Chapter One: Bubblegum and Butterflies by Lynette Ferreira
Perfect was exhausting.
Charlize van der Merwe studied her reflection in the girls’ bathroom mirror. Even though the mirror gave her a vignetted effect because the edges around the mirror were darker than the centre, the flickering fluorescent lights above her gave her face a lens flare look and she could see herself in stark detail. She adjusted her school blazer until it sat just right on her shoulders and tucked in her crips white shirt so that there were no crinkles in sight. Leaning closer to the mirror, she tucked a strand of her golden hair behind her ear. She inspected every detail. Her flawless French braid, her pale pink lip gloss, and even the delicate curve of her lashes. Stepping back from the mirror it looked as if her reflection was the image of pure, effortless perfection but she knew better. Nothing about her life was effortless.
The bathroom door gave a haunted moan as it squeaked open,
and Charlize immediately brightened her expression, slipping on the perfect
smile she had perfected long ago and with a lot of practice.
Amy and Jessica tumbled in. The sound of their giggles
bounced off the bathroom’s stark white tiles and the sound of their shoes
tapped rhythmically on the pale green linoleum.
“There you are,” Amy said loudly. Her tone held an
unmistakable mix of forced enthusiasm and anticipation. They were friends but
not good friends. Charlize did not have any real friends. “We’ve been looking
everywhere for you. Did you hear about Sarah’s party this weekend?”
Charlize’s eyes flickered with suppressed excitement as she
applied another coat of her pale pink gloss. The strawberry sweet scent filled
the air, and for a moment it masked the mix of bleach and cheap hand-soap. “Of
course,” she said. “I’ve already cleared it with my mom.” She did not mention
the twenty minutes of begging and pleading, and lectures about how to socialise
responsibly, as well as all the promises of keeping her grades immaculate. Amy
and Jessica would never understand. Charlize was sure they never had to fight
for permission to do the simplest things.
The shrill sound of the first bell vibrated through the bathroom.
Charlize gathered her bag, feeling the weight of
expectations settle heavy on her shoulders but it felt like a familiar heavy
jacket.
As they slipped from the bathroom into the crowded corridor
of Vaalriver High School, the familiar noise of Monday morning filled the air.
Laughter and shouted greetings surrounded them. It seemed as if everyone was
still excited from the rugby match against their biggest rival from Saturday
where, by the sound of it, Vaalriver High won by scoring a lot of tries.
Charlize barely registered the noise. Her day was planned
from start to finish. Classes, a student council meeting, and then three hours
of studying for her chemistry test tonight after dinner. A slip in her grades
would be unacceptable.
Then she heard him.
The unmistakable rumble of skateboard wheels on concrete cut
through the hallway noise.
Charlize turned, more out of instinct than curiosity, just
in time to catch Daniel McCarthy, the school’s resident troublemaker, rolling
up to the school entrance on his skateboard. His shirt, though technically the
same as everyone else’s, hung untucked, his top button was rebelliously undone.
His dark hair fell across his face, obscuring one eye, and he moved with an
ease Charlize could not help but notice, as though he could not care less about
the rules everyone else, especially her, lived by.
As he walked down the corridor with his skateboard tucked
under his arm, whispers followed him, passing from student to student. Rumours
about Daniel were as much a fixture here as was the brick walls of the school.
Each story that was told was darker and more dramatic than the last.
Charlize tore her eyes away from him. She had a carefully
maintained reputation to uphold, a flawless attendance record to maintain, and
no time for the likes of Daniel McCarthy.
“Did you finish the chem homework?” Amy’s voice jerked
Charlize back to reality as they slipped into their seats. The question
reminded her of the countless hours she had invested in every assignment.
“Of course.” Charlize opened her notebook, revealing
perfectly colour-coded notes with every equation meticulously highlighted.
“Need to check your answers?”
Amy nodded gratefully, accepting the offered notebook.
Charlize felt a small surge of satisfaction. These were the moments when
everything felt in place, where she could measure herself by her
accomplishments, and her carefully organised life.
Outside the classroom window, the hills surrounding their
small South African Karoo town held her gaze. The view stirred something
strange in her. There was a tugging feeling that whispered maybe there was more
than this. More than the endless chase for academic perfection. How many times
has she sat at this same desk, looking out of this same window, planning a trip
up the hill. To walk up that steep incline and have a little picnic up there
admiring the view from above. To look down, instead of always looking up.
The second bell rang, and Mrs Naidoo’s voice called the
class to order, pulling her back to the familiar routine.
Charlize straightened in her chair, pen poised, ready to be
the girl everyone expected her to be. She tried to push away the hollow ache
that lurked beneath her polished exterior. The small whisper that wondered if
maybe, just maybe, she could ever be something other than perfect.
** Chapter updated: 18/02/2025
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