Take Me To Church

Hazel parked her motorcycle in the student parking lot outside of Higgins High School. It wasn't much of anything; a black Kawasaki Ninja 450, but it was enough to get people's head's turning. She pulled off the black helmet with the dark face shield that protected rocks from damaging her face, and swung her leg over the bike. She pulled her faux-leather jacket tighter around her chest, and crossed her arms. It was a bit of a chilly day in May, and this is what happened to be the last week of her senior year. Hazel was finally 18, free to go anywhere and do anything she wanted -- not that she didn't before. Hazel didn't let anyone tell her what to do. Not teachers, not her parents, and certainly not other people. She was a free spirit, and very much her own person. She didn't have a "pack" that she stuck to, Hazel had herself and was very happy about that, thank you very much. However, she stuck in school and did her homework, because Hazel did have a goal in life; veterinary school. She had begun filling out applications for college early this year, and had received multiple acceptance letters, but only one mattered to her; Cornell University. Hazel had done it, she had gotten into the most prestigious vet school there was, and she could move away from home and go live near Boston. She couldn't be more excited. What was even better, was the full ride. Her mother had died 5 years ago due to cancer. Her father spent every penny they had to take care of her, and when she died, he became a dead beat. He sat around the house, drinking beer and moping. 5 years had gone by, and he still didn't have a job or a girlfriend, and he survived off welfare and unemployment checks. Hazel had never been more disgusted in another human.

Upon walking into the school, Hazel noticed it was plastered with posters and flyers announcing "SENIORS WEEK!" Yuck. Hazel hated school spirit. What was the point? They were leaving in a week. This Friday, they would all be graduates, and in two years would barely remember what it was like to be in high school. They would remember bits and pieces of their prom, maybe their favorite teachers names. That was it. She shrugged off her intense disgust, and began to make her way towards her first class -- English with Mr. Brown.

@ Daenerys Stormborn

"Honey, you're going to be late for school!" Elizabeth's mother shouted while the young teenager ran down the stairs and tossed her belongings inside of the car. "Sorry, sorry," Elizabeth quickly apologized with a sheepish smile, making sure she buckled herself in. Once her mother pulled out of the driveway, she busied herself with the passing view out of the window.

Elizabeth Jane Lansen was born and raised a Christian girl who always abided by the rules set by her parents. Always go to church on Sundays. Never sin. Go to confessional. She never questioned her parents and automatically assumed that their wishes were for the best. She was a straight A student who was involved in multiple clubs, especially volunteering. Most of the town knew of Elizabeth and thought of her as a perfect role model, earning praises from others. This is what ultimately lead her to an acceptance into a renown college: Harvard University. After receiving her acceptance letter, she was elated but refused to lose sight of her goals to finish high school.

Exiting the car, she wished her mother a good day before heading off to class. The first class of the day was English with Mr. Brown, and it was arguably her favorite class of her entire Senior year. She was intrigued with all of the discussions and enjoyed every moment of it all. Although Elizabeth refrained from judging others at first glance, there was a girl in her English class that seemed to be different. Her name was Hazel Perkins, and Elizabeth did not know of any other person like her. There was a certain way that she carried herself that was completely different from any other person that Elizabeth knew of, but she never approached Hazel. She would not even know where to begin to speak.

@ Dandy Darling;

Hazel flung her slender body down at a desk in the back of the room. There were lots of doodles on the desk, and she traced her favorite designs with her finger, hardly paying attention to anyone who filed into the class. Mr. Brown was late, as usual, but he was a really cool teacher who loved to joke around with the kids. He strode into the class about 5 minutes after the final bell had rung and pulled out a movie; Monty Python and the Holy Grail. "Who's down to watch this for the day? I forgot to grade all of your papers, so I need a bit of a filler." The class cheered their approval, and Hazel sat back, pulling out the little black notebook she kept on her at all times. It was basically just a list of her plans for her life, the things she wanted to do and see. The first page was filled in her Freshman year of high school, and it said "CORNELL UNIVERSITY" in huge letters across the page, with little doodles of dogs, cats, and other various animals around it. Hazel considered framing the page, but she decided it was much more worth it to leave it where it belonged. Everything else in the notebook was just a list of things she wanted -- to turn 18 and leave the shit hole town she grew up in, to travel the world someday, to find a magic lamp and have a genie grant her 3 wishes, things like that. She knew some of them were never going to be attainable, but dreaming about things like that was what kept Hazel sane throughout high school.

