Blue Mirth

Loophole

           

Kind of what the brother would look like.

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John Kenneth

I walk to Math, having clearly failed Chem. I knew nothing on the test, and I still had the audacity to smile at the invigilator when the time came to hand over my paper. I'd walked right out of the classroom, and now I'm treading towards my next class. I pass the Ladies' bathroom where I'd helped Ivy clean up after the Grease Incident and look away. Not now. Can't do this right now. I spot Una walking towards me, and instantly smile. She has one of those smiles that make you do that. "Hi, Una.", I greet, stopping in the middle of the hallway. "Hi, John. Listen, um, are you free this evening?", she asks. I think about that. I also notice Savannah approaching us with a huge smile on her face. This is weird... she doesn't smile like that. I excuse myself and tell Una that I'll have to get back to her about that, depending on the amount I get.

She walks off to whatever class she has, and I stare at Sav. "What?", I say, confused but still smiling. Smile, she'd want you to. "Please tell me you said yes to her.", Savannah says.

"Who, Una?"

"Yes."

"I told her I'll get back to her, why?"

"Oh, come on, please just say yes."

"I will, after you tell me why you're so excited about it."

"She's single, John. She dumped her boyfriend because she found out he was cheating."

"Um... so?"

And everything clicks into place. "She was asking you out.", Savannah says. There's this long silence, and then I say, "No way. No, I'm not going. Sav, I can't believe you'd actually think that's she's my type.", I ramble, trying to stay calm. Her face falls. I feel bad, but she should understand.

"You could try to..."

"I don't want to."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"No... it's just... you've been hurting so much, I just thought..."

My expression softens. She was just trying to help. She didn't mean to come off as forceful. "I know, but it's okay. I don't really want to go out with anyone right now. I don't know what it is, but it'll feel wrong towards Ivy somehow. She's still here. And I don't think it'll be fair to just forget her.", I tell her. She nods. "Man, you really miss her.", she murmurs. My stomach jumps at her words. She looks up at me and smiles a small smile. I manage to say something, ignoring the knot in my throat-

"I do. But thanks for trying."

She smiles wider, and I catch her eyes shining. Not this again. I give her a bear hug, tell her to hang in there and that we can have another Swiss Roll marathon if she wants, make her laugh, and then we both depart.

*********

I reach my locker after Physics, the last class of the day, and see a piece of paper on my locker. I move closer, and what I see makes my anger flare up. It looks like a kid drew it. on the paper is a drawing of a green bottle, labelled Poison, and on the opening of the bottle is a head with black hair. There are stick-arms and legs protruding out of the bottle. It looks like a black-haired girl wearing a costume of a Poison bottle. There's an arrow pointing to the head, labelled Ivy. I rip the paper off my locker and crumple it. from behind me, I hear laughter. I whirl around, and there stands Luke with his troop of snobby girls. I don't waste a second. I draw my arm back and walk up to him. All the girls scatter from him, apparently afraid of what I might do. Luke takes a millisecond too long to register what's going to happen, and I take that chance to plant a punch into his pretty face.