The Key to my Heart

Chapter 24: Zero, Nada, Zilch (Marella's P.O.V.)

More Sotam art! I did a bunch of weird lighting stuff to make the fireflies glow a little, but I think it came out pretty good! And please don't zoom in, because I was lazy and didn't take my real initials off.

Today was Wednesday. Two days had passed since the announcement of the dance had gone out, and I got nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing. I'd been waiting patiently, well, as patiently as a girl could wait. Dex was in my science class, but other than that, we only had lunch together. So he had two periods per day- nearly two hours per day- to ask me to the dance. And he still hadn't.

Sluggishly, I got dressed and waited for the bus. It came, and I got on, just like any other morning. Biana was talking to Jensi, as usual, and I looked for an empty seat. There were none, but there was an open spot next to Maruca, so I say down next to her.

"Hey," I said, trying to get a conversation going with !y seat-mate.

"Hi," she mumbled, as if she wasn't sure how to talk to me.

"We haven't talked much, have we?" I asked, shifting in my seat.

 She smiled slightly. "Yeah. What's up with you?" she asked, sounding a little more comfortable.

I sighed. "Sadly, nothing. You?"

 She shook her head. "Same here." She looked at the floor, lost for words. After a moment, she looked up and said, "Hey, did you hear about Dex? You two are really good friends, right? So you must know!"

"What?" I asked, for the first time I days feeling a flicker of hope. Was this it? Did Dex want to ask me to the dance but was to afraid to say it?

"Dex asked Stina to the dance!"

"WHAT!?" I yelled it so loud, the bus driver had to shush me. "B-b-but..." I whimpered, trying not to let the tears in my eyes spill out.

 "Oh," Maruca said quietly. "Did you have a crush on him?"

 I was shocked by how fast she caught on. The rest of my friends would've needed a kick start, a hint. I shook my head. "Not did have a crush. I still do." I choked down my sorrow and held my head up. There was no way a stick like Stina could get between me and my Dex.

Oooor... maybe there was.

Stina couldn't hurt me physically, but she could emotionally, maybe without her even knowing she was doing it.

She talked about him with a dreamy look in her eyes.

They held hands in the hallway.

Just the fact that Dex chose to sit with her at lunch was enough to make me lose my appetite.

Strangely enough, none of my actual friends noticed my state of despair. Sophie took the rest of my sandwich at my offer without question. Her, Tam, Keefe, Linh, Biana, and Jensi took turns glancing at each other. I wished Dex and I could be part of that, but all I got was watching lovers flirt... And being lonely myself.

As I watched them, I realized that, if they couldn't tell what was going on when it was right in front of their faces, then maybe it was time for a change.

In friends.

Geez, I don't know what it is with these tiny little chapters! I was looking through my notebooks the lengths of the next few, and they're all so short! But don't worry, short chapters means there are longer ones on the way!

~Mia💗