Noa

    Christmas music floated down the hallways of the mall as I walked, even though Thanksgiving was still almost a week away. My hands clenched into fists in my pockets as I winced. Why was I doing this to myself again? Oh right. Because my mother read somewhere that it would be good for me.

    I could feel my TOMS digging into the backs of my feet, more than likely creating blisters. I had to restrain the urge to glance down and silently beg the black shoes to stop. Maybe it was time for some new ones.

    Once upon a time, I used to love walking through the mall at Christmas time. My parents would bring me, Nate and Brendan to see Santa then let us loose (after I turned ten) while they shopped. Then, as time passed, I would take Nate and Brendan and we would just wander, singing to whatever music was playing and arguing about which store to go into.

    Once upon a time, my brother wasn’t dead.

    Most people wouldn’t guess that I was slowly dying inside upon their first look-or second, third, forth, or really at all. A pound of makeup covered my face to hide the dark circles under my eyes and I started conditioning my hair twice as much to keep it from drooping. All anyone saw was a seventeen-year-old girl with blonde hair that just barely passed her shoulders and curled at the end with bangs that were stylishly uneven. The only thing that gave away how I was actually feeling was the fact that my smile never seemed to reach my eyes, anymore.

    Shoe Diva came into view as I rounded a corner but my speed didn’t increase. I still had over an hour before I had to start heading to work so I was in no hurry.

    My purple bag slapped against my thigh as I walked. I’d had it for years now, ever since my cousin, Kaylie had thrown it at me when I showed up to a rummage sale with all my money in a baggy.

    My feet slowed to a stop as I stood outside the store. I hadn’t been there since the accident. Nate and Brendan used to come with and have fun guessing my shoe size. I really didn’t want to go in, but today was about facing my demons. Besides, those red Native American style TOMS at the back were really cute.

    So, I clenched my teeth and stepped through.

 

Damian

    I tried not to make it habit to do random acts of kindness. Mostly because I knew that if I did, people would begin expecting it of me and taking advantage of it. Besides, I had a bad boy reputation to uphold.

    But I just couldn’t help but be drawn to the blonde I saw just outside a shoes store. She was staring into it with a slightly scared expression on her face, as if some monster resided in the back.

    Her name was Noel White, probably the last person I wanted to be seen with, much less do any act of kindness for. She was the type of girl who would be social suicide to hand out with for both of the groups I was in-the populars and the stoners.

    But she had just lost her brother a few months ago, so I couldn’t help myself. I found my feet moving toward the store she had entered. She was at the back, bending over to tug out a box of shoes from the bottom of a pile.

    She stumbled back as the box freed itself, breathing heavily as she regained her balance. The box was clutched tightly to her chest while she walked over to the counter. Huh. She hadn’t even tried the shoes on. Maybe she’d bought a similar pair before and already knew her size.

    Or maybe she just didn’t care.

    I was already pulling two twenties out of my wallet as the salesperson told her the total for her shoes. Noel reached into the purple and green bag that hung on her shoulder, dug around a bit, and pulled out a One Direction wallet. She opened it up, but I was already behind her, slapping the money on the counter.

    “Here, keep the change,” my hand was on Noel’s back as I made brief eye contact with the salesgirl before stalking out. I wasn’t sure if Noel would actually use the money, but either way, someone would be up forty dollars, so I figured that either way I’d done my act of kindness.

    “Hey!” a voice called out behind me when I was halfway down the hallway. I turned around to see Noel jogging up behind me, a black bag now hanging off her arm.

    She skidded to a stop just before she ran into me, panting slightly, “Why did you do that?” she asked, fixing her green headband.

    I shrugged, “Do I need an excuse for doing something nice?”

    “But why me?” Noel cocked her head to the side, “You barely even know me.”

    “It wouldn’t really be a random act of kindness if it was for one of my friends.”

    Noel paused and moved her hands behind her back, “I don’t feel right accepting it from you. I’m not a charity case.”

