Post by Louise on Aug 10, 2010 23:18:54 GMT -5
Breaking The Mould
(Coz' I suck at titles. xP)
I had to write a story for my Creative Writing AXS class. So, this is the unedited version. Mainly because I have to somehow make it down to 800 words.
Tell me what you think.
(Coz' I suck at titles. xP)
I had to write a story for my Creative Writing AXS class. So, this is the unedited version. Mainly because I have to somehow make it down to 800 words.
Tell me what you think.
At Dullsville Academy for the Boring and Besotted, everyone fits in. It is full of your average people, and most have no personality whatsoever. At this school, everyone is stereotypical, snobby, and shop-worn.
Well, almost everyone. Rachel Hickman isn't your average person.
Rachel is a break in the mould. She is smart, talented and imaginative. But unfortunately, people like her are frowned upon here at DABB. Why, you ask? The answer is simple: She's just not like everyone else.
The problem is that Rachel doesn't get the opportunity to shine. She is shy and insecure, meaning that she desperately wants to be in the 'it' crowd. And, if that means becoming a blonde, bubbly bitch, then so be it. She did what she had to do to not become one of the 'freaks' that were at the school. The 'freaks' in question were the ones that did not belong - the artistic children; the ones with the creative streak in their genes. Everyone else wanted to be corporate drones, or fashion designers, or something of the sort.
So Rachel dyed her hair blonde, and hung out with the popular group, in a dire attempt to be accepted.
However, it was an outrageous, strange, and just-plain wacky character that would change her life forever.
It would have been any other typical day. Rachel had spent the time waiting for school to start with Millie, Anna and Sapphire, the most popular girls in her grade. They were talking about something about Twilight, a subject in with Rachel was not the least bit interested in. She drifted off into her own little world, thinking how life would be like if vampires were real. It was a random thing to think about, sure, but that was what she did frequently; imagining surreal scenarios.
"So, Rach?" Millie asked, turning to her. Millie was the leader of the group, and she sure did fit the formula of a queen bee well - she was tall, blonde, and above all, evil.
Rachel drifted out of her dream-world. "Huh?" she asked. "I wasn't paying attention."
"Obviously," Sapphire added, rolling her eyes. Sapphire wasn't as popular as Millie, or even Anna, but people still knew who she was. She had that reputation. "So, are you Team Edward or Jacob?"
Anna, the outgoing and somewhat obnoxious one of the group, bounced in her seat. "Ooh, Team Jacob!" she squealed, clapping her hands in glee.
"Well," Rachel began, "I'm not a big fan of Twilight."
The three girls looked at her in shock, as if they had learned that Justin Bieber had died or something.
"You've got to be joking." Millie stood up, and flipped her seemingly-perfect hair over her shoulder. "C'mon, let’s leave the weirdo be." She walked off, her loyal friends following her.
Rachel sighed as she was left alone - this was not a good sign. But luckily, the bell rang to go into class. She stood up and walked quickly to her first class of the day - English. It was a subject that she enjoyed, although she would never admit it. None of the other kids liked learning about writing.
When Rachel got to the classroom, she silently walked in and took a seat in the back corner of the room. When it came to learning, she liked to be left alone. It helped her concentrate.
One by one, she watched as her peers entered the room. She kept her head down as the troublesome trio (Millie, Anna and Sapphire) walked through the door with confidence. They weren't forgiving of her declaration of anti-Twilightism, so they chose to sit at a table on the other side of the room. Rachel wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not.
The teacher then walked in. Ms Valentine was a short, stocky woman, who always believed in the conventional way of things. "Today, class," she began, "we will be learning about the importance of punctuation." She turned and wrote "PUNCTUATION" in huge letters across the blackboard, ignoring groans from a bunch of jocks in the back of the room. She continued with her lesson, but was interrupted by a knock at the door.
When she answered a door, a girl practically shoved a timetable in her face. "I'm apparently in this room," the stranger declared, walking in. She stopped in the middle of the room and scanned around for a seat.
People snickered at the girl's outrageous appearance. She donned a Cobra Starship t-shirt, a pair of skinny jeans, and multiple bangles on her arms. She did not wear what others wore, which was obvious by the way that the girls scoffed at her clothing. But what stood out the most is that her hair was a distinct purple colour. She looked...well, she looked absolutely awesome. Rachel felt ridiculous for opting to wear a hot pink polo shirt and miniskirt. It was what everyone else wore, but she didn't feel comfortable wearing something like that. But hey, it's what she had to do to fit in, right? That's what mattered.
