The Search for Prince Charming

Prologue and Chapter 1: The Perfect Man is an Oxymoron

The perfect man is an oxymoron.

Growing up, I always believed in princesses and fairy tales and having that romantic first kiss. I felt that my perfect man was out there, waiting for me as I was for him. I imagined him strong, kind, handsome, chivalrous, sweet, compassionate... loving. Out of all the men in the world, there had to be someone like that, right? 

But as years went by of not finding my perfect man, I began to see what I didn't like. Reality pierced through my fairy tale as I saw boys growing up violent and rude, adolescent boys treating their girlfriends badly, and grown men unfitting to be anyone's prince charming. Yes, there were a few nice ones, but there was always a flaw. A man could hold a door open for a woman and cheat on her every Thursday. A teenage boy could really love someone, but scare them away by their violent behavior. The most gorgeous man who could make women's hearts melt could be the rudest conceited jerk. My perfect man wasn't any of them. 

By the time I was a senior in high school, I just about gave up on my search. I didn't want anyone short of perfection, but I figured I would never find him. I was content on the idea of being alone, never having my heart broken. Sure, it meant never having my own fairy tale, but it also meant never living in a nightmare. The trade sounded fair. 

The perfect man is an oxymoron, because the perfect man doesn't exist. 

~*~*~*~*~*~ 

"KORA! KORA SHAYE NEWMAN!"

I didn't look back, I just kept walking.

"KORA!! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU!" 

I still kept moving forward. I didn't have time for this.

"GOD DAMN IT KORA!"

A violent hand grabbed my shoulder and turned my around, nearly throwing my backpack to the ground in the process. A very, very angry Elliot Chandler glared at me, almost trying to find an answer in my eyes, when to be honest, I didn't have one. It was the end of the day; we were still inside the high school, nearly to the door that led to the parking lot. I was so close to escaping his wrath, but I guess choosing to wear high heels, of all days, was my downfall.

"Kora, tell me why. Tell me why I am not good enough for you! I gave you plenty of things that most girls would want! I gave you popularity, I gave you all the presents that you wanted, I gave you this, I gave you that, and it's still not good enough!" As he yelled, people continued to pass us, attempting to stay away from Elliot's anger. Others decided to watch a bit. But this wasn't a rare occurrence, far from it. We fought all the time, for the whole six months of our relationship. But I had grown tired of it. I had grown weary of the fights, the unwanted attention, and I only wanted to end it. How ironic that ending it meant bringing forth the fight of all fights.

Elliot was intimidating. I'm still not sure how I got, dare I say it, "lucky" to be in a relationship with a football player. He wasn't the "prized" quarterback, but he was sought after like any other football hunk. He viewed that as a way to get any girl he wanted, and for some reason it was me. Maybe it was an experiment to prove he could get anyone, maybe he really thought I was worth being in a relationship with, maybe it was all a lie. I didn't know what to believe anymore. My head was hurting from the noise of the halls. I guess I should finish this quick.

"Elliot, I just don't think we were a good couple. We fought too much and I wasn't feeling happy anymore. I'm sorry, but we're done." I turned to leave, quickly analyzing my word choices. I definitely could've chosen something stronger. Elliot's reaction confirmed that for me.

"No, we are NOT done. You think that just because you aren't feeling that spark, you can get rid of me?! You are damn LUCKY to be with a guy like me! See this girl right here?" He walked to a group of the bystanders and picked out a girl. She looked to be a sophomore, but had a very pretty face and a nice body to boot. Elliot slid his arm around the small of her back, and leaned in for a kiss. She accepted it, bewildered from the surprise, but all in all very happy. When he was done, I could clearly see the embarrassment, but also the pleasure of being kissed by him. "You see, Kora? She LIKED being kissed by me. And you had me for a whole six months! Now, get your ass back over here."

I glared at him. He had a lot of nerves. But, I was ready to be just as mean. "You cheated on me with Maria 3 months ago. You nearly got kicked out of your house 4 times while we dated. You attempted to have two girlfriends at one time about a month ago with Lizzie." I could feel the hall getting quieter and slower. Gossip was like money to us. Students traded objects just to hear something juicy, and having the most gossip made that student a king pin. I guess you could say that I was handing out the lottery today. "You failed your driver's test for the second time last week. The football coach was very, very reluctant to even have you on the team. You kiss like a llama when you're hungry. You collect beanie babies." Word was spreading like wildfire. I kept going. "Your cousin Ralph is in jail. In the last month, I have counted about 30 different lies you told me. You watch America's Next Top Model." The look in Elliot's eyes was dark, hateful, and I could almost feel the pride in him deflating with every piece of gossip I sent around.

He was enraged. In a last ditched effort, he screamed, "Well, what does it matter?! What are you trying to prove here, huh?!"

"You're not perfect."

It hit him deeper than I expected. Maybe that was where his entire ego came from; the idea that he was perfect. Maybe he wanted to date me just to feel better about himself. It made sense, but I couldn't bring myself to love someone who was that greatly flawed.

I turned to leave, the crowd making way for me. The gossip was still spreading quickly as I left. I didn't really care. He wasn't perfect, so why should I?

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