Open Minds

Shannon's POV

I woke up the next morning feeling not happy, but okay. The conversation with Taylah last night really helped me forget that I was scared, she’s always been able to. I remember how I met Taylah; I was six and playing in the sand pit at school, some girl came up to me and started to pick on me calling me a faker, that I only pretended to see the future for attention and then she called me a freak. I stood up and was about to tell the teacher when she pushed me over, she looked over to a boy named Matty, who was the same age as us, and smiled at him. She leaned over me and was about to say something but a girl pushed her over and said, “You leave her alone or I’ll tell Matty you like him” Katie, the bully, looked scared, “How do you know that?” the girl just smiled. Katie got up and started to slowly back away, but not before saying, “You two are freaks, no one will ever like you!” the girl laughed and held out her hand for me. I grabbed it and pulled myself up, I let go of her hand, “Who are you?” I asked looking at the ground, honestly I was afraid of her at that moment, I was scared she was going to push me like she did Katie. “My name is Taylah, lets go to the swings” she held out her hand for me, “I’m Shannon” I smiled at took it and we went to the swings. Since then I’ve never looked back.

I smiled and went over to my closet and searched for something to wear. I chose a blue tank top, cowboy boot, a cream skirt with a brown belt, diamond stud earrings and 2 bracelets. I went to the bathroom and put on a bit of foundation, mascara and lip gloss. I mentally hit myself and went back to my room and grabbed my extensions and went back to the bathroom. Once I was done putting them in I looked at outfit and make-up to check I looked okay, I ruffled my black hair to make sure it was teased and headed to school.

I walked out the front door and a breeze blew past, I literally ran back inside and up to my room and put a Tokio Hotel jumper on and stuffed a pair of blue skinny’s in case I was cold and wanted to change. When I got to school I searched for either Nirali or Taylah, I found Nirali first. “I like your outfit, but I’m wondering about the jumper” she eyed me weirdly, I shrugged. I usually had good fashion sense and always suggested what they should wear when we go out, they ignore me at first but with a few more compliments about how the outfit would look on them, or as they would call it ‘nagging’, they give in. We went to find Taylah and eventually found her.

The day was pretty boring, well that was until lunch time when Taylah had started a fight. Well she insists she didn’t, “Taylah you punched her in the nose and I think you broke it. She never threw a punch, you did. Be right back I need to get something from my locker. I’ll meet you in Indonesian” I went to my locker and heard Lindsay talking to some guys, I rolled my eyes and continued to get my books. “I mean she just punched me for no reason, she’s such a crazy emo slut!” I slammed my locker shut and walked right up to her. “She’s not a slut, you’re the slut cheating on her boyfriend with the whole football team, not to mention the coach!” I shouted at her while the guys looked embarrassed. “I’m not cheating on Mark” she batted her eyelashes at me while I rolled my eyes again, “Please have some shame for once! Everyone knows it, including Mark! The only reason he’s still with you is because he doesn’t know how to dump your pathetic ass!” she looked shocked, “Yeah well if he would satisfy me instead of fantasying about your slut of a friend than maybe I wouldn’t sleep around. Face it, your friend’s a slut and so are you” something inside me snapped, I didn’t care if she thought I was a slut, but the fact that she would say that about Taylah really pissed me off. I punched her in the nose; I knew it would hurt because I think Taylah broke it before. She fell on the floor and started screaming, I walked to class., I saw Alex standing in a corridor grinning.

I looked down at the desk and stared to cry, I’m so ashamed, I never usually hit people. “Oh my god Shannon what’s wrong?” I didn’t realize I was shaking til Taylah clamped down on my arms to stop me. “I h-h-hit her” I tried to say between sobs. She looked confused
“Hit who?”
“Lindsay, she called us both a slut and I hit her on her nose that you had broken” she started to laugh, “You’re telling me my little Shannon has grown up and is now hitting people? Hunny that’s nothing to be ashamed of, she deserved it” she looked so proud of me, I started to laugh
“I know”
“So why do you feel bad?”
“Because it felt good!” We started to laugh again.

