Undoubted Perfection

JEREMY
Being the new kid is never any fun, always getting those stupid looks like you’ve got five heads or hearing girls snicker as they pass by in the hall. Man, wouldn’t it be nice for once to stay in a town for more than a few months. I mean, I was just starting to get used to the old school. So far, I hadn’t had the best morning, but now it was fifth period and finally time for lunch. The cafeteria was small with a bunch of round tables, some with kids piled on top of each other and others completely deserted.
         There was one table in particular, though, that caught my attention. All the way to the left in the corner was a lonely table where only one person sat. She was a thin girl with an extremely pale complexion and blonde hair that fell flawlessly around her face. She looked perfect and yet nobody even glanced in her direction.
         I’m the biggest coward when it comes to girls, but it was then and there that I decided that I had to suck it up and be a man, that I had to go right over there and just talk to her. As I got closer to the table, my nerves began to kick in, and by the time I reached it, I had started sweating.
         “Uh, h-h-hi there,” I said, gulping loudly as she looked up at me. “Is-s-s this seat, uh, taken…?” She smiled half-heartedly and shook her head before looking back down at her book. Behind me, I heard some people talking at the other table. “Isn’t that the new guy? What is he doing sitting with her?”
         I quickly shook off the urge to turn and tell them to mind their own business and instead tried to start up conversation. “Uh, so what’s that you’re reading?” I asked, taking a huge bite of my sandwich and watching as she gracefully closed her book to look at the cover. “Night by Elie Wiesel. I have to read it for Honors English.” She said, dulcetly. Her voice was like music, soft and soothing to the ears, no louder than a whisper, but somehow, impacting and meaningful. She was undoubtedly perfect, beautiful, smart, and everything in between.
“Are you new?” She asked, pulling me from a daze as she took a paper bag out of her backpack, unscrewed the cap off of something, and took a drink from whatever was inside. “Um, yeah, I just moved from New York City.” She laughed, “You moved from that amazing city to crap-hole Carsonville, Michigan? That really sucks, man. I’m so sorry.” I chuckled as she glanced at the clock and started to pack up her stuff.
“I bet it’s safer here, though.” I said, packing up myself.
“How do you mean?”
“You know, because of the vampires.” She looked up suddenly and watched me cautiously as the feeling of tension started to arise. “Oh, uh, I just meant that there’s been a lot of gang violence since vampires came out of the closet and they’re being blamed for most of it...”
She rolled her eyes, “Yeah, being blamed by the church. What else is new? First, they hate homosexuals and now they hate vampires?! Anyone who is just a bit different doesn’t deserve to be accepted in society through their eyes. It’s absolutely disgusting!”
“Are you a vamp-supporter?” I asked just as the bell rang. She turned and smiled like she knew something I didn’t. “Eh, I guess you could say that.” And she started to walk away.
“Wait! I never caught your name!” I called out behind her before she entered the stairwell. She smiled brightly with pearly white teeth that seemed to sparkle in the light. “It’s Aubrey.” Then, she turned and entered with a crowd of people and disappeared.