The New Kid

         Words could only flutter across one's mind when they think of how to explain her; beautiful, sweet, out going, kind hearted. Born into riches and happiness Elena stood out as the girl that peers looked up to, not only due to her effortless charm but she had this feeling that invaded anyone's judgment. She was a headstrong girl, the only thing she let go to her head was education. Good grades came easily with her strong will. The school wasn't the only trick she had up her sleeve. Boys, the only other thing on a straight teen girl's mind. She was a babe magnet. Her petite physic was undeniably eye catching completed with toned features and a busty surprise. What really attracted the boys was her naturally alluring features from her hazel eyes to her flawless porcelain skin, she had it all; perfectly sculpted jaw line, meticulously indented cheek bones, long flowing brunette hair and her soft plump lipped shining smile. She is the type of touch up girl you saw on a Cover Girl magazine. Beauty is an unthinkable way to hide so many secrets, the way Elena did.
         Inside she fought a battle and she was quickly growing tired of the perfection making her lack reality. Love was her most prominent concern. How can anyone be in love with the person I am when they're caught in a cage with a beast masked with beauty? I'm a siren and they're just another victim. she wondered. Guys just dropped their jaws when she was around but that's not what love is and she knew that. She wanted someone to love her the way she wanted to be loved for her personality. Every day just felt the same, no one stuck out the way she did. Couples crowded the halls kissing around corners and whispering "I love you". It all made her feel so hopeless. Until one day while her head was down as her scattered mind finally agreed one thing. The new boy in the door frame.
         It now became obvious to her from the service dog and leash in his right hand that he could be the one. Love had filled her heart in the second it took her to notice him. As Ms. Kodak called to the class "This is Caleb, he is new to the school and he is legally blind. Although he does have a service dog it would be nice if someone would guide him to classes to make him feel safe and welcome. Would anyone like to help?" Many hands had gone up not that Caleb could see but Ms. Kodak could see the excitement raise in Elena as her arm emerged and the words "I'd love to" came spilling from her lips. The sides of Caleb's mouth rose into a shy, genuine smile that made Elena's heart skip a beat. Ms. Kodak made eye contact with her that made a trail to Caleb insisting she start her task now. As she was supposed to, Elena led Caleb back to her seat where she introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Elena!" she whispered. "Well I bet you can't guess my name, Elena" Caleb sarcastically teased. "Don't tell me. Is it.. Caleb?" "Wow, how did you guess?" To that, she replied "Magic" and turned to adore him. "I may be blind but I can feel your stare. So tell me.. Am I attractive?" he asked. "What? I think your hopes up. Pretty balsy aren't ya Caleb?" she giggled. "Mmm. no, but you didn't deny it so." "Well just so you know for future situations. Yes, you are pretty cute" she flirted. Caleb knew it and she could tell from his smile that he felt the sparks too. The awkward silence began to set in from her embarrassment. Until Caleb broke it. "I wish I could gaze at you. I bet you're beautiful." The rushing of redness to their cheeks was interrupted by the blazing ring of the school bell.
The ringing sent Caleb into a mental haze, remember. A flash of personalities covered his mind like a bad dating app. All these girls that turned him into a scatterbrained mess by the touch of their desire. Relationships never work. Love isn’t a feeling it’s a choice, a choice that ends up destroying every ounce of you that ever felt hope for love. “That’s the bell for passing time. Do you have your schedule? I can take you.” Elena suggested. Caleb just seemed to be out of it now, a sudden mood change consumed him. It wasn’t a dullness in his tone it was the way he seemed to lose all excitement. It brought awareness to Elena. She blamed herself for little things like these. He’ll probably stop talking to me after today, he’ll make more friends and won’t need me anymore. I’m just the girl that helped him his first day. She glanced at Caleb as he stuck out his schedule. “Looks like you have Mr. Longsten for choir, he’s a nice guy I’m sure you’ll like him.” “Thanks, Elena it was nice to meet you. Hopefully, I’ll get to talk to you again.” “I hope so. If you need anything just ask around and you’ll find me. By the way, there’s a cafe down the street that my friends and I go to so if you ever want to hang out we’re usually there after school.”
Maddy and Kyra joined Elena on the walk to Mugs Madness Cafe down the street for their usual hot cocoa and brownies. On the most distant couch from the entrance, they found themselves squished together in comfort. Maddy and Kyra seemed to be bursting with excitement to tell Elena about their day. Maddy staring at the spider-shaped marshmallow in her hot cocoa, started to tell the girls about her plans for their matching costumes. After days of researching costumes and gathering materials, she finally decided on the hardest decision of every fall season. “Let’s go as sugar skulls! I know it sounds weird but I really like the makeup and flower crowns never go out of style. It’s super simple and all we have to do is get a couple dresses.” “Aww, Maddy I really like that. I think we should do it! What do you think Elena?” When they turned to look at Elena they noticed that she was staring at some blind boy standing in the doorway. As Elena got up and ran to the door to greet him their heads spun in confusion. “Who is that?” They asked at the same time.
