Out of Touch

Royal Flush

I shuffled the cards. Vinh glared at me. She thought I was cheating but little did she know I was just good at cards, even if this was just Uno. 

"Faith, are you still not playing?" I asked.

"Finishing an essay," she shook her head.

"Stella?" I looked towards that radiant beauty.

"Finishing my AP chem report, busy," she waved her hand away.

"Guess it's time for me to beat you once again, Vinh," I settled the cards.

"Um, could I join you?" Alaina stood over me. She'd just gotten in to the library. Andy wasn't around. 

"Sure, but be prepared to lose," I moved my chair over. 

Alaina pulled up a chair. She seemed less enthusiastic than normal. Vinh counted the cards as I laid them down. 

"You first," I looked to Vinh.

"Where's Andy? Aren't you two dating or something?" Vinh set down a blue seven.

"Oh, no, not anymore," Alaina looked steadily into her cards. "We broke up last night. He's in the band room right now. He won't talk to me."

I almost dropped my cards. I had encouraged the two of them to get together, as much as I disliked Andy. Now he was just being a moron. I hated him. I looked over at Stella. I still liked her. Would we fall to the same fate if I tried anything?

We played a few games of Uno, me winning almost every time. Only once, had I lost but Alaina had won. She seemed to enjoy mine and Vinh's company. We talked about writing, something I had been inspired by my teacher to try. I started a book online on the same site as Alaina. Little did she know, Vinh was my critic and my editor. Vinh looked over her story, reprimanding her for her dialogue. She swore to make a PowerPoint to explain to Alaina how to write dialogue properly. Alaina laughed, genuinely. 

I walked her outside. Today was an abnormally warm March day. Kids everywhere were ditching their jackets.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

"I'm okay," Alaina grinned. "I'm heartbroken but I think things are changing for me, just like spring changes the surface of the Earth. I think things are going to be different. Can we still stay friends?"

I smiled at her. "Of fucking course we can. I could give less of a shit about Andy's idiotic decisions. You're still a good friend of mine."

"Can I tell you why?" she seemed worried. "You can't tell anyone, promise."

"Sure," I shrugged.

"Andy's gay," she sighed. "And he's had a spiteful crush on you for a long time."

"I may be bisexual," I put up a hand. "but there is no way in Hell I'd ever consider going out with his dumb ass."

"I didn't know," she giggled. "Besides, it seems you're more Stella-sexual right now."

"Maybe," I smiled. "Soon, we're going to be seniors though. Are you ready for that?"

"No," she sighed. A warm breeze blew over the both of us. "I am not the slightest bit prepared to leave the normality of high school."

"I am. Fuck these people. They're idiots. I am going to write and join the army and go to college for free. Maybe I'll be a business major or a politician. Who knows. All I know is I'm ready for change."

"If you are, then I'll try to be too," she smiled.

Spring was always the most rapid season in our town. We would go from winter to summer in under a week. That's how the school year went too. We went from second marking period to the last week of school in minutes. That's just how it was.