    “I know. I told you. It was just a random act of kindness. Can’t we just leave it at that?” I sighed, already growing annoyed with the blonde.

    “But I can’t do that!” Noel shrieked, “I’ll pay you back, I promise.”

    I snorted, “Don’t count on it. I doubt we’ll ever see each other after this.”

    Noel stepped back a bit, apparently having remembered her place. People like her didn’t talk to people like me. They sat at their table at the front of the cafeteria and read or wrote stories or whatever the hell nerds like her did. While I sat with the popular people and pretended that they didn’t exist. This was a once in a lifetime thing, caused by the fact that I pitied her.

    She pursed her lips, before crossing her arms and turning away, “Fine. I won’t feel guilty about keeping the change then.”

    She stormed away.

2: Noa

Noa

The shoes were too small for me. I figured that out the next day as I was trying to pull them on over my feet. The right one went on just fine, though it was a little tight, but I spent nearly five minutes tugging the left one over the hump at the top of my foot. Well, that was interesting to know. My left foot was bigger than the right.

I stood up and winced. The edges were digging into my feet every place the shoe ended, which meant that by the end of the day, I would have a long cut just circling each one. Oh well, at least I wasn't the one who'd spent forty bucks on them.

I kicked my toe against the floor three times before moving over to my full length mirror for a last minute self critique. My hair was still crimped from the ponytail I'd had last night, but the black headband with a bow and skulls made it look as if I had meant for it to do so. Purple eyeliner compassed around my blue eyes, causing them to look three shades lighter and pop. Thanks to all my work on my hair and makeup though, I was able to wear a simple Teen Titans t-shirt and blue jeans. Which made it all worth it.

My phone vibrated from my bed as I grabbed my Fullmetal Alchemist backpack. I did an epic ninja lung-which, with me being my clumsy self, resulted in my falling face first on the floor-and grabbed the object. The screen shone bright, signalling a text from my best friend, Diana.

Outside, it read, Get your butt out. We're running late!

I raised an eyebrow at the time. We still had over forty-five minutes left before school started, but decided not to question it. Diana was the driver which meant that today she knew best.

Her golden car-appropriately and unoriginally nicknamed Goldie-could be seen from the kitchen window as I stumbled toward the front door.

"I'm leaving!" I cried in the direction of my parents' bedroom and the bathroom.

"Mom's in the shower!" Nate called back, "I'll tell her when she gets out!"

"Thanks bro!" an almost smile had formed on my face as I threw open the door.

Diana was tapping the steering wheel impatiently as I attempted to run down the porch steps toward her vehicle. Attempted, being the keyword, as I ended up slipping and almost falling countless times during the trip.

"Finally!" she hissed after I had slid in to the passenger seat, my bag safely in the back. "What took you so long?!"

I raised an eyebrow at her, pulling on my seatbelt while she put pulled away from the curb, "It took me a minute-maybe two. That isn't so long."

"When we're running late, it is."

"Di, it's 7:42. School doesn't start till 8:30." I hit my head on the back of the seat and sighed, "Thank god it's only a two day week."

"You're telling me," Diana giggled, brushing her layered brown hair out of her face, "I think I would die if it was a regular Monday." she squealed, and clapped her hands together, "I'm so excited for Thursday! I'm going to pig out on so much turkey!"

I snorted, "Not me. I get to work the overnight shift Thursday so I have to watch what I eat."

Diana snorted, "That's your own fault for getting a job."

"Well, at least I have money."

"Money doesn't buy happiness."

"Yeah, but it buys anime, which is pretty damn close."

Diana pursed her lips in thought for a second, before sighing and nodding, "Alright, I suppose you're right."

I laughed, but it sounded forced and hollow, "As I always am."

