"The incomparable beauty of life is not discovered with the eyes or the mind, but with the soul."
-George Webster Douglas
By the time I reached the cafeteria and bought lunch, my giddiness at meeting the handsome Rod Chandler had dissipated to some extent. And it left completely when I realized that I had nowhere to sit.
Just then I spotted Erik, sitting alone in a dark corner at an empty table. I started to move towards it when I heard my name.
"Christine! Over here!" waved a pretty girl with bright red hair. I glanced at Erik, who didn't seem to notice me and walked towards the friendly girl. Gesturing with a big smile, she and the five other girls at the table moved around a bit to make room for me. She looked familiar and then I remembered she had been in choir, Charlotte something-or-other was her name.
"Hi," I replied shyly as I sat down. Charlotte smiled widely again and pointed out each girl at the table. I mentally noted that they all seemed to shop at the same place, for at least one item they wore said GAP, Abercrombie & Fitch or some other nonsense name.
"This is Nicole." Nicole was a slim young woman with very short dyed blond hair and dark roots that were just beginning to show. She smiled briefly then resumed eating her salad.
"That's Brandi." Brandi, whose pearly white teeth stood out against her creamy brown skin, smiled a little bit longer and went back to her magazine.
"That's Chelsea, Ashley, and Jessie. This is Christine Daye everyone," beamed Charlotte. Maybe it was just me but her smile looked a little forced.
"So... tell us about yourself, Christine," began Charlotte, flipping a piece of her brilliant red hair over her shoulder.
"Well... I lived in New York before moving here... and that was about the middle of summer... but that's boring so I won't go into all that." I ended that train of conversation quickly, it was still too painful to talk about the accident. "I love to sing and hope to have a serious career in singing someday."
Charlotte's eyes lit up as if sensing a challenge. "Really? Are you planning to be in the musical this year?"
"Char has sung all the leading parts in the school musicals since she was a freshman," piped up Brandi.
"Oh," I replied, not at all intimidated as I took a sip of my milk. "I am planning to try out. For Maria if I can get it."
Brandi's eyes widened and they all started to whisper frantically. Charlotte merely laughed as if I had just told a funny joke. Her green eyes, however, narrowed when she looked at me again. "Good luck," she whispered, "You're going to need it." I wasn't sure how to take this, was she threatening me? Over a little part in the school musical?
I decided to ignore it and figured that she's just intensely competitive. No matter, I enjoyed a good challenge now and then. An uncomfortable silence followed until one of the GAP girls (I couldn't remember her name) asked me if it was true that I was going out with Rod Chandler.
"What? Me?" I stuttered, my cheeks warming as I involuntarily remembered Rod's smile. Boy, news sure travels fast here. "I barely know the guy!"
"Well..." said Ashley (or was it Jessie?). "Rumor has it that you two were pretty close last period. How'd you do it? Char's been trying to snatch him since eighth grade!"
"Jessie!" gasped Charlotte, her face turning as red as her hair.
I interrupted, not caring for whatever little soap opera they had going on. "Listen, I met Rod once a long time ago. He just remembered our chance meeting and wanted to make sure it was me. He didn't ask me out and that will be the end of it." I wish I sounded more convinced and, apparently by the evil eye she was giving me, so did Charlotte.
"Did Churchy-girl preach to you yet?" asked another as she put on some mascara.
"Churchy-girl...?"
"Marisa Watson. She's our resident church-freak, bookworm, and wired-weirdo," continued the girl in a tone of voice like it was as normal as if telling me the weather.
"Wired-weirdo...?"
"She plays around on computers all the time. The Internet and stuff like that." She made a face as if tasting something disgusting. "She actually likes to do that kind of geeky stuff. Plus, every time religion or some such trash comes up in history or English class, she'll speak up and lecture everyone on the life of Jesus or Saint Paul or whatever suits her mood. It happened all the time last year and the year before!"
Frowning, I came to the defense of the potential friend I had seen in Marisa. "You don't even know her, she's really nice. I talked to her last period and she didn't seem at all 'preachy'."
All the GAP girls rolled their eyes. After another uncomfortable silence, what's-her-face slyly asked me if Frankenstein had sucked my blood. I gagged and nearly choked on a piece of chicken sandwich. "What are you talking about?" I glared.
"You know..." the girl giggled and her eyes slid over to where Erik was sitting. My blood ran cold as the full meaning of her insult hit home.
"No, I certainly do not know what you are talking about! Erik is very nice--"
She snorted derisively, cutting my defense short. "Oh! IT has a name then! He's a freak! He's wearing a mask! He must be really ugly--"
"Yeah! He reminds me of that half-dead, demon-zombie guy from that horror movie we saw last weekend--"
"Shut up!" My face was red and my hands were trembling. What's gotten into me? All I thought about was the look on Erik's face when he had to stand up in front of the class to let the teacher read his note. He had looked afraid, cornered, almost like he was in a cage... And these arrogant, preppy... I was so mad I couldn't think of any good insults. In a blind rage I stumbled away from their accusing, gleaming and gossipy eyes and when my head cleared I found myself asking Erik if I could sit with him.
"Me?" he asked suspiciously as if he thought it was a joke. I nodded and he seemed to be at a loss for words for a moment. "Please... go ahead. Sit." I noticed he wasn't eating, only filling out medical forms and such in a stark, scribbled hand that oddly enough, didn't seem characteristic of his elegant ways.
I couldn't help but watch and be mesmerized by the fluid grace by which his left hand moved over the paper while his other hand tapped out a silent melody on the table. Who are you Erik, angel or demon? Why are you so interesting? As if sensing my gaze on him, he glanced up and looked directly into my eyes. Like before, a shiver went down my spine before he shyly looked away.
Yep, it was definitely going to be an interesting year.