The Melancholy: Part 1
Whoever thinks that life can't surprise them is a fool and should be taught as much. Well, I guess that makes me a fool, even if only for a little while. I can for a fact tell you that the last few years have been nothing but a surprise to me, but there had been a time before all of this when I was convinced that nothing interesting would ever happen to me. It's the path that my life had been placed on; the path of nothing. It's boring and uneventful and dull. I wouldn't recommend it.
But, maybe I had gotten used to that life. It was an easy existence, and while there was plenty for me to complain about, I never did. I don't really know what that really says about my personality, but I just didn't feel like my complaints were really ever worthwhile. It wasn't worth troubling other people over, after all. I instead chose the way of melancholy and lethargy. Not in the neet sort of way where I would shut myself off from the outside world, of course! I would never do that.
No, I just kept to myself and stayed out of the way. I wasn't shy, and I often wanted to socialize, but my standing in life made that a tad bit difficult. Maybe more than a tad? I don't know. Social interaction is somewhat alien to me. I was convinced for the longest time that I would always be an unexpected and slightly depressed outcast. Sure it was difficult, but it wasn't all that bad.
Maybe a little.
Or more.
A lot?
Alright, so I was lonely. Really, really lonely.
And it didn't look like that would change anytime soon in my life for the longest time. Elementary school flew by a depressing speed, middle school barely existed for me, and high school looked like it would be much the same. I fully expected to be completely friendless by the time I graduated college. I would probably be twenty-four or twenty-five, have a well paying job, and an empty home. That prospect had a certain charm to it. Not a good charm, though. No, it was depressing as all hell.
But something unexpected happened. As I said, these last few years of my life have been full of surprises. Some of them pleasant. Some of them...not so much. All because of him. Such a simple boy when we first met, and in a way he still retains much of that simplicity. He wasn't an idiot per se, though he certainly had his fair share of idiotic moments. He certainly caused me some trouble. Quite a bit, actually. But you know what? Even if I had the chance, I don't think I would have changed any of it. In fact, I would want the same things to happen just so I could experience them all over again.
I'll have to delve back into my memory for this. It was my freshman year of high school that it all began. In reality, it wasn't all that long ago, but it certainly feels like it's been decades. Yet I remember everything perfectly as though it were only yesterday. Are you ready?
This is the story of how melancholy turned into surprise.
This is how I met Jaune Arc.
Growing up, I can honestly say that I was left wanting for nothing. I come from a relatively wealthy family, though not so wealthy as Weiss. We didn't have massive mansions and servants at our every beck and call, but we could live in a much more comfortable state than most of the people I knew. For one, I had access to enough money that I would be forever marked as "The Rich Girl" in all of my classes growing up. Because of that, I never had many friends, and that's where I would draw the line between "happy" and "surprisingly depressed."
I was lonely.
I was still happy, of course. My parents loved me, and they allowed me to take part in anything I wanted to do, but there was still something missing. So, I started taking martial arts classes in the hopes that I might make some friends in the gym. Why martial arts? You know, looking back on it, I probably could have joined a marching band or something. It would have been less work, even if only by a small margin. But, the point isn't "why", but rather "what" came about because of it.
Nothing.
No one took me seriously, and the ones who did wouldn't ever dream of hurting me. I won every sparring match and excelled at every training exercise, but it didn't take long for me to figure out why. I was good, of course, but that can only carry you so far. No, the real reason I never lost was because every opponent I went up against knew before hand who I was, and they would all allow themselves to lose. I was back to square one, and at this point I figured there was nothing I could do about it.
I finished middle school with top grades, and I constantly heard my name mentioned in hushed whispers from every one, all of them commenting on how beautiful I am. Am I beautiful? I honestly don't have much of an opinion about that myself, and no one say for my parents have ever said it to my face. Parents being parents, I never really counted their compliments as real, but more like they were obligatory. Of course they think I'm beautiful. I could be four hundred and fifty pounds with a face that's both riddled with acne and an appearance that could be akin to a block of meat that's been beaten with a spiked, metal mallet, and they'd still call me pretty. I don't look like that, of course. I just don't feel all that special because no one tells me.
