Long Live

Prologue

    The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the conduct of one hour. - Japanese Proverb

      I nervously played with the necklace that hung around my neck by a gold chain. It had a small heart pendant on it and on the back was an inscription that I knew word for word. I looked at the clock that hung above the whiteboard in my English class. Only fifteen minutes left until this was all over.    

     When my name was called by my English teacher, I nervously made my way up to the front of the class, clenching the pages of paper tightly in my hands. I didn't understand why I was so nervous. I loved talking in front of the class, usually. I could deliver amazing speeches. I took a speech class for things like this specifically. So why was I so nervous? 

     As I walked past everyone, I could feel their eyes following me. Their stares felt like tiny holes were being burned through me, very slowly. I wanted to dash out of the room. They were all waiting to hear what I was going to say I had done over the summer. What magnificent tales I would tell. Had I gone on vacation to an exotic place with my family? Had I met a guy at the beach with some friends? Did I get a summer job? Did I just stay in my room the entire summer like a hermit? The questions were endless.

     I stood in front of the class; I could feel the teacher staring at me from her position by the door to the classroom. She was waiting for me to begin. I had been the unlucky one to be the last to go up and read my paper aloud to the class. She would have a lot of other papers to compare this one to; she was also bored of listening to all the papers that sounded similar. I assure you now; my paper was in no way similar to any of the previous papers that had already been read.

     I adjusted the papers nervously in front me, trying to stall for time. I didn't want to read this to the class, but then again I did. I wanted them to see that there is so much more to life than fitting in or being someone that society will accept. I wanted them to know what he had taught me. The people I had met. How to be comfortable with their true selves. It didn't matter what others thought of them, it only mattered what they thought of themselves and that they liked themselves. I used to be one of those people. I was someone who I wasn't, but now I feel like I am someone who is an individual. Someone who isn't hiding behind a facade so everyone knows my name and my reputation. I wanted people to know the real me, not my reputation or rumors that have been passed around.

     The teacher cleared her throat dragging me from my thoughts. I cleared my throat and took a long look at the bored looking class that sat in front of me. I had grown up with a majority of these people, they all assumed they knew me, but they didn't. I was someone completely different than I was three months ago.

     "Most of you may know me as the school flirt, a cheerleader, arrogant, bitchy, or just a plain old bully, but..." I paused looking up from my paper; the class was giving me critical stares, "I'm not that anymore. I'm Aislinn the girl who loves reading, hates dieting, and wants to make a change in the world. A friend of mine once told me that someone once said, 'The goal in life isn't to live forever, but to do something that does.' I want to do something that lives forever. I want to be that person that pulls someone out of the dark like he did for me."

     The class was just looking at me, I couldn't read their expressions. They looked somewhat confused but still interested. Some still had their critical looks on. I knew that the ones with critical looks were the ones I used to bully. Who could blame them for assuming that I couldn't change? I wouldn't believe that I'd change either if I wasn't the one living the change.

     "This summer, I met someone who changed my life for the better. This isn't going to be about my first love or my summer fling, because he wasn't. He was my friend and my savior," I took a deep breath suppressing the emotion that was coming into my voice, "He was the only one who truly understood me when I didn't. And for that, I am forever-- eternally grateful to him." 

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Hey guys, so first part to Long Live. I promise in the first chapter it picks up. I'd appreciate your thoughts on this story(: I like it, but whenever I seem to like something no one likes it-- so feedback on the idea sounds good. Okay don't want to bore you with this A/N. Thanks for reading remember to vote and comment if you want to(:

 Oh and dedicated to RozalittleDhampir for the lovely cover!!! Go check out her story it's amazing(: