Chapter One: Apathy
Apathy; the easiest emotion to feel, Kristine reasoned with herself. For example, it didn't entail the use of muscles in her face (like smiling or frowning), so technically this lack of emotion was helping to prevent wrinkles. Anyway, while wrinkles, skin discoloration, and graying hair vied for attention on and around an older woman's face, who's to say that a lack of wrinkles wouldn't make her feel better...elated even. Imagine how the thousands of women who spent money on costly lotions and crèmes when the answer was there all along! Yes…apathy had to be the best emotion.
"Ha," Kristine laughed aloud at her own sick joke. Although not caring was the most practical, Kristine had never been a practical person; preferring to write out stories before typing them on her computer because she loved the feeling of a graphite trail being left by a well-known pencil. Bite-marks lining its body; pencils knew to whom they belonged. Keyboards on the other hand were mass-produced and made a cold, hard click at each letter you typed. Tsk-tsk-tsk...reprimanding each choice of words that the author made. It also made the laborious task of writing five hand-written pages into only one generic copy. No, practical was not a good thing.
As the rest of the world got sucked into 10-minute dinners, abridged novels, and credit cards, it was more important than ever to be impractical. Kristine didn't own a credit card, and for good reason. Although not a major math fan, counting change did irrefutably help the basics. And secondly, the clanging of lucky pennies onto the counter as the cashier looked at piling mounds of coins in horror was priceless.
Summer had begun 1 day, 2 hours, and 12 minutes ago. Or in other words, there was still enough time to reinvent yourself in the Florida heat. Reinvention had never stuck a fancy in Kristine, but ever since Kyle had broken-up with her, sleeping was as close as she ever got to being happy. Though not the dependent-girlfriend type, it was important to point out that she loved feeling important. And who didn't? There was no longer a familiar hum to each song, or just two hands brushing past each other, causing a tingle to travel up and down her spine. Kristine felt sad; but that wasn't it. Sad gave the previous boyfriend too much power. Why sit around reminiscing about better days when Kyle had already moved on? She'd give him no such satisfaction. So as a deluge of emotions: sadness, anger, revenge, pride, and self-respect crashed together like hurricane waves and the sandy Florida shore, only one thing came out. Nothing in a sense...apathy.
Proud to have resolved the raging conflict inside her mind, and coming up with a solution gave Kristine a mounting sense of worth. Sitting up, Kristine propped herself up on her daybed with her elbow. It had been a while since her thoughts were in proper working order, and this sudden change left Kristine wanting. Something special was bound to happen. Since she figured that nothing would happen if she moped in bed, Kristine got up and decided to put on one of her favorite outfits in order to be prepared for whatever life threw at her. So with increased determination, she looked up, and prepared to go out.
Kristine's room looked like an artist's palate. Many seemingly unrelated colors mixed to form surreal and new masterpieces. The bed showed less evidence of wear, and the light sea-foam colored sheets peaked out form below her azure comforter. One lone stuffed bear lay on its side, showing its two balding patches of fur, and one non-existent eyeball. Circulating to the left, the dresser was next in line. School papers, her alarm clock, a purse, and its tossed contents all competed for space and attention. Kristine's desk showed the most offence. As in the case with her dresser, various items were strewn haphazardly on the desk's white surface. The chair was piled height with week-old laundry, and a purse adorned each side. Her bookshelf on the contrary, was impeccable. Books were arranged by series and theme. The dim noise of the radio was ever present, and probably accounted for a large chunk of her parents' electric bill...though she'd never admit to this. Her fan on the other hand was almost never on, due to the fact that all of the papers would fly, but also due to the fact that she hated to be cold. As far as most of the teens in Florida go, they hate the heat and want to escape at their first chance. Kristine was different. She loved the heat. It made her feel radiant. Though she wasn't fond of tanning (she considered it fake), she couldn't help but stop occasionally in a patch of sunlight, and bask in its warmth, if not for only a moment.
Finally getting up from her comfortable position on her bed, Kristine rummaged through her closet and pulled out a close-fitting shirt with a suave baby blue ribbon adorning the collar-bone region. The sheer white material slid easily over her head, and came to rest just above her white denim shorts, revealing a thin gold belt that matched with a pair of butterfly earrings that Kristine was already pulling on. She quickly tied one fourth of her thin hair up with a light blue ribbon, and inspected herself in the mirror. Kristine's hair was a lush brown. It had a few lighter sections in it that appeared mainly in the summer. It was shiny, straight, and thin enough to grab in one hand. Her new hair cut included wispy and delicate bangs that ended halfway over her eyebrows, curling in a little, and hair that was layered, and cut so that it made a "V" on her back about two inches above her shorts. Although she'd yet to go swimming at the pool or beach, Kristine's skin was radiant, and boasted a chestnut-colored tan. The bridge of her petite nose was covered in tiny freckles, and slightly sunburned. Though sunburn usually has a bad connotation, and means looking like a red lobster for at least a week, Kristine now sported a rosy glow on her cheeks. Her eyes were the most beautiful feature tough. They glowed softly, but unfalteringly; bright blue that was flecked with green around the outer edges. Kristine's legs were toned and showed evidence of sports training; muscles outlined themselves with each step. She then quickly applied chapstick. Ready.
Having already grabbed her driver's license and ID, Kristine grabber her small clutch, and walked out the door. She quickly pulled out her cell phone, to reserve a seat at Chile's, but decided against it, in favor of a quaint French cafe a few blocks down.