Poly

Chapter 18

I couldn't sleep last night. I was thinking about Jackson, and how I left him. I wonder how his talk with Clair went, and if they're ok again. Why did the thought of him with Clair make my stitches itch? I wanted nothing but the best for him, but for some reason I couldn't stop including myself to that equation.

"Frankie!" I heard Draculaura squeak at me. I had been zoning out in the hallway again. From afar I must've looked pretty ridiculous.

"You look a million miles away, ghoulfriend." Clawdeen stated and chuckled.

"Sorry ghouls. My battery is a little low today. I didn't get too much sleep last night." I confessed and closed my locker door.

"Are you alright, Sheila?" Lagoona asked concerned.

"Yeah, totally. There's just been some stuff going on with Jackson, and I'm worried about him." Maybe it wasn't the best idea to spill everything to the ghouls, but I really needed someone to talk to.

"You're hanging out with Jackson again?" Cleo asked and leaned up against the lockers.

"Not like that. Or... well, it's hard to explain. We shared this moment yesterday, when I took him to the new art museum." I desperately explained.

"You two went out on a date yesterday?" Cleo asked startled. She rose from her relaxed pose, and was now face to face with me.

"It wasn't a date." I exclaimed. "He felt bad because Clair stood him up, and they'd had this huge fight, so I just wanted to cheer him up."

"Awe, poor Jackson." Draculaura mumbled.

"But you said that you two 'shared a moment'?" Clawdeen then asked with her head tilted.

"Well, I can't speak for Jackson, but it seemed like we had a moment, yes." I said cheerfully, but quickly snapped out of it. "But it's probably just in my head. He left right after to go sort things out with Clair. Trust me ghouls, there is no drama here." I affirmed.

The hallway doors then flew open, and Clair marched in with her eyes dead set on me. All five of us ghouls froze up, and were afraid to move a claw.

"What did you say about Jackson sorting it out with Clair?" Draculaura whispered to me.

"Yeah, maybe I spoke too soon." I whispered back.

Clair marched right up to us and stood only inches from my face, and she did not look happy.

"Hey Clair," I tried to sound as cheerful as I could, but I just sounded scared. And I was. Clair's deadly beam of a stare felt like it could kill the undead!

"What did you say to Jackson yesterday?" she asked firmly. Everyone in the hallway stopped what they were doing and looked directly at us. I cleared my throat and took a deep breath.

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," I said.

"Jackson told me you went out with him yesterday."

"I did,"

"So what did you say to him to make him break up with me!?" she roared. A wave of gasps filled the hallway.

"Clair, I didn't tell him anything. He was upset so I tried to cheer him up. I'm sorry that he broke up with you. He didn't tell me that he would. He just said that he was going to talk to you." I explained.

"Well you obviously said something, to make him break my heart. But I'm not surprised. I knew it would be you that would come between us!" she accused and pointed her pale and nail-polished finger at me. At this time Clawdeen stepped up for me.

"Okay listen, Clair, you cannot just walk up here in our school and point your normie fingers in our ghoulfriends face while you accuse her of these ridiculous accusations!" she barked. Clair took a few steps back.

"The way he always spoke of you..." she began and met my eyes again. "I should've known that you couldn't keep your green monster-hands off of him! Why did you have to get involved?! We were happy." she shouted. I never thought I'd see Clair this upset and angry. She was always so monotoned, and now my ears were ringing from her yelling

"There's no need to scream like a banshee, normie." Cleo commented snarky. I knew I had to say something, or else this could get ugly.

"Okay, how about I take it from here..." I started. I put a hand on Clair to try and distance us from the crowd, but Clair reacted.

"Don't touch me!" she shouted and smacked my hand off of her shoulder. The strike made my hand dislocate from my wrist and flew across the room. Another wave of gasps followed. I didn't feel any pain from the dismemberment, but it surprised me that she reacted in such a way.

Clair's eyes started to tear up.

"Clair, please. I just want to talk. We're friends." I insisted. Clair shook her head and walked away. 

"We were never friends," he muttered tearfully. My heart sank. She didn't deserve this. She obviously loved Jackson, and it seemed as he liked her too. So why did he break up with her? Clair left the hallway and let the broad doors shut behind her. 

Lagoona came over to me with my dismembered hand.

"Here you go, love." she said softly.

"Thanks,"

"Maybe you should talk to Jackson about this. You are obviously friends, and maybe this whole situation is just a big misunderstanding." she said. I nodded slowly and put my hand back on.

"I think you're right. I need to find Jackson." I agreed.