Aces [#NANOWRIMO2017]

Seraphine's Sandwich is Brutally Murdered

Fʀɪᴅᴀʏ, Fᴇʙʀᴜᴀʀʏ 2

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Lynne hugged herself to keep warm. "Seriously, Sera, how are you not freezing?"

"Uh, 'cause I'm not wearing a paper-thin designer jacket and leather fashion boots?" I suggested, gesturing to my fluffy winter coat.

Lynne rolled her eyes. "Looking good is a necessity, okay?"

Looking at Lynne right now, I could tell why some people considered her shallow, stupid, obsessed with nothing but her looks. She was blessed with unnatural beauty, so lots of people assumed that she was nothing but a fashion queen. While the "fashion" part was true -- Lynne had an incredible eye for fabrics and patterns, what would be "in" and what would be "out" -- I'd been her best friend for seven years, and I knew that Lynne was nothing if not kind.

Back when we'd first met in grade four, I'd been the most socially awkward person you'd ever see. I watched the other kids laugh and have fun, always wishing that I could join in with the festivities but never actually being brave enough to do so. Then Lynne moved to town, and everything changed.

When I first heard that we'd be getting a new student in class, I'd been incredibly worried for her sake. Grade four kids could be really cruel sometimes, and I was sure that "the new girl" would get picked on more than anyone else.

But the moment Lynne showed up in class, it was pretty clear that that wasn't what was going to happen. She positively glowed with confidence and grace. She was so nice to everyone, but wasn't afraid to stand up for herself or even for others. If she needed to, she'd sometimes even march right up to one of the sixth-graders (which, at our age, most of the class positively worshipped) to give them a piece of her mind. Although she'd never be rude to anyone who didn't deserve it, she was definitely feisty.

I adored her. By the end of the first week, all of my actions were judged by one simple rule -- "What would Lynne do?"

But apparently, Lynne was watching me, too. She told me a year later, when we were already very close friends, that she'd wanted to befriend "the cute black girl" since the very first day. She'd noticed my awkwardness right away, and had made it her mission to coax me out of my little bubble.

It worked. With Lynne by my side, I felt like I could do anything at all. We became first good friends, then close confidants.

Seven years later, we were still inseparable, and I knew more about her than I knew about myself. Lynne loved to sing, but she was tone-deaf. Lynne was a math whiz, but she hated math and instead chased her dreams of being a fashion designer. She was insecure about her feet, which she had considered abnormally large ever since she had been plagued with the nickname "Bigfoot" back in her old school. She had a scar on her shoulder from the time she fell out of a tree when she was much younger. She clicked her tongue when she was agitated. She hated the sound of nails on a chalkboard.

And sometimes, she was stubborn as a mule. "Lynne, you're going to freeze to death!" I said. "Ditch the jacket, you can have my extra coat."

"You carry an extra coat around with you?" Lynne asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I have to, for your sake," I teased. "Come on, put it on... It's a really pretty green, see? It'll match your green pants!"

"Actually, wearing two different solid shades of green in the same outfit is a major faux pas--"

"It's got faux fur lining the hood..." I sang.

"What?! Gimme!"

When the lunch bell rang, I made my way over to our regular spot. Lynne and I always ate lunch on the bench under the big oak tree on the school field. I smiled to myself as I spotted Lynne wearing the green coat I'd given her.

"Hey, Sera," Lynne waved. "This coat is actually really warm... But I feel so silly, wearing green on green."

"Stop thinking about your color coordination for once and just enjoy your lunch," I scolded her.

"Whatever you say, mom," Lynne grumbled.

I grinned at her and bit into my sandwich.

I had no idea that he was coming up behind me until he was there.

If I'd known that he was there, I probably would have grabbed Lynne and walked off right that instant. Maybe then, none of this would have happened in the first place. The heartache avoided, the heartbreak averted... all of the pain of the past month, gone. But then there would be no story to tell. There absolutely, positively must be a story to tell.

When he laid his hand on my shoulder, I was so startled that I lost grip of my sandwich, and it flew out of my hand and probably landed on whoever was behind me. Dang it, that was a good sandwich. But I didn't have time to mourn the loss of my delicious beef and cheese; my cheeks burning, I turned to apologize to the person who I'd accidentally attacked.

I'm not sure who I was expecting, but I absolutely was not expecting Ace Renshaw.

"Woah there, calm down!" Ace teased. "It's me. You know who I am, right?"

Of course, I knew who he was. Everyone in school knew all about Ace Renshaw. He was infamous for his devilish charm and his trail of destruction. People either did everything they could to act like him, or did everything they could to avoid acting like him -- but no matter what path they took, Ace was still at the center of it all.

I stuttered and stared, unsure how to respond. I didn't want to get involved with all the trouble that Ace spread, but my brain seemed to have forgotten how to function. Luckily, Lynne came to my rescue.

"Hi, Ace. Bye, Ace," Lynne said.

"Wait!" Ace called after me as Lynne and I stood up to leave. "Why not stay and chat?"

Lynne turned to him angrily. "Didn't you hear me? Bye, Ace. We are absolutely not going to stay and chat."

"Why not let Sera speak for herself?" Ace asked slyly.

Lynne threw up her hands in frustration. "Stop it, Ace. I'm her best friend. I know what's good for her." Turning to me, she said, "Let's go, Sera." With that, she marched off, head held high. I rushed to catch up with her.

Once we were far enough away that he couldn't hear us, I said, a little reproachfully, "Was that really necessary? You were a little harsh."

"Uh, girl, are you crazy? That was Ace Renshaw. You are absolutely not talking to Ace. I don't know what that creep wanted with you, but it can't be good. Stay away from him, okay?"

"Woah," I said. "Uh, okay." I had never seen Lynne so angry before. She'd had to stick up for me in the past, but she always stayed calm and cool. I privately wondered if she and Ace maybe had a history together, but I just couldn't imagine that someone like Lynne would ever get mixed up with someone like Ace.

Lynne sighed. "I'm just trying to protect you, honey. Trust me, he's bad news."

"I know."

It was true -- I did know. Like I said, everyone knew about Ace Renshaw. And rule number one in this school was that if you wanted to stay out of trouble, you would stay away from him.

Breaking that rule might be the biggest mistake I'd ever made.