Emojis ORGINAL

Interview

*Chasten*

The day was finally over. Finally. My head was pounding, my vision was blurry and I was swaying. I just wanted to go home, even if it was a run down house. So, of course, I had to get a donkey load of questions.

My alarms started ringing when a sense of importance and fluster pushed through the normal excitement of school getting out.

As the feeling neared, I got a glimpse of who that feeling belonged too.  A medium height girl with caramel hair and a worried and smoothed expression at the same time.

She had an air of importance drawn around her, as if it put her above everyone else in the school.

A nearby kid saw her and shoved her against the locker and a flash of lighting hitting a tree flew into my head. Her confidence. I realized. She tried to draw that importance around her again and mainly succeeded. But the tree was damaged.

By the time she reached me, it was intact once again.

"Hello. I'm Charlotte." She said smiling up at me.

Sweetness oozed from her, but it was tainted with... something. Different. It felt ambitious but also foolish rage. Bitter. But sweet. It tasted awful in my mouth.

"Um... hi." I said, adjusting a strap on my backpack.

She smiled in reply and whipped out a small notebook and pen I hadn't seen.

"Now," she started, her tone taking on a business like voice.   "What happened at the fight?"

I groaned inwardly. Of course. The news club will be eating up this stuff. The first fight of the year on the first day! It's like Christmas to them.

"We fought." I stated, looking at her head band, trying to ignore her glare or the fact the frustration was working at my belly.

She rolled her eyes and huffed.

"Well obviously. Every saw that." She said angrily. A part of the tree burst into flame. A cold rain quickly reduced it to a hissing steam.

Then, collecting herself, she tried again.

"Can you state- in detail- what happened at the fight? What where your thoughts? What did you feel?"

A pang hit my gut. She couldn't know. Lo wouldn't tell. Would she?

"Um, he uh threw a punch at me. I dogged and he, uh, punch me and uh, knocked me out."

I couldn't add my ability in there. That would complicate things to much.  Oh, you know, his feeling where distracting me and I couldn't focus and that's why I got knocked out.

Frustration was visibly rolling off of her in waves and was showing on her face. The tree was smothering all over. Rain tried to fight the fire, with some success. She took a deep breath through her nose and exhaled, bring on an expression of forced peace.  The tree still smoked.

"Could you tell that to me in more detail?" She asked, he pen hovering over her notepad.

"Uh..." I started

"I think Chasten has to do homework and is going to be quiet busy. Unlike you, he does things that people care about." A familiar voice sounded behind me, sharp with rebuke.

A branch of the tree fell, and crashed into the mossy floor. It was rotted on the inside.

My heart soared. Lo! Oh, thank God.

Charlotte's face turned red. She huffed and spun around her heels, punctuated by a hair flip and a glare over her shoulder

I spun around.

"Lo! What are you doing here?" She rolled her eyes.

"School just got out dimwit I'm still here. Plus," she lowered her voice and leaned closer "she can't know. Charlotte is known for her a ambition and I she finds out, it will be horrible for you. Name calling, bulling-"

"I know." I said softly, feeling the fear of the kids from 5th grade wash over me again.

Lo saw my face and stopped. Something flicked across her face... guilt? A pang hit my gut. Pity?

"I'll walk you home." She declared decidedly.

I looked up, startled.

"Okaaay." I said.

She rolled her eyes again.

Just then, a small brown haired girl came prancing up to me, looking serious.

"Can-" she started, her voiced oddly deep for such a small girl.

I shook my head.

"No comment."

Her eyebrows drew together and a frown creased her mouth.

She turned around and marched off, muttering something about boys not being helpful...

Lo shrugged and linked arms with me, and started dragging me along. I obliged, to tired to argue