Her father wanted her to stay. "The center of Boston is only about a 30 minute drive from here, Pumpkin," he had said to her when he saw the acceptance letter. "You could live here and help your old man support himself." Hazel had never been so sure in that moment that she wanted to leave. The ghost of her mother filled the rooms and flooded her memories. She had been willing to let go, but her father was stuck holding onto something he would never have. It was time for him to let go, but he refused. It was that kind of childish behavior that a grown man exhibited that made her so vehemently angry. No, Hazel was going to leave, and there would be no force in the whole world that could stop her.

She noticed a pretty blonde girl had decided to sit next to her for the class. She recognized her as Elizabeth Lansen, they shared more than half their classes this school year. Elizabeth was the only other person who seemed to work hard enough to get into a good school, but Hazel recognized almost immediately that they did it for completely different reasons. Elizabeth did good work because she was taught to, Hazel did good work because if she didn't, she wouldn't have the life she desperately needed. However, despite being in almost all the same classes together, and the fact that Elizabeth and Hazel were the valedictorian and the salutatorian respectively, they had never really talked before. Hazel took this stupid movie as an opportunity to meet the girl who beat her out of the lead. Granted, Hazel had a 4.2 GPA, she just barely took extra credit work, and she agreed to volunteer for a charity event exactly once, but Elizabeth seemed to live for that kind of thing. She didn't understand the girl's generosity; what did she owe to the world to be so okay with just giving freely to it? By that Hazel didn't literally mean the world -- she was a hard core nature activist, a vegan, and believed strongly in the fact that she owed the Earth her life, but she was referring to the people in it. All most people wanted was to better their lives for themselves, and saw no point in helping others. Hazel leaned over to Elizabeth, and whispered, "a bit of a stupid movie, don't you agree?"

@ Daenerys Stormborn

Elizabeth settled into her seat and allowed her eyes to shift over toward Hazel, noticing the doodles inside of her notebook. It was quite obvious that her number one choice was Cornell University, but it was a bit too far for Elizabeth's taste. Harvard was only a half an hour drive and had the same prestige. When her teacher walked in, she drew her attention back to the front of the classroom. Mr. Brown was the most laid-back teacher that she ever had, and she appreciated the break every now and then, especially since it was senior year. The college applications almost got the best of her, creating all sorts of unneeded stress. "Yes," She cheered with the rest of her class, excited to watch the movie. Elizabeth placed her notebook back into her bag and relaxed onto her desk, placing her forearms down to rest on.

The movie that Mr. Brown decided to play was one of the classics that Elizabeth thoroughly enjoyed. It was one that she loved to replay every now and then on a rainy day, especially since it was rich in history. Elizabeth planned on studying to become a lawyer and took every single class on government and public policy that the school offered. Even that was not enough to satisfy her though, and she spent as much time as possible researching. A small smile spread across her lips as she continued to settle her attention on the movie. That was when she heard a voice in her ear and practically jumped.

Hazel Perkins was talking to her. At first, Elizabeth believed that she was directing that question toward another person, but her eyes were staring straight into her own. They were a warm chocolate color that Elizabeth almost drowned in. "Oh, um," She cleared her throat, trying to form words. "I actually love this movie," Elizabeth admitted, feeling a heat spreading over her cheeks. "There's a long background story that most people don't know of that I really enjoy. Um, I could explain it to you, if you'd like," She continued on, dropping her gaze. Elizabeth felt like a complete loser at that point, wishing she could take it back. Hazel Perkins did not want to hear about history outside of that class.

@ Dandy Darling;

Hazel shrugged. "I'm more concerned with figuring out my salutatorian speech," she said, even though she didn't actually plan to show up to graduation. "Have you started working on yours yet?" Hazel knew the answer before the blonde could answer her; of course she had. If Hazel took high school more seriously, she might also have written her speech 100 times over. But the fact of the matter is, Hazel didn't take high school seriously. All it was was a stepping stone on the river of life. You couldn't get anywhere without it, but it didn't teach you anything necessary for life. Hazel was about to throw herself into the river without anything to protect her. She had no idea how to balance a check book, or build credit, or buy a new car or a house or anything. She was going to have to learn on her own, and as excited as she was to get going, she was also completely, 100% terrified. What if she messed up somewhere and ended up homeless? What if she flunked out of Cornell and had no back up plans for her future? There were so many "what ifs" that Hazel just couldn't ignore -- even if she seemed like she could. The brunette shook her head ever so slightly, and wondered for the millionth time why high school couldn't be more useful.

