"Why do you do that? Why do you dress like that? Why can't you be like any other girl?" Elijah asked Rachel with curiosity, the girl who was now hugging her books protectively as she looked at her long grey dress she loved so much.
"What?" Ra...
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High school has always been a nightmare for Rachel. The looks she received almost everyday, the jokes people made about her, everything seemed to be going against her. But somehow deep inside, she was still happy with the way her life was, because she knew that it was one of the fruits of the spirit.
Three years ago, things weren't as complicated as they are now for her. Three years ago, Rachel had many friends, she was considered as 'a normal' person and didn't attract attention on her appearance and dressing style. Three years ago Rachel wasn't who she is now and maybe that's why she was accepted.
She at first, couldn't understand how things were changing for her during the school year, two years ago when she got baptized, accepting to change and give her life to the Lord, she thought there was something wrong with her and that's why people started making fun of her long dresses and unfashioned clothes, her face, which was always naked, free from any kind of make up, and her deep brown curly hair, that seemed to be way too long for some people's taste.
She couldn't understand why she received so many rude and unwanted comments, until the day she received the revelation: « If the world hates you, know that it hated me first. » And since that day, she didn't mind what people could say about her clothes, she didn't mind the insults she could receive because of her beliefs.
Until the day he decided to come into her life.
It was one of these beautiful sunny Mondays, when the sun was shining bright and the birds were singing their favorite songs. Rachel was silently reading one of her favorite books: The Pilgrim's Progress, as Elijah, the boy who made everyone crave for his attention, made his way to her table. He couldn't help but observe her. The way she smiled while traveling through the pages, and he couldn't help but look at her grey dress, that seemed to be too long for her. He wondered why she was always like that.
"What are you doing here all alone?" He asked, making her glance up at him.
Their eyes met, and she couldn't help but be surprised. She knew who he was, of course she knew. He was known by everyone for he was the son of one of the richest and most powerful men in France, and his father being powerful, he thought the world was now in the palm of his hand and his rudeness and harshness towards people seemed to give him whatever he desired.
"I'm reading." As if it wasn't already obvious, Rachel lifted her book up to prove her words before drowning back in the ocean of words she loved so much, almost ignoring his presence.
"I know. I just ask stupid questions sometimes." He whispered, probably to himself but she heard him and couldn't help but smile.
She didn't see Elijah Borman as a powerful person that could hurt people just with his words, because to Rachel, people who spoke words like poison were the ones who were killing themselves without knowing.
"It's alright. What are You doing here? If it is not rude to ask." She spoke again, her turn to ask.
She looked around and met nothing else but emptiness. The school library was calm and she knew she spent too much time in there and without a second thought she checked her phone to see the time: 17:23.
"I needed to breathe. I just needed to get away from a few things." Elijah answered before taking the empty seat that was next to her, bringing her whole attention back to him.
Putting her phone back in her school bag, she turned to look at him, realizing that he was already staring at her with his cold blue eyes. She let out a breathe before speaking up again.
"Oh I understand. Sometimes that's all we truly need, you know, being away from everyone and just stay alone with ourselves." She smiled at him before adding: "Do you want to talk about it?"
Her last question made Elijah burst into endless laughter.
"You really think I'm going to tell you what's going on in my life?"
He looked at her and she was sure she saw something in his eyes. Something that she couldn't understand. Disgust? Why was he disgusted?
"Why not?" She asked, slowly placing her book on the wooden table. "I just want to help, if I can."
He looked at her, his fake smile from earlier fading completely. "Of course. You Christian people think you can help everyone these days as if you have the power to make people's pain disappear quickly." He said before standing up brutally. "I thought I could..." he stopped himself before closing his blue eyes shut, breathing deeply.
"You thought what?"
Rachel asked, not understanding what was wrong with him. She was enjoying his company and just with a question that didn't seem wrong to her, she ruined everything. When he opened his eyes to face her again, she couldn't help but look at him. He looked incredibly tired and hurt? His blond hair was messy and he had bags under his eyes.
"Why do you do that? Why do you dress like that? Why can't you be like any other normal girl?" He looked at her with curiosity, the girl who was now hugging her books protectively as she looked at her long grey dress she loved so much.
"What?" Rachel asked, confused.
Why was he talking about her clothes now? Why did he change the subject so quickly? Why was he even talking to her in the first place? After two years of high school he completely ignored her existence until that day and she couldn't understand why.
"You heard me. Why do you do that? Why do you have to be so strange?" He repeated, his cold blue eyes never leaving her warm chocolate ones.
"You think you're different from everyone else right? Oh yes of course you do, you're the perfect little innocent Christian girl that every parent would love to have. You think you can save everyone in this world and you're a fake hypocrite who's always happy as if your world was far away from reality, far away from this cruel world! Why do you do that? Why do you have to be like that?!"
This time he raised his voice, surprising her and almost even scaring her.
Rachel breathed deeply, her brows lifted in surprise. She couldn't understand what was happening yet the spirit living in her decided to speak up for her.
