Sharada

The morning passed excessively slowly with History, Geography and Science before lunch. The second the bell rang, Myriam was on her feet and out the door.

Making her way to her locker, she could easily see the stares and hear the whispers around her. They were all talking about her. The new girl that never talked, never smiled, never showed any sign of emotion, but can crush you with just a glance. At least that’s what has been going around school. Apparently, she had glared over that jock and growled animally, making him break down in front of the room, whimpering like a baby. Or, as others said, she had probably taken over his mind, because it seems like that dude (who Myriam didn’t bother remembering the name) was the king of junior year.

Myriam had to fight back the urge to scoff; this was utterly pathetic. She hasn’t been here for half a day ―half a fucking day― and rumors have already started flying everywhere. She wasn’t used to all the drama, she had to admit. Her old life had been a bleak imitation of your average high school life:

- Cliques didn’t really exist.
Sure, there were your typical preps, jocks, geeks, and outcasts, but it wasn’t unusual to see people from each of the four categories to be the bestest friend.

- ‘Hate’ wasn’t as violently expressed.
Sure, such things as homophobia, racism, and other forms of hateful behavior happened, but they were kept to a low, although she had been the cause of a big wave of ‘Emophobia’ back in Secondary 1 or 2 her middle school days. Now, Myriam wasn’t stupid; she knew that not everything was all fluff and dandy. What she wasn’t used to was people spitting out nigger and fag like they were the worst insults ever. It made her cringe. Every. Single. Fucking. Time.

Sighing, Myriam swiftly turns the lock on her locker and snaps it open. She chucks her books in and slams the locker back shut. Walking unnoticed wasn’t an option; everyone’s eyes were still on her. Shaking her head slightly, she makes her way towards the cafeteria.

One glance at the over-crowded dining hall, and she lets the reality of the school’s social groups and such sink in. They were easily distinguishable, separated by cheap plastic tables with awkward-sitting benches. The preps and jocks, the closest tables to the door, were busy laughing and taunting everybody else who had the misfortune of setting foot in their path. A few tables further were the streeters with their baggy clothes and smart-ass attitudes. Coming back towards the front, on either side of the pops (populars) were the nerds, always handy for a late math assignment needing to be done.

The list could go on forever. But Myriam did realize something -there were no tables including people like Frank or Mikey. People like her. Frowning slightly, she was about to turn around and go along her merry way as far away as she could from the building when a slight movement, evidently directed to wards her, caught her eye. After a moment or two of reflection, Myriam slowly begins making her way towards the girl who had waved to her from the preps’ table. After all, benefit of the doubt, right?

“Hi you! What’s you name, Sharada right? Mine’s Kayla. Why don’t you sit down with us?”
Myriam hesitantly did what she was asked to and looked around. This was definitely not her crowd.

After fifteen minutes of hearing pointless conversations going on around her, Myriam has finally had enough. Not that they were to nosy or such. Hell, they didn’t even talk to her at all. Befriending the new girl does have its advantages she guessed. Pumped up with boredom and annoyance, she suddenly stands up and walks away without a word, leaving a table of dumb-founded prom queens behind her.

Deciding she needed fresh air, she makes her way towards where she thought the front door was. Purposefully bumping into a couple of people to relieve her anger, she finally makes her way to the front court. She spots a huge fern on the far side of the court and makes her way towards it, to find Frank and Mikey eating safely under the shade of the tree. Stopping dead in her tracks, she thought for a moment.

What did she really want this year? Friends or loneliness? Drama or peace? An active life for others or a semi-existing life of her own? Myriam settles on the latter in no time, and hastily makes her way towards the school gates. Getting off the school grounds was forbidden now, but who listened to that anyways? She was in desperate need of Starbucks and quiet.

Walking around for a couple of minutes, she compares her previous town with her new one. Okay, so it was WAY more dangerous here, but at least the most interesting thing wasn’t a community park…

The refreshing breeze of the air conditioner slaps her across the face as soon as she pulls the door open. She makes her way to the counter and orders her coffee. Black. While leaning on the counter waiting for her drink, she sweeps her gaze across the Starbucks. It being lunch hour, most of the best tables were already taken. Spotting a perfect place, she picks her order up and makes her way towards a two-seater located at the very back of the shop, next to the window.

Sipping, then sighing at the bliss of the hot liquid rushing down her throat, she let her thoughts wander. From finding out she was moving to arriving at this coffee shop…Why was that, that after three days in Jersey, she felt like she had lived through more things then during her sixteen years in Quebec. She had to admit; her life was unbelievingly dull, monotone. But now, she felt like something would happen, that a routine wasn’t necessarily going to settle in…

She snaps back to reality as a mother enters with her crying baby. It was then she realized that she had been staring at someone all through her zoning out. What was her surprise to find out he was staring right back at her. She jumped a little in shock when she recognized the guy from the park. No, not that Craig acehole, the one she had seen just before, while picking up her CD player.

He seemed to jump to and look away after a moment more. Myriam whined inwardly. She was always up for stare-offs. What the hell? Ok, she was crazy, looking for stare-off opportunities with random strangers. Oh well, the world will have to deal with it.

After shaking the remains of the man still littering her mind out of her head, she was back to her beloved daydreaming. After a good half hour of plain blankness, she had to pry herself out of her mind when she heard someone exclaim it was quarter past one. AKA fifteen minutes after her end-of-lunch bell. She practically flew out and towards the school, trying to convince herself that the stranger was not staring at her all the time she exited the shop…