by CJ Adler
Bella laughs lightly. “No.” She shakes her head for emphasis. “Nope, I don't think so. No one thinks you're a superhero or that you're made of stone. Trust me.” I ignore her and skip over to the front counter where Simo currently stands.
“Hi, Simo!” I hum, trying to be as friendly and welcoming as Bella always is. “Sprinkle,” he replies, in turn, a smile still plastered on his face. This guy should make the Guinness Book of Records for the longest smile held in the history of all mankind.
I frown at his words and take the liberty to correct him. “No, my name is Aqueela.” I point to myself and then point to him. “And you, Simo.”
He nods and points to himself. “Me, Simo?” he asks as if waiting for me to confirm it. I nod, indicating that he's on track. “And you, Sprinkle,” he finishes, to which I quickly shake my head.
“No, me is Aqueela,” I correct him a second time.
“You is Sprinkle,” he retorts back in all boldness, his smile transitioning
into a cheeky grin.
I grit my teeth in aggravation. “Aqueela.” I say the letters aloud for him to hear, “A-Q-U-E-E-L-A.” Even when I go as far as to spell it out to him, he still disappoints me. “Pronounced like tequila. Ah-kee-lah!”
He nods confidently. “Yes. Sprinkle.”
He has to be messing with me.
I lose my patience. “No, you severe looney tune! My name is Aqueela. Aqueela!”
“Sprinkle!” he raises his voice slightly, mimicking me.
“Aqueela!” I yell back and slam my fist down on the counter, expecting him to react, but he does nothing but blink at me lazily. It's when his gaze moves to someone behind me that I realize I'm in for some more humiliation.
I slowly turn around, only to come face-to-face with the manager, whose name still escapes me. I'm certain he just witnessed the entire exchange.
I groan aloud and rest my head in my hands on top of the counter. “Why does the world hate me so much? Why, Murphy, why? Your law is stupid, and so is your timing.”
I hear him laugh but pay no heed to it. “Trouble with Simo again?”
Yes! He's like a huge baby learning to talk but failing with immense failure.
“Not at all,” I lie smoothly, pretending to be on good terms with Simo.
I'm pretty sure it can't get any worse from here on out, yet it does.
Bella pops up right beside me and leans in toward Simo as she bats her long, dark eyelashes at him innocently. “Hey, I'm Bella.” She takes the initiative to introduce herself properly to him.
I shake my head with a murmur, “Give up, Bells, he's not capable of—” “Bella,” Simo greets her in ease, pronouncing her name perfectly.
My eyes fly open in shock.
Once again, Bell reaps the rewards and benefits of always winning and sticks her tongue out at me victoriously.
I glance back at Simo in newfound wonder, seeing hope for him after all.
“Aqueela.” I point to myself in a last attempt to straighten him out. “Sprinkle.” He nods as if he is in actual fact saying it right. “You're dead!” I threaten as soon as his manager is out of sight.
Bells manages to yank me back before I can jump the counter to kill him. She releases a sigh of relief when I calm down, happy to see that Simo's life has been spared, for today anyway.
I suck in a deep breath and glance around the empty store. I take in all the brightly colored chairs and tables. A sense of peace rushes over me. This place is officially my haven.
I let out a yawn as the night slowly streaks in, the moonlight filtering in through the windows, flooding the small store with light. I glance out at the stars shining against the bleak sky and it dawns on me— hits me in the face like a bucket of ice-cold water —he isn't going to pitch.
Chapter 3
The Extra Mile
I've never been one to go back on my word…much. This may or may not explain why I'm currently sitting in the boy's locker room with Bells curled up asleep on my right. I'm also pretty certain she's drooling.
I impatiently check the wall clock to find that we've been sitting here for two and a half hours already.
Where could he possibly be?
I went the extra mile and decided to brush up on some golden facts, facts such as what the latest fashion is; what Brangelina are up to; why the world hasn't stopped spinning yet; and, of course, when does Jay Taylor usually make use of the boy's locker rooms—clearly all the ordinary day-to-day stuff.
