We're More Similar Than You Think

Party

        The bus had stopped me off at the front of the school and I gathered all my things, every girl at the school turned to look at me as I walked off of the bus and they rolled their eyes. Here's the thing about suddenly showing up to school dressed like one of the "it girls", they think you're attempting to fit in when in reality you aren't. I'm one of the girls who could care less. My best friend was Emma Decody; a girl in our school who has cystic fibrosis, and has tubes in her nose to supply her with oxygen was my only "girl friend." She was extremely quirky, but intelligent and that's why I actually found her fun to hang out with. We had interesting conversations and, well, Emma is like the best girl in school. She and I were rejects together and we enjoyed it. I walked along the front of the school, my boots hitting the concrete beneath me as I saw Norman with a group of the girls in front of the school, giggling. I smiled at him and waved slightly as I saw Emma sitting on the ground. She had her oxygen tank firmly at her side, her bag in her lap as she read from a book. I smiled and jogged over to her, picking my hair up in a bun and sitting next to her. She glanced at me and laughed, her eyes scanning my ridiculous outfit. 

        "Whoa, have you seen Katie Dunn? All I see is Bradley Martin's twin." She laughed. 

        I shoved her gently due to the comment and sighed, grabbing her book and folding the corner of the page as I closed it and set it gently on the ground. Emma had poofy red hair and pale skin. I had met her the first day in freshman year when everyone had painted my locker red to set it apart from everyone else's and she offered to walk with me to class so I wouldn't be alone. Ever since then her and I have been best friends.  She seemed to always be there when someone needed something and that kind of made her my protector and I was hers. No one really messed with her since they pitied her, but they really shouldn't. She was strong for a girl with a terrible illness. Cheesy confession: Emma Decody was my hero. 

        "Shut up Decody." I threatened playfully, crossing my arms over my chest. "Bay made me wear this to try and make friends besides, well, you." I told her. 

        Bailey was my older sister. She was 34 and looked absolutely nothing like me. She was 25 when I was legally her responsibility. I was only eight. Bailey had short, blonde hair and big blue eyes like mine. She resembled a porcelain doll with painted freckles that made her look absolutely gorgeous, but she was far from it. Before I was supposed to be in her care, she was an extreme party animal with a drinking problem, but when she got me, she tightened up her act and constantly blubbered to people with the story of how she had to take care of her orphaned sister. Then she spoke of the horrible tragedy of how I became an orphan and people would just look at her like a saint and I was the spawn of Satan. 

        "I see," She laughed, glancing at the crowd of populars that were gathered around Norman. 

        I immediately felt my eyes travel to his lips and I felt my teeth capture my bottom lip into its clutches. I got lost in observing Norman. I knew that something about him was deeper, but he didn't seem to want to talk about it. I heard the bell ring, somewhere in the distance, but I kept watching Norman. His hair was in his face and Bradley was running her fingers through it. I could easily just push her out of my thoughts. After all, I was trying to decode Norman Bates. He was my main focus. Quickly Norman glanced at me and I felt my breath the hitched in my throat as I looked away and stood up, grabbing my things quickly. Emma glanced at Norman and began to laugh; grabbing my hand with her free one as she dragged her oxygen tank behind her and made sure I followed her. 

        "Does big, bad Katie have a crush?" Emma asked, causing me to blush slightly.

        I shook my head at her, not opening my mouth to answer and staring at the ground as I walked to my locker and began shoving things inside. Emma laughed and clapped her hands. 

        "What's his name and what did he do to get you over?" She asked, smiling as kindly as she could at me.

        I rolled my eyes at her and sighed, watching as Norman walked with Bradley into Language Arts, making me sigh in slight disappointment and I glanced at Emma with a fake smile. 

        "I do not have a crush on Norman Bates. He's simply not a twat or an ass and I find that a chance to be friends with him, but then little miss perfect bated her eyelashes and they have Language Arts with us, so let's just go and watch the magic." I told her with as much sarcasm as I could, trudging a trail of anger into the room and watching as I took a seat, Norman taking a seat next to me (which usually belonged to Emma) with a slight half-smile on his face. 

        I laughed as he stumbled to take his notebook out of his bag and smiled slightly, taking out my own things, tapping my pen impatiently on the table and biting my bottom lip again and feeling a constant urge to look at Norman. 

