Eloquence and Limerence

SKIPPING AND HOT COCOA

Left: Todd Seabrooks
Right: Jullian Sanders
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Walking out of the nurses office, a bandage on my nose and ice in my hand, I go to throw away the ice and rip off the bandage. I'm not spending my day with people staring at Todd's artwork on my face.

After I throw away the ice bag and before I can rip the bandage off, someone decides to interrupt. "Seriously? Because that is so smart." That voice. Why is she in the office? I look at her and drop my hands from my face.

Talulah bends down and pulls the ice bag out of the garbage can. "That's gross." I say with a raised eyebrow. She narrows her eyes and tilts her head down at the can and back up to my eyes. "Nothing else is in there. Clean bag, clean ice. Put it back on your face." She answers as if she was bored of talking. I get bored of talking a lot too. It's a lot of work and effort.

I grab the ice from her hand and walk away. I've decided to leave. I'll just stop at Lily's school. I'm sure mom wouldn't mind an extra hand and I never skip school, so she should be lenient. I hope. If not I'll go to the library.

"Uhh where are you going?" Why do people keep questioning me today? Wait everyone questions everything I do all of the time. It's just starting to get annoying right now. I keep walking away, I'm far enough away for her to think I didn't hear her.

"Dude. Really? I know you heard me." I can hear her footsteps approaching. I sigh and turn around. We're already outside the front of the school and she's looking at me with no expression. "I thought that we were friends now, friends normally tell their friends what their up to and what and who got them into the nurses office. Although I already know because Jullian told me."

"Why did Jullian tell you?" I ask with furrowed brows and clear confusion laced on my tongue. "Because I asked why you weren't at lunch and Jullian looked spacey." I sighed again and looked around. "Did he also tell you that he did nothing once again to stop it, but then apologized after? He acts like I hurt him, but he watches it happen, does nothing, and then apologizes for not doing anything and on Todd's behalf. Apologizing for Todd doesn't do anything and if he was sorry for not doing anything, he wouldn't have to keep saying sorry because he would've stood up already." I say looking into her eyes letting out a deep breath.

She stares a little while longer and then walks toward to grab my elbow and head out of school grounds. "C'mon, I know you were planning on leaving anyway and you're the only person I can stand in this school. Where are you headed?" My feet on instinct, follow her.

"I was just going to head over to my sisters school and help my mom out. Although I'm not sure what she would think if you showed up too." I've never introduced my mom to a friend. Shit. It's also not going to happen for the first time at her work place. "We should not do that, any other place in mind?" I ask quickly.

I realize that she is still holding onto my elbow and look down at her glove secured hand, she looks down when she sees my head move but then looks straight ahead, not bothered to move it. "We can go to my house? No one's home but my dog and my snake." Did she just say her house? Did she just say snake?

"B-but, your house? You have a snake?" I ask in horror. She chuckles looking up at me. "Are you more scared of being in my house, or the snake?" She's still giggling when she looks away. I awkwardly clear my throat. "Nope. No problem at all." That when I realize my voice has cracked and she starts chuckling again.

"Okay, since it doesn't bother you and all." I glance at her in the corner of my eye and I can see her smirking. Damn it.

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