When Different Worlds Collide.

This is the first piece from my portfolio. It's mainly a dialogue story between two characters. It has mentions of a school shooting, Just making you all aware.

“It won’t open, I’ve already tried.”

       Emily jumped at the voice, her hand clasped over her heart as she turned to face whoever spoke, before she let out a long breath. “You scared me!”

      “Sorry.”

      “It’s alright, I guess we’re stuck in here, then?” Emily groaned as she walked over and sat down beside him, his back to the door, hidden by a bookshelf and a table.

      “I’m always stuck here,” the boy shook his head sadly.

      “I thought you liked reading?” It wasn’t exactly a question, more something to fill the silence.

       The boy gave an indignant snort as a response and Emily sighed. 

       “Look, if we’re going to be stuck here together, you can stop being an a*s. I’m scared enough as it is.”

       “Oh it’s all about Emily isn’t it?” the boy snapped. “As long as Princess Emily is happy, to hell with the rest of us.”

       “What?!” Emily demanded, her raven coloured hair slipping from behind her ear when she spun to look at him.

       “You heard me.” The boy didn’t meet Emily’s eyes which only added to her level of annoyance.

       “Look, Chris, right? This school is on lock down, we’re both scared, we’re both stuck here so drop your attitude, alright? I don‘t need it and I sure as hell do not want it.”

       The boy glared hard at her, his pale blue eyes staring straight into her brown ones. “Yeah, It’s Chris.”

       “I’m Emily.” She extended her hand.

       “I know who you are. Everyone does.” The boy muttered, ignoring her hand and turning away from her to gaze at the books on the shelves about a foot away.

       “I wouldn’t say everyone.” Emily laughed, tucking the stray strand of hair behind her ear again. “Senior year maybe, but not everyone.”

       “Do you know how many people know who I am?” He asked, gaze transfixed on the books, thriller novels for English Lit.

       “Um… how many people who know each other is never really something I‘ve thought about. The closest I‘ve got to that is the six degrees of separation on MTV. The music thing, you know? Where they play songs and connect the artists? ”

       “Haven’t seen it. Sounds a bit pointless to me.”

       “Its not really, its interesting to see whose worked with who and stuff.” Emily fiddled with her sleeve, the button proving utterly fascinating in the current moment.

       “Whatever. See, that’s the problem with the world today.” he started and turned to face Emily. “Kids our age, we don’t think about things that matter. The world revolves around drink and drugs and who is sleeping with who and affairs and backstabbing. What about global warming? The war in Afghanistan?”

       Emily blinked, as Student Body President, she had chaired meetings with the different clubs in the school, but she didn’t really take a lot of notice. “Global Warming isn’t so bad. I mean, it’s warmer at nights and people in like, cold countries can get warm….What’s so funny?”

       “You’re unbelievable. Global warming is a good thing? Its going to wipe out entire Counties. Entire Islands, hell entire Countries even. The polar icecaps are melting. Entire species are being wiped out. I’m not seeing the good in that.”

       “Well, it’s not affecting us, though? So why should we be bothered about it?”

       Chris rolled his eyes and let his head thunk off of the bookshelf and offered up no argument.

    

       Apparently that was the end of that particular strand of conversation. Emily took in his boot cut jeans, shirt and sweater and thick rimmed glasses. Watching as Chris took in her cropped jeans, her light blue floaty top and her long curly black hair.

       “Nice shoes.” he remarked, indicating the blue baseball style shoes with a nod of his head when she looked in his direction. He pulled the leg of his jeans up a little, the black converse standing out in stark contrast to the wooden floor.

       “Likewise.” Emily smirked at him, “We don’t know each other very well, and we have some time to waste, why don’t we start?”

        “Start? You mean, ‘why don’t we pass the time and then when this is all over pretend it never happened‘?” the indignant look was back on his face and Emily sighed again.

       “Whatever. I just don’t like the silence, its creepy.”

       “We take three classes together.”

       “Three?” Emily looked confused.

       “Yeah.”

       “AP English….” Emily trialled off trying to work out exactly which other classes she would be in with him.

       “Biology and Current Events, not that you‘re ever in really” Chris kinked his eyebrow and titled his head to the side, a small smirk playing on his face.

       “Well I guess this counts as Current.” Emily tried to joke, the smile not quite reaching her eyes.

       “I guess so. We talk about Global Warming in that class.”

       Emily gave an amused snort, her mouth quirking up at the corners. “I should turn up a little bit more, then.”

       “You probably should.“ Chris smiled at her; “I wonder what made him do it.”

       “Made who do what?”

       “That kid who thought it was a good idea to bring a gun into school. I wonder what went wrong.”

       “Didn’t American Psycho teach you anything?”

       “Touché.”

       “It‘s the people he‘s shot I feel sorry for; nothing is ever that bad that you have to kill people over it. He could have spoken to someone.”

       “It’s not that easy, you know. You may have people, friends, you can go to for that kind of help, but what about him? What if he doesn’t have anyone?”

        Emily shook her head and turned to him. “ It doesn’t give him the right to shoot up a School. That’s our friends, our classmates out there. Its pupils from our school, our friends’ younger brothers and sisters. Out there, the people who’ve been hurt? They’re just kids, we’re all just kids. So yeah, I might not have a bullet wound but I’m going to carry this day around with me for the rest of my life just because some kid is having a bad day.”

        Emily turned away from him, leaning heavily against the book shelf, almost jumping when Chris gently touched her arm.

        “That kid might be a few fries short of a happy meal but he’s shot up a school for Christ sake. We’re all going to remember this day, probably for different reasons, I mean, I saw two people get shot and did nothing. I ran.”

        “Chris…” Emily’s hand hovered between them.

        “No.” He brushed her off, tucking his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around his legs. “I should have stayed, but I did what everyone else did and ran. Its taken a tragedy like this to realise that popularity means nothing when someone is pissed. We’re all from different worlds, this is what happens when those worlds collide.”

        “We’re not from different worlds, not really.” Emily tried, her hand resting on Chris’s arm.

       “Yeah we are. My dad’s not around and my mum works two jobs just to make sure there’s food on the table for us and a roof over our heads. You got a car for your sixteenth.”

       “Point taken.” Emily huffed out a laugh and leaned back against the bookshelf, her hand remaining on Chris’s arm.

      

       The minutes ticked by like hours, noises from outside, helicopters, screams. But in the bubble of the library, they stayed safe. Quiet and Safe.

 

       Emily was the first to break the silence. “You know, When this is over, we should hang out. Somewhere a little more comfortable than a library floor.”

       “Sounds good. But it won’t happen. Different worlds remember? You want to be an actress, I want to be a doctor.” Chris smiled sadly at her.

       “So? We’re still teenagers, we’re both wearing converse, we’re not that different. I think we could learn tonnes from each other.”

       “What? Like I could teach you about Global Warming?” Chris smirked.

       “Yeah, and I could teach you to like Six Degrees of Separation.” Emily smiled at him, taking his hand.

       The door rattled behind them, causing them both to jump. 

       “Don’t move.” Chris warned her before pushing onto his knees and began to crawl around the bookshelves.
       “Chris!” Emily whispered, “Chris!”

        Chris gave her a stern look before continuing around the corner. The door was pushed open, colliding with the trolley. The door closed, only to be opened with enough force to knock over the trolley as whoever it was entered the Library.

Author's Note

The layout is terrible, i know that and there may be some grammar issues; but that's not really what i would like you to focus on. I would like feedback on content, character and how i can improve the plot/any other area you feel needs work. Please and thank you.