The Approximation

Masks

                   Ever since I was little I knew something was wrong with me. 

 I never liked to play with the other girls as my sisters did. I never wanted to play dolls, baseball, or wrestle. All I wanted to do was figure out how the world worked. 

I would sit in the square and read as I watched all the other girls play. And while my sisters wanted the latest toys all I wanted was books. I loved opening a new book on my e-reader. Swiping the screen to read all the new pages. I learned about chemistry and physics, but what enticed me the most was genetics. I would read book after book on how the body operates, on how it moves and changes. How cells create proteins and those control the rest of the body. How proteins essentially make up the world. 

Although eventually my e-reader became fully maxed with books, and Momma saw no other option but the give me my first library card. I rember feeling so proud as my little 5-year-old hand clutched the little chip that contained my library information in my hand as I walked into the dome of the library. It was filled with row after row of e-readers filled with stories, and knowledge. Their silverbacks were so enticing I would bring home several a day and by the time that I was ten, I could read about fifteen books per day. 

But even then I knew that I was different. Normal girls had friends, normal girls liked sports and clothes. Normal girls didn't sit by themselves all day and read and I knew it and everyone else knew it.

Although my calling was to be an outcast that profession can be lonely at times. 

And then came Aria. 

I was elven when Aria's mother was elected to the Council. And that's when my life changed, I was sitting in the library devouring a book about magnetism that is found in the different poles in the universe and how the great scientist Ruth Hemmingway found how to use that magnetism as a form of intense electricity begin able to knock out the use of oils that create greenhouse gasses. 

When a girl with unruly orange hair and block glasses came up next to me scrapping the chair across the floor making a terrible sound. I rember thinking how terrible her hair looked how crazy it was. I rolled my eyes and returned to my reader.  

"Hello, I'm Aria." She said her voice just as obnoxious as her hair. I ignored her. "Hello, I'm Aria." She said even louder as if I hadn't heard her the first time. I looked up and looked at her outstretched hand, I looked back at my book.

"Well your very rude." She said crossing her arms. 

"Hey what are you reading?" She asked trying to look over my arm. 

"Wait can you move over I can't read what's on the screen." She moved her head so that it was hanging over my shoulder her hair blocking my view of the screen. "Wow is that even a word." 

"Don't you have a book our read?" I asked her swiping her hair away from my eyes. 

"Well yes, I do I'm reading Heather Potter right now, You know the book about wizards. I'm on the third book The Prisoner of Azkaban. Have you read it? I like it, it's nice you know. I really like Sira Black she's really nice, Although I wonder if Voldamorta is coming back in this one. I really like Rona and Hermonie their nice although if I had to ship Heather with someone I would definitely ship her with Draca Malfoy shes really cool even though all my friends don't like her..." 

"You have friends?" I asked her, 

"No that's why my Mom said I should come to the library and find one." I rolled my eyes at this. 

"Can you be my friend?" She asks me. 

"Uhhm I-" 

"Great! We're going to have lots of fun!" She said bouncing on the balls of her feet. 

And fun, we did have. 

---------------------------------

Aria sat next to me sipping orange juice and eating a ham sandwich, her hand laced with mine as I pick at my piece of cold pizza. Her hair is straight as a rod. She started straightening her hair freshman year and I hate how it looks, so perfect so delicate, so un-Aria. She notices I'm not eating she kicks my foot. 

"Hey, what's wrong." She asks me eyeing my unfinished pizza. 

"Nothing," I tell her, I move my head and feel a slight sting at my scalp. She purses her lips. 

"Well anyways I was looking at wedding gowns the other days, and I found one with patterns of ivy on them, I liked the way they matched and since you like genetics I thought it would be nice that it could symbolize life and since my last name is Ivy then it would also symbolize that. I also found one that has ivy that connects but if you don't like that then that's fine..." 

Aria never fails to talk for a lifetime at least one thing hasn't changed. 

"So what do you think?" Aria asks. 

"I'm sorry what," I ask her. Aria pouts. 

"Why don't you listen to me." 

"I do," I tell her, 

"We're in this together okay, So no going off and getting sucked into your own world. Because Aria I need you okay?" Aria says her voice like a song. 

"I will never leave you I say," Moving her chin and she looks up at me her green eyes glinting. She gave me a quick kiss on the lips. 

"I'm holding your word to it." She says. 

Britney, Yun-Jen, Ruha, and Nusiba sit down their hair perfectly curled, or straight an exact copy of Aria's. Their clothes to short to shiny. I hate them, but they are my friends. Aria's friends. 

"Hey get a room Mrs. King-Ivory and Ivory-King." They snicker. 

"I could say the same about you," Aria says They laugh I try to. 

"Hey did you hear that Kyla cheated on Jenna," Yun-Jen said swishing her black hair back and forth. 

"No way!" Aria says her voice an octave higher. 

"And that's not the best part Jenna's Mom found them naked in Jenna's room two hours after curfew!" They all gasped. 

"Oh my god those wannabees are so lame." They all laugh. 

"I know Kyla is such a tryhard." Aria remarks. 

I hate when shes like this, I hate when she's around them. It's like she puts on a mask for every new person that she sees. One for me, one for her mom, and one for these imbeciles. Sometimes I don't even know which ones real.  

They laugh about other people as other girls look longingly at our table, I laugh with them smile with them, dress like them, but for some reason, I couldn't figure out how to be like them. It's like no matter how hard I try I don't fit. 

And it doesn't help to know that the only reason that I'm sitting at this table is because of Aria if not for her I would much rather be hiding in a corner reading about Gene mutation. 

But instead, I laugh and hold Aria's hand.  

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Hey guys, 

Thank you so much for reading this far, I love you guys so so much it's crazy. I bow down to all of you, you guys are amazing. Please comment, share, and like it's like a burst of adrenaline every time I read one. And I love hearing from you guys your input is the best thing in the world. 

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-The Scribbler