The girl began to walk over to the empty seat next to her, and people whispered as she walked past. Millie, Anna and Sapphire just laughed out loud and began to diss about her. Please, please don't sit next to me, Rachel prayed. Please, please...
"Sup, homescilly," the girl said, sitting next to Rachel. She didn't seem to be bothered by all the stuff that people were saying.
Rachel cringed; this would definitely damage her reputation. But, she decided it wouldn't hurt to be friendly. "Hi," she replied. "What's your name?"
"Call me Callie," the stranger answered.
"Is that your name?"
"It's close enough." Callie smirked.
They got to talking, and Rachel realized that Callie was very interesting - much more than Millie, Anna and Sapphire. She actually talked about topics that she cared about. And Twilight? It turned out that Callie also had a dislike for the popular series. In fact, she spent most of her time screaming praise for Vampire Academy, and how she thought that Adrian Ivashkov was much more attractive than Edward Cullen.
Rachel liked Callie; she made her feel like an individual.
Instead of sitting with Millie, Anna and Sapphire at lunch, Rachel decided to hang out with Callie.
"And that," Callie concluded, "is how you make the perfect soft pretzel." She opened her lunchbox, and basically devoured the savoury snack. "Like this one."
Rachel nodded. "Can I try some?" she asked, and Callie gave her a piece. "Sure."
As they munched on their lunch together, the Troublesome Three came over. "What are you doing, sitting with that freak?" Millie asked, sneering at Callie in disgust.
"...I like her," Rachel answered softly. She hated it when they criticized what she did, no matter what the situation.
"Come sit with us," Sapphires butted in. "You're way cooler than...that." She gestured towards Callie.
"Don't talk about me like I'm not here," Callie retorted, standing up. She towered over all three girls, due to her tall height. "She can do whatever the hell she wants."
Millie snarled. "Ew, don't talk to me."
Callie rolled her eyes. "Oh, you can kiss my sass for all I care," she snapped. "Just leave us alone, the world doesn't revolve around you and what you want." She sat back down again, and ignored every insult that Millie threw at her. Eventually, the three girls left, defeated.
Rachel was impressed. She had never seen anyone stand up to them like that. She decided then and there to be herself from now on. That way, she could be more like Callie, and less like Millie.
Slowly, Rachel began to shine. Thanks to the influence of Callie, she was her own person. She let her hair be her natural hair colour, a fiery red, and dressed in a way that felt like her. Millie, Anna and Sapphire didn't talk to her anymore - if anything, they laughed about her behind her back. But Rachel didn't care anymore. She knew that they would never amount to anything in life, with their attitude. However, she could do anything that she wanted, without worrying about what everyone else thought.
Well, almost everyone. Rachel Hickman isn't your average person.
Rachel is a break in the mould. She is smart, talented and imaginative. But unfortunately, people like her are frowned upon here at DABB. Why, you ask? The answer is simple: She's just not like everyone else.
The problem is that Rachel doesn't get the opportunity to shine. She is shy and insecure, meaning that she desperately wants to be in the 'it' crowd. And, if that means becoming a blonde, bubbly bitch, then so be it. She did what she had to do to not become one of the 'freaks' that were at the school. The 'freaks' in question were the ones that did not belong - the artistic children; the ones with the creative streak in their genes. Everyone else wanted to be corporate drones, or fashion designers, or something of the sort.
So Rachel dyed her hair blonde, and hung out with the popular group, in a dire attempt to be accepted.
However, it was an outrageous, strange, and just-plain wacky character that would change her life forever.
It would have been any other typical day. Rachel had spent the time waiting for school to start with Millie, Anna and Sapphire, the most popular girls in her grade. They were talking about something about Twilight, a subject in with Rachel was not the least bit interested in. She drifted off into her own little world, thinking how life would be like if vampires were real. It was a random thing to think about, sure, but that was what she did frequently; imagining surreal scenarios.
"So, Rach?" Millie asked, turning to her. Millie was the leader of the group, and she sure did fit the formula of a queen bee well - she was tall, blonde, and above all, evil.
Rachel drifted out of her dream-world. "Huh?" she asked. "I wasn't paying attention."
"Obviously," Sapphire added, rolling her eyes. Sapphire wasn't as popular as Millie, or even Anna, but people still knew who she was. She had that reputation. "So, are you Team Edward or Jacob?"
Anna, the outgoing and somewhat obnoxious one of the group, bounced in her seat. "Ooh, Team Jacob!" she squealed, clapping her hands in glee.
"Well," Rachel began, "I'm not a big fan of Twilight."
The three girls looked at her in shock, as if they had learned that Justin Bieber had died or something.
