Chapter 9: School

Chapter 9: School

The second I got to school, I saw a pack of five cheerleaders. I rolled my eyes at them. They all wore the same Pleasantville High Smiley Faces uniforms. They were sleeveless, light blue, white and had a big yellow smiley face on it. The pleats in the skirt were light blue, white and the yellow of the smiley face. Blue and white were the dominant colors. Ironically enough, no matter how smiley their uniforms were, they weren’t.

The head cheerleader came up to me. “Hey new kid.” She circled me like a shark with its prey. I circled with her. She said, “ I heard you got to first base with the bird guy.”

“Yeah I’m badass like that.” I responded.

She told me “My parents and all of us right-minded, self-opinionated people will kill you in your sleep.”

“Is there a Free-Thinkers Club?” I had to ask. It was a bit of a joke, so I wasn’t offended by her short sarcastic laugh.

She said, “Even if we had one, it would never accept the likes of you. AVIAN FLU!”

“That is so old!” I exclaimed, “You don’t even have your facts right! He is perfectly innocent.”

“Of being part bird?”

‘Guilty of that.”

“Sticking up his middle finger?”

“Yes, guilty of that too, but rappers and people who didn’t make it to Hollywood on American Idol ALWAYS do that. You don’t see them getting protested against.”

“But they don’t have wings.”

“They should at least give him a chance! He is a nice guy, but look who I am talking to.”

“The most popular girl in school.” She answered, my rhetorical question while flipping her big blonde curls off of her shoulder. I don’t know if she noticed, but that was a thinly veiled insult.

I tried the insult game again. “And the most bit…” My insult was cut short by Darcy, yes, Darcy. She had her hand on my shoulder.

She and Alistair are wanted dead or alive, but she cared enough to come and rescue me from this hell shack first.

“Back off of her. You mess with her you mess with her, you mess with me, and you don’t want to mess with me.” She responded. The cheerleaders fled. For fifteen she was practically lethal.

“Wow!” I exclaimed, “You are so awesome Darcy!”

“I came to get revenge, but when Alistair said you came, I became your bodyguard.” Darcy responded.

I could tell she was dressed for revenge. She had on black sunglasses, a black overcoat, black tank top, black skinny jeans and big black combat boots. She had two paintball guns too. She also had a black fedora tipped to look like someone from a mafia to me.

I asked, “Where are you doing this?”

“Art class.” She responded. She took her paintball guns and headed for the art room. “I invited them all over there. Now I will beat them.”

Darcy stormed into the art room with a sly smile. She cast off her fedora and sunglasses. She stood in the middle of the room. All the preppy probably otherwise private school jerks stood in a line. She took out the paintball guns and shot them, across the row until everyone in the line was smothered in paint.

“Round 2!” Darcy yelled. Then a huge vat of super glue was dumped on them. Then she yelled “Round 3!” Then faux feathers landed on the super glued idiots. The feathers stuck, making them look hilarious. “The last two rounds were for hurting my brother.”

“We didn’t hurt him!” One yelled.

Another looked around. “Maybe you didn’t David…”

“I actually like Darcy!” He exclaimed to the other one. He looked at Darcy “And if it’s any consolation, I love the feathers.”

Darcy took his feathery hand. “Oh I am so sorry I forgot about you, you were the one apologizing.”

“Yeah. Not like that stopped me from being any worse, I called you a harlot. Just to fit in. You have to know what that is like.”

“Of course I do. Alistair and I used to hold in our wings which feels like holding in for pants five sizes too small to get into parties and feel normal for a couple of hours.”

“Well, I like you, the differences you have from normal girls make you interesting and cool.”

“What about my brother?”

“I don’t know him, how can I judge him? It’s love thy neighbor not judge thy neighbor!” David exclaimed

Apparently though Darcy was a staunch Atheist and David just paraphrased the bible, she was very turned on by his theory on judgment. She gave him a passionate kiss and a very feathery one.

David was shocked, in a good way. “That was my first kiss.”

“Like it?” Darcy asked.

He nodded. He kissed her.

Darcy warned him, “I’m like a bird.”

“Aren’t you part bird?”

“Yes, but that wasn’t what I meant. I’m like a bird, I’ll only fly away.”

“Then I just need to savor the time I have with you.” David responded. He was staring right into her eyes.

She asked “Are you sure you’ll be able to put up with me?”

“I think so. I really like you.”

“I like you too.”

“I am even censoring my feelings since I know love is scary for you.” He took her hands.

She nodded. “Only as a word. I’d love to try making-out.”

“Not exactly love as I thought. But I’ll work through it with you.” He responded.

I think Darcy use kissing as a weapon before, to make her male enemies weaker. Now, she found herself falling for David. I think she fell hard.

Watching the new couple, I missed Alistair so much. I missed him like the deserts miss the rain. I yearned for him like a solar panel yearns for heat. I missed him so much I can only make up bad analogies.

Darcy stared into David’s eyes. “You are a feathery mess and I love you.”

“Did you just say…?”

“Yes. And for the first time I mean it.”

“That I’m a feathery mess or that you love me?”

She thought for a second or two. She broke the short silence by saying “I love you David Idonotknowyourlastname.”

“Ross.”

“I love you David Ross.”

“I love you too Darcy Idonotknowyourlastname.”

“Moonbeam.”

“That is not your last name.”

“You’ll hate my real last name.”

“What is it?”

“Poe.”

“As in Edgar Allen Poe? As in my favorite short story writer?”

“You like Poe? I like Poe!”

“Awesome! Oh my goodness I love you Darcy Poe!” He exclaimed.

I snuck away.