I can't tell if that's good or bad.
But, I digress. As I said, I excelled in middle school, and advanced on to high school. I even moved to a new city to go to my preferred high school; Beacon. A new city meant new chances. I could be the person I always wanted to be; a normal girl who would finally have friends. Real friends who didn't care about my family or my wealth. That was my hope, at least.
I began my first day of school with high hopes. I had gone the day before to pick up my uniform and class schedule, and today was the first day of classes. The first thing I noticed, however, was how much I now regretted choosing this school. I'm fit, don't get me wrong, but that didn't help at the moment. Something about climbing steep hills always takes the energy out of you, regardless of how much you exercise. It was the end of Summer as well, so the scorching hot sun was beaming down on me while I trudged up this ridiculously steep hill. Whoever thought it was a good idea to build a school on top of a hill should have their pay reduced, followed shortly by being banned from ever building another structure ever again. God only knows what other structural catastrophes exist because of this individual. Maybe he built a fire department inside of a volcano as well, or a hydroelectric plant in the middle of a desert. It wouldn't surprise me.
At least I have to take a train to even get to the hill. That means at the end of the day I can relax for about twenty minutes on the return trip home. The classes better be worth this trek.
In spite of the arduous, Mount Everest-like climb just to get to school, I still managed to arrive early. Even in the face of adversity, I can still be punctual!
It didn't take me long to find my homeroom class, and I was feeling very optimistic about my chances at making friends. I chose this school specifically because it was so far away from any other school I'd been to before. None of my old classmates would be here, and no one should have heard of me. Right?
Right?
The first thirty seconds into homeroom dashed that hope. Sure enough, Coco Adel sat just a few seats ahead of me; she was an old classmate of mine from middle school. Not only that, but she was the queen of gossip. Not that it was truly a bad thing. She was discreet on sensitive matters, and she never spread false rumors. If anything, she was actually quite nice. Except that she knows who I am, and is very likely to inform the whole school faster than the teacher can introduce himself.
Why me? I sighed heavily as the teacher called on everyone to stand up and introduce themselves. Am I doomed to be a social outcast forever just because I'm well off? I wonder if this is what the Schnee's daughters felt. What were there names? Weiss and Winter? I closed my eyes and hoped they could hear my thoughts. I know how you must feel!
Let that be a lesson; being rich isn't always that great. Unless you're just really self centered and don't care about others, then you will most likely just feel really lonely. That, or you'll be harassed at all hours of the day. I don't know which sounds worse.
The list of students was getting smaller and smaller as each one introduced themselves. He wasn't even going by the roster, either. No, the teacher was just going up and down the rows of desks, and we were not sitting in any sort of organized manner, so we weren't going alphabetically or anything. He got to my seat, and I did as expected. I stood up and introduced myself. I'm Pyrrha Nikos, blah blah blah, nice to meet you, blah blah blah, I hope we can be friends, lip service, lip service. Don't worry, I actually gave a proper introduction, and I even gave all of them my best smile. But I knew that none of them would be my friends. Not real friends. How did I know?
Because they all looked at me like I was a goddess. Yeah, I know that sounds incredible, but has there ever been a goddess in mythology that was ever allowed a casual relationship with her worshipers? No. They all were forced to sit on their pedestals by the masses, and they were idolized. Never to be truly seen for who they were, and never to be touched. I wander if Athena would have felt this way if she had ever existed. It's food for thought, if nothing else. I gave a polite bow and sat down, expertly hiding my embarrassment.
I just want to go home. Can I stay home? Now that I think about it, becoming a neet doesn't sound like a bad idea. I mean, it'll be unhealthy and I'll probably put on a lot of weight, but at least Netflix doesn't treat me any different than anybody else. Yeah, I think I could live like that. Alone forever in my home. Just me, myself, and every season of Friends.
Actually, that sounds even more depressing. Maybe House of Cards? At least it has Kevin Spacey.
