The Colours We Give | On hold

| 22 |

" You make me smile like the sun, fall out of bed,

Sing like a bird, dizzy in my head "

- Smile, Uncle Kracker

☀

arashi

BRIAN FINALLY TEXTS ME something sober during lunch break.

Candy and I broke up

And I don't feel sad

I take a spoonful of mashed potatoes. Portmouth does them good.

Is that supposed to be good or bad?

Good ig

Do u feel better after breaking up?

I'm not sad

Do u feel better?

Idk

Candy's a nice person

But not nice for u?

Yeah

Not nice for me

I take another spoonful of mashed potatoes. Nash suddenly plops a part of his share onto my tray. "I don't like potatoes. Kim keeps giving it to me 'cause she can't eat more," he says into my ear. She sends me a poker face, obviously able to hear every word Nash says. It makes me want to laugh.

"What are you going to do in Gym class?" Kim asks me. We have it at the same time.

"I've got injuries. I can't play volleyball, of course," I blatantly say.

"I mean other than playing, of course," she mocks. Nash laughs loudly, so loud that bits of potatoes fly out from his mouth. The rest of us laugh at him and Kim shouts, "Ugh!" when a fragment of potato lands on her jeans.

"By the way, Tas," Nash turns to Tassel when our snorts die down. "Both Mrs. Perez and the substitute teacher are absent. You're Physics class is gonna be free."

"Oh really?" Tassel asks, sounding relieved. "Then I get to sleep through a class without feeling guilty."

She smiles groggily and yawns, and it's contagious. I feel like squishing her cheeks, but Kim does it for me. "You're so cute when your eyes water," she says, sounding innocent. 

"Right," Tassel sarcastically sighs. "I can beat Pikachu."

"You went too far," Kim shakes her head in utter disagreement.

"Sorry," Tassel, says sounding fake-pissed. She starts rolling her eyes, but a yawn stops her in between, making her scowl. I burst out laughing. For a moment there, she looked like a character glitching in a video game.