Eleanor Blake

[Cacophonous Cadence]

N A M E
Eleanor Blake

N I C K N A M E
Lenny

A G E
Seventeen

B I R T H D A Y
August Twentieth

B A C K S T O R Yxxxxx
All my life, I’ve always been the perfect textbook example of a little Miss Goody-two-shoes. I was on the honor roll, was always punctual, obeyed my parents, didn’t use curse words, didn’t drink, didn’t smoke… I even go to church twice a week, for God’s sake! And what had all this good behavior gotten me? Outside of my family and their friends that my parents bragged about me to, no one seemed to know of my existence. Even at my church youth group, a place that was supposed to be warm and welcoming I was an outsider despite having known those people since kindergarten. It wasn’t so bad though, being invisible. I got used to it rather quickly and this little real life superpower proved useful. Being a writer, I always strived to make my characters as believable as I possibly could. So I observed people. I would sit in the farthest corner and look out at the crowds, noticing little things about them that probably even they don’t know themselves. Solitude wasn’t too bad when it was what you were used to.

Then I met Rosalyn James.

It was in the beginning of my Sophomore year of High School when I took up the position of student aid in the administration offices. The tasks I was assigned never took too long so the period usually consisted of me staring off into space or using the computer to check my e-mails (despite the fact my inbox was almost always empty). It was basically a free period for me, and with some of the Advanced Placement programs I had enrolled in, the downtime was greatly appreciated.

One day, as I was once more checking my still empty inbox, a student stormed into the office and took a seat outside the principal’s office, throwing herself into the chair with a huff. Raising an eyebrow, I exited out of the web browser and looked to see who the newcomer was. It was none other than Selene Dalca, rebellious Senior who was supposedly brilliant, but very difficult to deal with when it came to her behavior… at least, that’s what I had overheard from a conversation between two teachers. What I knew about her from experience was that she was a notorious smoker, her one weakness that always resulted in her storming into the Principal’s office. Before I realized I was staring, the girl looked over at me. and rudely asked

What the hell are you looking at?
Did you get caught smoking again?
Is it that obvious?
You shouldn’t smoke, it’s bad for your health.
You worry about your lungs.

Before the conversation could continue, the Principal called Rosalyn into his office, sounding tired. As she headed into the man’s office, she looked over shoulder at me. The look she gave me was difficult to decipher, but somehow I knew that this would not be our last conversation.

Sure enough, that day at lunch she was at my table in the corner of the cafeteria. Looking up at me, she greeted me with a half smile.

Hey there, Office Girl.
My name is Eleanor.
And mine’s Selene.
I already knew that.
Why doesn’t that surprise me?

That day, an odd sort of friendship formed between the two of us. Every day it was guaranteed that I would see her at lunch, in the hallways, and every two or three days I’d see her in the Principal’s office. Somehow it was just natural for us to hang out, the saint and the sinner. Selene opened my eyes to a lot of things over the course of our short time together. Other than smoking, some of her hobbies included drinking, getting into fights with people who judged her, painting pictures that were both beautiful and morbid, volunteering at local non-profit organizations on the weekends if she was sober, and chasing after both boys and girls. Needless to say, when I told my parents that I had made a new friend, I gave them the PG version. Overjoyed that their little girl was finally learning social skills, they told me to invite her for dinner.

Despite all the horrific scenarios that ran through my head, that night when Selene came over to meet my parents, she managed to somehow charm her way into gaining their approval. After that night, my parents started to give me more freedoms when it came to hanging out with Ross. Shortly after these new freedoms were bestowed upon me, Ross asked me if I’d like to go to a party with her.

Is there going to be alcohol there?
Don’t wory about it.
So that’s a yes.

Upon arriving at the party, I was welcomed with smells that I had never been exposed to before. Strong liquor, an unpleasant mixture of perfumes and colognes, cigarette smoke, and weed. The music was far too loud and there were far too many bodies packed into the living room of the college student’s small apartment. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I was the youngest one there and instantly my fight or flight reflexes started to well up inside me. Any thought of running was dashed from my mind when Selene slung her arm around my shoulders, dragging me over to Ryan, the person who apparently was the host of this “little get together”. The rest of the night was spent being led around by the admirably attractive college freshman and a few cups of punch later I was too far gone to care that the drinks were spiked.