Bells stirs beside me as the doors to the locker room fly open. I, being the impulsive one that I am, immediately spring up to my feet and point my finger at the unexpected crowd accusingly. “Uh-huh!” I yell at the top of my lungs in excitement.
Silence fills the room, the loud chattering dying down at the sound of my voice as if I'm the last person any of them were expecting to see. Even after homecoming and the last game, they still practice all year round.
My arm falls back limply to my side when I see that Jay Taylor is not among the group of jocks. The football players shift their focus to Bells and me with wide eyes, shocked.
“What?” I huff indignantly. “You guys act like you've never seen two girls hiding in a boy's locker room before,” I conclude knowingly, my expression falling and my excitement wavering at the sight of all of them.
The silence continues to linger, their previous racket having diminished after having spotted Bells and me. A penny could drop and one would notice. We definitely caught them off guard.
“Is it our lucky day or what?” one of the football players finally comments, breaking the tense atmosphere. He motions to us. “First we win the game and now this.”
“Nah, it's just Aqueela Lawson up to her usual weirdness,” the more well-known player, Laiken Edwards, our school's famous linebacker, remarks in turn. He and I don't have the best history. He's a jerk, to put it bluntly, and I cannot even stand to be in his presence. I end up losing brain cells.
I pull a face at Laiken, unfazed, as I brush his comment off uncaringly. “Meh.”
“Why you always got to drag Bell down with you?” Laiken queries, evidently a fan of my best friend. It makes sense seeing as Bells is head cheerleader.
The jocks begin talking again when I don't say anything back to their precious Laiken. I stand back and listen as I consider a way out of this unscathed.
“Mason's a beast. You see him with that winning touchdown?”
It was only a friendly game for practice yet they still make a big deal out of it.
I roll my eyes upon hearing the name. Mason Montry happens to be the star quarterback of the team, Laiken's best friend, Bell's boyfriend, and my worst enemy. He's tormented me for years. He puts Laiken to shame with his ways.
“You get used to it.” Laiken shrugs, very aware of how talented his friends is.
All this talk on Mason makes me wonder where he is. He and his team are inseparable. They all usually parade down the hallways together as if they own the school.
“We'd be nowhere without him,” another one gives his opinion on his beloved captain.
I unintentionally scoff loudly in disagreement.
Laiken arches a brow my way. “You got a problem, Lawson?”
I stand my ground bravely in the spur of the moment. “You know I do, Edwards.”
Once again, I'm met by deafening silence as punishment for my impulsive words.
“You got a lot of dynamite packed inside of you for such a nobody,” Laiken retorts as he and his posse gang up on me.
I take a step back, now feeling the weight of their glare. I play with the strands of my hair nervously as I try to divert their attention so that I can make my grand escape. “So…uhm…yeah, I'm just going to get going,” I tell them as I slowly begin moving toward the exit of the locker rooms.
“Nice try.” Laiken grasps me by my elbow and yanks me back to him. “You don't get to come in here, insult us, and then decide to leave. Payback.”
Thinking on my toes, I po
int to nothing behind them and shout loudly. “Something!”
As expected, the idiots all spin around to look. I take my chances, pulling away from Laiken, as I sprint past him and the rest of the pillars of muscle. I head straight for the door. It's only when I exit the room that I feel free from their contempt.
The feeling doesn't last long. It's soon replaced by a feeling of dread and uncertainty, almost as if I'm forgetting something.
I hesitate just outside the locker room and contemplate on what it is that could be missing. I mull it over in my head:
Hat? Check. Bracelet? Check. Hat? Check.
Cell phone? Check.
“Where the heck is Aqueela?!” I hear a high-pitched shriek from inside the room as it occurs to me.
“Ah.” I nod to myself, now remembering what it is.
Bells? Check again.
