Have a Nice Day

A Slap in the Face

My heart almost stopped. A mili-second over the required time? How many times can that be repeated? 

I jumped in the air, Jace doing the same. I found myself smiling and laughing......and suddenly in Jace's arms.

It had felt to natural, I hardley noticed before Jace curled his arms around me like I had to him. His body was so warm and comforting, it was hard to let go, but I forced myself to pull away from him. My face flushed red as I pushed my hair behind my ear.

"Uh, sorry." I said. Jace looked like he was going to say something buck, but Mrs. Eleanor interrupted.

"Great job, you two!" She said. "If you would take your spider and place it back onto the cart, the next group can go."

"Oh, right, I'll do that." I said, my smile fading and bending down to pick up the spider cage. I scooped up the black widow from the floor and closed the lid on the now-known as a "her."

I watched as Jace went back to the lab station as I put the spider on the cart just as something grabbed the straps of my short-short overalls. This violent jolt caused me to look at the person who created it.

"What the heck are you doing?" Feather asked me.

"What the heck are you talking about?" I asked back.

"Dude, get your head straight, focus on the potential we're trying to achieve here!" She hissed. "While you're bumbling around over a guy on the opposite side of the career spindle of you, we're trying to keep you from actually liking this curse!"

"Feather, you're insane!" I whispered back. "Why would I like this curse?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because you're flirting with it?" Feather said. 

I looked back at Jace, who was getting something out of his binder and writing on it. He looked up and saw me looking at him, and he waved. I smiled and waved back.

Feather grabbed my shoulders and shifted them so my back was on Jace.

"Ow! Stop doing that!" I whisper-yelled.

"Not until you listen to me." Feather said. "You're going to go back there and tell him that you're not interested. Then you're going to come back here and be a bad little wizard's daughter, got it?"

"Feather, you can't possibly tell me what to-"

Feather slapped me across my face, then grabbed my mouth so I didn't scream. Once she was sure I wouldn't yell, she let go.

"What was that for?" I asked, rubbing my cheek.

"I'm keeping you out of Wonderland, Meep." Feather said. "Now go!"

Feather turned be back around and pushed me toward the lab station. I rubbed my red cheek as I approached Jace, who was still writing something on the notecard he took out.

"Hey, Jace." I said casually, though I was sure that it was not the casual I was hoping. He didn't seem to notice.

"Hey, Meep." He replied. He looked up right as I sat down next to him. I looked over at Feather, who had her hands crossed and her eyes narrowing down on me. I swallowed air and looked back at Jace.

"So, Jace.......I-"

"Hey, Meep?" He asked and I shut my mouth to let him continue. "You know I'm new here, right?"

"Yeah." I replied.

"Well, I was wondering, where do most of the kids around here hang out? Believe it or not, you're the only other person I've met today, besides my teachers and your friend Crimson."

"Well, the mall is a hot spot, but there are a lot of places where kids around here hang out." I said. "I could show you sometime, if you want."

I said the words before my brain knew what my lips were saying.

"That would be great, actually!" He said. "Would tomorrow work for you?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess. I could meet you at Riveena's Cafe after school?" I asked.

"That would be great, I was there for dinner with my family last night. I'll see you there then?" He said, packing up his stuff. The groups with their animals were all done and the bell rang as I stood up too,

"Uh, yeah." I said. He smiled and walked out of the room. I looked down at the lab table to get my stuff when I noticed his note card. "Wait, you forgot-" I started, picking up the note card.

Jace: 248-3597

He gave me his phone number! What was I supposed to do? Leave it for anyone to call him? I stuffed it into my pocket and grabbed my stuff, going over to Feather, who was still in the corner that she had told me what to do in.

"What did he say?" Feather asked. I clamped my mouth shut and put my hand in my pocket. Feather saw this and commented. "What did he give you?"

"Nothing." I mumbled. Feather reached for my arm, but I pulled back before she could grab it. She reached again, but I was too slow and her fingers closed onto my wrist. She yanked my hand out of my pocket, and with it the note card.

"Why does this card have his phone number on it?" Feather asked, looking at Jace's handwriting in red ink.

"Because he asked me to show him around town and I said yes." I said. Feather frowned and slapped me again, this time in the back of the head and flinging my hair over my face.

"Ow!" I yelled. Mrs. Eleanor was monitoring the hallway, so Feather didn't need to cover my mouth again. "Would you quit it?"

"No! Meep, you told us to keep you away from good decisions, and you're already chest-deep into one!" Feather yelled. She held up the note card in my face. "This is a good decision, Meep! That's why I told you to end it before you got too carried away! That's why I've been slapping some cold-hard sense into you! This isn't smart, Meep, not for you!"

"Feather, there could be worse things." I said, rubbing the back of my head.

"Oh really? You mean like falling in love with a goodie-two-shoes? You mean like asking him on a date after you told your friends to keep you're head screwed on straight?" Feather asked. She grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the room, throwing the note card in the trash. "This is low, Meep, this is way low, even for you."

As she pulled me out of the room, I twirled my fingers and felt the card slip safely back into my back pocket.