Salted Wound

Chapter 60 Jade- Apr 2, 2019

I pull myself out of the car with a sigh, leaning heavily on my good leg as I push the car door shut behind me. Zamari glances at me in the way he has been ever since the accident like he's checking to make sure I'm still alive and haven't collapsed in a heap on the floor just yet. It's a pitying look that I have been getting more in the last few months than ever before in my life.

A voice whispers that Freddie hasn't given me that look - not once. He always looks at me with this awe, like I'm something he's never seen before and can't quite figure out. I realize I've been finding my thoughts drawn more and more toward him, especially since the night we talked about nightmares - the night I realized the purpose behind the majority of his joke; keeping people out.  I push the thought out of my head, and roll my eyes at Zamari, making a face at him. He holds his hands up in a surrender position, an innocent expression on his face.

I have to come to the office to pick up some materials for my class which I hate just because I have to be here for a few hours. I walk toward the school building, my gait is slower than it used to be. Near the front doors, I realize something is different. The usually crowded front of the school is almost deserted, and quiet.

"What's going on today?" I ask Zamari, glancing over my shoulder at him. He shrugs, still giving me a suspiciously innocent look.

"Where is everybody?"

"Class?"

I make a face. "Early? For the first time in...well, ever?"

"It could happen."

I push the door open and there are even fewer people in the hall, only a couple here or there, whispering among themselves. Before I can step foot toward the OSP office, I see a giant fuzzy mass appear at the other end of the hall.

"Am I in a trippy horror movie?" I murmur to Zamari, who only snorts in response.

As the mass gets closer I realize it's Freddie in a giant bear costume. The only reason I can tell it's Freddie is because the bear trips halfway down the hall, and bounces back to its feel immediately does a short dance, twerks for a moment, and continues its path down the hall. It's then that I realize there are flower petals on the floor surrounding the door I just walked through.

I try not to laugh as he shimmies his way toward me, a handful of roses clutched to is fuzzy bear chest, some of the petals dangling pitifully due to his fall. He stops in front of me and holds out the roses.

"I was going to make a poster too but I figured this is cheesy enough for you," Freddie says, his voice muffled slightly by the bear head. He carefully gets down on one knee, and I can't contain my laughter at how ridiculous the bear costume looks, peering up at me.

"Jade, will you do me the honor of being my date to prom?"

"I was going to pretend to think about it, but that's just mean, this bear shit looks like it's hot in there. Of course, I'll go with you dummy."

He jumps to his feet and pulls the bear head off, his sweaty hair curling around his ears. His huge smile is infectious and I find myself grinning right back at him. He pulls me into a hug, and a thought tickles the back of my mind, leading me to whisper in his ear,

"You don't mind going to prom with a gimp?"

He shrugs, still holding me close. "I don't like dancing anyway. This is just my way of getting to see you in a dress." He winks at me, and I can't contain my laughter.