The Chameleon's Grin ll Camilo Madrigal

Chapter 7 : Paper

Carmen's pov:

I spent the day desperately trying to pay attention to what my new teacher had to say, but a certain shapeshifter had other ideas.

He found amusement in hurling pencils and crumpled paper with random words written in them like 'poop' or 'bonita' at me.

At one point I started to collect them in my desk, and by the end of fourth period, I had a massive pile of paper balls inside my desk.

Where he got all of this paper? I had no idea, all I knew was that this would become a problem is this was what the whole year is like.

As soon as the lunch bell rung, I shot up from my seat and hurled his most recent note with the word 'lemon' on it right back at him.

He laughed like that's what he wanted these past four hours. "I was wondering when you were gonna throw one back." He said.

"Jokes on you cause I have them stockpiled now." I bragged.

His smile wavered a little. "Oh no."

I grinned, "Oh yes. Be ready to feel the wrath of Carmen Cortes next period."

"Please, maybe we can talk this out!" He exclaimed dramatically.

"Fine, cease fire until tomorrow."

He let out a sigh of relief, wiping sweat that wasn't even there off of his forehead. "Whew."

I rolled my eyes, still smiling, and walked over to Mirabel.

"Where do you usually eat? Would you mind if I joined you?" I asked her.

"Sure, I usually just hang out in the library though, it's quiet."

I smiled. "Perfect."

***

With our lunches we strolled into the library. It was a small room filled with beautiful bookshelves made with dark wood. Most of the books looked ancient, and the room smelt of dust, but it was comforting nonetheless. Mirabel led me to a corner of the room, secluded by the shelves surrounding it. We squeezed through a gap in between them and the wall. Inside there was a small table with two chairs on either side.

"Wow." I stated, taking in the cozy little nook.

"Please don't tell anyone about this place." Mirabel whispered, looking me right in the face.

I nodded. "This'll be our secret, I promise. I wouldn't want to spoil such an amazing place."

"Great, have a seat!" My new fellow sat down and motioned across from herself. "I usually read but that's when I'm alone back here."

"It's a shame you've had to spend your lunches without any company."

She shrugged, cleaning a smudge off of her glasses. "Eh, I've never found anyone my age that actually wants to be mi amiga. So there's never been a need to tell anyone."

"Hmm." I hummed thoughtfully.

"I guess it really goes to show that people really only care about my family because of our powers." Mirabel added. "I mean, all you have to do is compare Camilo and I's friends. We're both fairly similar personality wise, but the pretty one with the gift gets the butt-load of fake friends."

I wanted to argue with her, and say that people still liked her, but she had a good point. "On the plus side, at least the right people find you." I reasoned.

She grinned. "Yep, I'd much rather you than all of Camilo's friends, I'm just saying."

"I agree, I'd totally rather you than his posse. The twins seem okay, but Cleo and a few other girls were whispering about me during class." I unpacked my lunch, sinking my teeth into a chicken sandwich. I had longed for this moment since first period.