Mary Anne pulled the heavy physics book out of her locker and placed it in her dark brown, leather messenger bag. Lost in melancholy thoughts, she jumped when a voice surprised her.
"Ready for lunch?" Kristy asked. "I hope you brought your lunch today because I could smell the salisbury steak all the way down the science hall!"
Mary Anne gave Kristy a little smile.
"Oh shoot!" Kristy exclaimed. "I forgot to give Mrs. Hinson my extra credit paper! I'm going to run back and try to catch her. I'll meet you in the cafeteria, okay?"
"No problem," Mary Anne replied. Mary Anne watched Kristy's jogging figure and then slammed her locker shut.
She started off towards the noisy cafeteria and just as she rounded the corner, she almost ran right into Logan. "Hey, watch it!" he exclaimed. It was just then that he realized who he'd bumped into. "Mary Anne!" he said. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was you."
"Yeah, if you'd realized who it was, you would have just knocked me over, huh?" Mary Anne retorted.
"No, I didn't mean that at all," Logan replied softly. "Listen, Mary Anne, we need to talk. Please."
Mary Anne gazed at him with wide eyes. She tried to control her voice. "We need to talk?" she repeated incredulously. "Now?! No, Logan. You should have talked to me weeks ago. When you first started breaking dates and avoiding me. It's a little late now."
"Mary Anne, please. Give me a chance to explain," he pleaded.
Mary Anne studied Logan with a searching face. His muscular frame from playing sports that she'd hugged and snuggled into, the soft hands that held hers so many times, the sandy hair that she'd run her fingers through, his smooth skin that she'd stroked, the full lips she'd kissed so many times but never would again. Finally, her brown eyes met his. Seeing his eyes was enough to make her eyes start brimming with tears. She swallowed the lump that had come into her throat.
"There's nothing for you to explain, Logan. You've broken my heart. A heart that was yours forever," Mary Anne's voice trembled. "I thought I knew you, Logan Bruno. I thought you knew me. But I obviously don't know you at all and I don't want to speak to you ever again." Her eyes stinging with salty tears, Mary Anne started to brush past him but he caught her arm.
"Mary Anne, after all these years, you owe it to me. Just hear me out," Logan said softly.
Mary Anne spun around quickly to face him. She felt her face burning with the anger and hurt bubbling inside of her. "I owe you?!" she spat out with disgust. "I owe you nothing, Logan. Nothing!"
With that she ran towards the nearest bathroom and locked herself in a stall. She cried to the point of not being able to get her breath. How could he have the nerve to say that she owed him?! After what he'd done to her? She thought they'd be together forever! Who was this guy she thought she knew so well? To say their relationship was boring and then to start dating Cokie Mason? Logan knew the history between them. He must really have wanted to hurt her. Or at least he didn't care enough about her to really give a damn. She rested her head against the cool metal of the wall and tried to stop the horrible hiccupy sobs.
Just then she heard the bathroom door open and chattering voices entered. Mary Anne watched as two pairs of feet stopped in front of the sinks. She stuffed a wad of toilet paper against her mouth to try and keep the muffled sobs from being heard.
"Oh, Grace, isn't he wonderful?" Cokie sighed. "After all these years I finally have him."
"Well, a couple of dates is hardly having him," Grace replied as she opened up her compact with a click.
"He's mine," Cokie snapped at her friend. "And I'll do whatever it takes to keep him."
"Well, whatever you do will be a vast improvement over Mary Anne Spier. I'm surprised he stayed with her this long. Did you get a load of that plaid skirt she's wearing today?" Grace and Cokie erupted into giggles.
"Yeah, she's such a prude," Cokie agreed. "A senior in high school and she's still baby-sitting and acting like such a goody-goody nerd. Logan told me that they never have….you know."
"You're kidding!" Grace replied incredulously. "They've been going together for what, five years now?"
"I know," Cokie smirked. "He actually called her an ice princess!"
Grace snorted with cruel laughter and tossed her makeup bag into her backpack before zipping it up.
Mary Anne's eyes were narrowed with pure anger and she found herself shredding the toilet paper to bits as she listened to the hateful conversation between the girls.
"Come on, let's hurry to the cafeteria. I'm supposed to meet Logan and I can't wait to parade it in front of that baby's face. Maybe she'll even cry for us!" Cokie laughed meanly. Together they snickered as they left the bathroom.
With fury she didn't think she was capable of feeling, Mary Anne slammed the stall door open with a bang and went to the sink. She splashed cold water on her face and then tried to touch up her soft makeup to get rid of her blotchy and tear stained face. Mary Anne faced her reflection in the mirror squarely. She couldn't believe Logan was discussing their private love life with Cokie Mason. Ice Princess, huh? Well, two could play this game, she decided with a satisfied smile on her face. Look out, Logan Bruno!