Orange sky / Looking for Alaska

Chapter 3: Tell them I said Something (Pt 1)

84 days before

Alaska and I sneak into the colonel and Pudge's room

"Miles" whispers Alaska.

"WAKE UP, PUDGE" she screams in his face "morning" she says to him and he sighs. I laugh. "Got to get a lock on the door, everyone but Alaska and Talitha can have a key" the colonel says. "We have the key to your heart, colonel, that's all that matters" I tell him. 

"That was so loud, it hurt my feelings" says Pudge and we turn to look at him. "you always sleep in your clothes ?" Alaska asks. "Pudge has PTSD, he's afraid he might get kidnapped  in his tighty wighties again." the colonel says. "I though he looked cute." says Alaska and I smirked at her.

"You're crazier than I thought"  says the colonel. "That was a terrible way to wake up, how can I ensure that that never happens again?" and I laugh. "Nothing you can do" says Alaska, and we leave the room. 

As we leave the room, I see Jason talking to Longwell, I wonder what their talking about. "hey, I'll see you later?" I say to Alaska and she nods. I walk up to them. 

"Dude, I just think you should go for it" I hear Longwell say. "Go for what?" I question. "Nothing" said Jason really fast. I'm a bit confused but oh well. 

"Hey Tilly, I wanted to say that I'm sorry about what we did to Miles, it was a bit far and we're gonna call a truce." Longwell says to me. "It's cool, but you should apologise to Pudge too" I say to him and he nods. "I'll see you later?" he asks me. "yeah, for sure" I say. "Right I'll leave you guys to it" he says and walks away. 

What?

"So what were you guys talking about?" I ask Jason. He smiles at me and says "you'll find out soon enough". Okay then. He grabs my hand and we start walking to class together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Never tried grits before" said Pudge as we get our food from Maureen, the lunch lady. "Wish we could have bufriedos everyday" I say. I fricken love bufriedos. "quickest way to ruin a good thing" said the colonel. "I object. If something is so good how could you ever get enough" said Alaska "probably a better question for Jake." I snort. 

"Apparently Alaska's boyfriend is a real sexual dynamo." said Takumi. "You know that would be complete bufriedo- fication, right? asked the colonel "The girls here would ballon up to like 300lb "

"So what if they did, They suddenly wouldn't meet your sexist adolescent fantasy of what's acceptable female forms?" Alaska asked. "Big is beautiful, colonel" 

"Small is appealing as well." said Takumi. I just shrug because I'm tiny but it shouldn't matter what size you are. "Not when it says shit like that" Alaska says. 

We see my brother and his friends walk in. "It's my girlfriend" colonel said, "yeah and my brother" I added.

"Chip, Longwell and Kevin have something they would like to say to you,Don't you guys?" Sarah said. "Look, Colonel, you ratted out Paul and Marya, we retaliated" stupid Kevin starts to say and I scoff and roll my eyes."we're even now, so truce?" Longwell asks.

Stupid asshole. To be honest, I don't really want my friends and my brother fighting but I know the colonel would never accept a truce. 

"Take it back. I'm not the rat." colonel says. "You want to say that to my face? cos right now you're talking to my sternum" said Kevin. Well Kev, it's not his fault you had to be a fricken giant now is it?

"Closer to your heart when I rip it out" the colonel said. Pop off. "Oh my God, you are both so stupid and so is this war. Enough, Ok?" Sarah exclaims. I don't disagree.

"I'll make you a deal. You pick one dead American president. If Pudge her doesn't know his last words, truce. If he does you spend the rest of your life lamenting the day y'all pissed in my shoes" colonel says. 

Ha. 

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard." Longwell says and I glare at him. "Kevin's your best friend, I seriously doubt it" I tell him, Jason chuckles and Longwell glares at me.

"Those are the terms, otherwise nuts to your truce" the colonel says. "If you even can name a president" Alaska said. 

I love it when my friends bully my brother.

"I summer interned at the Carter centre sophomore year, Jimmy and Rosalynn have actually been to my house for dinner" Longwell says. True. "Have they ever been to your trailer park, Colonel" 

"The only Carter I acknowledge is Shawn. In or out?" The colonel says. "Fine. whatever" Longwell says. The weekday warriors turn around to figure out which president to choose.

"Don't blow this Pudge" colonel said. He's not going to. 

"Alright, Millard Fillmore" my brother said. Okay who the fuck is that. "Shit. Was that guy even president?" Takumi said. We all look at Pudge. 

"um" 

"When, um, former president Millard Fillmore was dying he was really hungry but his doctor was trying to starve the fever. Fillmore wouldn't shut up about food, so the doctor gave him a tiny tablespoon of soup. And all sarcastic, Fillmore said the nourishment is pallatable and then he died" Pudge smiles. My jaw drops. Longwell looks like he wants to kick a fricken puppy. 

"No truce". We all laugh. 

"Why would you try and drown this man?" colonel asks. "he's a goddamn genius".

The weekday warriors leave. 

"Pudge that was your first truly badass  moment, When this war's over there may not be any survivorsnbut goddamn, it's gonna be good" Colonel laughs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

J A S O N 

Unfortunately, Talitha was ill after lunch so I skipped class to stay with her. Unluckily, she's making us watch mean girls. I don't mind though, as long as I get to stay with her.

Talitha and I have been friends since last year. I was the one that gave her the nickname Tilly. I've also liked her since last year, I'm pretty sure I'm in love with her and after she asked me to be her escort for cotillion, I've been thinking that she might feel the same way. So, I spoke to her brother Longwell, well actually he came to speak to me.

Flashback

"Hey man, so I heard you're escorting Talitha for cotillion" Longwell said to me. Shit, is he gonna kill me for getting close with his sister. "Yeah, she asked me some time ago" I tell him.

"So when are you gonna ask her out, because everyone know that she likes you and you like her back" He asks me and my eyes go wide. 

"Does she know?" I ask him. "Nah, she's oblivious" he says to me. Thank God. If she finds out and she didn't like me back it would ruin our friendship. "She definitely likes you dude, I just think you should go for it" he says.

"Go for what?" 

End of Flashback 

I look down at Talitha to see she's fallen asleep. She genuinely is so beautiful, Fuck I need to tell her how I feel.