9 girls. 9 perspectives. 9
lives.
One word.
One story.
~~~~~~~~~
.Oriana.
Oriana wouldn't really call
herself noticeable. Slightly attractive, maybe but never
outgoing enough for people to actually take note of who she
was. So as she quickly sauntered her way towards the
school's sophomore prince, she wondered exactly how her
feet moved towards the exact opposite direction of where her
brain wanted them to go. And yet, she continued on.
She stopped at an enough distance for him to notice her
presence, but not close enough for people to accuse her of
flirting with him. Oriana has known Braith Kroft since 4th
grade, when her father's company moved him from the
bustling city of San Francisco to a relatively unknown town
called Lakeside Woodlands.
He had an amiable personality, a
charming grin, an athletic body, and the face of an angel.
Braith inherited his gorgeous mother's striking blond hair
and captivating blue eyes. Which was exactly why Oriana
couldn't help herself from falling head over heels with
him.
Granted, as the years passed,
their priorities and differences drifted them farther and
farther away from each other. While Oriana only did marching
band and volunteer work as extracurricular activities, Braith
kept himself busy with Baseball, Football, Basketball, and
Lacrosse. While Oriana was an unknown band geek, everybody knew
who Braith Kroft was.
So as he turned and met her
frightened green eyes, Oriana wondered just how high the degree
of insanity she was momentarily in. She noticed that the two
friends of his were also staring at her, and she bit her lip
and slowly spoke, "Hey, can I talk to you for a
second?"
Braith cocked an eyebrow. "We're talking, aren't
we?"
"Um, I meant, alone." Oriana fidgeted with her hair
as Braith and his friends gave each other looks that she
couldn't really describe. He nodded towards his entourage
and they reluctantly walked away. Braith crossed his arms and
asked, "What is it?"
Oriana didn't respond. She merely held out a small pastel
orange colored envelope towards him. He slowly took it out of
her grasp and opened it. Oriana felt as if time was stopping.
Nobody spared them a glance, something she was grateful for.
Attention was something she tried to avoid.
He flipped open the letter she had personally written. Oriana
could've recited the whole thing by memory considering how
many times she's read it to herself.
"Hey, Braith. This is Oriana. I know that we haven't
really talked all that much or interacted all that well, but
this is the start of a new school year and I really wanted to
get this off my chest.
I like you. I like you a lot.
I've liked you since I moved here in 4th grade. If you
don't remember, we were in Mr. Schall's class together.
This might seem a bit pathetic, and I hope you're not
thinking that I'm throwing myself all over you but I would
really like the chance to get to know you better. I know that
you're more than just the cool athletic guy everyone
believes you to be. So...
Will you please go on a date with me?"
She met his striking blue eyes one more time. He wetted his
lips, which for some reason, Oriana found a bit disgusting. She
toop a miniscule step back. He cleared his throat and after the
awkward pause, he finally responded.
"Um, Oriana. Listen, you seem like a nice girl. It's
just that you're not really the type of girl I'm into,
you know?" Braith waited for her response.
Inside, Oriana felt like wanting the floor too open up and eat
her alive. Disappear off the face of the earth and never come
back. She should have honestly seen this coming. Of course she
knew what type he liked. The busty kind, instead of her
small-sized chest. Sporty with curves in the right places, and
faces without acne, and outgoing personalities, not to mention
- an experience flirt.
Everything she was never going to be.
She reached out for the letter and nodded, staring down on the
floor. "Don't worry, I understand. Bye." Oriana
walked away, embarassed and feeling like the dumbest person on
Earth.
"Hey, Oriana?" Braith called out from behind her, and
for one moment - she hoped he was going to change his mind.
"Your backpack's open." He bluntly informed her,
pointing.
Oriana felt blood rush to her cheeks as she hastily zipped up
her bag. Before walking away for the final time, she spared one
last glance at Braith. He was swaggering away with a pretty
brunette on his arm and sauntering towards his group of
A-lister friends.
The only thought that ran through Oriana's mind as she
turned around her walked back to the band room was:
"Why did I even bother trying?"