Two Souls

Chapter 5- By Your Side

"So, you called him." Erik Leroux, Mr. Senior's voice said.

I switched my phone from my left hand to my right so I could doodle on my folder with my ballpoint pen.

"I called him," I repeated.

I was proud of myself. I had never called a boy before. Well, that was untrue. Unless I was asking for a homework assignment or something of the like. A boy I had feelings for. I stuck the pen in my mouth and chewed absentmindedly. "I asked him to tutor me in science."

"Tutor you?" The voice said from the other side of the line. "Giry, he's absolutely incompetent to be a tutor for you. I greatly advise you to seek another."

"Well, excuse me, Mr. Senior," I said, talking still with the pen in my mouth. "-but he gets good grades. And he's intelligent-,"

There was a snort from the other side of the line. That made me feel upset, and I bit down on the pen harder than I meant to and I felt something squirt into the back of my throat.

I let out a little scream of panic and threw myself and the phone down off my bed and sprinted to the bathroom. I leaned over the sink and spit out a mouthful of blue ink.

I screamed and shouted colorful language- as colorful as that damn blue ink. I gargled water. But my mouth was blue, and the ink had dyed my skin.

"MARGEURITE!" My mother shouted and stormed into my bathroom. "WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU SHOUTING?"

I looked up at her, and my mother went pale. "Meg, honey-,"

"Maman, it won't come out!"

My mother grabbed a paper towel, and rubbed my mouth. She murmured soothing words, but I was crying too hard to listen.

A half hour later, we had gotten most of it off of my face- but I was still very much blue around my mouth, and it was staying put.

"You'll have to wear a lot of make up tomorrow," My mother said, looking at me like she was despairing of me. I gave a desperate wail.

My mother walked to the door and took a last sad look at my face, imagining my fate. "Meg, baby, don't forget that you're going to Aunt Antoinette's tomorrow."

She stepped to the doorframe, and almost all of her disappeared from my sight, except for her French manicured nails. She stepped back, and I saw a confused expression screw up her face. "When have you ever called me 'Maman'?"

I blinked. I had no idea that I had even called her a different name than usual. But it was true. I never called my mother 'Maman'. It was always the usual 'mama' or 'mom' or even the occasional 'mommy', but 'Maman' had snuck in there without me even noticing, like it was second nature.

I shrugged. And she shrugged, and walked out.

I took one last sad, hopeless look at the mirror before dashing out of the bathroom.

My phone lay on my floor, looking depressed at being discarded so easily. I picked it up and pressed it to my ear, closing my eyes. Was Mr. Senior still on the other side of the line, or had he hung up?

"Erik?" I said, nervous of the verbal abuse I was certain to experience if he was still on the line.

Dial tone. He had hung up.

I replaced the phone on its cradle and flopped down on my bed. And I threw that damn pen as hard as I could out the window.

"Meg, did you eat too much blue Jell-o?" One Wise Guy cracked as I walked down the ancient halls of Populaire High School, innocently trying to get to literature class.

"Leave me alone," I growled. He gave a 'woo!'-ing noise and backed off, and his clique laughed at my expense. I glowered and moved on.

I had put on a ton of make up, but the blue from the pen still could be seen, and it had just not come out over the night. It was cursed.

I was cursed.

…And that's when I ran into a poster. I grabbed it away from my face, and took a good look at it.

"Populaire High School's Semi-Annual Talent Show?" I said, reading the poster out loud. "It's your chance to shine! Exhibiting all of our talented young students for a night of fun…"

I looked up to see who had shoved the poster into my line-of-walkage.

Of course, it was Erik Leroux, Mr. Senior. "What is this, Mr. Senior?" I waved it in front of his face, just to annoy him.

He grabbed it away from me. "We're going to be in the talent show." Erik said, simply.

I dropped my jaw and grabbed the poster away from him, again. "I- I can't be in a talent show! I- I have no talent! I'll just embarrass myself."

Erik rolled his eyes and grabbed it back from me. "You can sing and you can dance. You won't embarrass anyone."

I grabbed it back. "I haven't danced in years, Mr. Senior. And how do you know I won't embarrass myself?"

He tried to grab it back. His voice was getting loud, and kind of scary. "You used to dance ballet, you still can, and I'm sure of it. And I won't let you. I'm going to teach you to sing beautifully. And you had better do it, or ELSE."

The poster ripped in half, and I dropped my piece in shock. "'And I had better do it or else'?" I repeated, dazed. "I'm not your slave, and I don't have to do everything you say, and I say 'NO' to the talent show!" I pushed Erik away, and stormed off from him.

It was quite certain that I would be late for literature class, anyway.

"COME BACK HERE!" Erik yelled. But I didn't return. And there was no way I was going to sing in that talent show.

NO. WAY.

AN-

Just so you guys know- Meg's mother today is NOT Madame Giry. Madame Giry is now Meg's aunt that she is visiting 'tomorrow'.

And that's really all I have to say. Toodle-loo and review!