Diana opened her mouth, but then closed it right away. She must've caught on with how fake my laugh had been and was now contemplating whether or not to bring it up. Brendan had been a taboo topic for us for the past three months, ever since the accident. Not once had she ever even mentioned him, or looked as if she would. But now, she looked as if there was nothing more she wanted to do than to question me about it.

I bit my lip, trying to think of a safe topic. One that wouldn't lead to Brendan. "Are you excited?" I asked after a minute.

Diana raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

"Because Midnight Memories comes out today!" I gasped, genuinely surprised that she had somehow managed to forget when it was one of the only things I'd been talking about for the past month.

"Oh yeah," Diana laughed, "Sorry. My roots are showing."

I bit the inside of my cheek, feigning anger, "Blondes aren't all stupid."

"But most are."

I snorted, "You're only saying that because you're a brunette and are therefore, jealous of us blondes."

"Yeah," Diana's voice gave away her sarcasm, "I'm jealous."

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By second period, I could officially say that all circulation to my feet had been cut off. I limped down the hallway, biting the inside of my cheek against the pain. Dammit, why wouldn't the shoes just stretch already so that I could start going through my day like normal?

I brushed a stray clump of hair away from my face and focused on keeping myself from falling over. My feet tingled with every movement and I was quickly losing even that feeling. A part of me had to wonder how I was going to make it through the day-if I was going to make it through the day. Maybe I should take them off during class.

My hand whipped out to hold onto the wall to steady myself. I couldn't fall over in the middle of the hall. If I did, then people would look and notice me and I couldn't handle that. Nobody could notice me. I had spent my entire life making sure that nobody would ever even know I existed. I couldn't give it up at the expense of shoes.

I stumbled into German class, happy that most people there wouldn't notice me to begin with. They were all so wrapped up in themselves to even think of seeing the girl who somehow managed to limp on both feet.

"Hey," I smiled, as I sat down in front of my friend, April.

"Hey," April smiled back briefly, before grimacing, "I hurt."

I glanced down at her sweatpants, immediately getting what she meant. April only wore sweatpants when she was on her period, "I hear ya."

"Two weeks late," April rolled her eyes, "It's awful."

I laughed, "Well, I'm on the pill so I wouldn'-"

"I know," April cut me off with a pout, "You're a spoiled brat who doesn't have to deal with this stuff."

I rolled my eyes, "I wouldn't call myself spoiled."

"Girl, your parents bought you a king sized mattress."

"Yeah, but for reasons I'd rather not have," they had bought it during one of my mother's lower moments, where she didn't remember that we couldn't afford to buy stuff like that. She'd just been so lost in her depressions that she forgot most of the world outside of shopping existed. It was during that time that I got most of the nice things I now owned.

April considered that for a second, "I suppose." she trailed off, clearly at a loss as to what to say. I clenched my teeth together, pissed that this was the second time in less than three hours that we'd accidentally stumbled upon the forbidden topic.

"I'm going to buy Midnight Memories today during lunch," Ah, One Direction. Always my savior.

April laughed, "So am I. I'm going to be listening to it all night, tonight!"

"I wish I could," I pouted, "I have to study."

A gasp left April's throats, "Did I just hear you right? You, Noel White is going to study?"

"I know," I waved my hand, "I can't believe it! But I'm failing Algebra so I have to get my 'act together' otherwise I may lose my open enrollment."

"They shouldn't be allowed to do that," April grumbled.

"You're telling me," I quickly agreed before sighing and stretching, "Ah well, at least I only have to deal with math for this year. Next year I'm going to drop it and science completely."

"That won't look good on college applications," April warned, as she always did when I brought this up.

"I know, but I'm not going to college to be some architect." I shuttered, "I'm just going to be a kindergarten teacher or something. I don't need to know the quadratic formula."

"Don't you think it would be good to have a fallback option?"

"Teacher is my fallback." I shot, "What I really want to do is be an author. But the chances of me being able to make a living off of that is next to none."

April opened her mouth to say something else, but the bell cut her off