Okay, so I got a little distracted here (sorry Stellz). This is for Stella Thomas' contest, where we have to retell a story or fairytale. I choose the sleeping beauty, but as I've mentioned I got a little carried away with the whole 21st century thing.
This is the first part, meaning there are more to come. Have fun reading!
--*--*--*--
About fifteen years ago, Mr. and Mrs. Jones had a baby. A pink, chubby child that looked like every other kid in diapers, except for the huge bush of brown hair that sat at the top of her oval head. I admit: I did not like myself when I was a baby. The pictures, I was just… horrible. Like with creepy, huge eyes. Thank God, my head grew and made it proportional, or I would have to wear sunglasses everywhere. Anyway, I’m trying to tell a story out here. Melanie and Steve, my parents, decided to throw a beautiful baby shower, a few days after I was born. They invited everyone they knew – including everyone from where they worked. Mr. and Mrs. Jones are the principals of the local High School. Every teacher, from English teachers - those who always correct you - to Physical Education ones - that make it sound as if you were in a gym - had an invitation; except for the delightful Chemistry teacher, Mrs. Bagley. She was insulted, and frustrated, therefore she barged into their house, and declared, loud and clear:
“When that girl turns fifteen, I shall flunk her!” She stormed off again. Mrs. Bagley couldn’t be fired, sadly, since she was placed there by the Government. She was not considered so delightful by then. But then, to bring hope to the new parents, Mrs. Mayes declared she would not let the baby flunk, that she’d only have to take lessons during the summer. As if that was any better. Anyway, the party continued normally, everyone eating a ridiculously good looking cake. I have seen the pictures, believe me; I could have eaten all of it.
And here I am, Aurora, a fifteen year old girl. Other than my eminent negative results on this new school’s year, I have yet another freakish problem – something even the doctors could not explain. I fall asleep easily. Too easily. If I close my eyes for more than three seconds, and I am excruciatingly bored, that’s it for me. And it gets worse. I can only wake up if I’m kissed. Yep, you heard right, kissed. But not a romantic kiss or anything, just a peck anywhere, really. It’s some weird reaction, the doctors said, that will always wake me up. Eh, as long as nobody bothers me it’ll be fine. Well, except for the fact that I only have one friend now.
People tend to not like me, if I fall asleep on the phone or in the middle of a conversation. I couldn’t tell them my issue, no. I would be selected ‘Freak’ of the year. I might have some though competition, not naming people especially not that girl from 1-B, but I’d still win it. Even if they actually believe it, because most would call me a liar. Yep, no tight bodings or anything. Oh, except for Caroline! Right, my best friend. I love her. She’s like my soul mate; if always expected to find that in a guy, but she came first. And with me drifting off to dreamland all of a sudden who’d want to go out with me? But I did not need a boyfriend desperately around this time. I needed a friend.
Caroline had ended up in other class than mine, 1-A, while I was in I-C; the one is the year, therefore I am in the tenth grade – high school finally! When I left middle school it looked more like a pre-school than a normal middle school. The kids were getting smaller every year! I always believed they would fall back with the weight of the backpacks.
It was, in fact, the first day of school and I was miserable saying goodbye to my best friend. I walked straight up to classroom number 4, my pace quite slow, hesitating. I entered the classroom soon enough, sighing, and took my place by the back. The teacher, gratefully, knew about my situation. All the teachers knew, since my parents, the ‘big’ bosses of the school, made sure everyone knew so that my grades wouldn’t be prejudiced by that little situation. I have trained myself to blink fast, and my eyes not to need rest. Or I’d fall asleep, as if dead due to the fact that no one remembered to wake me up with a kiss. If I fell asleep in class, the teacher would ask someone to carry me to the infirmary, where someone would kiss my hand or something like that. But that was in middle school; I could not just fall asleep around here. I had to control that, mind over whatever that impulse was. Maybe it wasn’t even decease, since I bet it wasn’t in any medicinal book.
I had placed myself conveniently by the window. I looked outside: rain. It matched my mood perfectly. Even though I recognized some of the people in my class it was still all gloomy without Caroline. I just was so used to her presence, that her absence was noticed ten times more than anyone else’s. I sighed once again, and pulled out my Nokia mobile phone from my jean’s pocket. I texted Caroline, telling her that even though classes were boring, classes without her were even worse. The signed saying ‘Delivered’ appeared, and I was about to look up when someone cleared their throat really loudly. MY eyes drifted up; the professor was staring at me, with his eyebrows raised. I handled him my phone without a word, and turned my head back to the window. Great! Just another thing to make this all better. Someone behind me chuckled. I turned around, irritated. This person was laughing at my misery!
“What’s wrong with you?” I started complaining. I had more to rant at him, but I was stopped at his sight: chocolate brown eyes, messy brown hair; I had never seen this guy before. I was stuck staring at him for a few seconds. He raised his eyebrow, but turned into a playful smile on a split second.
