NATHAN'S POV...
Once again I was just a passive participant in the discussion of who or what Alvah was. I do more listening than I speak. I realize if you aren't always yammering there's a lot you could learn too much. That's how my sparkling grades and strong intuition, the only good things I have going on, check out. I was drowning in my troubles and insecurities.
Been in Vadille high way longer than her and no one would care if I dropped dead. I wonder what the criteria for being liked around here are. There are nerds in this school that teachers absolutely adore, there are complete hollow heads who have their lot, the popular ones have most people lying in the ground so she can walk above them. The rarest so far are the mysterious students, and who doesn't like a good dose of mystery? Then there's me, Nathan Huggins the invisible and troubled nerd. And welcome to my troubled life.
The only two people that give the slightest damn about me are Max and Ruby. Max is lazy but likes his grades in term papers high, that's where I come in. Ruby got dumped out of the blue by Lisa, her ex-best friend the girl that runs the hallways of Vadille High. So she joined me and Max, one afternoon, and loved the peace. In Ruby's defense, everyone in this school has a Lisa shaped scar either on them. Which is mine you ask? Well brace yourself, am in love with her. I know, she's terrible, but hear me out. But there is something about her. Don't worry about her, this isn't about me and her anyway.
Alvah was sitting two tables away from us scribbling in a cream paged hard covered notebook. She was well immersed in whatever it was she was writing. Her fountain pen held steadily and gliding nonstop, completely ignoring the fuss about her. Two weeks in and she hadn't bothered to speak to anyone. Am not a stalker or anything. Information about her just keeps floating around. She's that girl from her world. A concept.
The tiniest and stupidest bit of information about her just drives the school crazy. Take this, she always sits in the same spot while journaling, wears black, and has smooth pale clear skin, and hasn't made any effort to make friends. Must be nice. And it doesn't look like she needs any, she's rumored to have sent away anyone that has tried with her signature stare that people have claimed sends shivers down their spines I don't buy a word of that but you know how a good buzz keeps things interesting in highschool?
"I think she was kicked out of a rock band. Her being cool is just a way to lure us to like her and then, she can get back at the members with a sicker band!" Ruby's mind, of course, was running wild. Max on the other hand was just throwing negative energy in her direction. He thought she was attention-demanding and an unnecessary fuzz, that she was doing this on purpose.
I thought there was a cold and dark energy that clung tightly towards her, if you think that's cheesy wait till you hear those that swear she is a vampire. I don't find this theory funny at all. There have been tales about Vadille town to have mystical creatures looming in the dark about five hundred years ago, but there hasn't been any proof so far.
"That makes zero sense. Nate, tell her!" he disagreed.
The mention of my name snapped me out of my thoughts. For three nights, I was having the same dream. Me taking off my thick-framed glasses and seeing a giant tornado, whirling towards me. Not just the average one, this was dark black and didn't sweep away or damage anything, it just spun as it drew closer and closer to me. In the dream I wasn't scared of it, matter of fact I embraced it. I had been trying to decode it so long I could feel my sanity slowly start to slip away from me.
Coming back to the table, I didn't see the need to voice my opinions. In my few years of misery, I have learnt when you keep your opinions to yourself, you could very easily prevent yourself from looking stupid. I guess it's the only thing I can control.
Am already a nerd, I have to deal with Matt who makes my life hell, I have these weird dreams, a freaking dark cloud hanging over my head there's is only so many problems one can handle. Besides, judgment isn't my thing. I should know the effects
Take me for an example: My messy bangs, glasses, cardigans, and puffy cheeks color me really innocent. In fact, so innocent am helpless. It doesn't just stop at being invisible. Whenever people do notice me, like Matt, I serve well to get a good laugh out. Matt has tripped me, cracked my glasses, stolen my assignment, vandalized my locker, and said the nastiest things to me. I don't think it's personal, I just think he does it because he can. No one cares about me enough to report. What they don't know is that I feel a thing brewing in me, a slight tinge of thoughts on vengeance. I am scared of where my mind goes.
When I first felt it I was hopeful, if I could feed that tiny thing maybe it could grow and I could fight back for myself, but am physically weak. I don't eat much. Am pretty much just skin and bones. Whatever that thing was, it got excited when I thought about Alvah.
"Maybe we should give her a chance? Talk to her, welcome her, or something. " I suggested.
Now that I had started looking at her, I couldn't stop. Her thick shiny hair had stumbled over her shoulder to her notebook so many times she decide to roll it behind her with one of her pens. It's like her face begged to be studied, appreciated, observed for the art it was. She had sharp and bold lines and angles on her face. Her taunting dark eyes popped against her porcelain skin, making them stand out. Her beautiful dark red lips moved up and down as she chewed her inner bottom lip. The fuss was definitely worth it. She had a lot going.
"What now? We're a table of misfits now?" Max isn't the most welcoming person I know of. He is too complicated and has got too many rules and is way too picky. Max does not like to be challenged or to have to explain himself, he does not like to open up, to show vulnerability, you know, the whole thing that comes with trying to form bonds. And Ruby, she makes him do those things. She has a way with him and he hates that. I admire the light that's still in Ruby, she's full of overflowing reserves of hope and love
"Last time we had this discussion, Ruby came by, and look how that turned out!" I reminded him, bringing my burger to my lips for the first bite. Ruby put her both hands under her chin and batted her fake lashes so that they were almost fanning my face like she were the most adorable girl on the planet just to irritate Max. They think they hate each other but I think they go out of their way to get each other's attention.
"I know, how lucky are you guys?" She still was switching her over-confident pauses, now that the topic had changed to her, this almost always happens.
"Yeah, look how that turned out!" Max rolled his eyes.
"There's been progress Max, you were a mess when I met you. I know you love me ." She slid Max's sip can into her direction. Max is always buying food for himself and she is always taking advantage of the fact that he won't want it back just because she touched it. Max adores his personal space to another level. You have to be really close to him or as stubborn as Ruby to make skin contact. He says my nibbled nails make my hand disgusting and I should not ever touch him with them or even text him with them.
When you first meet him, he comes off as rude but when you get to know him, you realize he is way worse.
"And you're that? The good? Have you met you? Have you seen you?"
"I have, I gotta say, I am a handful" Her gaze dropped to the soda sip can, guilt masked on her face, looking like the most remorseful being on the planet.
" But you guys can't do without me. It would be so dull. It's going to take a while to adjust to me. It's not your fault, you were not warned about my level of awesomeness." A huge smile pulled on her lips. We always fall for her little acts. Max's fingers were on the sides of his head, rubbing off a migraine.
"That's quite interesting, I didn't know 'bullshit' and 'awesomeness' meant the same thing. "
I saw her load a nastier comeback, then took three deep breaths and let it slide. She sat up straight like the next top model /actress she thinks she is and kept her eyes on me. Waiting for me to say something. I try not to because they end up both trying to bite my head off when I try to intervene. I like my head on my shoulders and occupied with things like trying to decrypt Alvah, thank you very much.
"It was beautiful when I had an option to be a part of something, I mean that. Maybe she needs friends. And she will warm up to the rest of the school afterward. I mean what could go wrong? Am sure she doesn't bite." she shrugged.