No Matter What

1. Amber

Falling in love, sometimes, is like running face first into a brick wall. I don't think I need to explain myself more. 

I signed the bottom of my paper, in fancy, elegant writing. Just because homework is unpleasant and makes me think about existential things like love and death and pain, doesn't mean I can't make it at least a little fun. Practicing my elegant handwriting is fun, and people always gawk at it, so it gets me attention.

A couple of rowdy freshmen boys ran past me towards the cafeteria, shouting obscenities at each other. I rolled my eyes. Immature.

I learned over the years, that if I wanted to be surrounded by talkative people, gossip and flattery, the cafeteria was where to be, but times like this, when I wanted to work on homework, I had to sit somewhere else. On a wintry, cold day like today, sitting outside was unpleasant, so I typically sat on the stairwell that I and my very close friend Casper liked to hang out at.

You know, lots of people liked to call me their friend, even their close friend. Not that I necessarily minded. The attention felt good, and the positive reinforcement felt even better. Beat going home by a long shot. Yet, it was fake. Which is fair. Popularity and social status may seem shiny and precious to the untrained eye, but we know it's really just a cleverly disguised bloodbath. Like the Hunger Games but no one knows they're killing each other. Yikes. 

It often got annoying, following the unspoken rules and killing off people who, quite honestly, didn't deserve it. It felt wrong, and a twisted way of getting positive attention, but it delivered much more than honesty did. At this point, I was only surviving on the praise and love from teachers and peers. Losing that just wasn't worth it.

My thought process was abruptly interrupted by pounding footsteps. I stood up in time to see Casper, the only person I'd ever considered a real friend of mine, running towards me at full speed. I tried not to laugh at the look on his face as he approached, knowing he was never much of a runner.

I lost it when he reached me though, and giggled even as he began talking.

"Amber, Amber, Amber!" Casper gasped out of breath, putting his hand on my shoulder to steady himself. His dark blue hair and acne speckled face dripped with sweat.

"Geez Casper," I teased, still laughing, "it must be really good news if you were willing to run the whole way."

He laughed, still gasping. "It is. You're not gonna believe it Amber." He laughed again. "There's a new kid!"