But something had caught my attention. As I took my seat, I felt the presence of the person sitting behind me as they awkwardly stood up. There was a long pause as he clearly had trouble finding his voice. After a moment, he cleared his throat and said, "H-hello. My name is, uh, Jaune Arc. I came from South Middle School and...I...uh...hope to have a good year."
I blinked for a moment before something, and I honestly don't know what, compelled me to turn around and see what this young man looked like. Turning, I found myself face to face with the definition of socially awkward. His uniform tie was crooked, he had accidentally buttoned his blazer incorrectly, and his blonde hair was a mess. He didn't look to be the type who couldn't take care of himself, so it stood to reason that he must have been in a hurry this morning. Maybe he was running late and didn't have time to properly make himself presentable.
Just as he was about to take his seat, he looked down at me and met my gaze. I breathed in sharply at the sight of those amazing blue eyes. He may seem rough, but there was something underneath all of that. What was it? I honestly can't say. One thing was for certain, though.
He was adorable.
Is that the right word to use? Most guys don't like being called "cute" or "adorable", but take it from me gentlemen; some of you can be really cute. Sometimes even cuter than girls. For all you normal guys out there, you might want to keep an eye out for those cute guys. They can trick you sometimes without meaning to. What's the saying?
It's a trap!
All of these thoughts went through my head as I gazed at this Jaune fellow, and I couldn't help but giggle at my own silly joke. The sound wasn't meant to be audible, and Jaune himself was most definitely not supposed to hear it, but before I realized what had happened he was flashing me a smile right before he took his seat.
We shared a smile for a moment longer before I realized what was happening. I could feel the heat in my cheeks as I quickly turned back around in my seat to face forward. That was awkward. I didn't hate it though.
"Alright!" the teacher, Mr. Oobleck declared. "Moving on! Yes, you there, young lady. What is your name?"
"Me? Well, my name is..."
Homeroom progressed as it should, and I could still feel the stares of all of those fellow students of mine beading down on me. Out of everyone here, though, Jaune seemed the most likely to be okay with being my friend.
Yeah right.
He was probably just being polite when he smiled back at me. He probably knows who I am and who my family is. We'll never share a word between each other, we'll never have long chats at lunch, and we'll never hold hands and ki...
GOOD LORD, BRAIN, WHAT TRAIN DID YOU JUST BOARD!?
I almost felt like hyperventilating. I have no clue where that train of thought came from. Calming myself down, I prepared to start the day's lessons. Even if I didn't make any friends, I still want to at least be a good student. It's all I have left, really. Good grades and more money that I'll ever need. Or want, for that matter. I guess it's time I realized that my goal in life was going to remain out of reach forever.
Hours later, however, my dead dream was promptly revived. It was unexpected, and I honestly would have thought it to be unlikely, and maybe even impossible. I even stepped on my own toe under my desk to make sure I wasn't dreaming.
Because when the bell rang for our first break in the day, the first thing that happened was that I felt someone's fingers poking my shoulder. Turning to see who it was, I met Jaune's eyes. He was still sitting behind me, and he wasn't socializing with any of the other students. I don't even know if anyone here was his friend or not, but that didn't matter. He was, instead, wasting his break by talking to me. Was it wasting? I hope not! "Hey," he said, feeling somewhat less nervous now than he was earlier. Maybe he's bad with an audience? He held his hand towards me. "I'm Jaune."
I could hear trumpets playing loudly in my head, orchestrating my own personal Victory Fanfare. I graciously, and maybe a little too readily, accepted his hand and shook it. "I'm Pyrrha. It's nice to meet you."
"Likewise," he said back with a smile. His smile vanished quickly, however, as he continued speaking. "So...your, uh, reaction earlier. When you turned away from me. Was there...something wrong with me?"
Crap. I gave him a nervous smile. "N-no, of course not. Nothing that I could tell, at least. I'm just a little nervous around new people. That's all." I totally wasn't accidentally fantasizing about you, a boy I've only just met and know nothing about. Nope. Not at all.
Alright, I'm a terrible liar. At least to myself. But he doesn't need to know that!