I sprint back into the room to save her, but somehow she gets to me first and ends up dragging me out by my wrist, quite painfully may I add. The girl can hold her own, no doubt.
Bella ignores the wolf whistles directed at her as she furiously marches us away from the locker room and over to the cafeteria for lunch instead. Her anger is justified seeing as we missed half of our classes today. She just so happens to be the goody-two-shoes between us.
“I know you're probably quite irritated seeing as I forced you into another one of my famous ploys, only for us to miss all our morning classes and not to mention the fact that Jay never pitched and that I might've, kind of, sort of left you sleeping in a room filled with testosterone. But I really believe that our friendship is strong enough to bounce back from this,” I conclude. “Well, my half is in any case.”
Bells cocks her head to the side and analyzes me with judgment.
“What are you trying to say?”
“Your side has always been a tad bit weaker, rustier if you will. You know, I gotta admit, I've had my doubts about you. Nonetheless, your forgiving, merciful, compassionate spirit always pulls us through.” I suck up to her in a futile attempt to get back into her good books.
When she doesn't budge, I feel the need to try and justify my actions. “Also, in my defense, you're the one who fell asleep. Plus, you're also a heavy sleeper—impossible to wake up. Oh, and I went back for you, let's not forget about that. In fact, if anything, I think you're in my debt. You owe me. I practically just saved your life, that's if you forget the teeny tiny fact that I put you there in the first place. You're just lucky, you know. You're just lucky that I—”
“Oh, enough already!” Bell cuts me off from my rambling with a raised voice and a sharp tone, clearly exasperated with me. “Just drop it. We'll call it quits.”
“No, we'll call it even,” I say with a grin, realizing that she's already forgiven me for my significant lack of memory and accountability. “For real though, I'm sorry that I forgot about you,” I apologize before excusing my actions. “I must be getting old.”
A strong arm curls around my shoulders. “Sure are, too bad you're aging like sour milk instead of fine wine,” the familiar voice says as I support all his weight.
I sigh in true despair and shove him away before glancing at Bells accusingly. “Alright, own up, who summoned Satan? I was not ready.”
Bell rolls her eyes at my childish insult aimed directly at the demon she calls her boyfriend. I watch on in disgust as she leans up to kiss the sweaty quarterback. “Hey, babe.”
“Hey,” he greets her back, barely acknowledging my presence. It's only when her eyes stray for a brief moment that he sends me a cunning grin as if plotting yet another one of his evil plans.
“Bell!” I raise my voice in rage as if to capture her attention. “He's doing his evil grin thing behind your back again!”
The only reason why I put up with Mason Maggot-face Montry is that Bell is so infatuated with him. I know that he's not right for her and I'm hoping that she will dump him as soon as she realizes it. The only thing he has over me is his looks, but his personality kills it. I've known Bella longer than him, so I'd like to think that I will always have the upper hand ...and lower hand ...and all the hands. In actual fact, Mason has no hands in this scenario.
Bell sends her boyfriend a deadpanned stare, one of strong warning. He holds his hands up in turn before blaming me, “She started it.”
“I did nothing, you vile cretin of darkness!” I defend myself, annoyed that he has the nerve to lie.
Bells merely shakes her head at us. “Every girl's wish, her boyfriend and her best friend wanting to murder each other,” she states sarcastically. “It's my worst nightmare other than my boyfriend and my best friend having a thing for each other.”
Mason and I both make gagging noises simultaneously.
Bella stares at us as if comparing us to toddlers in her head. She pouts unhappily. “Why can't you two just get along?”
I, being the immature one, gag aloud again at the suggestion. The mere thought of me getting along with the maggot makes me squirm in repulsion.
I, of course, lose this battle because Mason plays the safe card and plants a kiss on Bell's pouted lips. “I'm trying so hard, but she makes it so difficult,” he blatantly lies like the compulsive liar he is.
I narrow my eyes at him threateningly, hoping to come across as intimidating.