Most of that party was a blur, but the next morning when I woke up on Ryan’s couch with a blanket thrown on top of me and the feeling that I had just been hit by a semi. Getting up far too quickly in my panic, I tried to ignore the headache that came with my rapid movements as I checked the state of my clothing. In those few overheard conversations; I had heard what it usually meant when one woke up in a strange place after drinking…

My panicked thoughts were interrupted by Ryan and Selene entering the room. Seeing that I was awake, Selene handed me some painkillers and a glass of water, telling me that I’d be grateful for it later. I just stared at her with a mix of confusion and what I assume was horror, because Selene laughed.

Don’t worry about your pressious virtue, sweetheart. You still have your V-card.
I wasn’t worried about that…
Whatever you say, princess.

The next few days, Selene questioned me about how I felt about what happened at the party. When I finally came to a conclusion myself, I told her that it was nice, but the morning after wasn’t fun. Selene laughed, agreeing with me that while vodka was great in the evening, it was a real b***h the next morning.

It wasn’t too long until I started going out with Selene almost every weekend, also slowly becoming friends with Ryan despite being drunk half the time we saw each other. Despite my new party-going hobby, I managed to keep my good-girl appearance in tact, but each time it was getting harder and harder not to let my mask slip.

Somehow one of the girls from my youth group found out about my secret and she told our Youth Pastor. That Tuesday night, he pulled me aside from the group and told me that he knew about my new drinking habit. He told me that I would have to tell my parents about this, or he would do it for me. I panicked and for the first time in my life, I lied to my pastor. I told him that I went to a party, was pressured into drinking, and threw up. I told him that my friends laughed at me for being such a lightweight and was too embarrassed over the situation to even consider drinking again. The story sounded ridiculous even to my own ears, but he believed it. Every single franticly thought up word. He told me that I should be more careful next time, but we still needed to tell my parents.

I was banned from seeing Selene.
I snuck out that Friday.

Despite the initiative I took in order to see Selene and Ryan, I didn’t touch a drop of alcohol. I was scared that someone would find out, that they would tell my Pastor who would in turn tell my parents. For the first time in my life, I was scared that my Goody-Two-Shoes reputation was in danger.

I need to get out of here.
Let me finish my drink, then I’ll drive you home.
You’re drunk.
You don’t have money for a taxi.
We’ll crash.
Don’t be stupid. I’m hardly buzzed.

The dashboard clock read 1:46AM when we collided with another car in the intersection. A few short moments later, I saw the light fading from Selene’s eyes. Minutes passed. Sirens sounded in the distance. I was sobbing uncontrollably as the fireman told me everything would be alright. Didn’t he understand? Nothing would be alright. Selene was dead.

At first, my parents were just masses of conflicting emotions. They were furious with me for sneaking out, and yet they felt pity for me over losing my friend. They were disappointed in my poor decisions, but they tried to be supportive so I wouldn’t break completely. They sent me to therapy, telling me that this was for the best.

When I got the letter to attend Mirus Academy, I suddenly felt a weight lifted off of my shoulder. I could leave the place that now held too many memories. Too many fond moments with the friend I lost. My parents, of course, were ecstatic for entirely different reasons. They told me that they were proud of me for getting accepted, proud of how bright of a girl they had. It doesn't matter what they think anyways, I'm on my way to Mirus, ready to put my past behind me.

S T R E N G T H S and W E A K N E S S E S xxxxx
Despite having all the attributes that make a parent proud such as intelligence and a good work ethic, I have zero skills when it comes to interacting with people. Whenever Selene took me out partying, it would require two glasses of “punch” before I was even ready to talk to people and even then I couldn't help but be awkward. However, despite my social anxiety, I’m pretty brave when it comes to other things. Selene once said that I wouldn’t have the guts to walk up to an acquaintance and strike up a conversation, but if there was a long dark hallway that people were scared of walking down or a house that was suspected of being haunted, I’d be the first to jump at the chance of adventure. She blamed it on my curiosity, which she always said was strong enough to kill twenty cats that still had all nine lives ahead of them.

Another one of my more comical (depending on how you look at it) weaknesses is my inability to make it through the day without hurting myself in some fashion due to my clumsiness. Most of the time, you can find my limbs sporting a new bruise from some crazy accident that others find ridiculous. As my father once said, “Eleanor, to you physical comedy is attempting to cross the room.”

T H E M E Song xxxxx
Godspeed - Anberlin

S T A L K E R Info xxxxx

Year In School-
Fifth.

Classes-
1st Ballroom Dance
2nd Sign Language 2
3rd Advanced Placement Biology
4th Drama
5th Short Story (Analysis and Composition)
6th Mythologies of the World
7th Statistics

Extra Curricular Activities-
I haven't found a club to join yet.

Dormitory Assignment-
201 Sapientia Hall