Impure

Chapter Three

There were around ten teenagers sitting around the table. Eddie sat at the head of the table, looking over all of the kids just like a father would. I saw Joan and Talyn sitting next to each other. There was an empty seat next to Joan which he patted enthusiastically, looking at me. I tentatively walked over to the chair and Hunter sat next to me. I started rubbing my right thumb over my left palm and started bouncing my right leg up and down. I tried taking deep breaths, but I could still feel the panic start to take over. I started to hyperventilate slightly. I closed my eyes and tried taking a deep breath. I started to feel better. I felt a soft hand wrap gently around mine. I opened my eyes and looked to my left. Hunter smiled at me encouragingly.

"So this is the new girl everyone is obsessing about?" drawled a boy with spiky black hair. He picked up a french fry with his hand and dragged it through the glob of ketchup on his plate. He stuck it into his mouth. Hunter squeezed my hand.

"Damien, be nice. Lark just lost her family," Eddie said. Damien scoffed, glaring at me.

"Well, don't act so high and mighty," he said, angrily. "You're not the only one who has lost their family." With that, he jumped to his feet and stormed out of the room. The girl sitting in the chair next to him scurried after her, her long raven black hair streaming behind her.

"Pay no attention to him, Lark," Eddie said, reassuringly. I shook my head.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it," I said, faking a smile.

"Okay," Eddie said, smiling at me. "Well, eat up!" Hunter passed me a plate with meat patties on it. I impaled one with my fork. I plopped it down onto my plate and dislodged my fork. I carefully reached for the platter that held the hamburger buns. I carefully cracked the bun in half and placed the bread on my plate. I lifted the patty and placed it on the bottom piece of the bun. I grabbed the ketchup bottle and snapped the cap open. You must be thinking, wow! Such attention to detail! The truth is, my social anxiety get's out of hand. Paying attention to tiny details is what helps me calm down.

I took a bite of the delicious juicy burger. Hunter laughed at me and I turned to him glaring. Joan and Talyn were laughing hysterically.

"What's so funny?" I asked, mouth full of burger. He chuckled.

"You. You are amazing."

"Ooooooooh!" Joan and Talyn said, leaning forward. I blushed deeply.

"Shut up, you two," I cried, smacking Joan's arm. He looked at me with wide eyes, feigning hurt.

"Ouch!' he said in a monotone voice. I giggled and he smiled at me. We went through dinner, chatting and laughing. All of my former feelings of apprehension and anxiety disappeared and I was happy. These people were unlike anything I had ever experienced before. None of them were angry about their lives. They were different, outcasts, and they enjoyed it.

We live in a world where being different is frowned upon. Here? Everyone is unique and it is celebrated. We all have different stories, we all have different lives. But we are all the same. We are all humans. We are all Impure. And we are all beautiful.