On the plus side, he either doesn't know who I am, or he doesn't care. Either way, I don't mind!
Jaune gave a sigh of relief upon hearing my words. "Oh, good. I was afraid that I might have looked really bad, or something was on my face or something." He gave a soft chuckle, and I was inclined to laugh with him.
My eyes drifted to his neck tie and his poorly buttoned blazer. "Well, you do seem to be having some wardrobe issues."
He looked down at the problems in question, clearly aware of them. "Yeah. I overslept this morning and was almost late. I just kinda rushed."
I chuckled. "Well, I can-"
"Jaune!" someone called. The two of us turned and saw a blue haired boy approach and stand over Jaune. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Uh," he said. "I'm talking to Pyrrha." He turned to me and smiled. "Pyrrha, this is my friend, Neptune. Neptune, this is Pyrrha."
"Hello," I said.
Neptune turned to me and gave me a polite smile. Not just any polite smile. That polite smile. He knew who I was, and he was clearly going to tell Jaune. "It's a pleasure, Miss Nikos." I winced at the formality in his voice. Please stop this. I don't want this. "Jaune," he whispered to the blonde. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"
He shrugged. "A pretty girl in our class?" I could feel the heat coming back to my cheeks as he said it, though I think he meant for only Neptune to hear him.
Neptune gave Jaune a light smack to the back of the head; not very hard, of course, but enough force to let him know he was being serious. "She's Pyrrha Nikos. You know, as in the Nikos Sporting Brand!"
Jaune's eyes went wide. "You mean, like, the shoes and the jerseys and stuff?"
"Yes, you idiot!" The whole time the two exchanged words, I was trying to signal for Neptune to shut his mouth. Please stop! He didn't know who I was, and that made him perfect! "She's famous! How did you not know that?"
"Well, for one I don't buy Nikos apparel. I don't know if you remember, but I'm not exactly the athletic type. You're quite the nerd yourself."
"Ah-pap-pap! Intellectual, if you'd be so kind. And that's just semantics at this point."
Jaune tilted his head in confusion. "It's what?"
"It's meaningless!" Neptune said. "You're a great guy, Jaune, but do you really think that someone like her would really waste her time on you? Hell, I don't think anyone in here would be worth her time."
Jaune visibly saddened. No, please no. Don't agree with him! "I guess you're right."
Go for broke Pyrrha! Think! Save this! This adorable...ah, this nice blonde boy may be your only shot at having a real friend. Don't let this blue haired K-Pop wannabe blow it for you!
Wow...that was unexpectedly harsh of me to think. Wait, why do I care if I hypothetically hurt Neptune's feelings? I didn't actually say it, so he didn't hear it. I can think mean things about him all damn day!
Although, he may be a nice guy. Sorry, Neptune. I don't mean to think unkindly of you, but you're not making this easy for me.
After a split second of deliberation, I remembered that Jaune said that he did, in fact, rush to school this morning. "Jaune," I said to grab his attention.
"Huh?" he asked, clearly feeling somewhat nervous. "Y-yeah?"
I flashed him what I hoped was an award winning smile. Not for me to decide though. "You said you were in a hurry this morning. Did you by any chance get to eat any breakfast?"
His eyes went wide for a moment. "Uh...no, actually. I completely forgot."
I glanced at my watch. We had ten minutes before break was over. "We have some time, and I could use a small snack myself. Would you accompany me to the vending machines?"
Neptune's jaw dropped. Suck on that!
I mean...well, I guess I did just prove him wrong. Does anyone else get this amazing feeling of satisfaction when they prove someone wrong? I've never done it before now, so it's a new experience. Is that bad?
"Uh, sure," Jaune replied.
Oh. There's that fanfare again in my head. Today's turning out to be a good day. "Well, let's get going. We don't want to be late for when class resumes." The two of us stood up and made our way out of the room. I paused in the door and stared at a slack jawed Neptune. I stuck my tongue out at him, and I could almost hear him gulp.
