Let Us Be F r e e || Karen

[Jamie Phillips]

' ' we always have the rhythm here, in our blood and in our soul , ,

Jamie sighed to herself as she walked out of the high school, carrying her books in her arms. It had been sort of a bland day in school with Scott being sick that day. Usually, she wasn't alone when she felt like everyone in her English class shouldn't be allowed to speak, but today she really felt like most of her fellow students should have their speaking rights revoked. She was somewhat of a loner, except for Scott and Ryan, her two best friends. But she was okay with that. They were really the only people she needed. They got her. Ryan shared her mediating abilities, though she thought he would rather lead a normal life than be destined to help the dead move on to whatever was next.

Jamie crossed the street, not bothering to look both ways. She heard a car beep their horn, the driver and passengers making obnoxious catcalls at her. She rolled her eyes. Again. Some people just shouldn't be allowed to open their mouths. She walked towards the park, sitting down on a swing as she set her books and backpack down on the wood-chipped ground around the swing set. She leaned her head against one of the chains holding the swing up for a moment, then sat up straight, pulling the elastic out of her hair, letting her curls fall down to her shoulders. She looked back over towards the school, watching with slight amusement as a few freshmen nearly sprinted to get to their buses on time.

[Karen Thomas]

These children learn from cigarette burns, fast cars,
fast women, and cheap drinks;;

Karen walked out of the school, her long brown hair falling gently on her shoulders, and the sun lightly kissing her cheeks. Karen was often told that she was beautiful, but she had her doubts. Especially when compared herself to other girls around the school. Sometimes she wondered why she was so popular. Most people hated her. But the more she though about it, the more she realized that large ammount of people you have disliking you, the greater popularity you have. She really didn't like it. She would rather have a small group of friends and be out of the spotlight, but there was no way for her to change what had become of her now.

Making her way towards the park, Karen stared at her feet the whole time, except for when crossing the street. The last thing she wanted was to get hit by a car. As she reached thecolorful playground, Karen went over to the swings without thinking twice about it. She loved the swings. They made her feel like a kid again. She was reluctant at first when she noticed the other girl on the swings, but finally decided that she could use someone to talk to. Sitting down a few swings away from the girl, Karen spoke softly, "Hi."

Judging by the books that the other girl had, Karen assumed that this girl went to the high school as well. Karen couldn't recognize the face, but she couldn't remember most people that she knew.

[Jamie Phillips]

' ' we always have the rhythm here, in our blood and in our soul , ,

Jamie closed her eyes, letting her body go slightly limp in the swing. She was always exhausted after school, but didn't really feel like going home and sleeping right away. She wasn't exactly a normal high schooler. She had her classes, and was pretty studious when she had time to be, but she had the task of dealing with the massive amount of ghosts floating around Springdale, most of whom were around her age when they died. It was so depressing to think about; how many lives were cut short, and how many of those spirits were still hanging around. And it was Jamie's job, among a few others, to figure out why and help guide them to wherever they were supposed to go.

Jamie jerked her head up, hearing the swing beside her squeak as someone sat down in it. She immediately recognized Karen Thomas, one of the pretty, popular girls on the cheerleading squad that everyone seemed to either love or hate. Jamie had never spoken to Karen personally, but she knew she was friends with Olivia, who tended to pick on sort-of nerdy girls like Jamie quite often. People like Olivia didn't have any qualms about making people feel shitty, and that just wasn't right.

Jamie raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised when Karen greeted her. Girls like Karen Thomas generally didn't associate themselves with girls like Jamie Phillips. She tried to imagine what Olivia would say if she saw Karen talking to Jamie. "Hi," she said back, trying to hide the surprise in her voice as best she could.

[Karen Thomas]

These children learn from cigarette burns, fast cars,
fast women, and cheap drinks;;

Karen was silent for the next few moments. The girl was probably in shock that she was talking to her. Karen liked talking to people from all different cliques, but when Olivia was around, she had to be a bitch. Karen almost felt as though she was living two different lives, but somehow she new that it would be a while before she discovered which one was fake and which one she actually wanted to live.

"I'm Karen..." She said, trying not to sound stuck up. She wasn't about to say, 'but you should already know that.' Infact, Karen hated how everyone knew her name. It would be nice to just go one day without hearing your name whispered by everyother girl in the halls or in class.

[Jamie Phillips]

' ' we always have the rhythm here, in our blood and in our soul , ,

Jamie blinked. Of course, she already knew who Karen was. "Jamie," she introduced herself. She highly doubted that Karen knew who she was. The only people who knew of her were in her year, or had a class or two with her. Jamie didn't exactly have the best reputation in the school. She was known for being extremely smart, at least, but she was pretty much considered a nerd. The only place she ever felt like she sort of fit in was drama club, but other than that she and her two best friends were sort of outcasts.

Jamie did her best to give Karen a small smile. Maybe she was friendlier when she wasn't around Olivia or the other girls in that crowd. So far, she hadn't said anything degrading or rude to her, so Jamie figured she'd give her a shot. Olivia, on the other hand, was exactly the same all the time, no matter who she was around. Jamie knew how hard it was to find where you fit in at high school, so maybe Karen was just struggling to be accepted with that group. She could very well be a perfectly nice person on her own. Jamie sighed. She was thinking again.

[Karen Thomas]

These children learn from cigarette burns, fast cars,
fast women, and cheap drinks;;

Karen nodded. Now that Jamie had said her name, Karen was finally able to place her. They weren't in an overly huge school, but it wasn't small enough for everyone to know everyone. "How is school going for you?" Karen asked, hoping to push past the awkward part of this conversation.

Running a hand though her own hair, Karen looked up at the sky. It was pretty sunny, but she could see some clouds starting to move in from the east. Part of her was wishing it would rain, and soon. Walking home in the rain was always her favorite thing to do.

[Jamie Phillips]

' ' we always have the rhythm here, in our blood and in our soul , ,

Jamie shrugged. "Fine. Same as always. You?" Jamie asked, glancing over at Karen. School wasn't really an issue for Jamie, it was the social aspect of school. She'd gotten picked on a lot, and at first, it really bothered her, but she'd learned to zone people like that out. They weren't worth her time if they were just going to pick on her without even knowing her. She had a few good friends, and that was all she needed.

Jamie squinted, trying to not be blinded by the sun. She put a hand on her forehead to shade herself as she looked up at the sky. She noticed a few dark looking clouds. Maybe it'd rain soon. Jamie had always liked the rain and thunderstorms. It was just peaceful, serene. She always found it easier to sleep when it was raining outside.