Floe de Lir

Chapter 11: Distance

Three attempts reading the same passage forced her to give up.

She set her book to the side, deciding there wasn't any use analyzing a romantic love story when romance was the furthest subject from her mind.

Her art project. She needed to finish that sooner than she needed to finish the analysis.

Art.

She would see him there.

He would try to talk to her.

She did not want him to talk to her.

She did not want to ignore him, either.

Art class wasn't necessary to fill her required art elective. She could choose a different art. Visual art, perhaps. She could study film.

She wanted to be an actress. Studying film would be logical. Her guidance counselor might think it a good idea.

Could she switch classes with the semester more than halfway over?

She visualized his face when he learnt that she had purposely switched classes, because of him.

So much for working on her art project.

She couldn't focus on her chemistry homework. They had that together. Calc? Could she work on her calculus?

Her concentration that Saturday evening was completely absent.

Perhaps she would be able to concentrate better on Sunday.

She wondered if he was struggling as much in his concentration as she was.

If he dreaded seeing her on Monday as much as she dreaded seeing him.

She had to talk to someone.

Who could she talk to?

She would normally speak with him, or with Kelly.

Kelly.

She had been so wrong about the both of them.

She couldn't speak to her parents. Jim would ensure to rub in that he had pegged Dylan from the start.

Brenda didn't need to hear that.

Could she talk with Brandon?

Brandon didn't know.

Donna was Kelly's best friend. Would Donna still be a friend if Kelly wasn't?

She wasn't close with Steve, or David, and they were both sure to defend Kelly.

Andrea would tell Brandon.

It was disheartening to realize that there wasn't a single member of their gang that Brenda could call to discuss the events of Thursday night.

She could talk with Bobby.

Bobby would be adamant that Brenda tell Brandon.

She could call Maggie.

She couldn't call Paris. The charges would be astronomical, and her parents would roast her alive.

Minnesota would be reasonable. She wouldn't get in trouble for calling Minnesota.

No, Darla had that new boyfriend she would want to go on for hours about. Lottie; Lottie would tell Bobby, who would want to tell Brandon.

New York. She could call New York. Her parents did it all the time.

Buffalo, New York.

"Here I thought you'd become this big Parisian star and had forgotten about me."

"As if I could ever forget you." Brenda curled into her window seat, clutching onto one of her stuffed animals.