Stereotype Me

Chapter 3 - Brianna

          I sit at the table alone. Well, Linda, one of my housekeepers, is in the other room, but every chair at the table is empty. Linda comes to check on me every once in a while. She is more like a parent than my parents are. In fact, my parents aren’t even home. They have been in Paris for two weeks doing work for my father’s company.

            “You haven’t been eating much lately,” Linda comments. I look down at my plate of pancakes and bacon that haven’t been touched.  I’m sure they would be delicious, but I can’t find the appetite to eat them. I'm too exhausted.

            “Have my parents called?” I ignore her comment.

            She looks at me with sympathy, which was the last thing I wanted. “No, not yet, dear. I’m sure they will soon though.”

            My parents were supposed to be home two nights ago. I have stayed up late both nights waiting for them. Finally, at three in the morning, Linda tells me to go to bed. She isn’t even supposed to be working today, but she stayed so that I wouldn’t be alone.

            “I’m going to go to school. You don’t have to stay, Linda. I’m a big girl now. I can take care of myself,” I try to smile, but I don't want her to leave. I hate being alone in this big house and she knows that.

            She smile back, “I’ll be here when you get home, sweetheart. I promise.”

            There’d be no changing her mind. I laughed, “At least go home for a little.”

            “I will.”

       I go upstairs to my room to get ready for school. I throw on a pair of designer skinny jeans and a plaid blue shirt. I do my hair and makeup to perfection, then brush my teeth and look at myself in the mirror. I frown. I look fake. I hate it when I put on so much make up, but I can’t stop. It is like an obsession. Once I started wearing makeup, I couldn’t stop. I look ugly without it.

    Then, I think of Valerie. She never does anything to look pretty. Her long brown hair has those perfect loose curls that any girl would die for and she doesn't even need any makeup. She had beautiful blue eyes with long dark eyelashes. She is beautiful and she doesn’t even know it. Even when I tried to tell her, she yelled at me. I wasn’t lying when I said guys always talk about her. That’s how I knew who she was.

    The first time I heard of her was at a party freshman year. A bunch of guys were playing truth or dare and Triston was asked who he thought the hottest girl in our grade was. His answer was Valerie Lexington. A bunch of guys agreed, but said she was too uptight. Triston agreed to that, but argued that she was still hot.

     I didn’t know who she was, so I looked around for her. I was curious. I wasn’t jealous like all of the other girls who had been watching the game were. I just wanted to know who she was and it didn’t take me long to find out. She was in one of my classes, but almost never spoke. She only answered questions and always got them right. Also, she had a brother a grade above us who was just as popular as he was smart. Other than their intelligence, the two were nothing alike.

       I remember all of the threats that girls made toward her after that party. I laughed and told them that she wasn’t a threat if I didn’t even know who she was. In all honesty, I had been trying to keep them from bullying her. I didn’t know her, but I was sure she didn’t deserve it for being pretty.

       Anyway, tons of guys will bring her up from time to time and she doesn’t even know it. None of the guys ever say anything to her because they all think she’s an uptight bitch who only worries about her grades and never talks.