Chapter 10
The night before our exam, we were all sitting in a circle in the living room with our textbooks in our laps, asking each other questions we figured were bound to be on the exam. We were in teams of two, making it like a little game; I, Rachel, and Violet were one team while Nicole, Melody, and Cheyenne were the other. This is how the game is played; one of us has to ask someone on the opposite team a question. If they get it right, their team gets six points (two per each), and the person gets to ask the next question. But if they get it wrong, their team gets adducted three points. This study technique was developed by me and Rachel in our first year of junior high, and we needed some way to study for whenever there was a big test that counted for almost 20% of our grade for the semester. So we came up with the game; right now, my team had 18 points, and the other team had 24. Now it was Cheyenne's turn.
"Ok, Rachel, name 3 of the 5 ingredients used to make a vanquishing potion" she said. Rachel nervous bit her lip, and thought hard. She's never been very good at potionology, and Cheyenne knew this.
"Umm….stag root, Triple X, and….qui-qui-quinosa!" She exclaimed with a heavy sigh.
"So close" Cheyenne shook her head. "You got two right, but it's triple D, not Triple X"
My team groaned as Nicole took 3 points off our score, so now we had 15. If one of us misses a question, the other team also gets to ask us another one, and it will go on if we don't get it right until we answer correctly.
"Okay, Isabelle" Melody said. "On which planet is the best cure for arthritis found?"
"Jerome" I said; like I said, I was really smart.
"Correct" Melody said. I smiled as Nicole added 18 back onto our score card.
"My turn" Rachel said, and turned to me. "Izzy, what are you going to wear to the Annual Alfea-Redfountain Ball?"
"You're supposed to ask someone else on the opposite team a question, and that's not even related to what we're studying!" I giggled and pushed her playfully.
"The real key to a success on an exam, my dear, is to relax and get a good night's sleep on the night before the exam" Rachel said. "In other words, we shouldn't be studying, but gossiping!"
"You just want to stop before you get a question wrong again, and cost your team three points" Cheyenne smirked. Rachel scowled at her, but she just giggled.
"Actually, she's right" Nicole said. "Proper rest and relaxation does the body good before a big test."
"So we should put the books down and talk about this month's dance!" Rachel said excitedly. We smiled and closed our textbooks. The Annual Alfea-Redfountain Ball was a party held every year at the beginning of the term. It was when the girls at Alfea invited the boys at Redfountain to a school dance. It was very formal, so everyone had to dress right; the dance also gave Rachel an opportunity to talk about fashion. Although that's what she mostly does.
"This is the same party that our parents met at, right?" Rachel said. "Maybe I'll meet my future husband there, too! So of course, I'm going to look gorgeous!"
"Why shouldn't you?" Melody said. "There's bound to be some cute boy for all of us there to flirt with."
"Will Joel be there?" Nicole asked her. She's had a crush on Melody's brother for a long time, but has always been so shy about it. Even though I'm sixteen, I'm shy about boys, too; I've never had a steady boyfriend before. I dated a prince from Linthea named Gareth in junior high but it didn't work out so great, and we broke up. Other than that, my love life hasn't been so great but no one ever said I had to have a boyfriend.
"Of course" Melody said. "And Keith and Steven, because even they didn't want to, they would have to unless they're sick."
I noticed Violet had been silent through our whole conversation; she had a depressed look on her face and her eyes were downcast. I hated to see any of my friends looking so down, especially when we're all cheery, and I hated to see Violet so down the most.
"Vi, is something wrong?" I asked her. She looked up at me with a tiny crooked smile.
"I'm just bummed about the dance, that's all" She said. "Why?" I asked. "Because I don't think any boy would notice me, let alone fall for me" she said.
"That's silly" Cheyenne said, as she sat next to Violet. "Any boy would be an idiot not to notice you or fall for you."
"Thanks" Violet said. "But no boy has ever looked at me twice; my dad fell head over heels for my mom the first time they met, and she only spoke a few words to him. Their love is true love, what are the chances of me finding something like that at a school dance, or ever?"
"Truthfully, the legend of true love is illogical" said Nicole. "Love is a emotion which two people feel for each other; an expression of perfect happiness in the other, and the desire to be together. True love is a fictional expression of self-claimed emotion."
"What Nicole means to say is, love doesn't have to happen right away" I told Violet. "There are plenty of chances for you to find the right guy. It doesn't have to happen at the dance; you'll find the right guy soon, I know it".
"I guess you're right" Violet said.
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