Kent Street Senior High School was an ordinary school. It wasn't very modern. There were old buildings and new buildings, dead gardens and luscious, blooming gardens, cracked gravel, graffiti covered walls, and broken facilities. In the year 2010, this was normal for most schools in the metropolitan area.
Katy Hardy was completely invisible when she first arrived at Kent Street Senior High School. She went straight through the large front doors of the school, making sure not to bump anyone, and made a bee line for the nearest toilet. Once inside a stark white cubicle she de-cloaked. Starting at her head, a wave of colour rushed down her body until where there once was nothing, a teenage girl stood.
For the rest of the day It was as though she was invisible. She sat alone, talked to no-one and made no attempt to participate in class discussion. This suited Katy fine, other teenagers had always seemed so silly to her, so obsessed with their unimportant lives that you would think if they didn't acquire social affirmation the world would end. This attitude towards her peers rose from a life of observation. When other 7 year old kids would play on the swings she would stand in the shadows watching, observing. It was from these observations in the 19 short years of Katy's life that she had decided that, so far, her peers were below her.
It wasn't until a boy named Paul Mauer, was Katy made to communicate with anyone. He noticed her in fourth period, art. She once again, was sitting alone. He came over and joined her.
"Hey, Katy right?"
It was at this moment that Katy made a decision that she would not normally make. For, from what Katy had seen so far, Paul seemed odd. As if he wasn't your ordinary guy. It was for this reason she didn't cut him down with a quick scathing remark. It was for this reason she gave him a chance.
"yeah" she didn't looked up from her work as she said this.
"I'm Paul"
"I know"
"So… how are you?"
"Good, you?"
"Yeah Yeah, good."
Then nothing. Paul's words hung uncomfortably in the air.
"Uhhh…. Your paintings quite good" said Paul, trying once again to create conversation.
"You obviously don't know much about art then"
"Hey, just trying to be nice"
It was at this point that Katy looked up, stunned by his apparent compassion she looked into his eyes and saw no malice.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why are you being nice?"
"What?"
"Why are you being nice?"
"Well… If I were new I reckon I would like it if someone actually treated me as a human and didn't just ignore me, you know? It's just some people round here can be real assholes" The bell rang and the class started packing up and leaving for recess, "anyway, better get going, see you round." Paul walked out and started chatting to another boy.
Katy just sat there. This didn't happen. In all the different schools she had been to, no-one had ever talked to her like that. He had been so unassuming toward her. This made her feel strange.