Alive
Chapter Four
“We’ll be working in pairs today,” Professor Hiller announced three weeks into the semester. “Please find a partner.”
Lance looked at Faith. “Want to work together?”
Faith shrugged. “Sure, I guess.”
After everyone divided up, Professor Hiller told them about their assignment. “You and your partner will research a topic about the Reconstruction and present it to the class in a week. I have the topics and will assign them to you.”
He passed out the papers containing the information they’d need for the assignment and began to assign the topics. Lance and Faith had Johnson’s Plan for the Reconstruction.
“Class will meet in a week and you will present your essay then,” he told them. “Class dismissed.”
“When do you want to start working on it?” Lance asked as he and Faith walked out of the classroom.
“Since we still have an hour until our next class, want to start now? We can go to the library and look up some information.” Faith glanced at the paper. “We need three sources and the paper has to be at least seven hundred and fifty words, along with a ten-minute presentation.”
“Do you know how we can make it interesting?” Lance questioned. “We get points for how interesting our presentation is.”
“We can make worry about that later. Right now we have to concentrate on the essay. It counts for seventy-five percent of the grade.”
“Then we want to get it done this week and work on the presentation on the weekend.”
They headed for the library to work on the essay.
*~*~*
“I have to work with her,” Lance complained. “I have to write an essay and do a presentation with her.”
“Is she smart?” Justin asked.
“Yeah, she seemed smart, knew what she was talking about when we were looking up stuff. But still, I have to work with her. I don’t want to be associated with her.”
“Why Lance? Is she that bad?”
“She’s a Goth. I don’t want to hang around people like that. For all I know, she could be a Satanist.”
“Lance, you’re assuming things again. You’ve got to stop looking at a person’s looks and dress and start seeing them for who they are.”
“Justin, she is presenting the image she wants to the world. If she wasn’t some freak, then she wouldn’t be dressing like that.”
“Who cares what she dresses like?” Justin asked. “It doesn’t mean anything. They’re just clothes, tattoo’s, piercings. Nothing bad. You’ve got a real problem with that. Do you like it when people assume that you’re shy just because you don’t talk a lot? Stereotypes, Lance, they’re all stereotypes. The Goth, the Prep, the Jock. Mama’s boys, good girls. Just because a person dresses or acts a certain doesn’t mean they’re that.”
*~*~*
“It would be my luck to get stuck with a guy who’s frightened by me,” Faith complained to Catriona, Sarah, and Elona.
“Who?” Elona asked. She was sitting in full lotus position on the floor.
“This guy in my history class, Lance Bass.”
“And you have to work with him why?” Elona inquired.
“We have to work in pairs for an assignment.”
“Ah, you poor child.” Elona laughed. “Just think if he ever met me. He’d probably be beyond frightened.”
“So you do realize you’re scary to other people?” Catriona asked.
“Of course, Cat. I am myself frightened by me at times.”
“Then why do you act the way you do?” Sarah asked.
“Because I can’t do anything else but this. I do not know another way to act. Remember, I am a nigh creature with bloody passions. I do not know another way of life.” With those words she stood up. “I’m going out now. See you tomorrow night.” She picked up the black cloak sitting beside her and walked out of the apartment.
“She is frightening to everyone who knows her.” Sarah’s words hung in the air.
*~*~*
“We need to figure out where we’re going to meet this weekend so we can work on our presentation,” Lance told Faith as they walked out of the library. They’d just finished writing their essay and Faith was going to type it up.
“I live in an apartment with three other people,” Faith said.
“It’s better than my dorm room, so do you want to work at your place?”
“I guess,” Faith said. “You’ll just have to excuse my roommates.”
“Why are they even stranger than you?” Lance asked, then winced. That sounded totally insulting.
“One is more normal, one is about as strange as me, and another is way stranger. She even frightens us.”
“Sorry about that question, it sounded totally insulting.”
Faith shrugged. “You get used to people saying things like that. It’s all part of life,” she said, walking away.
“And I’m, one of those people,” Lance said, watching her walk to her car.
*~*~*
“It’s the Goth slut again,” Wade Robson said, laughing. He, along with JC Chasez and a few of their friends, had stopped in front of Catriona, taunting her once again.
“You really need to come up with new insults, you know,” Catriona told them. “You’re “Goth slut and bitch” insults are getting annoying.”
“Oh, are our insults getting on your nerves?” Wade asked. “Maybe you should think about changing.”
“And become friends with you so I can insult my friends? No thanks. I don’t turn on my friends like that. And I have more respect for myself than to become a sheep.” She said that while looking at JC, who was unable to meet her eyes. He knew she was talking about him. He had turned his back on an old friend.