Status: Up and being written! Also on wattpad
The Inconsistencies of Life as We Know It
Chapter 1
"All paradises, all utopias are designed by who is not there, by the people who are not allowed in." -Toni Morrison
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Arcadia sighed as she trudged down the hallway towards her choir room. It was yet another 5th period, yet another class of Chamber Choir, yet another day of being ignored. Sometimes, she regretted the decision to taker her choir teacher's advice and audition. She didn't regret being apart of East Lake's elusive Chamber Choir, not even close, she was just tired. We was tired of walking into the class every 5th period and being glared at. She was tired of having to sit in her assigned spot and distract herself to support the rouse that she was content with the loneliness she felt while confined within the four cement walls.
When she walked into the room, decorated with the color of her school's beloved East Lake Eagles and looked at the trophies and plaques used as further decor. 'I helped get us some of those' she thought, setting down her bag and sitting next to Maddie, a petite blonde whom she had spoken to a few times and watches her interact with Camille, an equally petite brunette. It hadn't even been a minute before Camille noticed Arcadia's observations and shot her a dirty look before pulling Maddie off to a different part of the classroom, away from the hazel eyed watch of the class outcast.
It was longer than usual before Mr. Travis Alexander, the aging musician genius behind the successes and failures of the East Lake choir program, entered the classroom. Arcadia felt herself perk up slightly, quickly locking her phone and shoving it into the pocket of her pastel faux leather moto jacket. Class was starting, the awkward feelings would soon subside and she would soon be able start warming up so she was able to do what she loved - sing. But she was wrong, Mr. Alexander was preoccupied with finishing the text or email he was typing out, leaving Arcadia condemned to at least a minute more of obvious exclusion.
It took more than the minute or so that Arcadia had expected, so she pulled her phone out of her pocket once again and clicked the lock button. The screen illuminated and she smiled slightly at the sight of her wallpaper which was a picture of her and her favorite band from when she met them earlier that year. It was a bittersweet day, she recalled. She had won a contest by covering one of their songs, and instead of choosing one of their most popular ones, she chose to do an obscure one off the band's first album. When the day of the concert rolled around, she was in a panic. She didn't want to come off as the crazy fan but she didn't want to seem like she didn't really care about them either. Her outfit she had planned weeks in advance, a shirt she made paired with denim shorts and converse. She got to go to the venue early and have a private Meet & Greet and sing the song she won with them on stage, and all that was fine and dandy in her eyes. What really mattered was the fact she had gotten to meet her idols and honestly tell them how much they meant to her. She sighed softly, getting lost in the memories until Mr. Alexander played the call to attention. Arcadia stood and smiled weakly to herself, locking her phone once again and storing the device back within her jacket pocket. She was now able to sing her heart out and for the next 45 minutes, she could throw herself into something she loved instead of trying to seem nonchalant while avoiding the hate filled glares of her peers.
The class period crawled by and Arcadia quickly gathered her things and left the concrete room which doubled and her sanctuary and her prison, heading towards her final class period. It was one she hated almost as much as the hate side of her choral love/hate relationship. She sighed and walked in the direction of her final class. It had crossed her mind to skip, but decided against it since she was struggling to maintain a grade of a D+ . She walked into the class and sat down at her table, watching sadly as others migrated towards the group in the enter of the class to socialize and do their work. She knew she would never be invited to that group so she instead pulled out her laptop, plugged in her headphones and got to work, humming softly and pretending to enjoy her solitude. Minutes seemed like lifetimes that day in class, and eventually Arcadia took out her headphones and proceeded to her second favorite thing. Listen. She took in the words of her peers, some standing out more than others, but everything was essentially a garbled mess of indistinguishable sounds. She finished her assignment fairly quickly, mainly because she wasn't distracted by socializing, but a part of her wished she was. She wished that she would have homework because her and her friends spent the period talking and laughing, but for that to happen she would need friends. After a while of listening, which just caused a further mood drop, Arcadia just went back to listening to her music and scrolling through her Tumblr feed as if everything was okay in her life.
The class period couldn't end fast enough, and when the bell rang, she was out of the her seat and out the door. It had been a long few weeks, longer than usual and all she wanted was to get home. In a little under 48 hours, she would be heading towards the East Lake fairgrounds for Inertia, the three day music festival her town hosted each year. She had previously never really cared for it, mainly due to the horrendous line-up, but this year was different. She couldn't wait to see some of the bands she had grown up with, perform live in the dingy town she called home. The festival though, was more than a chance to see and maybe meet her favorite artists, it was also the last chance she was giving herself at being happy. Things had been going so wrong in her life, for so long, she had just given up at being truly happy once again.
