Moving to a new school can be hard; especially when you are
a freshman in high school. MaKenzie McDonald didn’t know what to expect on her
first day at Aesop High School. She had seen many movies about the drama that
surrounds high school and what upper classmen did to freshman. “Will they chase
me and paddle me the way the upper classmen did in that really old Matthew
McConaughey movie?” Kenzie thought to herself. Putting silly thoughts behind
her, Kenzie bravely walked inside and found her first class. As she entered Mrs.
Pettigrew’s US History class, Kenzie couldn’t help but notice all of the other
students laughing and talking to their friends.
“You look scared out of your mind,”
said a voice coming from Kenzie’s left. Kenzie quickly turned around a saw a
tall guy with bright red hair and two tattoos on his arm.
“If you keep looking like a scared
little church mouse, the upper classmen are going to eat you alive. So, I’d
work on that if I were you. I’m Casen by the way.”
MaKenzie took a long look at the boy and decided that with
his eyebrow piercing, intense gaze, deep voice, and Metallica shirt, he was definitely
not someone she wanted associate herself with. Without saying a word, Kenzie
scurried off to an empty seat on the other side of the room. When the bell
rang, Kenzie rushed out of the door hoping to avoid the boy with the rooster
red hair. In her haste, she ran right smack into someone.
“I am so sorry!” MaKenzie said.
Looking up she saw the most beautiful boy she had ever seen.
“Not a problem,” the boy said with
a smile.
“Gosh, he has the cutest smile,
Kenzie thought.
“Here, let me help you up,” the boy
said while extending a hand to Kenzie. “I’m Calum. You must be new here because
I would most definitely remember someone as beautiful as you.”
Kenzie, by some miracle, stood up on her jelly legs.
“I, I’m MaKenzie. I, I’m new here,”
she stuttered nervously.
“Well MaKenzie, I know we just met
but, as president of the student council, I am required to know everyone in the
school; especially someone as gorgeous as you. Why don’t you meet me in front
of the school after classes and we can go someone to get to know each other.”
“Sure,” said a beet red MaKenzie.
As MaKenzie ran off to class, Calum turned to his friends
and said,
“I can’t believe that girl actually
fell for it! I swear freshmen are so gullible! I can’t wait to see the look on
all of their faces when we round them up outside of the school and throw raw
fish at them.”
“Classic!” replied one of Calum’s
flunkies. The boys turned and laughed their way to class. Little did they know a
boy with bright red hair heard every word of their cruel prank.
At the
end of the school day, MaKenzie ran out of her class and headed straight to the
front of the school. She tightly clutched her binder to her chest as she
nervously waited for Calum. After 5 minutes of waiting, she spotted Calum
coming towards her. Just as he was about to approach her, a tattooed arm grabbed
her and pulled her into another room.
“What are you doing!?” Kenzie
yelled.
“Saving you from
your eminent embarrassment,” Casen replied. “That Calum kid is bad news!”
“You’re wrong!” Kenzie shouted. “He
is nice and sweet and he was about to take me out on a date.”
“Is that so?” Casen questioned. “If
he is so nice and innocent then why is he torturing those freshmen?” Casen pointed
at the window.
Kenzie looked out of
the window and to her horror she saw Calum pelting a group of freshman with raw
fish.
“I can’t believe someone as sweet
and attractive as Calum would do something like this,” MaKenzie said. “And you!
You who look so intimidating actually helped me after I ignored you,” she said
quietly with her head down.
Just then, Casen looked MaKenzie in the eyes and said, “Never
judge people, by their looks.”
Authors Note: This story is based on The Cat the Cock, and the Young Mouse from The Aesop for Children with illustrations by Milo Winter (1919). The story is about a young mouse who ventures out on his own for the first time. While out, he runs across a barnyard cock and a cat. The mouse finds the cock frightening and the cat welcoming. As he is about the approach the cat, the cock makes a noise that scares the mouse and causes him to run away. When the mouse tells his mother of his adventure, she warns him about the dangers of the cat and tells the young mouse that he should never judge a person by their appearance. Although we may not do this intestinally, it is easy to
jump to conclusions about someone who we do not one just based on how they
look. There have been research studies conducted that show just how much physical
appearance can influence people’s thoughts. I chose to write in this style as a way to
help the audience follow along with the dialogue without confusion.