“What is wrong with you?” His voice was deep, with a hint of gaiety behind it, yet calm. Why couldn’t I think of an answer? Of something that would make him shut up? Argh! Think, Aurora! I opened my mouth to talk, even though I hadn’t thought of anything smart to say that would piss him off. He laughed again; I must have taken a while and my voice didn’t even come out. Instead, the professor came by us again, certainly startled by this stupid guy’s loud laugh.
“Miss Jones, Mister Mason, you seem to getting off very well. Detention, five o’clock.” The teacher walked away again. Ugh. History teachers. Always so… well, boring and dull. I turned around with a brusque movement, very irritated. This guy! First he laughed at me, and then got me into detention! Oh, I was so going to hear it later, at home. Or even before, since, luckily, my parents work at the school. They run the school. Everything gets to them in a split second. Ugh.
“Now that some of you have settled down, let’s talk Romans. The Ancient Empire of the Romans…” I switched the button to off, and stopped hearing anything. Incredibly, I quite enjoyed History, just not the teachers. This one, for example, was invited for a dinner party once – I was only six – and he stole my slice of cake, saying young girls shouldn’t eat such things. And it was a very good looking cake! Sponge cake with mascarpone, made by my mother. Of course, I stole a larger slice later anyway, but he still took my cake away. That deserved eternal hate.
I scribbled on my notebook, making small abstract drawings on the borders of the leaf of paper. I looked out the window again, and it was still raining. This day was going perfectly! Just my luck.
I waited for the bell to ring, and when it finally did, I thought of the rational explication of why time passed by so slowly when you were bored. Eh, what did I care? Now I got to see Caroline for fifteen minutes. I walked down the stairs; I wasn’t sure where she was, so I’d have to look for her. I went up to the cafeteria, where some people were already eating rather unhealthy snacks, but she wasn’t there. I searched the library and the level near the classrooms that had some benches next. The school was crowded, since it was raining outside so everyone gathered inside the building, except for some weirdos that wanted to get some kind of pneumonia that were wondering outside. I found her at a table, with some people I knew: Stephanie, Lucy, Catherine and Joana. They greeted me, rather cheerfully, and I was a bit surprised at first. I replied with a ‘hi’, and sat next to Caroline. She didn’t even notice I was there. She had her head supported on her hands and was sighing every other minute.
“What’s wrong with her?” I asked the girls, since Caroline was on the Moon.
“He happened,” Lucy declared, pointing at the basketball players.
“Love is in the air…” Stephanie began to sing, with a dreamy voice, but Caroline appeared to wake up and smacked her arm.
“Shush it.”
“Or he might hear you.” Joana lengthened the ‘you’ and giggled next. Caroline blushed a deep pink tone, and smiled shyly.
“Ooooh,” I said, somewhat understandingly. I winked at her, and she proceeded to stare at him. “Who is him?”
“Sean Waterdam.” I looked over at him again, and he smiled at Caroline. She blinked and turned her face away. I had never seen her like that. It was gratifying to see your best friend happy like that. It planted an immediate smile on my face. And then I noticed his company: that stupid guy from History class. Well, if Sean and Caroline got together I guess I could stand him. Catherine detected my long staring at the table, and asked,
“Have you fallen in love too, Aurora?” Her voice was playful, but she smiled.
“Barely. I want to tear that guy’s head off and feed it to crocodiles.” It was much friendlier than what I had truly in mind. Her smile dropped, as she got curious.
“Who?”
“That one there.” I pointed at the brown haired guy.
“Jake Mason?” She asked, unveiling his name. “Why?”
I wasn’t much of hateful or resentful person, but that guy really pissed me off. Who was he to blend into my life? Wait, he was a basketball jock? I asked Catherine that.
“No. He’s on the soccer team. I think he’s captain or something. But he and Caroline’s guy are childhood friends or whatever.” You could always count on Catherine to know the gossip around.
“Hey!” Caroline complained. “He’s not mine.” Her voice was a bit higher than usual. “Yet,” I heard her add under her breathe. I smiled at her, and once again the bell rang. I said bye to them and walked back to my classroom. Joana followed me. I can’t believe I hadn’t seen her before: she was in my class. We walked into what would be English, and she sat on the table to my right. Good, at least I knew her. My eyes started to burn and I closed then for one second. I could feel the numbness fill me, and I only snapped out of it when Joana elbowed me. I looked at her and she pointed at my left. It was the Mason dude. Joana had heard me, surely, or she wouldn’t have called me. My smile dropped, and Mrs. Longman entered the classroom.
“Good morning, students! Are we excited? This is going to be a fun class!” Her voice was loud for all the class to hear, and showed her excitement.
“Yep, great.” I muttered under my breath. I looked at him again, and he smiled at me. He had sat there on purpose.