She looked down at her desk, I sighed and decided to change topic. I started making kissing sounds, so loudly some of the class was looking at us. “What are you doing?” she whispered while trying to ignore me so she wouldn’t attract much attention. I smiled, “I’m still trying to imagine what your kiss with Kayne was like” she laughed, which caused me to laugh. We were in Indonesian class, which I found boring, but decided to do it because I was good at it and the teacher recommended I do it. I tuned out knowing I would just ask Taylah later what was for homework. I signed in disappointment, both Nirali’s AND Taylah’s guys’ have done some sort of romantic thing to them, but mine? No, of course not, unless you count nearly ripping my arm off romantic, which I don’t. Why won’t he kiss me? I want to feel the soft touch of his lips, I want him to hug me and never want to let go, I want to mean something to him...I felt someone pat me on the back, I looked up and saw Taylah smiling, “Shannon we’ve got to get in partners, now’s your chance to mean something to him. GO!” she pushed me in Alex’s direction, what is it with all the pushing? I stopped in my tracks when I saw several girls crowded around his desk I turned around and started to walk back to Taylah but saw she already had a partner, someone snaked their arms around my waist. AHH WHAT’S HAPPENING. REMEMBER YOUR SELF DEFENCE SHANNON! I saw Taylah’s head snap up, but she smiled when she saw whoever it was. I could feel someone’s breath on my neck, “Why don’t you work with me?” a familiar voice whispered in my ear. OH MY GOD ALEX ASKED ME TO WORK WITH HIM! Taylah’s smile grew even bigger, I guess she was reading my mind, I wanted a little payback. Oh my god she’s so sexy, her curves and boobs! I could sleep with her all night. I’ve loved her for soo long, how can she not know I’m gay an in love with her. I just want to shout out “I LOVE TAYLAH DISKIN!” When she heard this her face turned into one filled of horror she quickly turned away, I was laughing so hard, I better tell her I was joking. I’m joking Taylah I’m not a lesbian, I love Alex. But serves you right for reading my mind. She turned back around and gave me the finger, I chuckled. I felt his arms go tighter and my heart raced like I had ran a marathon, I felt him smirk into my hair. When I didn’t reply or do anything he picked me up and walked over to a desk. I didn’t want to have a panic attack because he was holding me so I did the only thing I could think of, I started to quietly sing Heels Over Head by Boys Like Girls.

I got your runaway smile in my piggybank baby
Gonna cash it right in for a new Mercedes
You were worth the hundred thousand miles
But you couldn't stay awhile
I got your little brown shirt in my bottom drawer baby
And your little white socks in the top drawer
You were always leaving your shit around
And gone without a sound

Yeah I'm the first to fall and the last to know
Where'd you go?

Now I'm heels over head
I'm hangin' upside down
Thinking how you left me for dead
California bou-“

“Heels Over Head by Boys Like Girls right?” I tried to look at him but I didn’t realize I was sitting on his lap. I wiped off invisible crumbs off my lap and tried to avoid talking to him, this was the most awkward thing ever, it didn’t help that every girl in the class was giving me the death glare, every girl except Taylah who is giving me the thumbs up. I blushed, “Favourite band?” his head was against the back of my hair, “Too many, but my friend and I love Tokio Hotel”
“Favourite colour?”
“What is this? Twenty questions?” I frowned at the window, why is he suddenly so interested in me?
“You didn’t answer the question” I thought about it for a second
“MAJENTA!” I shouted across the room, Taylah turned and looked at me and grinned, “MAJENTA!” I laughed like a crazy person, Alex didn’t walk away or look at me like some kind of freak, he chuckled as well.
“Favourite person in the world?” I blurted out my answer before I thought about it
“You” I covered my face with my hands, I was so embarrassed. Whatever shred of dignity I had is now destroyed. I touched my bracelet .

I felt someone tug on my bracelet I turned around and saw Taylah, “Shannon he was flirting with you, why didn’t you flirt back?” I felt myself go red, “Right well if you don’t flirt with him I’m going to bitch slap you”

It wasn’t a vision of the future, I mean sure she was going to tell me that later, but it was a warning; she’s telling me to flirt right now. I gulped and looked at her, her eyes drilled into mine and she nodded and punched one of her fists into her hand. “Are you alright” I heard a muffled voice ask behind me, “Yeah I’m fine” I took off my jumper and turned around in his lap so I was facing him, believe me as soon as I did it I wished I hadn’t. I legs here wrapped around his waist and he was sitting on the desk, and he could see down my top, but I can’t go back now otherwise he’ll know something was up. I looked up at him and smiled what I hoped was a flirty smile, but he just looked at me with his pierced eyebrow raised, I tried to look down but he lifted my chin with his finger. “Tell me the first thing you think of when I say you” he instructed,
“I”
“Need”
“Want”I wasn’t thinking about my answers just like he said
“Me”
“You”
“1”
“2”
“Hug”
“Kiss”
“You”
“Me”
“Shannon”
“Alex”after I said that he smiled at me
“You just said ‘I want you to kiss me Alex’” I didn’t turn red like I expected,
“So? Maybe I do” he leaned in closer and....
“MS. CAREY, GET OFF MR. PEREZ’S LAP NOW!” everyone turned their attention to us, Taylah was trying to stifle her laugh, I glared at her.

After school had ended I grabbed my bag and tried to find Alex. I walked outside just as it started to rain, I found him leaning against a wall talking to his brothers’. I knew that if I didn’t do this now then I never would, I walked up to him and kissed him on the lips. My hands went around his neck and I tugged at his wet hair, his arms wound around my waist and he pulled me closer to him. His tongue pushed inside my mouth while I played with his lip piercing. His hands roamed around my body and his lips moved down to my neck. I had a flash of the vision, “NO!” I pulled away from him and ran home crying.