Lovefool

And Maybe There Is Nothing That I Can Do

This is the second half of the last chapter...enjoy!

____________________________

Lovefool,

My best friend's boyfriend wants her to change. Her hair and maybe she should loose some weight and dress differently to be "sexier." His words, not mine! I think he is a total jerk and she should break up with his dumb ass immediately. But she won't listen to me. I miss the normal girl I've been friends with since first grade.

 Thanks, Sad Friend 

Dear Sad Friend,

 I can completely understand how that would be upsetting. If he "loves" her than it shouldn't matter what she looks like. Big/small. Tall/short. Straight hair/curly. None of that should matter, but unfortunately (to a lot of people) it does.  But if it were me, I'd be supportive and reiterate that she is perfect, just the way she is!

I'm sure she'll come around and see the light! Sometimes it takes a little time to understand the error of our ways, or in her case, her bad choice of a boyfriend.

Remember, don't be a fool for love. That's my job.

Lovefool

                                                                                    ~~~~

Mondays always dragged on. Why I expected anything different today was laughable. Maybe since it was the first day of a new quarter and everything should have equated to a fresh start. By this time next week, I'd have received my grades so I could start sending off all my applications to colleges.

Then my life would begin. An Ivy League college, of course, was the goal. My first choice was Brown, my mom's alma mater. The second was Columbia, just for their journalism program alone. If both of those fell through then Dartmouth would have to do.

The last bell before B period lunch rang.The senior wing of the high school instantly crowded as everyone hustled toward the cafeteria. Mavis fell into step with me and chatted about an upcoming party she wanted to me to consider attending with her.

"Oh come on, it will be fun," she pleaded and with her attention held on me, she walked right into Matt Toose. Not like he'd be hard to miss. Broad and round as he was tall, Matt fit the bill of the perfect linebacker for the Summit Lions, or so he claimed. With the team coming off their worst season yet, it was hard to exactly know what was considered "perfect."

"Matty, what the..." Mavis's voice trailed off as we both realized no one was moving.

"What?" Matt sighed and pointed toward the center of the lobby. "Look."

With a good twenty plus people standing in my way, it didn't give me the optimal line of sight. And being the stealthy journalist that I was, I needed to see what was happening. Especially since someone would only tattle to Lovefool about it anyway. Might as well take in a first person account for accuracy.

Using my elbows and shoulders as a leverage, I carefully slipped my slight frame through the throng and stopped once I hit the fringe of the group. The backdrop of a trophy case with those gaudy sports awards on display set the stage. Standing in the middle of the room was Claudia Crowder. Arms crossed and a grimace firmly planted on her freshly red lipsticked lips, she was in prime form. And directly across from her, about three feet away was the man of the day, Tanner Wilson.

I turned, waving Mavis through and spotting over half the senior class with their phones held out to record the whole encounter.

Amateurs. By the time I got home, there would undoubtedly be at least fifty of those darn videos in Lovefool's inbox.

Mavis elbowed her way through after forcing her curvier form past the three rows of students. Even she had her iPhone tilted at a certain angle.

I leaned over and whispered, "What are you doing?"

She shook her head as her dark brows furrowed. "I'm sending this to Lovefool, of course." She grasped my arm. "Do you think she'll give me credit for this if she posts it."

My stomach pitched every time Mavis brought up my alter ego, Lovefool. If she ever found out it had been me this entire time, she would hate me for sure. "What makes you think it's a she?" I asked.

"Well, you know." Mavis shrugged. "The way she answers those questions. You can just tell by the man hating tendencies that it is a she."

I narrowed my blue eyes at her. "Man hating tendencies?" Apparently, I needed to delve into this a little deeper to ensure I handled the blog in a more gender neutral fashion. It was the only way to keep my secret hidden.

The scene continued before the crowd as Tanner advanced toward Claudia, whispering something into her ear. Jaw locked, she stood taller in her place with clenched fists at her side.

"She's going to slap him," I muttered under my breath.That same vengeful look had graced enough scorned women over the years. My mom. Hannah. My aunt Jackie.

"She's not going to do any―" Mavis said as the firm crack of Claudia's palm coming into contact with Tanner's cheek rippled through the air.

"Told you."

She narrowed her eyes. "How do you always know?"

"It's what I would do." I stopped short of using Lovefool's usual spiel of if it were me. That might have been a little noticeable, even for my ditzy best friend.

Seconds later, Claudia stormed at the group while growling a harsh, "Get out of my way." Her shoulder bumped mine as she made her way past, pushing and shoving until she was clear.

Tanner winced while rubbing a hand down the left side of his face. "Nothing to see here. Go on!" The shouting prompted everyone to depart toward their original destination.

"Man, he's not having a good day, is he?" Mavis threaded an arm through mine as we headed into the cafeteria. It was a good thing, considering my stomach growled in response to my measly breakfast of an energy bar at my laptop this morning.

I peeked over my shoulder at Tanner one last time. He turned away, wagging his head slightly. 

Even from this vantage point, I couldn't deny the obvious. "He's not having a good day at all."

Forcing a smile her way did nothing to hide the fact that my heart dropped into my stomach at the thought that I, Harriet Byrne, played a part in Tanner's misery.

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See you again tomorrow! XOXO