I had just arrived into this school, this was because my dad was transferred to upper management and we had to move in order to accommodate his new work style. I hated my family for moving. I had to leave all my friends, my house, and my dog, because the apartment we were renting didn’t accommodate dogs, so we had to put him in the pound. When I heard the news of the move, I went up to my room in a fit of rage, and stayed up there for hours, until finally hunger got the best of me. The one thing that really got to me, is that I had finally asked the girl of my dreams to go on a date, and she had accepted. This move just shattered that one sliver of happiness.
Once we moved to our new “home” I did not feel like socializing much. I was enrolled in a new school, and that was the end of that. I started school mid semester, so the classes seemed as if they were moving by, and I was standing still, in a fragment of time untouched. I didn’t seem to fit in anywhere. My mother just kept repeating, everything’s going to be ok, but I didn’t believe her. In my first day, I tried to make friends, but the only ones who would approach me were the class representatives; who were forced to associate with me, being a new comer; and social groups, who wanted to fill in new members. I didn’t even know if they even wanted to be friends. The only close encounter I have had with an actual friend is Ryan. He seems like a pretty decent character.
Finally, I was so isolated. There was nobody I could communicate with. During lunch, I just grabbed a packed lunch and wandered outside. I somehow stumbled up to the roof in my rampancy. There was a fence to deter jumpers, not that I would or anything. I leaned on the railing, and I managed to see how the school looked from a high vantage point. It was truly a work of art, the buildings seemed to be so modern, but they also held a certain ancient aspect, as though they had been here for a while. I saw this work of art, and I being alone up there, just made me feel so puny. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a slow movement.
I turned, and there, in a corner of the roof, there was a girl, with short dark hair, hanging down to her neck, which covered half of her face. She just seemed to be stuck in shock, as if in disbelief that anybody else would be up here. Now that I looked at her, I couldn’t help but wonder if I remembered seeing her at some point. She was thin, with a small hourglass figure, and she had a very beautiful face, at least what I saw of it. Then it hit me, she was in my history and in my science class, that’s why I remembered her. I should really start paying more attention to my surroundings. “Hello,” I called out. “H-Hello,” she stuttered, still in a state of shock. “I’m Nicholas, or Nick for short. I think I have you in some classes,” I tried to make conversation. “Y-yes, I think I have you in science.” She managed to stutter out, though it seemed that it was hard for her to continue. She seemed to be incredibly shy, or timid.
We just stood there in awkward silence, “what’s your name?” I asked. “It-it’s Athena,” She replied. It was only then that I realized she was covering half of her face with her hand. Her hand was scarred, it was a deep shade of red, and it seemed to have been burn or cut there. I gazed at her face, and from what wasn’t completely covered by her hand, I could see scarring in the parts her hair covered. I didn’t want to seem insensitive, given the only opportunity I had to actually make a friend. “So, what are you doing up here?” She asked. Her question took me off guard, “I just wandered, I eventually came here, I didn’t have any intentions on ending up on the roof, it just sort of happened. What about you?” She seemed to stare off into nothingness before replying, “I don’t have many friends, but that’s not bad. I like to be alone…” her voice just seemed to whimper, and slowly fade out.
“Would you like to be friends? It’s just that, I’m new to this school, and I don’t really seem to be connecting with anybody else.” I said. “I HAVE TO GO” she quickly yelled out and dashed off, without another word. I was just left wondering, I think I’ll ask around to see if people know that girl. During some of my classes, I tried to ask people about that mysterious girl, but I couldn’t find anything about here, other than the fact that she just kept to herself. Eventually, I just forgot about it. I went to the library to see if she might be there, and sure enough, in one of the secluded corners, there she was. She seemed to be very deep into a book, though from my point of view, I couldn’t make out the title. Like a butterfly on a rose, she seemed so delicate, as if she could flutter away in a single instant. I decided that I should at least try to be friends with this girl, she’s the only contact I have actually had a connection with.
“Hello Athena.” I said. As soon as she saw me, she covered her scars with her hand. I managed to take a small peek at them, and they were not bad, though they did seem to be deep “H-Hi” She responder, her voice was soft and calm, unlike our previous meeting. She seemed to be just looking directly at me, as if she was petrified by the sight of another person being nearby. “Not to be insensitive or anything, but do you have a stutter? It seemed like that the last time we talked.” I sheepishly stated. “No, I don’t have a stutter, I just don’t like talking to others, it’s very uncomfortable.” She replied. “You’re talking to me aren’t you? Would you like to get together sometime or do something? Like I previously stated, I’m new to the area and I still need a person introduce me around. Would you like to?” I asked. She didn’t say anything, but she just slightly nodded. “When would you like to show me around? It’s really your call.” I eagerly stated. “Tomorrow’s good, how about around 5:30ish?” she softly said. “It’s a date” I replied. “Date…” her voice trailed off, “I HAVE TO GO.” And she ran off, same as the previous time. What a mysterious girl she was, but that really played with her character, she seemed nice.
School ended, and I went home, nothing special. Except that, for some reason, I couldn’t stop thinking about Athena, her face was imprinted into my memory. Athena. Athena. Athena. That name rung through my ears, I don’t know what was going on with me. I laid down for a power nap, but even then, my dreams were plagued by her appearance, her face was charming, and her scarring only added more to the mystery of who this person was. I wanted… no, needed to find out more about this single girl. If I am to get her out of my mind, I need to know who Athena is.
The next day, I went to school, and off the bat, I ran over to my closest encounter to a friend, Ryan. “Hey man, what’s up?” asked Ryan. “Hey Ryan, you know a people right?” I asked. “Well, some, do you need to score some weed or something?” He timidly replied. “NO. I was just er, um. What do you know about a girl named Athena?” I directly asked. “The girl with the scars?” He asked. “Bingo.” I remarked. “What do you want to know about her? If it’s about the scars, I don’t have an answer, she really keeps to herself. Not that anybody would want to approach that train wreck.” He said.
“Who is she, to begin with?” I asked. “She’s someone who you don’t want to get involved with. She might seem cute and innocent, but that’s what gets you. People leave her alone for a reason. Bad things happen to people when they get involved with her. I just don’t want to see you hurt.” He said. “Regardless, I still want to meet her. I already asked her to give me a tour of the school, just to get to know about the place, and maybe I can try to be her friend.” I stated. “Oh, I see what’s going on. You have the hots for Athena” he declared. “NOOOOOO” I protested. I just wanted a tour of the place and she was available.” “RIGHT, if you wanted a tour, I could have offered you one. But I am serious about Athena. Strange things have happened around her, be careful. Alright, I’ll talk to you later bro. Your ‘Date’ with destiny, aka, Athena, is almost here.” He said. “Oh, shut up” I mockingly said as I dashed off.
“Athena, hey, Athena” I cried out as I spotted her figure a few meters ahead of me. “I’m ready for that tour, if you wouldn’t mind” I said.