Monique

Blood Red

Monique shuts her locker. Her shadow, Stella, is beside her blabbering on about Channing Tatum or Robert Pattinson. Monique can't keep up. Stella runs a hand through her hair. Her nails are pink. Fluro pink. Just like the one Jennifer Goodwin wore to one of the many award ceremonies celebrities attend.

"I enjoyed your party yesterday," she announces as they head off to the change rooms to get ready for sport. Monique rolls her eyes. She wants to remind Stella she spent over two hours watching scenes of Channing Tatum stripping. Instead, she dumps her bag on the bench and removes her shirt. Stella does the same and goes on to talk about how much she loved the Barbie cake and how she rocked the hideous poo green dress her mother insisted she wear for the party, because it was part of her birthday present.

Monique removes her neatly polished black shoes and puts on her sport shorts before removing her skirt. More people enter the change rooms. They all say, "Hi," in high-pitched voices. Monique forces a smile. She puts on her Adidas shoes and heads out of the change rooms with Stella. They go down the stairs towards the oval. They're doing athletics for the remaining two weeks of term in order to get ready for the carnival.

Monique is keen. Stella isn't.

Monique begins stretching as other students arrive. Stella eyes their twenty-something-year-old teacher. The rule is as long as he's not married and over thirty-five, he's available.

They're given instructions to run a kilometre: five laps across the oval. Stella groans like an over constipated obese man.

Monique begins running. She knows the drill. She finishes her first lap. Then her second. Her third soon comes along and she aces it. She's halfway through her fourth when the pain kicks in. Her muscles constrict and tighten at her calves. Her breaths are deeper and quick. Sweat forms on her temple. Her chest is heavy.

Inhale....exhale......inhale...exhale

She tells herself as she does her final lap. She feels the tears stinging at the back of her eyes.

Inhale....exhale......inhale...exhale

She crosses the finish line. The teacher is impressed. Stella comes last.

Next up are hurdles. Monique aces it. It's all about technique. Like her dad said, timing is the key. And she nailed it.

It's five minutes until the bell rings. They are sent to the change rooms to change back to their uniform. Monique doesn't waste any time. She's out of there in three minutes.

She sits at a table during recess munching on Tim Tams when the rest of the popular group come along. She's detached from the conversation. She doesn't care about the party coming up and stalking Liam Hemsworth. She has her own problems to deal with.

Science is a blur. She only has vague memories of writing fuck this shit all over her textbook. Learning about a rat's reproductive system was much better.

Maths is the same. Only this time she does a quick sketch of John in her textbook. Her teacher, Mrs Bones finds out and shows the entire class her drawing. She has just moved up the list of people Monique wants to kill once she gets out of high school. Even better, she's just taken the number one spot.

Congratulations.

By the end of school, Monique is drained. Even worse, she knows John is not going to be there when she gets home. The final bell rings at three ten. Not a second early. Not a second late. Monique wishes she could go back to the start of the day again.

She takes her things out of her locker and slams it shut. It's overcast. It's going to rain and she doesn't have an umbrella.

"Hey!" She grinds her teeth together when she hears Stella behind her.

"What?" The words come out harsher than intended.

Stella winces. "Why are you so distant-"

"Distant?" Monique snaps back.

"You're acting so pissed and moody. Is it your time of the month or something?"

A bitter laugh escapes her lips. She laughs so hard she can't stop. She's sure she looks like an idiot. She looks Stella in the eye. She tries to hide the quiver in her voice as she says his name. "It's John. He's gone."

She turns around and leaves the school building. She's barely three blocks from her school when the heavens burst open and large, heavy droplets of rain cover the town.

Monique's eyes dart around the street. She nearly smiles when she sees the small shop tucked neatly in the corner. She picks up her pace and runs towards it. She pushes the door open and hurries inside. There's a single fluorescent light on the ceiling. Different types of chocolate are arranged neatly on the tables and shelves. It doesn't take long for Monique to realise it's a chocolate shop. Rosalie's Chocolate Shop, to be exact.

"Hello. May I please help you?" Monique turns around too quickly nearly pushing some chocolates to the floor. A woman stands in front of her. She has a small hawk-like nose and her red hair is pulled into a tight bun with sharp needles to keep it in place. For a moment, Monique wonders how it got into the country in the first place. It could do some great damage.

"Hello. Sorry I'm not butting in here to steal or anything. It's raining outside and I don't have an umbrella, so I decided to come in here."

The woman nods her head. "I'm Rosalie."

"Monique."

"Here. Take a seat." Rosalie points to a chair in the corner. Monique takes a seat. She instantly regrets it. Her arse digs into the material before stopping to rest on the wooden structure. She squirms but quickly stifles it. She doesn't want to be in the rain. She watches as Rosalie gracefully moves around her, inspecting the chocolate. "I hand make them," She says as she pushes a box back into place. Monique nods. John loved chocolate. "Are you okay?" Monique's head snaps up and she smiles.

"Yes. I'm fine."

She can tell Rosalie doesn't buy her lie for one second. Rosalie reaches down and takes out a box of chocolate. She opens it and beams as she picks one out. "Here, have this. It should cheer you up." She places the chocolate in Monique's palm. Monique turns it over. The words Blood Red is typed in a fancy font. She unwraps the chocolate from its wrapper and pops it in her mouth. She closes her eyes as it melts on her tongue.

She forgets about John. She forgets about the rain outside. She forgets about Stella. She forgets about parents.

Blood Red numbs her senses.