shoulder. The first class I had was Biology. Great. Let's do it.
After about ten minutes of wandering around and then finally asking the school janitor where the Biology room was, I found it.
Should I open it? Should I knock? Do I need to mentally pep talk myself?
The door swung open and I jumped two feet in the air.
There was a woman with long brown hair, that looked young, in her twenties at least, and had these really bright brown eyes-kind of like mine-came out and smiled at me. "Moira, right? I just saw you come up on my computer. Come on in and take a seat."
I nodded, and came into the room.
I felt like a spot light was on me. Twenty pairs of eyes were on me. I had been in a grocery store a billion times, and been around people, but I hear that High school is like that times a thousand, and they weren't lying at all. I felt like I should have been giving a speech rather than making my way to a seat.
God, why me?
I heard someone gasp behind me and I turned around to see a girl with straight blond hair and bright blue eyes staring at me. She was wide-eyed and looked to be in shock.
"Is there a problem, Ms. Dubratt?" The teacher asked the girl behind me.
She put a hand up to her head and shook it. "No, I'm fine."
The teacher looked worried. "Are you sure? Do you need to see the nurse?"
"I'm fine." She stressed.
She automatically dropped it and started talking about rules and regulations of her classroom. After she was finished with that, she handed out textbooks.
I looked at her weirdly as she was handing it out and she saw. "What is it?" She asked me.
I shook my head. "Nothing... just expected the textbook to be bigger."
She laughed. "Are you used to bigger textbooks?"
By this point, the whole class was listening in. I wanted to tell her the truth, I really did. Her brown eyes were so warm and gentle, and I felt bad for lying to her.
"Oh. No. I... just figured that since I was a year older, I would get a bigger textbook. The moving up in the world kind of thing." Shut up, Moira. Shut up.
The kids turned their head back to their desk, and I tried to hide some of my shame behind my hair. I'm such an idiot. Such an idiot...
I saw the same girl, with the blond hair and the blue eyes, raise her hand in the back.
"Yes, Estle?"
"I need to go to the bathroom." She announced.
"Make it quick."
She practically jumped out of the seat and ran for the door. Something inside me told me that she didn't just have to go to the washroom.
Why am I so paranoid? Why couldn't I be like... him. I spotted him with the strawberry blond hair, and constant smile that always seemed to be on his face. He had these really pretty gray eyes. Why couldn't I be like him? He seemed to have everything going for him. He seemed smart, gorgeous and talented. Why do I need to be so weird?
I sighed quite audibly, but it seemed like everyone around me was doing the same so I didn't really stand out.
I kind of dazed out the rest of class, something I don't really do often. I'm usually in complete control of what I learn and listen to, but it's like... I just didn't care anymore. In my eyes, my life was already over.
And not in good way.