        "Sorry about the bus stop." Norman said, giving me an apologetic shrug and flipping through the pages of his notebook. 

        I sighed and glanced at him, trying really hard to find a flaw in his apology, but I couldn't. He seemed actually sincere. I could tell because of the sullen smile on his face that went with the fact his eyes were looking directly into mine and no other place in the room. It was sincere and I appreciated it. 

        "It's nothing. I'm used to Bradley Martin and her team of bitches." I laughed, turning slightly to see Emma next to some boy in the class as she gave me thumbs up. 

        I loved that girl. I really did. I turned to face Norman and gave him a slight smile, sighing at the teachers rambling about a book I had already read. I had already concluded that the whole Junior class was filled with a bunch of idiots and that angered me. I especially loved the fact that those who did take the time to read the book, purposely failed to blend in with the others who were too "cool" to read it. Stupid, silly teenage minds that can't grasp humanity. 

        "Bradley seems nice." He said awkwardly, glancing at the beautiful teen girl who was conversing with one of her friends. 

        I laughed at his statement, rolling my eyes at his assumption and shook my head. 

        "It's all nice and fun until she learns how abnormal you are. That's what happened to me." I told him, immediately silencing myself as the teacher had glanced at me with a death glare. The time quickly passed as she lectured us about Robert Frost and poetry and how we would need to discuss the importance and the meaning of poetry the next day. I was bored. I stood up, watching as our teacher called Norman to stay behind in class and I sighed, leaving the room to continue on with my day. The bell soon rang and I ran outside, watching as Emma struggled to juggle her bag and her oxygen tank, so I helped her by grabbing the bag and throwing it over the shoulder with mine. 

        "Thanks." She said simply, causing me to smile. 

        I began to walk towards the bus stop, stopping dead at Bradley walking towards us. She gave Emma a pitiful smile and then her attention turned to me. 

        "Okay Dunn, I saw your attempt to be normal today. Why don't you go this party in the upper part of town?" She said, handing me a card with the address written on it. 

        Emma glanced at me with widened eyes and I rolled my eyes at Bradley. 
       
        "Is this some sort of prank? Are you going to try and cover me in pig’s blood?" I asked her, anger showing clearly through my tone. 

        "No, I just saw how close you and Norman Bates were and thought, well, if a guy as cute as him could consider being friends with a psycho why can't I?" She asked sarcastically. 

        I clenched my fists tightly, my knuckles turning a pale white as I contemplated punching her pretty little face. I wanted nothing more to have her beautiful, pale skin be bruised and scarred to show how much of an ugly person she truly was, but that would just prove that I was crazy and make her look like a victim. So, there was no winning for me at this point. 

        "I'll be there." I told her, submitting to her stupid offer.

        Emma looked at me in shock and I rolled my eyes, trudging to the bus stop once again. She caught up with me and raised her eyebrow at me in curiosity. Dear god, here came the questions. 

        "Since when do you go to parties? Let alone the ones that Bradley Martin invites you to." She asked me. 

        I shrugged and sat on the bench of the bus stop, staring at Emma as she sat next to me, giving me a friendly smile. 

        "Norman's going and I have adopted the role of his protector." I told her, laughing at my rationalizing and saw the bus pull up, a smile growing on my face. 

        "Well then Protector Katie, I shall see you later." Emma said, grabbing her oxygen tank and dragging it alongside her as she skipped away.

        I let out a slight chuckle and climbed into the musky bus, sitting at the back, staring out the window as it ventured through the town of White Pine Bay. I pressed my hand to the dirty glass of the vehicle and smiled as I passed the old motel, watching a blonde woman beat a rug with a broom. I assumed that was Norman's mother, the one he seemed to love so much. I sighed as the bus stopped near my house and I climbed off, walking to the front door reluctantly. I hated to deal with my sister after school. She was always... well... you'd see. 

        "Bay!" I yelled, setting my things on the dining room table as I heard music playing in the distance that was mostly coming from my sister's room. "I'm home!" I continued, walking towards the stairs as stomps began to echo through the room and Bay blocked my way. 

