Witch Lights (Nanowrimo)

Chapter Three- Just Like Magic

 Chapter Three

"So what you're saying is that she's some kind of magician." Jenna says, crossing her arms over her chest. I glance at my best friend as she stares at me with a disbelieving frown. My right eyebrow rises to meet hers and a small smile darts across her face, but is soon replaced with a look of pure skepticism.

"Jenna, you should have seen Mrs. Reyna. She was completely eating out of Charlie's hands. If you were there, then you wouldn't have believed--" My protest is cut short when she lays a hand on my arm, her eyes begging me to stop talking.

"Look, even if I did believe you, which I'm not saying that I do, how would that explain why Mrs. Reyna freaked out at you?" Her practical question throws me slightly off balance, and I clench the hands at my side into fists. She isn't even letting me finish a sentence, so what's the point in trying to convince her with what I know is true? Maybe because then she can agree with you and reassure you you're not crazy? I purse my lips as a small, nagging voice in my head attempts to provoke me. I don't need her to reassure me because I know what I saw! I just need Charlie to confess.

I think for a minute, realizing that I don't have the first clue how to respond to Jenna, so I stay quiet. She smiles at me then, a wide grin speaking of triumph and victory. She thinks that now that she's asked an unanswerable question, I'll believe that it's nonsense. Well, I won't. I purse my lips glancing around the room in an attempt to stall her. The cafeteria is one of the best spots for gossiping because in the midst of all the organized chaos, we have a special corner to ourselves, which is the perfect place for talking when you don't want anyone to overhear. 

There are people surrounding us, but no one dares come close enough to us today for us to risk being overheard. I pulled my best friend aside at the beginning of lunch, semi-politely shooing the rest of our friends away to speak with her alone. I blink as I look up and make eye contact with a pair of eyes staring intensely at me at the table across from ours. A cough makes its way out of my throat in an attempt to clear the tension in the air, and Jenna turns around to stare as well.

"Oh, it's just Jackie. My oh my does that girl like to cause drama." Jenna shakes her head, rolling her eyes, fully aware that Jackie is watching us with trouble in her expression. I nod, picking absent-mindedly at my nails as she continues to watch me. 

"I don't think we've ever said more than five words to each other." I frown as I think about it and Jenna glares at Jackie with a passion. Jackie smirks at her, twirling a thick black curl around her finger, and I hold back a nervous laugh. There's nothing funny about the situation, only it's not everyday you see two polar opposites in a fight. They ususally stay far away from each other. 

Jenna sits up straighter, but she will still need at least three more inches for that to seem impressive, as she's at least a head shorter than Jackie, who's about five foot seven. Jackie crosses her arms over her chest in a slightly defensive manner and narrows her bright green eyes at my friend. Jenna seems to take this as a challenge and her eyes flash a light blue that somehow seems deadly. "Hey, Jenna, what's going on with you two?" I ask, clicking my tongue in confusion. I know that they hate each other, but I never knew it was this bad.

Jenna turns her glare on me, flipping her hair behind her shoulders in a whirl of blonde. My eyes widen as I become the object of her fury, but her anger quickly fades. "I don't really want to talk about it, alright?" Her voice is soft, almost vulnerable, and her eyes don't seem quite so full of fury anymore. She seems almost defensive. I shrug, rolling up the sleeves of my sweater, determined to stay out of a situation that's none of my business.

Jackie's has never been one of my close friends, but she and Jenna used to hang out a lot when they were younger, before everyone decided that it wasn't cool to hang out with younger girls. I tried to squeeze the story out of her on several occasions, but she stays pretty tight on the subject. The only thing I managed to coerce from her was a small, "Jackie's a bitch." Which, you see, is always good to know.