Nobody's Angel

Nobody's Angel: Ch. 1 {A Vampire Romance}

 - Newberry, Michigan, United States

  I heard my CD player go off, signaling it was 6:00, officially time for me to wake up, but I didn't open my eyes right away. Grumbling under my breath at having to wake up at ungodly hours for something like school, I blindly kicked my heavy covers off and fumbled for my glasses until I could replace them with my contacts. Rolling out of my comfy bed, I stumbled over to my dresser, where I randomly selected a pair of jeans, a shirt, and socks.

When I got to my locker, a guy, Bryce McLennan, respectfully stepped out of my way. I nodded my head in thanks. I had earned the respect of most people by keeping my mouth shut and eyes focused on my books. People stayed out of my way, and I stayed out of theirs. It was a very simple, silent cycle.

"Okay," Mr. Collins, the anatomy teacher, called out to get the attention of the roomful of rowdy teenagers. "Since we just finished with the muscle system, today, we will start with the bone structure. Since I'm assuming you all know this, today's going to be very easy since it's just review. All I need you to do is label this worksheet with the names of the bones. And no, there's no word bank. You're not in the third grade anymore," he joked. I smiled. I'd always liked Mr. Collins. He was fair, but still fun. "Get started! Tomorrow will be a lot harder!" The class groaned when they saw the multiple blanks, no doubt over a hundred. 

Simple I thought smugly. I didn't crack open my book once. The worksheet only skimmed over the major bones, really, not even half of all of the actual, more specific ones. I finished the worksheet in twenty minutes while everyone else dragged through it.

After Anatomy I had Calculus, then Chemistry, and Advanced English after that. I met up with my friends, Elena and Cassie, in lunch after our morning classes. 

Whoo! Junior year! I thought sarcastically, staring in disdain at the short skirts a group of girls were wearing that generously displayed a fair amount of their legs. Not.

Let's be blunt. In our little town, you established yourself in grade school and stuck to your profile religiously by the time you hit middle school. Everybody knew everybody, and stepping out of your boundaries caused quite a scandal. Why would nerds, such as myself, want to party or hook up? Why would the attractive, athletic girls associate with outcasts? I could talk to other people with my intellect, but if I were to ask Nick, our school's local drug supplier, if I would see him at the grocery store we both worked at after school, my parents would be grounding me for touching weed by the time I got home that afternoon.

So I kept my head down, got good grades, and selflessly didn't throw the solar system out of balance by disrupting the hierarchy. You're welcome, jocks and beauty queens of Newberry.

The true problem, I knew, laid in the fact that I didn't trust people. Knowledge is power. Let somebody know one tiny thing about you, and they'll be pressing for more and more until they understand exactly how you think, what makes you tick, and every single flaw you have. Then you just have to pray they don't hurt you. Most people aren't that considerate.

Except for my two best friends, Elena and Cassie.

Elena had been my friend for, as far as anybody was concerned, ever. We met in third grade, when I couldn't pretend to not understand how to read or write anymore to avoid recess, but I wasn't old enough to bury my nose in a thick novel just yet. Elena was willing to approach me. Even though we're opposites in looks, we instantly bonded. She's naturally tan because of her Latino background with brown hair and chocolate eyes. My hair fell in blonde waves down my back, and my eyes were as blue as blue could be, bordering on black if the light was just right. I towered over her short frame, and she loved to have fun while I preferred curling up with a good book and a bowl of popcorn. Night and Day. Moon and Sun. Dark and Light.