        Her blonde hair was picked up in a high ponytail and her blue eyes were rimmed with a layer of black eyeliner. She seemed to have a worried expression on her face, but in reality she was upstairs in her room probably drinking and dancing as she reminisced on her glory days as a twenty year old girl. 

        "Bus dropped you off early." She mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. 

        I rolled my eyes and pushed by her, stomping to my bedroom that was lined with Nirvana posters a bed that resembled crumpled up sheets of paper. I loved my room the way it was, but you know, my over parenting-like sister could beg to differ. 

        "No "how was your day Katie? Did you make friend Katie?" blah blah blah?" I asked her in a mocking tone as I slammed the door shut and ripped off the clothes my sister made me wear. "By the way I'm going out tonight." I yelled to my sister, taking off my shirt and sliding my high-waisted shorts down my thighs. 

        "Out? Out where?" She asked, barging into the room suddenly. 

        I looked at her and rolled my eyes, thankful that I still had underwear on. 

        "Out... Like to a party." I told her, searching through my closet to find something comfortable to wear. 

        My sister squealed and gave me a large hug. My sister's dream was to have her anti-social nerd sister go to a big time party. I rolled my eyes and pulled out some shorts, similar to the high ones I was wearing, but blue, and a black tank top as I pulled them on, pulling on some simple eye-liner and picked my hair up in a ponytail. As for shoes, I just threw on some converse and decided to go. 

        "Are you going to meet more friends? OH HOW EXCITING!" She squealed. 

        I glared at my sister and walked out of the house, looking at the card with the address. I knew where it was since it was on the upper side of town where I used to live before I became an orphan. The story was an interesting tale of how I became to be the way I was, but let's not go there. I could hear the music blaring as people laughed and danced. When I walked inside the house, I was immediately greeted by the smell of alcohol and weed. I decided to push past the crowd of people with body paint into the kitchen and grabbed a water. I looked at the crowd of people dancing and saw Norman walk in, looking around like a lost puppy. 

        "Norman Bates at a party. Doesn't seem like your element." I commented, taking a sip from my water. 

        He laughed and nodded, serving himself a drink and leaning against the counter next to me. 

        "Uh... yeah." He mumbled, drinking some of his drink and looking at the dancers. "This doesn't seem like your element either." He rebutted. 

        I scoffed and put my water down to look at him, my hands crossing over my chest. 

        "I sit LOVE to party." I told him sarcastically. 

        We both looked at each other and started to laugh as a sudden cloud of awkward silence floated over us. I glanced at him and he glanced at me. 

        "Do you want to go dance?" I asked, wanting to try and get to know Norman Bates.

        "I don't dance." He said, giving me a timid smile. 

        "Neither do I." I smiled as I reached for his hand, but Bradley came over and laughed at Norman and I. 

        "Did those bitches leave you here alone? With her?!" She laughed, smirking at me teasingly. "Don't talk to her Norman, she's weird." Bradley said, her words slightly slurred. 

        I looked at her, anger flaring in my mind as I stomped away, not even glancing to see Norman's reaction. I knew that she wanted to just have an excuse to laugh at me. I pushed past the people, trying hard to get away as a boy grabbed me and pressed my butt to his crotch, hugging my waist firmly in place. 

        "Dance with me." The guy whispered in my ear, causing Goosebumps to go down my neck. 

        I shook my head and struggled to get away from him, flailing my legs everywhere, but the guy wouldn't let me go until I gave him a good kick in a place that no boy wants pain and I ran out of the house, trying to get as far away from the music as I could. I let out a slight sob as I stared at the house, closing my eyes angrily. 

        "Mommy?" My eight year old self said as I walked into my parent's bedroom with my princess lunchbox. "Mommy! I need to go to school!" 

        I gasped at the blood spatter on the wall and I screamed, watching as my mom stood from a crumpled heap on the floor to give me a wicked smile. Her brown hair was in a frizzy, bloody mess and her pale skin had blood across as her mouth was in a twisted, psychotic looking grin. 

        "Mommy's here baby." She said, a knife in her hand as it dripped crimson blood. 

        I screamed loudly and began to run out of the room.

        I opened my eyes again and began to breathe heavily as I kept running. I never got flashbacks from that day, but when I did it was scary. What was different about this party?