When Stuff Happens

Chapter Six

Amor and Ezra are officially...study partners but if asked Ezra would put them in the friendzone. Because apparently a girl can't just much off another person without being labeled a friend these days. Right now though she could complain that her study group was taking too many breaks. It was their first study session with Martha, the clinic receptionist. But instead of any actual study they had two bathroom breaks, one snack break and another emergency bathroom break due to Ezra not wanting to go earlier but having the need to go when they were in the middle of hippocampus.

"So, Amor why love?" Martha asked monotone from boredom of waiting for Ezra's return.

Amor was in deep in the neurons of the hippocampus that she didn't hear her at first, "Uh what did you say?" Removing her eyes from the textbook onto Martha's face which was sprinkled with glitter.

"Love why are you love?" She pushed her seat back farther from Amor. 'Love? What is she...wait does she think Ezra and I are...no...no we are not.' Amor was confused in thoughts when she realized Martha meant her why was she named 'Love' in Spanish.

"Oh, um well my mom thought it was poetic because children are made with love so yeah." Amor left her sentence drop off since her body was still spasming from the thoughts of Ezra and her in love. Maybe they were in friendship but not in love. And barley the former. As Amor wasted more time with him eating, she learned stuff about him. Stuff that bothered her but now dare she say found endearing like it was part of his Ezra charm. Like his offense color palette or his never-ending supply of smiles.

"So, your mom's like a hippie." Martha replied while looking in the direction of the bathroom maybe due to her dislike of small talk. Amor never been a stimulating small talker.

"Um no I don't think so I mean I don't really know if she was or was not hippie. You know I don't really think of my parents as having another life from being my parents."

Martha nodded in agreement, "Yeah I know what you mean yesterday me and my wife called each other our names instead of Mom and Mommy. Our daughter flipped out saying we are not Martha and Lauren but Mom and Mommy. Kids." She finally turned her attention to Amor who seemed struck by the mention of children.

"You have kids?" Amor asked emphasizing her disbelief on the word 'kids'. Martha looked no older than she.

"Yeah she's three and responsible for the glitter décor on my face." Martha gestured to her disco ball of face. Amor still observing Martha's glittered face was cut off guard when she felt someone pinch her shoulders. She quickly turned around ready to slap the face of the perpetrator when she stopped cold at the sight of familiar smiling, white pearls of mouth.

There stood behind Amor the bane of her high school life, Dulce Lupita Lopez. Dulce had not changed over the summer in fact she glowed with a blinding highlighter on her face, narrowed her winged lined eyes at Amor and continued her gloss, glittered lipped smile. Amor should have recognized that raspy voice which Dulce claimed made her the direct descent of some forgotten movie star in the fifties.

"Hola Amor. Que pasa nina?" She pressed Amor using the nickname 'nina' which meant 'girl' in Spanish, but that word was used as a reminder that Amor was the last to hit puberty in their class. A fact that Dulce pointed out when she called Amor out for still wearing a training bra in the locker room when they were in ninth grade. Unfortunately, when it did happen her chest only came out to a solid A cup. That didn't stop the teasing and taunting which followed her through-out school. It was a good thing Amor wasn't interested in dating boys in high school because she would have been heartbroken multiple times. 'Nina' and Dulce were two objects she hoped to leave behind in high school. What was that old saying 'Your best years are behind you once you graduate high school' or 'The popular ones always peak after graduation.' Well those sayings fell on deaf ears when it came to Dulce who always looked prepared for an impromptu Instagram photoshoot.