“Caleb, you came!” Elena announced, excitement overpowering her confusion. “I couldn’t miss out on getting to know you better.” Elena blushed. He always has the sweetest things to say. “I’m so happy to see you. Do you wanna come sit down with me and my friends?” She insisted. “Of course I would.” They approached the table where Maddy and Kyra remained. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to tell you sooner but this is Caleb. Caleb, this is Maddy and Kyra.” The girls nodded as they welcomed Caleb. “He’s new to the school this year and I’m supposed to help him around the school.” “It’s nice to meet you guys” Caleb said as he smiled. Georgia barked. “Who's this little puppy?” Kyra asked in awe. “That’s my service dog, her name is Georgia. You guys can pet her if you want to.” Of course the girls dropped to their knees with the permission to pet his dog.
“So Caleb, now that we have time to talk.. Where did you move from?” Elena asked. “Well, I moved here from Nebraska. We lived in a small town and didn’t have a good income until my mom was offered a better job here. She is a substance abuse and addiction therapist.” Yet she still doesn’t see how I’m hurting. “She sounds like a good person. So what about your dad do?” “My dad left when I was 3 but don’t feel bad, he was an alcoholic. He had a problem since he was a teen. At the time, when my mom met him, it was cool to drink but that faded over the years. It’s the reason she became a counselor. She wanted to fix him because she was blinded by what she thought was love.” Maddy and Kyra looked at Elena with sorrow in their eyes. Elena looked to Caleb and put her hand on his long enough for him to feel her sympathy and to tell him “I’m really sorry you and your mom had to go through that.” “Don’t feel bad guys, I can feel the sadness in the room it’s thicker than molasses in here. I know he wasn’t the best dad but my mom did what was right for us and I admire that. No need to feel bad for something that won’t change. Sometimes I think that it eats him alive to know that he ripped our family apart but I know he’s flushing those thoughts goodbye with another shot of whiskey. I don’t feel bad for him being gone. Anyway let’s lighten the mood. What are you guys doing for Halloween?”
The conversation turned to Maddy with her plans for their costumes. “Well we were just talking about going as sugar skulls before you walked in.” “That sounds like fun. What are sugar skulls considering I’ve only heard of normal skulls.” Caleb asked curiously. “They are part of Hispanic culture, usually associated with Cinco De Mayo. I like them because it’s a more glamorous version of a gorey skull.” Maddy answered. “Caleb, do you dress up for halloween?” Kyra asked. If he could see, he would have given her a sarcastically offended look. “What do you mean do I dress up. My blindness is half my costume! What do you think I go as?” The girls all laughed at his confidence. “What do you go as?” They asked excitedly. “Well I need my mom and Georgia to complete the look but we go as the three blind mice, of course!” Caleb said with a silly smirk. His phone vibrated profusely in his pocket. “I gotta take this, it’s probably my mom.”
As Caleb left to take his call the girls once again faced each other with surprise locked on their expression. “He is so sweet Elena! He’s so funny. Seems like someone was flirting a bit. Does Elena have a little bit of feelings for someone” Kyra teased. “I’m not gonna lie, he seems like a great guy but” Elena was interrupted by Maddy “Don’t come up with another excuse. You know how easy it is for you to get guys. Don’t give us that.” “I wasn’t going to say that, I was just going to say… Well I want to get to know him. I know that.” She said as she peered at him through the front window. As he came walking back in, Elena knew he was coming to say goodbye. She could feel it. “I gotta go guys, my mom needs me home. Thanks for inviting me, Elena. It was nice to meet you, Kyra and Maddy.
Caleb couldn’t believe the doubt and space he had about Elena. How could I not want a girl like that? She seems like the type of girl to intertwine your heart with their own and never let it go. She’s the type of girl you regret letting go 10 years down the line because you thought you weren’t good enough. She’s the type of girl I want to get to know. I can’t hurt her but I can hope that she will be the one to make me happy. With a smile plastered on his face, Georgia led him to the front door.
“Mom, I’m home.” he yelled as he stepped in the doorway. “Hey bud, I need to talk to you about something.” His mom never really said anything like that to him. They had a strong relationship so he figured it must be something to do with his sight. “Mom, what’s going on? Did the doctor say something?” “No sweetie, it’s nothing medical. I just.. There’s something I need to tell you.” He heard the crunch of someone sit down on the couch beside his mom. Georgia started to bark and this wasn’t an ordinary bark. “Georgia, calm down.” He called to the dog. “Mom, is someone here?” “That’s what I’ve been meaning to-” She was cut off by the man sitting beside her. It was a raspy voice, a familiar voice that Caleb couldn’t pinpoint. It irritated him in an very uncomfortable away. Then it clicked when he heard the words “Hey Bubba, remember me”. That raspy voice, he’d heard it before. Like a wall of concrete struck by a wrecking ball, his heart stopped. His mind finally processed who was sitting there. Of all the things that she could have said, of all the things that could have happened, this. I’ve never felt so devastated, so used, so lied to, so betrayed in my entire life. My dad was sitting beside my mother.
It was right then that I had been hurt more than the heartbreak itself. She brought him back into her life and that is when I lost all emotion. That is when love deceived me more than I could process, more than I’d ever imagined. Caleb left that night and never returned. Georgia still cries at the door hoping for him to return.