All It Takes

Chapter 11 // Night Out

Chapter 11 // Night Out

"I want your face to be the only thing I see before I fall asleep. Only then will I lay peacefully in the meadows of my dreams."

Gag.

During class we have people stand up and recite their own poems, artfully created from their minds and from their imaginations. It's Poetry Slam Week, but it's not so much a slam rather a sham.

It always ends up being the people who are so in love or so full of hate spew nonsense words or regurgitate feelings they swallowed down earlier. Usually, it turns into an anger-filled rant, but this time, Francesca Baker is standing in front of the white board, pupils dilated and with her fingers constantly in her hair.

"Darling, I imagine your sweet smile, I imagine your perfect presence, I imagine--" She dramatically sighs, employing Acting 101 into her performance.

I can't take it any longer. I glance over at Xavier who has more interest with the dirt under his nails. Probably since he dated Francesca sophomore year. Every sigh, every hair flick, and every longing stare earns a perfected eye roll from Xavier.

Garrett finds more interest breathing down the nape of my neck just to irritate me.

"Oh, Romeo, please gouge my eyes out with a knife and shove candle wax into my ear so I don't have to bear this any longer." Garrett mockingly whispers in my ear. I bite down on my tongue, hard, so I can't let any sound out. And still, Francesca is sighing away, deeper and deeper into a black hole of mushy feelings.

"Francesca, Francesca, you're gonna make me barf all over my desk-a." Even though it's the most stupid and idiotic sentence I've ever heard, that's all it takes for me to let out a large laugh.

Bradbury snaps his head towards me and I know that my face is a bright pink, so I tuck my lips in and pretend to be paying attention. I look for anywhere in the classroom, like the abstract painting of Truman Capote or the picture of Gatsby's mansion made out of all of the words in the novel, to distract my self from Garrett and to try not to laugh anymore.

"Shut up!" I turn my head as far back as I can and try to make my warning as menacing as I can.

"Not until Francesca stops it with the early Valentine." Garrett shoots back.

After class is over, Garrett and me walk together towards our lockers. He's only a few doors down, but as I grab the last piece of paper, something--er--someone slams my door shut.

Goldilocks beams a toothy white grin and leans his shoulder against some other girl's locker. She'll be ecstatic to know he touched her door.

"What was so funny about Francesca's poem?" I lean my head to make eye contact with Garrett and let out a small chuckle.

"You had to be there." I silently motion for Garrett to come closer and he takes the hint.

"I was there. Soooo...what was so funny?" He's itching to know, as if he fact that Garrett and I share an inside joke is painful.

"Uh, sorry, but I like how Hazel and I have a little inside joke, m'kay?" Garrett jokes, poking Lars' bicep. "desk-a." He turns to me and a little smile slithers its way into my face.