Not Quite the Opposites (camren)

2 - Shakespeare and the Poet

It was probably an advantage that I walked through the heavy double doors of John H. Roth High School with my equally oblivious and maybe slightly more perturbed brother, Christopher. That was probably always the hardest for me; going in for the first time and walking through strange new hallways that seemed so intimidating the first time but end up being nothing but a norm you could ignore as time passes by.

It's strange how something so unnerving could one day become ordinary.

That school was my new aquarium, and I had all these castles to go in and explore after I had been tugged out of the ocean fighting.

Not really. I was compliant.

I could only imagine how Taylor is doing in junior high by herself where kids are learning about the exciting word called "insecurity" and what the pressure that just bends and breaks you just so you fit in a certain box that they categorize you to be. Only the brave and the careless could get out of that sorting machine that children, themselves established.

Fish Lauren would squirming then; she could probably land some cool ass tail whips, smacking the fisherman across the face. A resounding slap.

Mike even insisted on walking Taylor to the principal's office and maybe even her first class.

That would be too awkward for my sister and too funny for me.

I'll laugh about it later. Yes, even the hysterics can wait.

As expected, Chris and I were welcomed with eyes that scorched with a riot of emotions that I started to worry about my skin. For all I know, someone might really have heat vision and give me a horrible tan. You'd think I was sporting a ginormous, hairy ass mole atop my nose by the way they stared.

Out of the goodness of my heart, I'd say they were only looking with intentions lingering around curiosity but that would be a lie. Some people cannot accept themselves and the only way for them to feel a tad bit of satisfaction would be to find flaw in others to exalt their poor ego and raise it above to surface to breathe.

I have insecurities of my own.

I've been called bland nicknames that were supposed to inhibit me into beating my ass up for being imperfect. Bushy brows, bunny teeth and man voice were my favorites. I ended up talking more, grinning more and wiggling my brows more to get a rise out of them.

Who's laughing now, little scoundrels?

Everyone has flaws and I've long accepted that. I have recognized that I may look slightly different from other people but that does not make me any less human and of any less value than everyone else.

Flaws do not define a person but they do make them unique. And unique isn't all that bad.

The thing with demons is that, you have to confront them in its infancy before it grows teeth and claws and becomes bigger over time. It's not as easy as whipping out a wand and go Harry Potter on them. It takes time and a little something called love for yourself.

Fish Lauren evolved into Plato Lauren.

My brother and I had spectators even if we were dressed like normal human beings and were walking like, again, normal human beings.

I wondered how it felt like to be in their shoes; actually, I yearned to feel it. It was getting old being new everywhere. But then, I've always known I wouldn't stare at them and pick out their flaws like I'm peeling some vegetable, scoring holes should they had roots growing.

Seeing as it was the fifth day of school for these suckers, my brother and I couldn't retrieve our class schedules from our teachers during a relaxing period of homeroom.