The entire classroom erupted with laughter right then, shaking Hazel out of her thoughts. She looked up at the screen and saw the limbless knight from the movie. God, she thought. If this movie weren't so overplayed, it might actually be funny. But even Mr. Brown was laughing. How could such a great teacher love such a cliche movie? She hoped he wouldn't be disappointed in her when she told him she wasn't sticking around for graduation. In fact, school was totally over on Friday, and she hoped to be out of her crappy town by Saturday. Graduation was on Sunday. Mr. Brown had kept telling Hazel how intelligent she was all year, and that he couldn't wait to hear her speech for graduation. Hazel just didn't have the heart to tell him she wouldn't be there.

She looked over at Elizabeth, genuinely curious to hear about her speech. She knew it would be great, they shared a creative writing class and Elizabeth's work was always phenomenal to hear. The teacher for that class, Mrs. Jacobs, had constantly begged Hazel to read her pieces to the class, but she refused. They were very personal, and she did not like the idea of opening up like that to a bunch of virtual strangers. But Elizabeth's words had always made her feel... happy. They made her think that even though the girl had probably never been through much strife in her life, she understood Hazel. Which was insane, no one understood Hazel. But it didn't stop her from feeling less alone.

[Sorry my response is on the shorter side, I had a long day at work and I'm about to go make tacos!]

@ Daenerys Stormborn

[No problem!]

Elizabeth gave a slow nod in response, wanting to hide underneath her desk. Of course, Hazel Perkins didn't want to hear her ramblings about history, so she quickly dropped the subject. "Um, yes," She admitted, casting her gaze downward. Ever since the principal confirmed that she was valedictorian, Elizabeth wrote dozens of drafts for her speech. Her parents were thrilled to hear that their only child had not only been accepted into Harvard but was also at the top of her class, bringing Elizabeth a sense of pride. She was already having trouble picking one out to give during graduation since they all represented her in some shape or form. "Have you starting writing down anything yet?" She asked, lifting her eyes once more. "I don't know if this will help you, but I like to write down random thoughts," Elizabeth offered, tracing random shapes and patterns with her finger on the desk.

Hearing the explosion of laughter, Elizabeth turned her attention back to the movie and slightly frowned. She had missed her favorite part of the movie, seeing the limbless knight moving off screen. Despite being upset, she didn't blame Hazel for distracting her. There were other times when she could watch the movie, but Hazel Perkins never spoke to her. This seemed to be a once in a lifetime opportunity, considering that Hazel was moving to New York in a matter of months. "Anyway, I'm sure your speech will be great," She offered a small smile before adding on. "If you need me to read a rough draft, I'd love to."

To Elizabeth, Hazel was everything that she was and more. Sure, Elizabeth's GPA was higher by mere decimals, but all she did was study and volunteer her time. It seemed the Hazel actually had a life that was filled with adventure and spontaneity, which Elizabeth craved for. Her routine was so mundane and repetitive, offering no sense of fun. A part of her felt that she was missing out on something but could never place it. On the other hand, Hazel went with the flow of things and allowed the world to carry her wherever it wanted to. Elizabeth could not help but feel a tad envious of that, wondering what it was like.

@ Dandy Darling;

Hazel shrugged, looking towards the front of the room to ensure that Mr. Brown wasn't going to hear what she was about to say. "If you want the truth, I don't think I'm going to graduation," she admitted. Seeing a slight look of shock on Elizabeth's face, she decided to expand on her odd sentiment. "I mean, in 5 years am I even going to remember graduation? Will I remember exactly what I wore? Will I remember all the faces in the audience? Will I even remember 90% of my classmates? The answer to all those questions is no, so why am I going to waste my time with something that won't matter in the future?" Hazel was a firm believer in not wasting her time -- she knew the world didn't offer her a lot of it, and she needed to make sure that every second counted towards something useful in her life. "I mean, it's not like I'll have anyone in the audience to cheer me on. It's not like my dad is going to drag himself off the couch to come take pictures of my graduation. It's not like I have any real friends here. I could do much more interesting things with my night than sit around and watch all of these people who never spoke more than 5 words to me throughout my whole high school career receive a piece of paper that states they finished the most useless part of life. It doesn't matter that I'm the salutatorian, that's just a fancy number that got me into a good college. That's what really counts in life. College."

