The Stepford Vampires

I really messed up.

I got hurt. If I could rewind time, I would. I’d undo it all. If only I’d just walked away…

My name is Liz Chapman.

And I’m the girl everyone dislikes, the one no one wants to be. I’m sharing my story so that no one else becomes me. So no one else experiences what I did.

Two months before the end of school, I was at a party at my best friend’s boyfriend’s house.

He was there; she was out of town. I always thought he was cute. He was being extra friendly to me. I was drunk, and we went to his room to talk alone and…

And I kissed him. And he kissed me back. And we were in his bedroom. And we had sex. It shouldn’t have gone that far.

Some anonymous jerk was at the door with a camera. We never found out who leaked the video but footage of me having sex with my best friend’s boyfriend was shared, and I went from being relatively unknown to public enemy number one real quick.

Long story short, I lost all my friends, I spent the rest of the year miserable and alone and an outcast, and to top it all off, that first month… I was late.

Mom had to drive me to the clinic. Despite being the best mom in the world, she had the unfortunate luck of having me as a daughter.

My mom deserved better.

After that, Mom decided it’d be best if we moved. Get a fresh start.

Usually when you move, your friends help you pack, but at that point, my friends wouldn’t have even bothered if I was on fire. So it was just me and my mom, and we headed east.

Truth be told, it kind of broke me. No one even said goodbye. I know, I know—what I did was wrong but… I never saw them again. It was like no one even cared if I was dead or alive.

Actually, it was worse. Everyone just…pretended like I had never even existed.

So yeah, that sucked.

We moved to our new house in a new town, and I was a mess, and a video of me having sex with my best friend’s boyfriend was floating around the internet, but at least no one here knew enough about me to hate me.

I’d rather be unknown than hated.

But then summer break was over, and it was time for my senior year, and now I was the new girl.

That’s when I met him.

James Stepford.

Maybe they didn’t know exactly what I had done, but I was the new girl in senior year and there was something off about me and everyone knew, and you could just see it in their eyes that they wanted nothing to do with me.

Or that’s what it felt like.

Maybe everyone was perfectly normal and just going about their day, and there I was, a perfect stranger in a crowded room without a place to belong, trying to blend in.

I didn’t want that. I’d rather just be alone.

I decided to take my lunch to the bleachers. If I was going to be alone, it wasn’t going to be in a room full of people, that’s for sure.

Except I wasn’t the only one there.

There was a boy, waving a cigarette, explaining something to a girl in front of him. He wore thick-rimmed glasses and a parka despite the heat. The girl was all high-waisted shorts and heart-shaped sunglasses.

I tried not to listen in, but he wasn’t exactly keeping the conversation to himself.

“And they’re all just these little drones, going about their lives, worrying about who’s sleeping with who and which jock is the cutest and which girl is the sluttiest and when they’re gonna lose their virginity.

“And it’s like, there’s better out there, you know? People in high school are so worried about high school stuff,” he said.

“I hate ’em all,” the girl echoed.

“It’s so beneath us, but I suppose we’ll play the part. Oh, and what do we have here. A deserter. They’ll have you court-martialed for daring to be different,” he said, and it took me a second to realize he was talking to me.

“Sorry? Are you talking to me?” I asked.

“Yeah, duh. I haven’t seen your face before. Do you recognize her, Mary-Anne?”

“Can’t say I do. And she’s gutsy enough to eavesdrop on us, so she must be new.”

“Fresh blood. And in senior year. Oh, it must be tough. Big changes. So, what’s your deal, new kid?”

“I don’t have a deal. I just came here to be alone.”

“Hate to be that guy, but this is kind of our spot.”

“Yeah, I get it. I’ll go.”

“Hey, hey, now I didn’t say I wanted you to leave. Do you want her to leave, Mary-Anne?”

“Been a while since we had a new plaything.” Mary-Anne giggled.

“And she’s feisty. Oh, I like her. What’s your name?”

“None of your damn business.”

“Now, now. We’re not trying to make enemies. We’re just a couple delinquents getting high on fresh air.

“I’m James. This is Mary-Anne. We’re the kids who hate all the other kids. But that’s only because they’re a flock of sheep. Are you a sheep?”

“I’m just trying to get through the day.”

“How pedestrian.”

“Oh, sorry my life doesn’t interest you. Why’d you even talk to me?”

“I dunno. You looked interesting. But maybe you aren’t, just like all the other dregs around here. It’s a pity. I would have welcomed the conversation. Guess you are just like all the other girls.”

“I’m nothing like other girls.”

“Sure you aren’t, love.”

“Do you always act like such a jerk, or do you take a break to style your hair?”

“Better than being a loner who pretends to despise the only two people who’ll even speak to her.”

“Wow, okay, screw you.”

“I bet your tough-girl act was cute back in whatever small town you came from. But no one here thinks you’re tough.

“You just seem like a frightened kid who never learned how to make friends. It’s one thing to be dull; it’s another to be pitiful.”

“You don’t know anything about me.”

“Maybe one day, there’ll be something about you worth knowing.”

The bell rang then. I hated letting him get the last word. But his words stung. Honestly, sometimes, I thought he was right. Maybe I was pitiful. Not even worth pitying.

“Guess we’re off then. Enjoy your solitude, new girl. Don’t choke on your own arrogance,” James said.

“Go to hell,” I shot back, but he had gotten under my skin, and it showed.

He dismissed me with a wave. Mary-Anne gave me a sympathetic look then followed James. Even though she hadn’t said anything particularly hurtful to me, I found myself disliking her a bit too. I wish that feeling had lasted.

I wish that had been the last I saw of them.