9

School was over. All that was left was the Valentine's Day dance... Fuck.

The nurse finally told me if my parents weren't coming, I can go on ahead and leave. I knew my parents weren't going to show. Valentine's Day was this special ritual for them, They would go on and on about how they met at a village in the 1800s. From what I could tell, they would talk about my Uncle Henry and yada-yada nonsense and hijinks ensue.

Anyway, I finally got them to let me go. You wouldn't believe the amount of time and effort I had to put in, only to realize that they could have let me go by myself all along because I'm "not among the living". Assholes.

After I left, I saw everyone rushing out through all the exits. I saw animals lining up against a door like they were in a pigpen running away from blades, inevitably sealing their fate. Kind of funny, really. Some ass-cracks from people who'd try to squeeze in through the door but fell. Nice asses, yes, but it's better to keep hidden from where you shit out off.

"Hey," I heard, coming from a familar voice. I turned to see Penny. She looked pissed (if you wanted some artsy-fartsy writing about her eyes and mouth, look up porn stories).

"Hey," I said.

"Have you see Gumball?"

"No. I skipped eighth period because I threw up."

"Threw up? What are you, anorexic?"

"I'm a ghost! How can I be anorexic when I don't have the stomach for it?"

"That's what make you anorexic."

"Ah, the hell with it. What else do you want?"

Her anger resorted. Shyness emerged. "I don't know. It's just...I got so mad at Gumball today that I wanted to talk him. I wanted to apologize to him."

"Why? I think both of you were just letting off steam. It's natural."

"I know, but when I saw his act." She paused, but not for long. "I wanted to see him like that, again. I feel there's too much tension between us."

"What do you mean?"

She looked around. "Can we talk somewhere else?"

"Where?"

We walked around the back of the school in silence. I wanted to try and start conversation, but many movies always have the two main characters talk when they reach their destination. Sucks for them. And me.

Penny led me around the playground by the basketball court.

"You could have said we were going here."

She turned. "Well, I'm sorry, but this is some heavyhanded stuff I want to talk about. I wanted to make sure that everyone left. I wanted it to be out front, but there were people. I kept going until I found a spot no one would be around."

"All right, I guess. But what's heavyhanded about what you wanted to talk about?"

She waited for a bit. "I feel confused. My stomach's been acting up, I'm not eating—"

"And you call me anorexic."

She frowned at me, but quickly went away. "So, I wasn't eating, I was hot all over, I started to feel claustrophobic, jeez, I even felt like throwing up." She started to look away from me, not even showing me her face anymore. "I just had this dream about the friends I have. I saw them all die. All of them just vanished like dust. Do you know what happened next?"

I wanted to say a joke, but I kept silent.

"I stood there, feeling woozy and doozy and..."

"Penny, I'm sorry, but you gotta get to the point. I'm mean, this is fluff. It doesn't mean anything to mean. You're just hiding from the problem, really."

She looked at me in the eye, and she came walking closer to me. I didn't move, feeling...I don't know, pity. She got up right to my face.

"Do you feel that?"

All I could feel was her breath. Warm and nasty. Smelled like rotting fruit.

"I feel so...tight! I'm dying here."

That offended me. "I am dead, you moron! It's the equivalent of calling some of a certain race a bad name."

"Carrie, I'm scared. Everything is closing in, like walls coming in closer to each other."

"But what does this have to do with Gumball?" I yelled. I just snappped, really.

"Because...I think I like him like him."

I shrugged it. "No shit, Sherlocks. Everyone knows."

She looked shocked, mouth open wide enough to do God knows what with it. "Really?"

"Yes! The only person who doesn't know is the dumb goofball that got me a crappy day!"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't ask." If she wants know, she'll have to read this bullshit story.

"Well, Gumball isn't mean."

"But that doesn't neccesarily mean he's a good person."

"Oh, really? Isn't he the guy who helped you with that eating prpblem you had?"

"But that wasn't his choice. Darwin put him on the spot. And I took advantage of it."

"So does that make you a bad person?"

"Oh! I'm sorry. I wasn't aware of that. Yeah, I wasn't aware of the consequences back then. But I'm not saying I'm a good person. I'm just saying he got me in such...deep shit. I mean, with Lexy, and all what's happening today."

"What? He did that? He wanted to give you, and you alone, a bad day?"

"All right! Fuck! Fucky-fucky fuck fuck! Shut up!"

"Hey, screw you, Carrie! Do you think anyone would listen to your crap all day if they had a choice? No, they'd see you as a pretentious bitch! I'm opening up to you about my personal life and you spit on it like it meant nothing."

"It does mean nothing! What don't you understand?"

"I can't figure out if I love Gumball and hate you or love you and hate Gumball!"

That's the worst thing she could say. I mean, I didn't know. I mean, I don't really see her going down on someone that's a girl, except maybe with Jamie. Although I see Jamie going down on her than vice versa. Either way, back to reality. We're losing focus here.

"What?" That's all I can say, and really amy writer's response to such exposition.

She laughed a bit. "That felt good. Letting that out. Feel like I lost ten pounds."

"Because of anorexia, but what do you mean? What the hell was that? You just dropped the bomb on me, and now you're changing the subject."

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are. You're confusing me more than Lexy did."

"How did she confuse you?"

"Don't. Just don't. You doing it again."

Her smile cracked wider than before. "Noo. I really am invested."

"Then I'll tell you later, after you tell me what's really going on."

She waited for a moment. Then: "I was confused. I liked you two as friends. But I always liked Gumball more, and I wanted to him to be my boyfriend, his girlfriend. But I started getting jealous with you and him, and I thought about the possibilty that maybe I was using my feelings for Gumball as a distraction for my true feelings."

I couldn't help it. I started laughing, and she looked pissed again. "Hey! I just opened myself up for you and you're laughing at me."

"Because," I said, ending my laugh, "there's nothing that would infer you to like me. I mean, come on. You just jumped at it, out of nowhere, even. And it doesn't make sense if you like me. I think you're just getting too paranoid with this whole thing. Hell, none of this serves any purpose."

"Carrie, I know it seems hard to take—"

"No, just doesn't make any sense. Not one bit. Hell, I haven't read this much bullshit since The Girls' Sleepover."

"But it's true!"

"All right, how about this: say I let the suspension of disbelief go and believe you. And now, look at what you're overlooking: Gumball likes you, too. He always has. Go with him. The dance is at 6 or some shit. Just go! Call him up, say your date blew you off—"

"Who blew me off?"

"Bitch, don't start. Just say your date blew you off and ask if he wants to go with you. Do it or not, he'll be at the dance and you two can have your sappy-teen romance shit and live the rest of your lives in ignorance."

It took her a while to take it all in. Finally, she said, "All right. Fine. I'll do it. I'll ask Gumball to the dance. And you know what?"

"What?"

She ran towards me and kissed me on the lips. I don't know if she went through, but if she didn't, that was a perfect stop. She pulled and said, "thanks for everything." And left.

I said to myself, "How does that help me? Your breath tastes like shit!"