Her Beautiful Demise

Rain trickled off the gutters, the remnants of last night. The sun was barely up when I walked outside. I stifled a yawn and trudged over to my Toyota Corolla. A gust of cold air blew by, making me hug my arms tighter to my chest. Winter was starting to roll in – the season I hated most of all. I used to enjoy playing in the soft snow as a child, but it held little interest to me now.

Unlocking my car, I quickly hopped inside. I started the engine, turning the heat on full blast. I backed my car slowly out of the driveway; the frost coating my windshield made it difficult to see. The rain that fell from last night thankfully hadn’t turned to ice, though. I drove down the lone street, my thoughts slowly drifting away.

I hadn’t noticed the time before, but as I pulled into Tewksbury High School, I noticed I was early. Very early. I was one of the first people here. I probably beat most of the teachers. I still had about fifteen minutes before anyone started to show up.

The outside of the school was made of bricks, and large windows, which were never allowed to be opened. A large banner hung over the entrance that read, “WELCOME TO TEWKSBURY HIGH, HOME OF THE TIGERS!” Next to it was a picture of a tiger growling.

I turned my radio on, playing my favorite station. I rested my head against the back of my seat, slowly closing my eyes. I was always tired these days. My insomnia only got worse every day, making sleep absolutely impossible. My grades started slipping, my social life plummeted too. There was no energy for me to do anything anymore.

I had developed insomnia when I was a child, but it was only a mild case. Every once in a while I wouldn’t get a night of sleep, but now that seemed to be every night. Because of this, I was always falling asleep in class, and found it hard to pay attention.

I didn’t even realize people started to show up until someone knocked on my window. I jumped, startled, and heard someone laughing outside. I quickly cut my engine, and stepped out of the car. The whole parking lot was almost full now.

“Christian!” Someone called behind me. I whirled around to see Cody walking towards me, his arm around his girlfriend, Emily. I merely waved at my best friend, and greeted them with a smile. Cody was wearing a baggy t-shirt, while Emily had on his black football jersey, which was way too big for her.

“Hey Chris!” Emily greeted me in her high-pitched, nasally voice. It pierced my ears every time she spoke. I had no idea how Cody put up with her. I would surely go insane listening to her all day. Emily had a round face, with striking blue eyes. They matched Cody’s almost perfectly.

“Hey,” I said curtly.

Emily was the head cheerleader, and Cody was the quarterback on the football team. They had been together for a year now, and seemed like they were pretty much made for each other. Cody rarely talked about the two of them, although I knew that Emily was a party girl, while Cody would rather stay at home and read. It seemed odd that the football quarterback would rather read than go out.

And then there was me. I didn’t fit in anywhere - I wasn’t very athletic; I was barely passing all of my classes; and I certainly wasn’t Goth. I was just known as that quiet kid, who’s friends with the quarterback.

“How was your weekend?” Cody asked, running his hand through his spiked, blonde hair. Emily was scanning the parking lot for people she knew.

“Fine,” was all I said. Cody briefly smiled, before Emily pulled him to a group of people talking animatedly.

“See you later Chris!” Cody called over his shoulder. I sighed.

I stuck my hands in my coat pocket, and stalked off towards the school. I sloshed around in the rain puddles, which everyone else was trying to avoid. Water splashed up on my jeans, soaking them through to my cold flesh. Cars drove by me, threatening to splash me with even more water. I tried my best to avoid them.

“Hey Chris!” Someone called behind me, right as I reached the front doors of the school. Veronica was running towards me, clutching at her books in her hands. Her straight, black hair was whipping violently behind her. She was Goth - plain and simple. Veronica had always been that way.

We had met in the second grade, and have been friends ever since. She was always decked out, head to toe, in black. Dark black eyeliner rimmed her green, cat-like eyes, while black lipstick filled out her plump lips. Her outfits consisted of tight material, and lace. Always so much lace…

“What are you doing for Halloween?” Veronica asked finally reaching me. Her question took me aback.

“It’s almost Halloween?” I asked. Veronica sighed, and rolled her eyes.

“Yes, it’s this Friday!” She informed me, making me feel stupid for loosing track of time. “What are you going to dress up as?”

“I’m not going trick-or-treating, I’m too old.” I told her simply. Her mouth fell open, and she glared up at me. Halloween was like Christmas to Veronica. The day she could wear whatever she wanted to, without getting discriminated against.

“You are never too old for trick-or-treating!” We walked into the school, maneuvering around students gushing about Halloween, no doubt.

“I’m going trick-or-treating as a vampire.” Veronica announced proudly. I laughed aloud.

“You’re a vampire every year,” I mumbled. “Don’t you think it’s time for a change?” She stuck her pierced tongue out at me, but didn’t argue further. She knew I was right.

“Will you please go trick-or-treating with me?” Veronica asked in a sweeter tone, her bottom lip jetting out into a pout. I sighed.

“Fine.” I mumbled. Veronica squealed with joy, and wrapped her arms tightly around my waist. “But I’m not dressing up,” I quickly amended. She smiled up at me.

“That’s all I ask for,” she said. We continued our descent down the long, crowded hallway. I came to a halt at the last door, and waved goodbye to Veronica. I walked into Mr. Berty’s U.S. history class to find out I was one of the first people there. Again. Mr. Berty sat at his desk, correcting papers. He briefly looked up over his glasses, and then his eyes dropped back to his work.

My school’s colors were black and purple, which they wanted to make known. The small plastic chairs we were forced to sit in were purple, along with most of the walls. Large black pillars were found around every corner, holding up the school. The desks were a dull brown, and other than the white boards, they were the only other color our school held. It got old staring at the same colors every day.

I sauntered over to my desk, and plopped down in the blue metal chair. I tossed my bag to the floor, where it made a loud thud. Mr. Berty sighed heavily. I slowly bent my head, and placed my cheek against the cold metal surface of my desk. I closed my eyes tightly, waiting for class to begin.