Hathos: The Attraction To Something You Really Can't Stand; It's The Compulsion Of Revulsion

School bells chime, hundreds of students flood into the hallways that embody the spirit of Northview Academy. Cliques, wealth and the ever-present stench of pretentiousness linger in the air. Here comes Tiana Priestley, right on cue, accompanied by her two minions. Nobody knows their names. Nobody cares either. It was a mirror image of a movie as they strutted down the hallway, in sync and in... ugh, slow-motion; if you hadn’t ever experienced anything more cliché. Dressed in, you guessed it, pink.
And I know I’m critical. Maybe you’d claim I’m envious, and maybe I am; but there's something so predictable about Northview.
Tiana pauses at her locker, shooing away her minions to talk to the closest thing this preppy, spoilt 17-year-old has to a “best friend”. Blythe McCoy. Now, Blythe has forever been superior to Tiana. The nice girl with no interest in running the school or being the queen bee. That’s Blythe. If you ask me, Tiana keeps Blythe close because she recognises her as competition. A frenemy. The war at hand; college applications.
“Hey, Blythe! I haven’t spotted you at volleyball practice recently?” Tiana asked, with what was more a piercing statement than an innocent question. With a fake smile plastered on her face of course. “Too much commitment? “ she added condescendingly. “You’ve got to keep up extracurriculars for applications.”
Blythe replied smoothly, “I’m just finishing my college applications at the moment and volleyball has never been my biggest priority.”
“Well, we know you weren’t the best at it, anyway. I’m glad you didn’t let your negative attitude drag you down”, Tiana’s friendly facade fading, offering glimpses of her true character. Before she could reply Tiana whipped around, muttering “lazy” as she marched away, leaving Blythe stunned and fuming.
I shake my head. The cattiness between teenage girls always surprises me.
Fast forward to lunchtime; because no one worries about classes. The cumulative point of your schooling legacy is right here; your rank in the cafeteria hierarchy. Tiana takes her place at the most prestigious table. Blythe begrudgingly at her side. Both still passive-aggressively bickering away. Cheerleaders, jocks, nerds and the drama club are in their distinct groups and filter out to their respective tables. Everyone has a place where they belong and no one ever strays.
Besides me. But why keep lurking and monitoring when I’m so against the foundational institution that these people thrive on? Feeding into the high standards, the perfection, the stereotypes, the disregard for human genuineness and kindness. Why do we keep condoning the barriers we try so hard to break? Why do I keep watching?
I suppose I’m just like the rest of the world and I can’t look away.

FOLLOW US


25

Write4Fun.net was established in 1997, and since then we have successfully completed numerous short story and poetry competitions and publications.
We receive an overwhelming positive feedback each year from the teachers, parents and students who have involvement in these competitions and publications, and we will continue to strive to attain this level of excellence with each competition we hold.

KEEP IN TOUCH

Stay informed about the latest competitions, competition winners and latest news!