-
Arcadia sighed as she trudged down the hallway towards her choir room. It was yet another 5th period, yet another class of Chamber Choir, yet another day of being ignored. Sometimes, she regretted the decision to taker her choir teacher's advice and audition. She didn't regret being apart of East Lake's elusive Chamber Choir, not even close, she was just tired. We was tired of walking into the class every 5th period and being glared at. She was tired of having to sit in her assigned spot and distract herself to support the rouse that she was content with the loneliness she felt while confined within the four cement walls.
When she walked into the room, decorated with the color of her school's beloved East Lake Eagles and looked at the trophies and plaques used as further decor. 'I helped get us some of those' she thought, setting down her bag and sitting next to Maddie, a petite blonde whom she had spoken to a few times and watches her interact with Camille, an equally petite brunette. It hadn't even been a minute before Camille noticed Arcadia's observations and shot her a dirty look before pulling Maddie off to a different part of the classroom, away from the hazel eyed watch of the class outcast.
It was longer than usual before Mr. Travis Alexander, the aging musician genius behind the successes and failures of the East Lake choir program, entered the classroom. Arcadia felt herself perk up slightly, quickly locking her phone and shoving it into the pocket of her pastel faux leather moto jacket. Class was starting, the awkward feelings would soon subside and she would soon be able start warming up so she was able to do what she loved - sing. But she was wrong, Mr. Alexander was preoccupied with finishing the text or email he was typing out, leaving Arcadia condemned to at least a minute more of obvious exclusion.
It took more than the minute or so that Arcadia had expected, so she pulled her phone out of her pocket once again and clicked the lock button. The screen illuminated and she smiled slightly at the sight of her wallpaper which was a picture of her and her favorite band from when she met them earlier that year. It was a bittersweet day, she recalled. She had won a contest by covering one of their songs, and instead of choosing one of their most popular ones, she chose to do an obscure one off the band's first album. When the day of the concert rolled around, she was in a panic. She didn't want to come off as the crazy fan but she didn't want to seem like she didn't really care about them either. Her outfit she had planned weeks in advance, a shirt she made paired with denim shorts and converse. She got to go to the venue early and have a private Meet & Greet and sing the song she won with them on stage, and all that was fine and dandy in her eyes. What really mattered was the fact she had gotten to meet her idols and honestly tell them how much they meant to her. She sighed softly, getting lost in the memories until Mr. Alexander played the call to attention. Arcadia stood and smiled weakly to herself, locking her phone once again and storing the device back within her jacket pocket. She was now able to sing her heart out and for the next 45 minutes, she could throw herself into something she loved instead of trying to seem nonchalant while avoiding the hate filled glares of her peers.
The class period crawled by and Arcadia quickly gathered her things and left the concrete room which doubled and her sanctuary and her prison, heading towards her final class period. It was one she hated almost as much as the hate side of her choral love/hate relationship. She sighed and walked in the direction of her final class. It had crossed her mind to skip, but decided against it since she was struggling to maintain a grade of a D+ . She walked into the class and sat down at her table, watching sadly as others migrated towards the group in the enter of the class to socialize and do their work. She knew she would never be invited to that group so she instead pulled out her laptop, plugged in her headphones and got to work, humming softly and pretending to enjoy her solitude. Minutes seemed like lifetimes that day in class, and eventually Arcadia took out her headphones and proceeded to her second favorite thing. Listen. She took in the words of her peers, some standing out more than others, but everything was essentially a garbled mess of indistinguishable sounds. She finished her assignment fairly quickly, mainly because she wasn't distracted by socializing, but a part of her wished she was. She wished that she would have homework because her and her friends spent the period talking and laughing, but for that to happen she would need friends. After a while of listening, which just caused a further mood drop, Arcadia just went back to listening to her music and scrolling through her Tumblr feed as if everything was okay in her life.
The class period couldn't end fast enough, and when the bell rang, she was out of the her seat and out the door. It had been a long few weeks, longer than usual and all she wanted was to get home. In a little under 48 hours, she would be heading towards the East Lake fairgrounds for Inertia, the three day music festival her town hosted each year. She had previously never really cared for it, mainly due to the horrendous line-up, but this year was different. She couldn't wait to see some of the bands she had grown up with, perform live in the dingy town she called home. The festival though, was more than a chance to see and maybe meet her favorite artists, it was also the last chance she was giving herself at being happy. Things had been going so wrong in her life, for so long, she had just given up at being truly happy once again.
♠ ♠ ♠
First chapter of my story! Please tell me what you think!