Rose
When I get back to school a couple of days after barfing in front of my math class, I feel like an outcast. I dodge kid’s evil eyes and stick with Joy for most of the day. She’s an okay friend. I stop by my locker before lunch and shove my books from the first half of the day inside. “Hey Rose,” a voice begins. I whirl around to see a boy named Jake. He was tallish and goth looking. He had a mop-head of shiny black hair, pink skin and dressed in black a lot. He’s cute and sweet and silly. “Hey Jake.” I say eagerly. “Are you feelin’ better? I heard about what happened a few days ago.” He explains. I feel the color rise in my cheeks. “Oh . . . yeah . . . I’m better now.” I stare straight ahead into my locker avoiding his big, gray eyes. “That’s good to hear.” He offers me a smile. Before I can return it, his friend calls him over and he leaves to go to lunch. My face is cherry red as I grab my lunch money. “Awww. Do you have a new boyfriend?” a voice taunts from behind me. I whirl around to see a jerk I know named Joe. “Oh hi Joe.” I mumble softly. I close my locker and begin to back away.
“Where are you going?” Joe asks stepping forward. Joe was a jerk to everyone. For a dare once, he touched my boobs and tried to kiss me. He laughed the whole time while I shoved him away. Now I hate him. Luckily most people do. “None of your business!” I snap. “Ooh! Feisty!” he teases. I scowl at him and whirl around to keep walking. He reaches out and grabs my hand. I try to pull away but he has a tight grip on me. “Let go!” I try to twist my arm away. I look around. If anyone sees us they’ll think we’re dating. He begins to walk forward pulling me along with him. The truth is, he is tiny and skinny. If I want to, I can knock him down. But if I do, I’ll get in trouble for starting a fight in school. So I end up walking with him not sure what else to do. He leads me out the door to the school’s parking lot. “What do you want?” I demand stepping toward him. No one will know if I punch him in the face. “Hey back up. Don’t barf all over me like you did the math teacher.” He grins cruelly. “Shut up!” My cheeks glow red. Does the whole school know about that? Joe laughs. “Any reason you’re blushing so much?” He steps forward. Before I can say anything, he grabs my shoulders. At first I think he’s going to kiss me but instead he pushes me. I quickly push him back and look around nervously. I really don’t want to get caught fighting in school.
Joe falls on his butt and looks up at me. I’m not sure why but I feel really warm and different. Joe looks shocked. His eyes are huge and his mouth is hanging open. “What?” I snap angrily. “Damn! You look cuter as a cat than I thought you would.” he exclaims. Cat? What the fuck? I catch my reflection in a shiny white car. But the girl I see can’t possibly be me. To start, her eyes aren’t a dull blue, they’re a bright, vivid green. Her hair isn’t straight and brown; it’s thick with pink streaks all over. She’s no longer wearing jeans and t-shirt; she’s wearing a bright, poofy pink and green dress. She has pink boots and gloves. The craziest thing is, this girl has cat ears and a tail! This girl isn’t me. But yet, when I close my right hand, she does too. When I squint my eyes at her, she mimics me and does the same. I swish my tail she does too. My tail! It’s black and silky like my ears. I turn my head to see it swishing. I stand dumbfounded. How could this happen? It must be Joe. I look over to see him smirking at me.
“What did you do?” I squeak. “I didn’t do anything. You just turned into some freak cat-girl.” Joe insists. “B-but . . . how?” I ask shocked. “I dunno. But that’s alright. I have my own secret.” He says as a change overcomes him. He begins to get a soft, red glow. His ears stretch out like taffy and they take a leaf-like form. He reaches into his pocket and he pulls out a gun. With beads of sweat gathering on my forehead, I try to collect my thoughts. Somehow, I’ve become a cat girl. Nothing adds up but what else can I do but think? I crave logic to see why this has happened. I can’t come up with any theories. And now, Joe has turned into some kind of monster. He’s glowing and worst of all he has a gun. Could it be fake? I look into his eyes to see if it’s some kind of joke. His eyes look wide and somewhat scared. He holds his gun tightly. Too tightly. He’s scared of himself it seems. I want to ask him why he’s holding a gun that’s pointed at me. Instead, I turn and run.
My feet pound on the concrete of the parking lot and I don’t dare look back. In front of me, the air begins to wave and form a circle. Some type of ripple or portal opens up. I stare at it with big eyes and Joe walks out. My mouth drops open. I turn my head to where he was just standing to see an identical portal fading away. Joe is gone. He’s in front of me now. “How did you . . .” I don’t finish. Nothing adds up. All logic has completely left. What do I do? I remain in shock for a few more seconds. But I know I have to act now before he shoots me. I shove him down before he shoots. I try to grab his gun but he’s still gripping it tightly. “Let go!” he yells. “No way!” I scream yanking it harder. I place my foot on his chest but I don’t shift my weight onto him. “Let go.” I say coolly. His grip on the gun loosens and I pry it from his fingers. I take my foot off him and he leaps up like a spring.
He grabs his gun again but I hold it tightly. For a moment his eyes soften and he looks around. “Just give it and I’ll leave. I promise.” He pleads. “Um . . .” As much of a jerk as he is, he seems sincere so I let go of the gun. He begins to run. He opens another portal and disappears leaving me in complete and utter shock.
