Elena

Elena was something. For those who were fortunate enough to make her
acquaintance, that was the best description they could make.
She was fourteen years old at that time. She had long, golden-brown hair that
cascaded down like waves in the ocean. Every day, that hair was in a different style,
invented and perfected by Elena herself. Her eyes were a shade of green that matched
perfectly the leaves and grass of May, when she was born. Her figure was slender like a
deer’s.
She made most of her clothes herself. Those that she did not make, she bought at
small stores few had ever heard of. Her clothes were not like anything anyone had ever
seen. She layered clothes, wore real flowers in her hair, and made purses out of skirts.
She participated in all sorts of activities. She played all sorts of sports. She was
never bored, and had no shortage of friends. She drew and painted, wrote poetry and
stories, danced, and played chess. Most importantly of all, she had a small notebook that she carried everywhere with her. In it, she wrote her poetry, stories, observations, and
everything else she thought of.
However, life does not favor those who differ from the norm. At this point in
Elena’s life, just as she was beginning to enjoy it to the fullest, things began to change.
The other girls in Elena’s school were more concerned with boys and fitting in. They
began to detest Elena for not doing the same. She noticed that people were no longer
admiring her new clothes, hairstyles, and ideas, but rather seeming annoyed with her.
Some people called her “weird” and shunned her. Even when she related these troubles to
her best friend, her friend said, “Well, why can’t you just dress and act like the rest of us? No wonder people behave like that.” None of this bothered her at first, because she knew
that these people didn’t matter. But the way she ignored the looks and comments and let
them bounce off of her angered these people even more.
A certain group of girls particularly disliked Elena. They went a step further than
the rest. Whether they were just annoyed, or jealous, nobody knew. They insulted Elena
in front of others, followed her around the school, and even spilled food and drink on her
beautiful clothes “accidentally-on-purpose”. They made up lies about her and spread
them around. The final straw came when her locker was ransacked and her house toilet-
papered.
All of this wrecked havoc on Elena’s feelings. She watched the wonderful life she
had built for herself fall apart. After the toilet papering, she fell ill and was not seen in
school for several weeks. She spent those weeks bitter and resentful. A great change
came over her. Before she returned to school, she made a decision that would affect the
rest of her life.
She got her hair cut so that it was shoulder-length. She bought a straightening iron
and began straightening her hair each day. She wore it either down or in a ponytail. She
bought some plain, undecorated jeans and a grey sweatshirt. She also got a plain t-shirt
that said, “4 words” I. Don’t. Like. You.” She got other clothes, too, but they were all
alike. The handmade clothes that she had so carefully made began gathering dust in her
closet. She dropped most of her activities and spent most of her time surfing the web or
just “hanging out”. She threw away or lost many of her beautiful poems and drawings.
She threw her beloved notebook in a closet and did not open it again until she was thirty-
five years old.
And so, things changed for Elena once more. The girls lost interest in her and
moved on to other differing victims. Well, of course they did; she had become nearly
invisible. People didn’t insult her, but they didn’t praise her either. She thought that she
was happy with her new life, but she was not. She was bored and melancholy. Life had
lost its flavor.
She wasn’t something anymore. She was boring. She was lost.
And no one ever mourned the loss of the school’s most interesting, unique, and
life-loving student.