From the way it sounded, it seemed like Hazel had no friends, which was most certainly not the case. But none of her friends were in high school. They all graduated one year before her or more, some of them even went to different schools. But in her particular high school, she had no one. Most people seemed intimidated by her, which was fine by Hazel. She didn't care much about what people thought, especially about her. Many people assumed she was all sorts of fucked up after her mom died, but in truth she had gotten over it pretty well. A lot of people started a rumor that she was a huge drug lord, but any of the kids in school who actually used drugs knew that one was a lie. Truth is, Hazel just liked being alone sometimes, and the people that she was friends with were exactly the same.

@ Daenerys Stormborn

Elizabeth's jaw went slack when Hazel admitted that she was not attending graduation. At first, she thought that she had misheard her salutatorian since there was no possible way that she was not attending. There was speech that Hazel needed to give and a place in the school's history that was hers. "I mean, no, but those are the small details," She stated with a small frown. "I think you'll remember the speech that you give. The way that audience reacts to yours words and that sense of accomplishment you feel when the principal announces that you're the class salutatorian. It isn't exactly a walk in the park to be number two in the class. Besides, they're going to tape the whole ceremony anyway," She continued on, unconvinced of Hazel's explanation. High school graduation only happened once in their entire life. "I don't know if this counts for anything, but I'm cheering you on. I need you by my side during the ceremony. It'll be a little lonely sitting off to the side myself. And you're speaking more than five words to me right now. Also, I could take your picture," Elizabeth pointed out, continuing to trace shapes against the desk. It was probably hard for anyone to believe that Elizabeth cared about every person in this room, but she was certain that God would want her to be there for every person in the room.

"Of course college counts, but high school matters, too. I have friends that I'm sure that I will keep throughout college. And, and you have friends, too. Even though they're in college, I'm sure you're still friends with them," She argued, glancing around the room. Everyone was excited for graduation and that moment when everyone tossed up their caps. "You need to come to graduation. Please. At least tell me that you'll think about it," Elizabeth offered a small smile.

Hazel shrugged, looking around the classroom. "I guess I can consider it," she said, glancing over at Elizabeth. "But I don't think I'll have fun. There are better things I could be doing with my night," she suggested. Hazel glanced up, studying Elizabeth's face. She was beautiful, with soft, ivory skin, golden hair that framed her perfectly cherubic face, and eyes that lit up like sapphires in the sun. Hazel couldn't help but feel a sort of envy towards her. She had a family that was in tact, a sense of responsibility to her life. Hazel just wanted to be out of the stupid town her entire life had been centered around. Hazel knew she deserved better, and she was determined to get out there and figure out exactly what the world had to offer her. She knew she would never find it sitting around her small suburb of Boston; she would have to run out and grab it for herself. The world didn't owe her anything, even though it had taken so much from her, and Hazel knew that. She knew the only way to discover what the world could give her was to take it. She wasn't going to hold back any more.

Suddenly the bell rang, signaling the end of English class. World History was next, she knew that class would be the easiest. They haven't had work from Ms. Kensington in two weeks now -- she was just as excited for the end of the school year as the students, if not more. She was going to Hawaii for practically the entire summer, anyone would get excited about that. Hazel stood and grabbed her stuff, looking over to Elizabeth. "Where are you headed next?" she asked, tipping her head to the side. Hazel didn't recall having World History with her, but at the same time, Hazel never paid attention to most of her other classmates.

[Sorry that my replies are so short and stuff, my job has me working 7 days a week, 12+ hours a day. Once I can cut back to something normal I'll be on a little more frequently, but that may take a couple weeks.]

@ Daenerys Stormborn

[It's no problem!]

Elizabeth lit up at the slight chance that Hazel would attend graduation, beaming a smile in response. "I know it isn't the most fun you could have, but it won't be that bad either," She reassured, knowing that it would all be worth it in the end. As much as she was excited for college, Elizabeth wanted to cherish her last few days in high school. All of her friends were making plans to spent as much time as possible over the summer, knowing that it would be their last memories before moving apart. It would be difficult to move into the dorm, too, even though Harvard wasn't far from her house. College would be a completely different experience that she was looking forward to. That was something that she could definitely agree with Hazel on.

Exiting the classroom, she was a tad upset that the movie was only halfway. They were just getting to the best parts of it before the bell rang. "I have Calculus next. My least favorite class," She sighed since Math was not her strong suit. It was the only class that she ever struggled with or got an A- in, which was devastating to Elizabeth. "What about you?" She asked, readjusting the strap of her backpack as she began to walk out of the classroom. Last time she checked, Hazel was not in her Calculus class since she practically excelled at it. There was no math problem that Hazel didn't know how to break down, and Elizabeth was envious of that. To her, math was just a bunch of nonsense that she could never decipher.

@ Daenerys Stormborn