Kissing Is the Easy Part

Chapter 59 The Gucci perfume (2)

Janet

Juicy news traveled fast. I heard about my favorite couple's fight before they even entered the cafeteria. There was a hush as soon as they walked in, like we were in a movie theater and the lights just dimmed.

Flora's face was set in defiance as her eyes circled the room. She tilted her chin upward, challenging everyone with a what-are-you-looking-at glare. Sean reached an arm around her shoulder and steered her toward the food. He bent down to whisper something to her and she nodded.

They joined the line. Flora carried the tray, and I could see Sean nodding to some of the dishes. She briskly picked up whatever he wanted. He was busying rubbing his hand on her upper arm. She leaned her head against his shoulder whenever the line wasn't moving, and at one point she reached up to stroke the back of his neck. Sean turned to her and smiled.

To an outsider they looked as deeply in love as ever. To me, however, they looked like Hollywood couples, the ones who hold hands as they walk down the red carpet, making a statement to the tabloids about how perfectly in love they are.

Something almost negligible was missing. It was like taking away the filter from a camera lens; things appeared about the same but just not quite right.

There was no emission of serene happiness. The telepathic connection between people in a relationship. A secret look only they knew the meaning of. Smirking at each other like sharing an inside joke. Right now Flora was smiling so fake she looked like the wife in The Truman Show, and Sean seemed to be trying too hard. A public declaration of love in the hallway? It was so not him it was alarming.

"Are you guys okay?" I asked when they sat down to join me. "Worried about not being popular enough?"

Flora nodded. "Yup! I noticed some of the sophomores weren't paying enough attention to me. I need to show them who the real drama queen is."

"We're fine," Sean said.

"We have too many sparks between us, sometimes an occurrence of a short circuit is inevitable." She looked at him. "That's what causes a short circuit, right? When the electric current is too strong?"

"Yeah. It can happen when the wire is damaged, too."

Flora didn't pick up anything to eat. On the tray was just the same couple of greasy items Sean ate every day, and I knew exactly what caused the explosion between them. Too many sparks and a damaged connection.

"Hey, have some consideration for your less intelligent friend," I said. "Can we not have a physics lesson in the middle of lunch?"

Flora smiled. "What's new with you, Jan?"

"You guys wanna do something fun?" I twirled my spaghetti around the fork. "I want to shoot a music video and post it on YouTube. Do you want to star in it?"

"What's the song about?" Sean asked.

"It's a lighthearted song about high school love. It's called Twisted Fairytale."

"I get it." Flora nodded. "Sean is the fairytale part and I'm the twisted part. Cool."

"Hey." He frowned and nudged her lightly with his elbow.

"You're both the fairytale part," I said. "It's a fairytale with a twist, you know, without the dwarves and elves, castles and dragons, and instead there are real conflicts and hardships, but you can still get to happily ever after. Just not in a royal carriage."

"Maybe in a Mercedes," he said.

She smiled. "Is that song actually based on us or do you just want someone good-looking in your video? I'd love to do it, as long as you're not worried that ninety percent of the comments below will be about your pretty brunette friend."