Life of Susan Edwards took a sudden swerve from being ranked as 'Perfect' by her to being at rock-bottom.
On her 16th Birthday, her mother made an announcement- an announcement that according to her would probably wreathe Susan's life with roses.
...
I glanced towards my left and then to my right. Students had filled the cafeteria completely and were laughing and talking. Their booming laughter entered my ears and I clutched my textbooks tighter in sheer jealousy. They were all happy and satisfied with smug smiles tightly plastered on their faces. Were they really happy or was this all a facade?
I exited the cafeteria since the envy was too much to bear. It had rippled through the course of me, leaving behind its venom in the form of self-hatred and bitterness. The feeble sunlight enveloped me as I set foot on the stairs outside the cafeteria intending to descend them to go sit under the shade of the big oak tree. As I moved one step down, I felt as if I needed this light and warmth rather than the shade and shadows of the tree. I stopped going down further and sat down on the marble stair, though the shade was tempting.
Closing my eyes for a brief moment, I felt the sun rays probing my being. It felt tingly, but at the same time, it felt good.
"What a reunion!" The familiar voice exclaimed and settled beside me.
I acknowledged her presence by a mere nod. Though my mind was screaming to get away from her - rational, I guess. But, I had an obstinate heart too pleading me to stay, to taste further this exquisite and stupendous feeling she was making me feel.
A feeling of being at home. Who knows? This all could be a whim too!
She spoke, "Glad you didn't run away this time, friend."
Startled and befuddled by the use of that particular word, I stared at her. She chuckled while swaying her head lightly from side to side, not meeting my wide eyes.
"It's Susan," I murmured still not recovering from my shock.
"Well Sue, I guess you are from this day forth stuck with me," she said whilst pointing her thumb to her chest.
She started to get up to leave, but turned in my direction and said, "And you are cordially invited to my house today so that we can further strengthen our bond of friendship. We will walk together." Leaving a wink in my direction, she walked away.
Sue. The nickname resonated inside my brain. Half of the name of Mary Sue - a perfect female character and I for a matter of fact was nowhere near perfect.
The rest of the day passed by in a blur of scribbling, whispering and shushing - not quite different from the first half of the day. The last bell rang, indicating the end of the day.
Hoisting my bag, I poised it on my shoulders. I quickened my pace while glancing sideways, nervously. I did not want to run into her again. Her cheery tenor, amiable demeanour, and above all the air of confidence surrounding her along with her dazzling smile reminded me of a certain person - my mother.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and a shriek almost escaped my lips. I halted. She appeared beside me with a warm smile.
"Not running away from me this time."
She walked beside me, not ahead of me nor behind me. In her alluring voice, she was commenting on the weather, while I was focused on one thing. Why was she stubborn on being my friend?
"Ta-Da!" she chimed. "We are here, Sue."
I ignored the nickname, while looking at her house not moving from my spot.
An inner conflict started - a tug of war between the rational brain and obstinate heart, both reasoning and rendering me bemused.
I heard her exhale. Yanking me from my inner turmoil by my right hand, she pulled me inside her house. As I walked inside, the quaint looking house welcomed me, warmly.
My eyes wandered to the coffee table covered with papers and a pen. She rushed forward to gather them up, but despite her flailing hands and effort of hiding them away from my sight, I caught a glimpse of a word - a word that summed it all up!
Mystified, I looked at her. She smiled, but this time I really watched her smile. It was the curve of her lips upwards, glistening eyes and was lacking one essential thing. Warmth.
Eccedentesiast
Chaos, commotion, trampling of feet - crushing delicate things.
Lub!
Dub!
A perfect, serene harmony and symphony that is pleasant to be heard by the ears in contact with the chest. Unheard, or perhaps ignored are the screams in pain of the strings who are on the verge of breaking due to the calloused hands pulling them taut with every stroke.
The spectators are only interested in hearing the melody, not taking under consideration how painstakingly excruciating it is in real. Everyone runs away from the bitter reality to just get a temporary hold on the sweet fantasy.
Everyone included me too. I too was beguiled, entranced and bewitched. But, one thing segregated me from them. I heard the wailing.
I saw what she tried to hide under the semblance, concealing her true self from the wicked world. I saw a glimpse of her being vulnerable, but she was quick to compose and put the fallen mask on despite it being cracked.
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Well, what is your opinion on this chapter?
I hope it was up to the mark, since I am suffering from a huge writer's block.
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