The Gift of Laughter

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Kaia Mitford had no reason to be engulfed in sobs crying her heart out on the bathroom floor.

Kaia Mitford was not the one with a mother walking the Sunset Strip after midnight and a father knee-deep in liquid liver failure and sticks of prepackaged cancer.

Kaia was the product of two successful people who were capable of healthy love that had come together to create a family, and she most definitely did not appear to deserve Irene Beauregard's favorite safe place.

Yet by some slip of fate, perhaps indigestion as the result of a not so smart indulgence in a school cafeteria engineered milkshake. Irene found herself not in her normal position as the girl crying, but as the one who discovered her.

For most students of Hargrove Preparatory, the feat of ignoring random hormonal outbursts would've proven easy. But the last time Irene had written off a cry as something not worthy of further investigation, she'd come to regret it.

So it was no surprise when she found herself jacking open the door of the bathroom stall. Revealing a not so perky student body president that reacted to the new pair of eyes on her just as anyone pouring their weight out in tears would.

" What are doing in here? Didn't you see that the door was closed? Are you after my story to use it to boost the sales of your
stupid school newspaper that isn't even worthy of funding? Try it, and I promise that your position as senior editor will be in danger!" Kaia said through a mixture of oddly placed sobs and sniffles.

"I wouldn't normally dream of doing that, but threatening me isn't helping your case either." Irene said, bubbling with internal amusement.

" Please don't," Kaia said.

" I wouldn't dream of it, after all I have no vague understanding of what's even happening here." Irene sat down beside Kaia who immediately tensed up.

" It was my girlfriend–"

"Tell me about it," Irene interrupted.

" Anyway, as I was saying before being so rudely interrupted. My girlfriend who has been my best-friend since before we could walk broke up with me out of nowhere. She told me I have become a downer, and that she can't stand to be with me anymore," Kaia's voice broke as she delivered the sad statement.

"Well, I'm not really good with emotions or girls which is probably why I've had no look finding a girlfriend, but I am good at jokes. Mind if I try one out on you?" Irene said.

"Umm...okay. Sure." Kaia answered.

"Alrighty. Helvética and Times New Roman wall into a bar. Get out of here!" shouts the bartender. "We don't serve your type," Irene said.

"Wow. You're really bad at comforting people, but I must admit that was a good joke. I'll have to use it in AP Lit one day," Kaia said as she began bubbling over with laughter.

" Glad I could be of service." Irene said, joining Kaia in the melodious kind of laughter only people with their hearts a little bit broken and battered can manage.