How Does a Daffodil Survive in Winter?

iii | Dramatic Chemistry is My Specialty

I woke up the next morning with my brain buzzing and a mind-splitting headache as a consequence. I had stayed up until three in the morning, coming up with ways to get Theo to... well, date me. I know it sounds weird and I tried to find a way around it but if I wanted Lacie to be jealous I had to somehow date Theo. It was the only thing that'll drive her crazy.

Once I had gotten over that bump, there was then the logistics of this plan. By then I knew that it was harder than I thought. After all, revenge is no easy feat. I tried thinking of ways to make him fall in love with me but that idea was thrown in the trash immediately after a quick look in the mirror. There was no way someone as shy and as popular as Theo would ever even talk to me except for occasional awkward small talks like the one we had the day before.

That led to the other option; somehow creating the image of us dating. It made things even weirder than before. I knew it was crazy to even dabble in fake dating. That thing was a dangerous substance. But maybe that's what I needed.

The problems just kept coming. How was I even supposed to get Theo's co-operation in all this? There was no way I could go up to him and say 'hey want to pretend we're dating to piss off Lacie'. Maybe I could bribe him? Only if I had money, which I don't. Convince him perhaps? Not my strong suit. I spent the majority of my time going back and forth between those ideas. In spite of that, deep down, I knew another way: blackmailing. It would guarantee success on the off-chance I manage to pull it off. However, things were crazy enough as it is and I wasn't sure if I could handle it. I decided to push the idea of blackmailing into the back of my mind and continued trying to find another way.

Checking the time quickly, I threw on some old jeans with numerous holes in them that weren't ripped on purpose and a jacket on top of a grey sweater. I probably looked like a homeless person meets a cartoon character but that was honestly the best I could do when it came to clothes.

I grabbed my bag and keys then ran down the stairs, calling out goodbye to aunt Kathy, who was making herself coffee in the kitchen. Once I opened the front door, I chucked on my tattered converse. My aunt was one of those people who didn't like shoes inside the house. She was also one of those Facebook moms but that's beside the point.

The cold winter air hit my face as I walked to the cafe that Julie and I always go to before school. I figured I'd get some help with my plan and the only person I trusted was Julie. She always looked at things differently so maybe she'd come up with something else.

Julie and I usually met at the local cafe in the mornings before school. It was right in the middle of Julie's and my house so naturally it became our meet-up spot. I came here a lot when I needed an escape from my usual settings, mainly because I loved the way the warmth of the cafe embraced me. The walls were a bright yet not as nauseating yellow and paintings made with coffee hung from the walls. The entire place was decorated with plants hanging from the ceiling and pots lining the floor. I noticed that the pot on the table I was sitting at had a daffodil bulb sitting just beneath the dirt. Why everyone was growing them in winter was something I couldn't understand.

"Hey!" a voice chirped beside me. Looking up, I was met with the bright face of Sarah, the new girl. Her hair pulled up into a high ponytail that matched her liveliness. She looked so energetic that I had to check the time to see if it really was early in the morning.

"Hi," I replied tiredly, giving her the best smile I could in my sleep-deprived state.

"Can I sit here?" Sarah asked, gesturing to one of the empty seats next to me. I nodded and she took a seat, clutching her drink. She began making small talk, asking me how I was in which I responded with 'good' and returned the question. Not once in our talking of the weather and everything, did she try to mention what happened the day before. That was something else I was beginning to like about her; she knew what would make people uncomfortable and avoided those things. Surprisingly, many people don't have that quality even though they claim to be good in the art of socialising.