Marigolds Prosper in the Cold

boiled sweet

I climbed into the bus.

He was there second seat from the front. Ah, this was harder than I thought.

Its like finally starting a month's vacation's worth of homework on the last day.

But I gathered my courage and sat down next to him.

....

It really was harder than I thought

....

much much  harder than I thought. Come to think of it. Why d-

"-id you avoid me?" Vivian inquired.

Talk about reading minds.

I shrugged. "I don't know, I just felt embarrassed?-"

Vivian looked grim, "You felt embarrassed for admitting that your coping mechanism for,as far as I know, awkward situations is humor?"

"You should really take over from the school counselor" I'd rather eat 10 plates of the school macaroni than admit it, but Vivian was kinda correct.

"Thank you."He said stiffly.

Unfortunately, Vivian didn't look very thankful when he said it.

...

I thought of going to another seat. Vivian was doing his best to ignore my existence and look out of the window.

The bus was shaking like crazy from the potholes in the street. 

Maybe we'd have an accident and the awkwardness would be terminated for me.

A girl can dream.

.

Vivian was apparently a big fan of the silent treatment.

 He sure was good at it, because it made me feel like a guilty child after doing something wrong.

"I'm sorry Vivian."I apologized for the nth time"I'm really really sorry for avoiding you without any reason. Truly sorry."

I really did want to make it up to him but he looked like he wouldnt budge.  I sighed and got ready to stand up, maybe he could do with some personal space.

Before I got up however I felt someone tug at my sleeve. It was Vivian.

"Sit down. This bumpy road will make you crack your head open. Its only a week till the final meeting for our icebreakers, remember?"

When I sat back down, he rummaged his coat pockets. He frowned.

"I know I put it somewhere" He was grumbling.

After the end of 10 minutes and he end of him emptying his pockets out(he had a stash of pencil sharpeners, an avid collector probably), he held out a a hard candy.

"I swear I had two but I probably dropped one somewhere. Here" He held it out to me.

Not gonna lie I had a very strong sweet tooth but I had some manners.

"Its yours. You eat it"

"You typed it in your speech that your favorite was orange"

"Nah. You must be mistakened"

We continued shoving and offering the candy back and forth. Not unlike people competing to throw their wallets to pay the bill when eating out with someone.

Mom and dad would've been proud.

Anyways,this back and forth shoving was getting tiring real fast. So I proposed an idea. 

"Let's just split this candy in half"

"And how are we going to do that?" Vivian looked skeptical. "This is a hard-boiled sweet. Not a marshmallow"

I shrugged"Bite it in half with the cover on"

The look and feeling of disgust on his face was apparently too hard to put to words 'wha-"

"Hiya. I've been overhearing you two rejecting that candy for the past ten minutes."It was the popular dude-what was his name again? 

"I was going to ask if I could have it since it seems unwanted."

"Candy?" It was big sis Pranu. "Elder citizens first!"

"Nah." It was Pranu's friend"I need compensation about your remarks about me looking like the driver's wife."

"It's mine! I asked for it first!"The popular guy snatched it and popped it in his mouth.

"It wasn't very polite of you to do that."Riha, shy and the one who never spoke, uh-spoke.  "I have a class photograph of you with a bowl cut in 4th grade, maybe I should bring it tomorrow."

Over the desperate pleadings of the popular dude offering compensation, I whisper-shouted to Vivian, 

"Meetings resume today?"

"I'm going to make you work double."

To Be Continued-

A/N- I'm sorry I disappeared off the face of earth...Anyways stay hydrated!