"You've got to be joking." Millie stood up, and flipped her seemingly-perfect hair over her shoulder. "C'mon, let’s leave the weirdo be." She walked off, her loyal friends following her.
Rachel sighed as she was left alone - this was not a good sign. But luckily, the bell rang to go into class. She stood up and walked quickly to her first class of the day - English. It was a subject that she enjoyed, although she would never admit it. None of the other kids liked learning about writing.
When Rachel got to the classroom, she silently walked in and took a seat in the back corner of the room. When it came to learning, she liked to be left alone. It helped her concentrate.
One by one, she watched as her peers entered the room. She kept her head down as the troublesome trio (Millie, Anna and Sapphire) walked through the door with confidence. They weren't forgiving of her declaration of anti-Twilightism, so they chose to sit at a table on the other side of the room. Rachel wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not.
The teacher then walked in. Ms Valentine was a short, stocky woman, who always believed in the conventional way of things. "Today, class," she began, "we will be learning about the importance of punctuation." She turned and wrote "PUNCTUATION" in huge letters across the blackboard, ignoring groans from a bunch of jocks in the back of the room. She continued with her lesson, but was interrupted by a knock at the door.
When she answered a door, a girl practically shoved a timetable in her face. "I'm apparently in this room," the stranger declared, walking in. She stopped in the middle of the room and scanned around for a seat.
People snickered at the girl's outrageous appearance. She donned a Cobra Starship t-shirt, a pair of skinny jeans, and multiple bangles on her arms. She did not wear what others wore, which was obvious by the way that the girls scoffed at her clothing. But what stood out the most is that her hair was a distinct purple colour. She looked...well, she looked absolutely awesome. Rachel felt ridiculous for opting to wear a hot pink polo shirt and miniskirt. It was what everyone else wore, but she didn't feel comfortable wearing something like that. But hey, it's what she had to do to fit in, right? That's what mattered.
The girl began to walk over to the empty seat next to her, and people whispered as she walked past. Millie, Anna and Sapphire just laughed out loud and began to diss about her. Please, please don't sit next to me, Rachel prayed. Please, please...
"Sup, homescilly," the girl said, sitting next to Rachel. She didn't seem to be bothered by all the stuff that people were saying.
Rachel cringed; this would definitely damage her reputation. But, she decided it wouldn't hurt to be friendly. "Hi," she replied. "What's your name?"
"Call me Callie," the stranger answered.
"Is that your name?"
"It's close enough." Callie smirked.
They got to talking, and Rachel realized that Callie was very interesting - much more than Millie, Anna and Sapphire. She actually talked about topics that she cared about. And Twilight? It turned out that Callie also had a dislike for the popular series. In fact, she spent most of her time screaming praise for Vampire Academy, and how she thought that Adrian Ivashkov was much more attractive than Edward Cullen.
Rachel liked Callie; she made her feel like an individual.
Instead of sitting with Millie, Anna and Sapphire at lunch, Rachel decided to hang out with Callie.
"And that," Callie concluded, "is how you make the perfect soft pretzel." She opened her lunchbox, and basically devoured the savoury snack. "Like this one."
Rachel nodded. "Can I try some?" she asked, and Callie gave her a piece. "Sure."
As they munched on their lunch together, the Troublesome Three came over. "What are you doing, sitting with that freak?" Millie asked, sneering at Callie in disgust.
"...I like her," Rachel answered softly. She hated it when they criticized what she did, no matter what the situation.
"Come sit with us," Sapphires butted in. "You're way cooler than...that." She gestured towards Callie.
"Don't talk about me like I'm not here," Callie retorted, standing up. She towered over all three girls, due to her tall height. "She can do whatever the hell she wants."
Millie snarled. "Ew, don't talk to me."
Callie rolled her eyes. "Oh, you can kiss my sass for all I care," she snapped. "Just leave us alone, the world doesn't revolve around you and what you want." She sat back down again, and ignored every insult that Millie threw at her. Eventually, the three girls left, defeated.
Rachel was impressed. She had never seen anyone stand up to them like that. She decided then and there to be herself from now on. That way, she could be more like Callie, and less like Millie.
Slowly, Rachel began to shine. Thanks to the influence of Callie, she was her own person. She let her hair be her natural hair colour, a fiery red, and dressed in a way that felt like her. Millie, Anna and Sapphire didn't talk to her anymore - if anything, they laughed about her behind her back. But Rachel didn't care anymore. She knew that they would never amount to anything in life, with their attitude. However, she could do anything that she wanted, without worrying about what everyone else thought.
it's so creative and well-written. Sucks that it has to be 800 words but it will still be super awesome anyway!
It's 1,364 words at this present moment, so that means I have to get rid of half of it.