“See,” Mason points to me as if to prove his point, “just look at her, she's cute but not lovable.”
“Duly noted,” I conclude bitterly.
Bells hits him upside the head for my sake. “Don't speak to Aqueela like that. You know I don't like it,” she scolds him, putting him back in his place. “Also,” she raises a daring brow at him, “when were you planning to mention that you find my best friend cute? Mhm?”
“Oh, please!” Mason responds back calmly. “I only said that to boost her confidence level. She is always self-conscious and it's a real buzzkill. Besides, how can I be attracted to an insane person?” he questions incredulously.
“I'm not self-conscious,” I retort on a sour note.
“Yeah?” He muses. “Then why don't you prove it and remove that beret, huh? Take off the hat and I'll believe it.” he challenges me.
When I don't step up to the plate, he grins in satisfaction.
“That's what I thought. You put on this confident charade, but behind it, you're this scared little girl who fears rejection. You can't even walk out the house without some type of hat on, and here you are telling me that you're not self-conscious. Yeah right!” he scoffs mockingly.
I scowl at him. “You should be a lot nicer to me considering the fact that I encouraged Bells to go out with you when she was still unsure about you. I'm the one who gave her the thumbs-up in spite of you being you. Instead of insulting me, why don't you start thanking me?” I glower at him, annoyed.
I instantly regret my words when I see Bell's facial expression. She asked me never to digest the details of her previous uncertainty with him. At first, she didn't want to be with him due to the fact that he tends to pick on me. However, I saw how much she liked him, and so I compromised. In the end, I persuaded her to go for it.
Mason's eyes widen at the revelation as he turns to Bells for an explanation of some sort. “You had doubts?” Bell winces. “Well...”
I take it as my cue to leave.
Toodaloo!
I purposely shove Mason out of my way and turn my back on what I now presume to be 'the not so lovey-dovey' couple anymore. Nevertheless, I halt in my steps as a realization comes to mind: he's a hypocrite.
I quickly spin back around to face him before voicing my thoughts aloud. “Oh, and Maggot, you're a self-righteous hypocrite. Take off that letterman jacket that you always wear and let's see you be someone without having to be defined by a football jacket.”
I grin in satisfaction when his expression falters.
“That's right,” I add. “I went there!”
I don't like people taking advantage of me, especially people who claim to know me, but, in reality, don't
know the first thing about me. Why can't I just like hats?
Bell is most likely going to give me cheek for the stunt I pulled back there, but I'd be damned if I let that garbage child use me as his personal doormat.
I walk shamelessly down the empty hallways, feeling bad for the next person who dares look at me the wrong way. Mason is the only one who can put me in a foul mood within a second. The kid has skills; I'll give him that much.
I don't know what he holds against me, but ever since we met as kids, he's made it his life goal to make sure that I'm miserable. He enjoys putting me down whenever he sees fit. I've never really hated someone or had any enemies, mostly because I tend to lay low, but ever since he started dating my best friend, I was forced to associate myself with the likes of him. I'm forced into interacting with him and his crowd. He managed to squirm his way into my life, and quite frankly, I've had it with him. His mere presence puts a damper on my mood.
I make a turn around the next corner and come to a stop in front of my locker. I unlock it with my secret combination that Bells and Mase somehow figured out, making it not so secret anymore. I guess the combo '1234' is not very creative.
I reach inside my messy and unorganized locker — the complete opposite of Bells’ organized one — and take out my camera.
I dump all my books into my locker before heading out to the school's back garden. The garden is peaceful and secluded. No one ever hangs out there because everyone seems to prefer the busy cafeteria during lunchtime.
My only passion is photography. Bell knows that when I'm in a mood, I'll be somewhere with my camera taking random pictures to liven my spirits. I remove the lens cap off of my camera and begin taking pics of my surroundings, already starting to cheer up.
I suck in a deep breath of fresh air and relish in the moment of freedom, taking it all in. I love being outdoors.