Alive
Chapter Two
“Did you see the look on that guys face?” Catriona laughed, trying to copy the guy’s face right after she’d insulted him.
“Only you Cat could do something like that.” Faith laughed at her friend’s impression. “Did you notice the guy with curly brown hair and blue eyes?”
“Yeah. And I thought ‘What a pity. To waste a face like that one some little follower.’” Catriona sighed. “He was cute.”
“That’s JC Chasez.”
Catriona looked at Faith. “You’re kidding me.”
“No, I’m not. That was JC. Once my best friend and practically my brother.”
“I thought you said he was unpopular.”
“He was, up until he went to high school I guess. I’m two years behind him and then my parents sent me to St. Catherine’s All Girl Catholic School, so I never saw him in high school.”
“Faith, how many times I have told you not to say that name? I am trying to repress all of those memories of high school. Please do not mention that place.”
“Please Cat, do you think I want to remember it?” Faith shuddered as she pulled up in front of a mall, where they were meeting Chris and another friend, Joey Fatone. “That is the biggest reason why I’m like I am now. All of those tortures.”
“Drop it and let’s go find Joey and Chris.” Catriona climbed out of Faith’s black ‘67 Camero. “Do you think JC remembers you?”
“I know he does. His eyes told me he remembers me.”
“Think he’ll tell your parents about everything?”
“I don’t know. If he does, oh well. Not like I care what they think.”
“Took you long enough,” Chris complained when they met up with him and Joey in the Food Court.
“Got held up by a group of sheep,” Catriona told him, dropping into a chair beside Joey.
“Huh?” Chris looked at her like she was crazy.
“Preppy jock/frat type guys. You know, followers. Slaves of all things cool and in style. The boy band guys. The ones that everyone thinks are wonderful but are really just good-looking and have nothing else going for them.”
“Ok, Cat, you can stop now,” Chris said. “We get your idea.”
“You certainly don’t like those people, do you?” Joey asked.
“No, not at all.”
“Why?” Joey asked.
“A few things that happened at home,” Catriona told him. “Nothing big. It just made me hate preppies.”
Joey changed the subject, realizing it was something Catriona didn’t want to talk about. “How many tattoo’s do you have?” he asked.“Six,” she responded. “And I would offer to show them to you, but then I’d have to take off my shirt and I don’t want to do that in public.”
“How long have you been getting them?” Joey asked.
Catriona looked at Faith. “When did we get our first tattoo?”
Faith thought for a minute. “A year ago. It was the beginning of our senior year. And then the rest we got throughout the year between now and then.”
“How many do you have?” Joey asked Faith.
“Five. And I have twenty-one piercings.”
“She’s crazy,” Catriona said.
“How old are you two again?” Chris asked.
“Eighteen,” Catriona told him. “I turned eighteen January first, Faith May first.”
“So how did you get all of those tattoos and piercings?”
“Lied about our ages,” Faith responded. “And no one ever asked to see ID.”
“You two bad girls.” Chris shook his head, laughing.
Faith glanced up then, and caught Lance’s eye. “Am I just destined to see him everywhere I go?” she complained to no one in particular.
“Who?” Joey asked, glancing around.
“This guy I sat next to in Survey of U.S. History this morning,” Faith told him. “I think I frightened him.”
“Hardly surprising,” Joey commented.
Faith glared at him.
“Hey, I was just saying-”
“Joey, if you want to want to be able to walk, shut up,” Faith told him.
“Ok, I’ll shut up now.”
“Good boy.” Catriona grinned at him.
“Bitch.”
“I know. I’m glad someone else noticed. I’ve been working so hard at being a bitch today.”
“Only you, Cat, would say something like that.”
“That’s because I’m an original. I am unique. I’d never be a follower.”
Faith tuned out her friend’s, instead watching Lance.
*~*~*
“There she is again,” Lance said to Justin. “Doesn’t she frighten you? And her friends are all the same.”
“I don’t see what’s so wrong with them,” Justin said, looking at the four people. The other girl with her was tall, with pale blonde hair that had blood-red streaks in it, and was also dressed in baggy black pants and an even more revealing top. The taller of the two guys they were with had bright blue streaked hair and was dressed in jeans and gray shirt with dragons on it. The other guy had spiky black hair, was wearing a spiked collar, and had black pants and a Metallica tee-shirt on.
“They’re freaks!” Lance exclaimed.
Justin rolled his eyes. “Lance, you have to stop judging people on their looks or what they wear. For all you know, the girl is a good Christian girl who wouldn’t dream of doing anything bad and her clothes are just her way of rebelling.”
“I seriously doubt that,” Lance said. “She has tattoo’s and piercings, too. I don’t think good girls get tattoos.”
“All I’m saying Lance is don’t be too hasty to judge people.”