He knew that I could hear him. I smiled at him and resumed my progress towards the vending machines. I bought a pack of crackers and a can of People Like Grapes. Kind of a long name for a drink, isn't it? They could have just called it Grape Soda, or something.
Jaune was fumbling around his pockets for a minute before a look of dread came over him. "I...I left my wallet on my night stand," he said.
I smiled. "I don't mind buying you something." It's not like I'm broke or anything.
"Oh, no, I couldn't dream of asking you to buy my snacks."
"Oh, well you don't have to ask. I'll do it anyway." I put the money in the machine before he could protest. I put my hand over the refund button so he could press it and told him to pick whatever he wanted. He sighed and pressed a button. A moment later, the machine spit out a small bag of trail mix. "See, that wasn't so hard. And I'll cover your lunch for today too, so don't worry about it."
He opened the trail mix and began to munch away before he met my eyes nervously. "Aren't I a waste of your time?"
"Why do you say that?"
"Well...Neptune said that..."
"I am from a wealthy family, Jaune," I said. "There's nothing wrong or right about it. It just is. What I don't like is to be set apart from others because of my social standing. I am no better than you or anyone else here." I flashed him a smile. "You're the first person to start a conversation with me that didn't involve my family or my wealth."
Jaune stared at me in confusion. "Like...the first ever?"
"Yes."
"Huh," he said. "I...suppose that counts for something."
"Well," I said. I approached him carefully; as though he were a small animal and any sudden movements would startle him. I fixed his blazer and straightened his tie. "I won't say it's not something." I glanced at my watch. "We better get back to class."
He nodded, and the pair of us made our way back. As I sat in my desk, the bell rang. Oobleck came back to the classrom and resumed his lecture, but I wasn't really paying attention.
It's only taken all fifteen years of my life, but I think I finally made a friend. I didn't know what to think, as my mind was racing at the speed of light in every possible direction at once. I'm fairly certain that a micro big bang had erupted somewhere in my mind, and a pocket universe filled with all the joy in the world now floated inside of me.
Was that over the top? Sorry. I can't help it though. After all...
It's only the start of high school, and things already look better now than they did two hours ago.
Author's Note
Hello again~! Who wants some trivia? I like trivia! Let's have trivia!
1) This is the first time I've used First Person writing in almost four years. I didn't know if I could still do it, honestly. The last time I did it, I wrote about six characters who, to this day, are a vital part of who I am as a person. I wrote them in first person because I felt that they were a part of me, and that their experiences were my own. That being said, I don't know if I can really integrate Pyrrha into my personality. This is an experiment. All of my fanfics are just big, literary experiments, really.
2) This is looselybased on The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. The light novels of course. Thus the title. That being said, there will be NO story parallels. No aliens, time travelers, or espers of any kind. That said, I'm trying out a variation of Nagaru Tanigawa's writing style for the Haruhi series. That style being; first person, alot of inner monologue, and more sarcasm than any one person should be allowed to think. Think! Not say! Kyon rarely voices his snarky comments, and Pyrrha will do the same! I mean, how else can that girl be so sweet in RWBY? There's no way she's that perfect. She has to have some sort of snarky, cynical side that she keeps under wraps. Or maybe I'm projecting myself onto her. How do you think I get through my day? I can't go thirty minutes without thinking something snarky about my surroundings!
I don't know how long this will be. The Melancholy portion of the story may last 4 or 5 parts, and if I like it enough I may take it beyond that.
Side note: What is wrong with me? I am writing so many freaking stories for RWBY at once that it's slowly killing me. Well, maybe not killing me. But it is driving me crazy! Oh well. I have fun with it, so I can't complain. Just kinda letting you guys know why my stories are taking so long to write: because I'm writing like 12. Or more. More sounds more likely.
Fun Fact: I picked up my first pair of glasses yesterday. I CAN SEE!
Fun Fact 2.0: I also had orientation for work, yesterday, and I should be getting my schedule today. That's right! I'm not unemployed anymore! I FINALLY FOUND A JOB! My Melancholy has turned into excitement again!
Till Next Time!