Sometimes I wish that I could see people. I mean really see them, not just their clothes and expressions, but them. Like a x-ray of their thoughts, from their most frivolous desires to their greatest fears. Because people, when you think about them, are so much more complicated then they seem. There are so many layers to cut through before you can even get close to understanding, to discovering The Truth. But maybe it’s a good thing that there are so many layers between the human eye and the real truth about someone, because if you could see people, I mean really see them, what would the world look like?
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Tick, tick, tick. Meredith felt her small frame slide slowly down in her seat. “We love Chemistry, that atoms are our friends...” The words rang ironically through her mind. This class was the reason God invented notes. And boys. She flipped languidly through the leaves of her notebook. Many days of silent pleasure had been procured from these lined pages.
Finding the correct page, she paused, running her pen down an ever growing list of names. Her symbol, a heart, was scattered across the paper along with the stars and diamonds of her friends, marking those of the male gender who they found acceptable. Some had additional notes beside their names. Brian had laughed when he had found the book and read “Absolutely adorable!” beside his name. But who to mark today? And who was left to write down? The only guys she would really consider had been added in the first couple of days. Seniors perhaps...? Marking off some names and writing down a few of her own, Meredith passed the book on.
Paris accepted it into her long fake nails complete with a french manicure. She turned the book over, glanced at the names, starred most of them and added one of her own. The third girl then accepted the offered book. Ahhh Annabelle. With her tiny clothes and perpetually peppy attitude, she seemed at first glance the opposite of rather conservative Meredith. But being lab partners and sharing notes had begun an interesting friendship between the two of them. In fact, they shared more then just friendship. They both had an interest in a certain Ashley (who preferred the more masculine and simple Ash.) Annabelle had actually dated him the previous year, but the summer spent apart had forestalled the relationship. Annabelle had no idea Meredith had any interest in the resulting fall out, other then as a friend from whom to extract advice. But Meredith never mentioned her ulterior interest in the situation, because that would have put her friend in a very compromising situation. Friends before boys. Still.....Meridith sighed, unconscious of the fact that she was staring into the distance as wistfully as any of the heroin's in the novels that she was forever reading.
“Meriii-diiith...” A girl with straight-ish dirty blond hair and amazingly tall gold shoes leaned over to whisper.
“Are you thinking about a certain....someone?”
“Andrea!” Meredith hissed. Andrea knew, as did most of Meredith's friends of her feelings about the Annabelle-Ash connection. Trying to ignore the mischievous teasing look in her friends eyes, Meredith quickly turned back to face the front of the room. Just to have something to do, other then think about her dismal lack of a love life, she gave Annabelle’s hair a quick pull.
“Ow, what was that for?”
“You were taking too long! Come on, I know that you can add a few names from your long list of boys.”
“Fine! give me a minute!” Annabelle pretended to pout, but Meredith knew she was secretly happy of her prodding. Finally receiving the notebook again, she quickly noted the names. Ian Ken Fred Tom. Ian was straight as a line, an A student destined to be the class valedictorian. He was cute, in a puppy dog way, but had a sense of humor that was sometimes very unusual. Ken was the all American boy. Gorgeous in a tall blond muscular way, his only cons were his inclination to drink too much with friends and end up doing extremely stupid things, and his habit of not quiet telling the truth. Tom was widely admired, though Meredith felt no personal attraction, but Fred? What could Annabelle see in him? Maybe it was just the fact that she could not look at him without seeing a geeky and awkward sixth grader, because although Meredith found him both funny and nice, she simply could not see him as downright attractive. To other girls maybe, but to her, well, he simply was no Ash. Wait, Ash...Annabelle, and now Fred? Trying to seem nonchalant and hide the somersaults her stomach was doing, well, more like a three ring circus complete with dancing bear, Meredith tried to pull herself together enough to casually ask,
“Fred? Really Annabelle?”
“Yes Fred. He’s in my English class. He’s gotten cuter over the summer, he even has a better sense of style. Did you see what he had on for game day last week?” Paris chimed in with some comment or other, but Meredith wasn’t listening.
“Does this mean it’s over? What if Annabelle isn’t Fred’s type. He’s pretty close to that senior, Lucy anyway. But if it does work out....I’ve talked with Ash lots of times after school. He’s not exactly in love with her anymore. But the two of us are so different, if he liked her what are the chances he could like me?
Paris and Annabelle had obviously continued the conversation, and the last comment had been directed at her.
“I guess you guys are right. He is more put together, but he’s still not my type.” Andrea had heard the last comment, and chimed in to offer her confirmation that Fred had, indeed, changed, and was now considered a hot prospect among many junior girls, including herself. Time to steer the conversation out of dangerous waters.
“Ken is SO gorgeous!” Almost falling out of her seat, Meredith succeeded in turning the conversation towards someone they could all agree on.
“Oh Meredith don’t fuss like that.” Annabelle intoned “I know that Ken is hotter then practically any other guy in our class, but cmon. I’ve known the kid my whole life and he eats girls like you for breakfast.” Paris fiddled with a piece of paper, assuming her fake-sexy voice.
“I wouldn’t mind waking up next to him!”
“You have a boyfriend!” Meredith exclaimed with feigned surprise. Not that she wouldn’t put it past a Paris with no active sex life. Unfortunately for everyone in the row, Paris had a VERY active sex life. They all knew many more details about it then any of them could have wished. Paris didn’t seem to get the sarcasm.
“I’d still do Ken. Jim would understand.” Meridith glanced back at the paper.
“Ian is cute, but it would probably never work.” Paris gave Meredith her “oh please” look.
“Go for it. Be a slut for once in your life.” Meredith looked away.
“Thanks but no thanks, Paris.” Finally she couldn’t stand it anymore. Turning the conversation to what was really on her mind, she tried to be casual as she asked,
“So what’s been going on between you an Ash lately, Belle?” Immediately Paris and Andrea, who were both in on her dirty secret, exchanged a look an burst into fits of silent giggles. Shooting them a look to kill, Meredith tried her best to keep her composure.
“I don’t know what I want. I don’t know what he wants. I miss talking to him. I think he still likes me but I just don’t know. I need a new boy.” Meredith's heart soared at these words.
“I think you should get a different guy.” Andrea chimed in with a quick glance to see how these words were affecting her friend. “Haven't you tortured Ash enough?”
“Whatever. She can have any guy she wants. She doesn't have to stop torturing him if she doesn't want too.”
“Fine!” Leave it to Paris to kill a conversation.
“Oh well. At least I might have a chance. Someday. Over the rainbow....” As usual, a song from a random musical play erupted in Meredith's head just as the bell rang. Much as she loved her friends, she was not sad that class was over. She had to pass a certain locker in order to get her money out of her bag...And a certain somebody might just be getting out of Spanish class to go get his snack.
*****************
An honors student. A rich daddy’s girl. A peppy cheerleader. A unique blond. These people you have seen, heard, read about all your life. Close your eyes and you can see them, right down to the fine print on the Jane Austen novel that the prep is sure to be carrying. You think you know them. But really, when you strip away everything, the hair, the earrings, the textbooks. All you find is Truth. The honors student hates her life, she can’t ever be the rock singer that she imagined herself to become when she was little. She can’t even carry a tune. The daddy’s girl would really rather spend time then money. She wants someone who will like her for her talents, not her beauty. The cheerleader wants to become a writer. She’s not sure she likes having a new addition to the family, either. Deep down the blond wants to not be the one who is jokingly referred to as a ditz. Do any of the others truly understand what it’s like to lose a friend of only fifteen years? If you go on a search for the Truth, you may find it. So just be prepared, for mostly it’s the last thing you would expect.
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