The Day of Night

   "I'm not done with it yet," I say to Kate. "I still need to figure out an ending."

   I watch my best friend's eyes scan over the paper I'd handed her. The writing is painfully sloppy and almost illegible, with eraser marks and words scratched out and replaced all over the page. Her face is unreadable, and I can't figure out what she thinks of my story.

   Finally, she sets the paper down onto the lunch table. An anxious smile spreads across her petite face. "What happens to Adrianna?" she asks.

   "I told you, I don't know yet," I reply.

   "But you must have some kind of idea, right Alyssa?"

   I shake my head. "But I do know that Cam is going to try to kill her best friend."

   "Awesomeness!" Kate exclaims. "Cam is no Edward Cullen. He's the creepiest vampire I've ever read about."

   My confidence in my story boosts at her words. I like creepy, at least in books. I want to create a character that would make the most hard-hearted of people's skin crawl in fear. But Kate-my best friend-she has the sweetest of hearts. She gets scared at practically everything.

   The bell rings, telling me that lunch time is over. I quickly put my paper away safely in my binder, next to the rest of my story.  As I walk to my next class, I think about my book.

   My story is about a girl named Adrianna. A teenage girl, brave and exciting, and her courage only expands when she confronts an evil vampire terrorizing the town. Since she knows who he is-what he is-he is determined to destroy her, but does she give up hope? No! Of course, I still haven't figured out how the story should end, though. Should the heroine of the story go into battle with this villain? Should she discover some kind of magic power and defeat the vampire? I have many ideas alternating inside my mind, but I cannot decide on only one.

   Very few know this-only one, in fact, and that is Kate-but Adrianna is secretly my alter ego. She is bold, strong, and exciting, which means her life is certainly not limited to high school and babysitting. One day, I think to myself, one day I will be her, and no longer bound to this dull life I've obtained.

   Sooner than I had hoped, I reach my fifth period class and take my seat. I wish I could write now, but instead I take out my textbook and a piece of paper, readying myself for the Geometry warm-up. I sigh, fed up with this stupid class. I understand how we will need math in the future, but geometry? Who needs to know how to find the surface area of a cone? I'm going to be a famous writer; why do I need to know this?

    Adrianna wouldn't do the warm ups, I think. She would blow it off and go do something better, more thrilling.

   But I'm not her.

   A bell rings again, and the teacher goes to close the door. Suddenly, a foot appears and stops the door from slamming shut. And in steps the boy of my dreams.

   He is tall and handsome, with brown-black hair atop his head. He wears nothing but jeans and a white t-shirt, but gosh, does he look good in it! Muscular and sinewy arms shut the door behind him. Every female in the room turns to look at the strange boy, awestruck with the way he carries himself. He doesn't necessarily look the part, but the way he stands, the way he speaks to the teacher seems so...mysterious, mischievous even.

   "Who are you?" Mr. O'Brien asks suspiciously.

   The handsome boy grins, revealing a row of shiny, ivory teeth. "I'm new."

   "Oh, right!" He reaches for a paper on his desk and reads it carefully. "Mac Ridgeway?"

   The boy-Mac-nods. "The one and only."

   "Well then, you can take a seat. Let's see, where is an empty chair...there!" The teacher points to the desk next to me. "You may sit next to Alyssa Simpson."

   Mac's smile broads as he approaches me. I blush and face the paper on my desk, but that doesn't stop me from glancing up at that beautiful face as it sits next to me. He leans in and whispers, "Alyssa."

   I look up abruptly. "Yes?"

   "How are you today?"

   My cheeks fill with blood at his very voice. "Fine, thank you. How are you?"