Serenading Sirens

Her body was messy, like someone had intentionally created the most awkward creature in the universe. Her limbs were slender, barely holding her slim frame up. Her skin was flawless, but pale nonetheless. Her lips matched in their own unique way; anyone else would have thought of them as a deformity. As least, that was what she thought. She wasn't perfect to anyone that knew her. But the thoughts -unknown to her- that she got from people were nowhere near hideous. Jealousy in most cases; want for her or her image in others. Like she could never imagine.

She printed herself as plain, never getting the full gist of an exciting life. There were few people she considered to be acquaintances and even fewer to be friends. She focused mainly on what she was good at -which she wasn't even fully sure what that was- but she knew whatever it was, it was all mediocre. There was nothing striking about her. Again, simply just her opinion.

So why was he so bent on getting her to come out of her cozy shell that hadn't taken her not long at all to build? This boy -along with his three friends- that no one really knew but were automatically interesting. The ones that no one hid their thoughts for like they did for her. It was easy to see that he was the most popular one, getting chased around by all the girls that he had no interest in. And that's where most of the jealousy for her came from.

These boys. The ones in a band. That's how she knew them. That's the only way she wanted to know them. But he talked to her every chance he could get. He made his two friends that went to the same school talk to her in whatever class they had together. The third had the pleasure of working with her. She wanted to quit her job. Public places weren't safe if she wanted to remain silent like she was so used to. She couldn't fathom why it was their new goal to get her to converse with any one of them.

By the third week of all of their trying, she just wanted to be left alone. She was almost willing to do anything to get her way. But almost didn't cut it. She gave in, replying to notes the one with the two-toned hair passed her, making conversation with her co-worker in between shifts and during breaks, and even joking with the other in the lunch line. But for him -for him, she saved her silence. He'd try his hardest, knowing the progress she was making with his friends. But she'd just turn her head and continue reading her book or taking notes. Her actions only made him try harder to get her to speak to him.

He only had a few tricks, ready at any time. He'd thank her for anything he could find. A pencil, picking up his purposely dropped paper, giving him an extra quarter for a soda. But you're welcome never left her lips. She turned it into a game for herself. He wanted her to open up so much, but she never ever planned to do it for him. It got to the point where she would just giggle when he approached her.

Those giggles gave him even more confidence. He would discuss with his friends how she was starting to like him, his suave appearance working its magic. Through the clipped conversations they would have with her, they would then reveal that he thought his plans were working. But they never asked why she wouldn't spread her working vocal cords to him.

In their own way, they understood. They knew that he was only trying to get a new playmate out of it. He liked the quiet ones. So they never pushed her to talk to him. Didn't tell her that it was okay to like or not like him. They hardly knew this girl and they wouldn't direct her into a life she wouldn't be happy in.

She still didn't understand; couldn't see through his actions. It was a complete mystery why these four close-to-popular boys were trying so hard. Though she found herself getting by, she begged in her mind that they would stop. She was sick of lying in bed at night, kept sleepless with the constant thoughts of their goal -or what she believed was their goal. Her life wanted to get back to normal; she was to the point of personifying it so she wasn't alone in her needs.

They only seemed to feed off her edging away when they talked to her. It felt to her like they knew exactly when she wanted to stop replying and they would put another spark into their conversation.

Classes were hard to concentrate in. Headaches were frequent, the nurse or guidance counselor her best friend. If they just wanted to get rid of her or cause her grades to slip, that was certainly happening. She cursed whichever one was near whenever she left the room because of her newfound favorite illness.

She began planning herself. Mostly, she wondered if they would notice certain things. Like if she just stopped talking to them all together, which she knew she never should have given in to in the first place. Or if she just stopped going to school once and for all. Would that put a damper on his plans? Would he realize, or yell at his friends for not coming back with new information? But she couldn't go through with the latter. The former though was looking like the greatest thought she had ever conjured, and also the simplest that it had taken so long just to find it.

They didn't try when she gave them the same treatment the main one had been receiving the entire time. Except for him, of course. He hadn't stopped from the beginning, why would he now? There was absolutely none of that once he descended down a certain path. Yet, this put her into a pleasant frame of mind. She had the biggest hope she'd ever had that he would tire of it all, moving on to his next victim. She hoped for all the others like her that the next in his long line would be someone that actually wanted him though.

It wasn't hard to say that she had never been happier to see the summer come. She found a new job and kept to herself when she was home. Of course she hadn't changed and still spent most of her time at those two locations. Her only adventure was to her annual trip of Warped Tour. There she met up with her one true friend, and watched all of their favorite bands. Not once during those three hot, glorious months did she see the four boys that haunted the last month of junior year. She was positive that she would be in the clear when she walked through the doors once the first day of school rolled around.

The moment she walked into first period, her dreams were shattered. The three that shared the same high school all congregated in the back corner of the room. Their conversation halted and their gazes shifted to her simultaneously once she crossed the threshold. Each one grinned and lifted one of their hands in an almost-wave.

Then the one with the shortest hair -surely the most polite of them all- waved her over. A gesture that meant for her to sit with them. She wasn't sure if her groan was external as well as internal. If it was, she hoped it wasn't loud enough for them to hear. She ignored the invitation, passing them to take a seat in the corner diagonal from their seats. Her head slammed on the desk, protected by her arms, seconds later. This would surely be the longest year of her life. All because Alex Gaskarth had it out for Clarke Holliday.