A New Perspective

Chapter 2- Dahliah

    We all laughed at that, except for Kaitlin, who stepped on James’s foot hard enough to make him give a high-pitched squeak. 

    A small movement in the back of my eye caught my attention. I turned around. It was a boy dressed in completely black, scribbling furiously in a thick journal. A sandwich lay untouched by his side. Christina followed my line of sight. “Who’s that?” she asked.

    “Oh, I know him. He’s in my history class,” James said. He was almost whispering, like he was afraid someone else would hear. “His name is… I forget, like Chandelier or something.”

    “His name is Chandler,” I remembered. He sat in the back of the class, never saying anything. “I have him next period.”

    “He’s weird,” Asher said. He dropped the crust of his pizza on his plate and leaned forward, like he was about to tell a story. “One time walked up to him and I asked him if he was emo. Not in a rude way or anything. People were saying that he was, and he wears black and stuff. So I was just curious, you know? He just stared at me for a long time without saying anything. What’s that supposed to mean?”

    “That was a personal question,” Christina said.

    “Whatever. He’s a freak.”

    Freak. It seemed so cold, and so final. Was it even fair to judge him like that, without even knowing anything about him? Maybe he has a story behind the way he acts. I don’t know.

    “Earth to Dahliah. Hey, are you okay?’ Kaitlin asked, breaking through my thoughts.

    “What? Oh. I’m fine. I think there’s something wrong with this.” I gestured toward the blob of mystery meat on my plate.

    “Why did you even get that?” Kaitlin asked with disgust. “It smells like-“

    “SHIT!” Asher yelled suddenly. “I forgot to do my math homework!”

    “Isn’t math your next period?” I asked. “Because those worksheets take forever to do.”

    “Shut up, shut up, shut up!” Asher hissed.

    So the rest of lunch was spent talking annoyingly loud as Asher rushed to finish his homework.

------------

    I’ m not really sure why we had a teacher for chemistry. All we did was watch videos. I think we were also supposed to take notes, but no one did. And Mr. Zatina, our teacher, didn’t care.

    The boy next to me, Zachariah, was sleeping. Around me, others were talking quietly, on their phones, or playing games. Only one person seemed to be paying any attention to the video. I had to squint in the low light to see who it was. Chandler. His lab partner, whose name I forgot, had scooted as far away from him as possible.

    Chandler was one of those people who everyone talks about but no one really knows. Today was not the first time I’ve heard him called a freak, and it won’t be the last. And though it made angry, I understood. Chandler, with his pale skin and dark hair, seemed ghostly. He never spoke to anyone. He was like a shadow.

    But he was still human. Though Chandler was intimidating and distant, I think he felt as much as any of us. Sometimes, when he thinks no one is watching, he smiles. Small smiles, ones that fade away quickly, but for those few seconds they completely transform his face. I wish that…

    I shook my head and tried to pay attention to the video. Most days I could stand listening about elements and solutions, but today my mind was fuzzy. I don’t know. Maybe it’s better that I’m skipping track.

    The bell rang and the lights suddenly turned on. After wincing at the brightness, the students dashed out of the room. I rushed to join them, but a loud noise behind me made me turn around.  Chandler was on the floor, slowly stacking books that he had apparently knocked from the counter. Instinctively, I bent down to help him. Chandler glanced up at me, his dark eyes slightly surprised. I shrugged, and we silently stacked the book back onto the counter.

    Chandler stacked the last book and went straight to the door. He seemed to be in a hurry to leave. He probably didn’t want my help. But just before he left he turned around and looked at me. “Thank you,” he said in low voice.

    He spoke! I tried to get over my shock quickly. “No problem,” I said, but he had left before I even started to respond. I sighed. I think I expected that.

  Hey! Okay, so this is Chapter 2   and I tried to really show what other people think of Chanadler and what Dahliah's impression of Chandler was. I'm going try updating at least once a week and sorry for updating the same chapter twice. After i post a chapter i reread it and find mistakes . Anyway,  I hope you like this chapter! Remember to vote and comment. Next Chapter- Chandler

                                           -Cheryl