Shannon

I think one of these days I'm going to go through and tag all these posts so it'll be easier to find Shannon's Story segments.



"Are you OK?" Shannon asked.

"I'm fine." came Amanda's usual reply.

Amanda had been reticent the last few days. She didn't say much only she hung around a lot. According to Jasmine she started to go home during lunch instead of eating at the school.

Shannon was, of course, worried about her friend. She wanted to help but Amanda was too stubborn. Amanda would claim she was fine or just say "I just need some time" and leave it at that. Shannon had no choice but to trust her.

Things hadn't been much better for Shannon either. It seemed that Cassie had made it her personal mission to ruin her at every turn.

Cassie had started to spread rumors about Shannon. Some where entirely unbelievable, but some where hurtful. Several students had stopped her and asked if she was secretly a guy or even a witch.

"And now you know why I hate the popular kids." Aberdine stated as she gave Shannon a milk shake. "Here. I find sometimes a milkshake solves all your problems." Aberdine had invited her out to the corner street diner.

"How often do you need a milkshake to solve your problems?" Shannon asked.

"Only when I look like you do right now." Aberdine took a seat next to Shannon. "Cassie is a jerk. Try not to let what she says get to you."

"I don't get it. Why would she hate me so much? I didn't do anything to her!"

When the rumors started Shannon just laughed them off. But now they were starting to get hurtful. She just wanted it to stop so she could go back to being the quiet happy girl she was.

"Cassie's got problems. She's been like this since middle school." Aberdine took a sip from her milkshake before continuing. "See, we used to be friends."

"I can't imagine you ever being friends with someone like Cassie."

"She wasn't always like this." Aberdine admitted. "She used to be quiet and shy. Almost like you." Shannon reeled at the thought of her and Cassie having anything in common. "She used to be my best friend." Aberdine stared hard into her glass. "Until she got her first boyfriend.

"He was the most popular guy in our school. And for some reason he had a thing for Cassie. She was so excited finally she was getting attention. They dated for a month or so and then the broke up."

"Why'd they break up?"

Aberdine shook her head. "Cassie never told me. But After that she changed. She had gotten so used to being popular she didn't want to go back to being a nobody. So she started to do whatever she could to keep her status. She started by spreading rumors about her ex. If you think what she says about you is mean you should've heard these rumors! After a while nobody liked him and everyone loved her."

Aberdine stopped and looked at her half empty milkshake. "Ok. This next part I'll tell you because I trust you, but if you tell anyone else I'll kill you I swear!"

Shannon crossed her heart and promised not to tell a soul.

"Ok. When she was popular I was popular. I know its crazy but somehow just knowing someone who is popular made me a somebody. Everybody wanted to be my friend all of a sudden. And I hate to admit it, but I liked it. A lot." Aberdine blushed and drank her milkshake quietly. Shannon smiled.

"One day one of the popular boys asked me out. I was so excited. To think, me. Plain ole' me was being asked out by one of the popular guys? I was in heaven! Turns out, Cassie had her eye on him too." Aberdine stopped and finished her drink.

"So what happened?" Shannon asked.

"The same exact thing that's happening to you. Only difference is no one knew how heartless Cassie was at the time, so everyone believed the rumors."

Shannon felt her heart break. If everyone believed even half the nasty things Cassie was saying about her, she could only imagine how bad it must have been for Aberdine.

"I'm so sorry." Shannon managed.

"Don't worry about. I'm a tough chick. This stuff's got no effect on me." Aberdine winked. "And don't worry about yourself either. A lot of the people in our school know what Cassie is like. They don't believe the rumors for half a second. And, although I hate to admit it, you being friends with Amanda helps a lot."

"What do you mean?"

"The schools divided. Half of them, the ones that only met Cassie this year, want to side with her. The other half side with Amanda. They've seen what she's like and know she's nothing like Cassie. They want her to be the new popular queen. I know she's being all mopey now but she's got a lot more support than just you and Eddie." Aberdine took a sip and look dissapointedly at her empty glass. "You gonna finish that?" She asked pointing to Shannon's milkshake.

"Yes." Shannon clutched her glass close her.

Aberdine pouted. "Fine." She picked up her bag, and headed to the door. "It was nice chatting with you, Baker. I know it sounds cliche but don't let this get to you. It all gets better. I promise."