Soul Search

Expanding Your Horizons?

    Abby told me the next morning she had a surprise planned. I could back this up, it was definitely more of an action packed morning than I would have liked.

    "Hey." I glanced down at the little kid who had just tugged on my shirt.

    He had bright orange hair, a wild amount of freckles, and eyes that looked like they could kill. I mean I usually like kids, but I'm telling you with this particular one, he looked more like a gremlin than a child.

    "Can I...help you?" I inquired, stepping away from him for good measure.

    "I'm Isaac." He introduced. "You know my brother right?"

    "Er...?"

    "Abe, you know Abe? He's my brother." Isaac explained.

    I didn't believe him at first because, well first of all Abe was black, and Isaac was very obviously white. They looked nothing alike, but I figured maybe one of them was adopted, or something?

    "Yes, Abe from the play right?" I continued, starting to sweat because he was freaking me out, didn't this kid have class?

    "Yeah, he was wondering if you were coming to the next practice?"

    This was weird, Isaac kept staring at me like I was a hunk of meat. "Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

    Isaac shrugged, which came off way too cool for the prepubescent he was. "I mean with a girl as pretty as her in the play, who wouldn't?"

    I blushed and started stammering my sentences, was he talking about Julia? "Wh-what?"

    Isaac's eyes widened. "Aha! It's Maria isn't it?"

    "No!"

    "Julia?"

    "N-no!"

    Isaac licked his lips. "You have a crush on Julia."

    "I do n-not!" I fumed, my face was hot with embarrassment.

    "Just wait until I tell Abe!" He trusted a finger at me and cackled, backing away.

    He was a gremlin.

    "Isaac, it's Isaac right? Wait! Please don't tell anyone." I begged. "What do you want?"

    Isaac raised an eyebrow. "How much do you have on you right now?"

    "M-money?" I blinked.

    He nodded, waving his fingers at me in the 'pay up' gesture.

    I pulled out my wallet and rifled through it. "Ten dollars?"

    "Please, I know you have at least a twenty on you."

    He was right. I don't want to know how he figured that out. At least I didn't have to give up my Hamilton. I handed over a full twenty dollars to this thirteen year-old.

    I had just been blackmailed by a Jr. Higher. Kids these days.

    He cackled again, a horrible squeaky sound, before scampering off to prey upon some other lovesick high schooler.

    Not even thirteen seconds later Abby appears behind me, and tapped my shoulder. I jumped and turned around to see Abby was standing there with a girl that I actually knew. Her name was Roberta, she was in my math class. She had dyed her hair purple recently, though I heard it was to celebrate the fact she had found her soulmate. Why was she here?

    "You know Roberta, right Micah?"

    "Hellu." Roberta waved, making that cute, cat face girls sometimes made.

    "Abby," I started, pulling her aside. "Roberta already found her soulmate."

    Abby brought me to where Roberta was standing, shooting me a glare like I was saying something stupid. "Yes, she and her boyfriend have been going steady these last few months."

    "Then why..." I gestured to her.

    "Because polyamory is a thing that exists my dear Micah, and both Roberta and Davy have agreed to let you try this." Abby nodded at me encouragingly.

    Oh, of course. I hesitantly held out my hand and Roberta shook it gently. I didn't feel anything, no swelling of my chest. I looked down and still nothing. Darn it.

    "Oh well, it was worth a shot." Abby shrugged. "Have a nice day Robbie."

    "Thanks, good luck on your quest Micah!" She replied, and waved at the two of us as she ran off.

    "My quest?" I muttered under my breath.

    "You sure you don't want to try boys? Or others? Like are you really sure?" Abby asked me genuinely.

    I shot her a look. "I'm positive. Look, even if, and I'm not saying this is a possibility, but even if it were a guy, which they won't be, hypothetically-"

    "I get it Micah."

    "Okay. If they were a guy, than I would rather not find my soulmate then find out they're a boy." I explained.

    Abby shot me a weird look. "Why? There's nothing-"

    "I know, but my parents would kill me, or kick me out. Both of them would. Or at least my dad would, I'm sure he's thinking about it now that I've joined the school play." I rolled my eyes.

    Abby frowned. "Your parents are stupid that way."

    "Yeah I know. Besides I've already told you I like girls, girls are adorable." I affirmed.

    Abby rolled her eyes back at me. "You can still like girls and end up with a boy, silly."

    I didn't reply to that, and she didn't push it anymore. I was positive that I didn't need to expand my horizons anyway. I was already half convinced Julia was my soulmate anyway, because I already felt so much more different around her. Alive, alert, freaked out as all heck as I tried not to mess things up, but I felt good. I just had to pluck up the courage to shake her hand.

    I pray to any deities out there that twenty dollars was enough to keep Isaac quiet.