Pensamientos (short stories)

Return to Sender (Lolaska)

She had the prettiest eyes.

It took all of her energy not to take the fork off the table in front of her and stab it into her own eye socket, but somehow, Alaska maintained the prettiest, most unbothered smile there ever was. Even though she was all over him.

To be fair, she was his girlfriend. And her name was Jade, and she was pretty, and funny, and smart, and kind. And that made her die inside.

"No, I think you'd look really cool with another piercing." He says with a small smile. "Lassie, don't you think that cartilage piercing would suit her?"

Oh goodie, he's talking to me.

"Hm?" Alaska smiles placidly, folding her lips into a like, before nodding calmly. "Oh! Yes. Definitely."

She hated that it was true. But she really would look beautiful. This is the worst.

Jade smiles. "Stop- thank you." Jade looks over with eyes that match her name, and she smiles. It practically warms the room.

They start speaking again, in time for Alaska to start zoning out to the background noise of the music and other people talking.

It was Logan's birthday. Logan's birthday, and she flew in just for this. To sit at his party and resist the urge to play in traffic.

Be nice, Alaska. He loves her. Like... a lot.

"So where do you go to school?"

Alaska barely snaps back into the conversation to realize the question is directed at her.

"Oh, she goes to Princeton." Logan says with a smile, looking at Alaska with pride.

"Oh my god, that's amazing!" Jade says with wide eyes.

She goes to Stanford with Logan. That's how they met.

"The campus is just gorgeous isn't it? I would've loved to go."

"Oh? Why didn't you?"

Please say you didn't get in.

"I had to stay close to my family. Well- I didn't have to. But my grandma was getting pretty sick and..." she shakes her head "I just couldn't leave her."

Of course. I wonder if she took the day off from polishing her halo to come to this thing.

Alaska sighs. She couldn't hate this girl if she tried. She was so sweet, it hurt.

"Oh." She said it softly, the syllable lighter than air. "That's really noble of you."

Jade shakes her head. "It was what I was as meant to do, I think." She squeezes Logan's arm. "I never would have met him otherwise."

"Aren't you lucky." He teases, looking down at her. His lips press to her temple, and Alaska closes her eyes as a pang hits her chest.

"So modest, aren't you?" Jade says, waving him off of her.

"You guys are so sweet." And she means it, too, as much as it pains her. "I'll be back, I'm just going to run to the bathroom really quickly."

"Oh, I'll go with you!" She pecks his cheek and stands before Alaska has time to protest or change her mind, and before she knows it, they're arm in arm headed toward the toilet.

The wall is almost painful, until Jade speaks.

"I'm sorry, if I've been a little... weird, by the way."

Lassie blinks, looking back at her. "W-what?"

"I'm sorry." She repeats "Y'know, for being... odd."

"This is you being... odd?"