The exchange

Write it in a contract or I'm out

7:42 am

I could not stop smiling this morning. It was really annoying. I felt like the joker. My cheeks were starting to hurt. I'd make children scream if they saw me.

I couldn't help it. Images of last night kept coming back to me.

He liked me. For real.

Or so he said.

And I liked him. For real.

But I couldn't risk saying it.

"Okay, what the fuck is wrong with you?"

I turned to look at a suspicious Eskild. He was eyeing me with eyes almost squeezed shut. Analyzing the smile I desperately tried to hide.

"What do you mean?" I played dumb as if I had not gone absolutely stupid.

"Why is your face doing that?"

I raised my eyebrows, pouting my lips to keep them from stretching upwards, "That's just my face, Eskild."

Eva also raised her eyebrows, smirking, "No, it's not. You look like you're in love."

My eyes threatened to jump out of my head. "I AM NOT!!!"

I regained my calm at their surprise and suspicion, evident in their expressions. There's no need to get defensive over a dumb assumption.

"Can't I just be happy for the sake of being happy?" I shrugged off, allowing myself to smile freely. "We should all just be glad we're alive and here together in this world, in this time, and in good health."

Isak and Sana arrived. Isak put his arms across Eva's shoulders as Sana asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Rosa is acting weird!" accused Eskild, pointing at me like a child tattletaling to his mom.

"No, I'm not!" I crossed my arms. "It's just a really beautiful morning."

"It's humid," pointed out Sana with a small smile tugging at her dark red lips.

"That just means we have the gift of water," I snapped back.

"Your hair is frizzing up," smirked Isak. I glare at him, trying to stop myself from trying to smooth it down.

"And I am grateful to have hair," I rolled my eyes. "Do you know how many people go prematurely bald?"

"Yes, my uncle went bald at 27," chimed in Vilde, accompanied by Astrid and her new girlfriend. Yes, they were official now! "It was really tragic. He became depressed."

We all blinked at her.

"He's got a wig now," she muttered to herself, nodding off into the distance.

"See?" I glanced at Isak, smiling. "It happens."

He rolled his eyes just as soon as the bell rang. Talk about saved by the bell.

12:02 am
"You've got to stop obsessing about it," I laughed at Jonas.

We walked down the stairs and settled near the window, putting our backpacks down.

"I can't! He never wears anything else! What does he even put in his closet?" rambled the brown haired boy.

I turned to look at him, face lowered and eyes serious, "The skeletons of children who make grammatical mistakes on essays."

He laughs, and I nudge him. "No, pero pobrecito! He has nothing to wear. We should donate him clothes. I have a skirt he'd really like." (No but really. Poor thing!)

"Yeah, and I do think he's your bra size," he mocks and we explode in laughter.

We keep adding dumb stuff that makes it even more funny. And we're soon gasping for air, barely able to hold ourselves so we lean on each other and the window.