Dear John-FredrickA Chapter by IndigoCatastropheDear John-Fredrick,
Us so far.
Chrystina
Yes I know my name’s spelled funny, and no it’s not pronounced Christina but rather Crystina and the Chryst in my name is pronounced as Jesus Christ. No, I am not religious, I am an agnostic. No I do not know why my parents named me such a weird name. Yes I have considered changing it to Christina or Cristina or the like, but I never got around to it. Just clarifying.
When I was younger I hated my name because everyone made fun of me for it.
“What, were your parents at mass when you were born or something?” “Do you think you’re gonna be a nun when you grow up? You have the perfect name for it SISTER” “You’re name is so weirrrd”
I didn’t care. If people were to judge me based on my name then they were being idiots.
I’ve gotten used to teachers never knowing how to pronounce my name and the like, but that’s not what this story is about.
This story is about a girl who liked Harry Potter a little too much. But that wasn’t the only thing she liked.
Chapter 2
It’s going to be okay Chris love… This person felt warm, and-
Chrystie? CHRYSTINA!!!
I awoke to my little brother, Hugo screaming my name, waking me up.
“Bloody hell Hugo, I need sleep mate” I mumble, pulling the covers over my head.
“But Chris Mum is making pancakes and won’t let me have any until you get bloody awake.”
“A*s.”
“MUM CHRYSTIE’S CUSSING AGAIN!!!” Hugo screamed.
“I’m up!! I’m up…” I sigh. I hated mornings.
I get dressed, brush my hair and teeth, pull my hair into something half way between a ponytail and a bun, and rush downstairs.
“Morning dear” Mum says.
“Morning mum” I yawn sleepily.
Hugo and I eat breakfast, grab our bags then bound out the door to catch the bus. Hugo is a sixth grader, while I am a sophomore in high school.
I’m one of those girls whose independence is all she needs. She doesn’t need friends, a boyfriend. She doesn’t need makeup to make her feel good about herself, doesn’t need popularity to make her feel wanted. She was perfectly content with the way she lived, the people she had, and the future set in front of her.
The bus stops at another house. Cassidy Holman’s house. Oh, dearest, f*****g, Cassidy. The b***h who left me for her ditzy popular friends, just so she could feel wanted. The b***h who made me realize independence was better because your unhappiness couldn’t be caused by others.
“Hey Christie!!! Bestie,” she started, “or not.” She says in a high pitched voice.
“The name’s Chrystie dumbass.” I reply. She sits next to me anyway with a smug smile, looks at her friends with a wink, receiving smirks and giggles from her popular friends.
“So. How’s your cliché unpopular, outcast life going?” Cassidy asks, filing her nails with a floral patterned nail file.
“You do know in the movies that the unpopular girl always wins against the b***h who left her for popular people.” I reply, feeling defiant. I jam my earbuds into my ears and blasted the rock music Cassidy hated so much.
“Whatever, loser.” Cassidy lamely retorts, changing seats to be with Flora Dunham, who quickly started discussing the new Lokai bracelet which started to trend at our school.
The bus stops at its last stop, John-Fredrick Peterson’s house. Nerd, like me, varsity fencing, like me as well. Two years advanced math, as me. We had numerous classes together but I never got to know him very well. However all the girls somehow thought he was cute, with his black glasses, black hair, and tall, skinny stature. Somehow he reminds me of Harry Potter with his green eyes as well. I always found his name weird, for it was neither John nor Fredrick. But then again, I am not one to judge someone by their name.
He bounded the bus with his eppay sword and scouted the bus for an empty seat. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I don’t know him that well, my seat was the only open one. I looked over to the popular girls, who realized this and they were scrambling to make an opening for John-Fredrick, and the most desperate girl being Cassidy. John-Fredrick rolled his eyes and plopped himself right next to me, opening his mouth for a greeting, but thought better of it. He eyed my foil sword in my fencing bag and tried stabbing (no pun intended) at conversation.
“You made an awesome stab yesterday at the meet!” John-Fredrick Peterson said to me. I didn’t want to seem rude, but I turned to look outside the window with my earbuds still in my ears.
“You listening to American Rejects?” he calmly asks. I obviously had my music on too loud, so I turned it down a little. I believed he deserved some kind of response before he thought I was a total b***h or something. Also, he’s talking to me about music! I can’t resist.
I give him a small nod, looking at him in the eyes. Huh. He had blue-green eyes. Interesting. He smiles, and we start chatting about music and the like. My eyes dart over to Cassidy and her minions, and they all looked furious that I was talking to him, for they never got to talk to him. I return their glares with a smirk, and continue to chat with John-Fredrick Peterson.
As we get off the bus, John-Fredrick Peterson says to me with a wink, “I’ll see you in math Chrystina Indigo Sloane.”
How the hell does he know my middle name.
Chapter 3
Eventually the day rolls around to math class. I plop my stuff down and two minutes later, John-Fredrick Peterson sits down next to me. I roll my eyes.
“Hey Chrystina Indigo Sloane.” He says with a smile.
I acknowledge him with a small nod.
“Not a big talker eh?”
I nod once more, a little irritated. He gets the message, because he stares at me for a second with his deep blue green eyes and then turns away.
“Good morning class.” Mr. Turner greets.
∞
The week passes by me like usual, well almost usual, the only thing preventing it from being normal is John-Fredrick, for he will not leave me alone. Honestly, what does he even want from me?
I go to my lunch table where I usually sit with two other girls, Limei and Amberlynn. Two other girls with strange names I suppose. However, when I get to my table, I see Amberlynn and Limei chatting away happily with John-Fredrick. I sigh, but I sit down anyway, for I had nowhere else to go. When I sit down and look around I see Cassidy and her posse jealously looking our way. If looks could kill, I think Cassidy’s stare would result in a tortuous murder. I smirked. Two could play at this game.
“So Johnny, how was your day?” I asked sarcastically in a high pitch voice.
He shoots me a quizzical look, and eventually sees why I’m doing it, then deviously smirks back at me.
“Pretty good Chrystie. How was yours?” He says, looking at me with a fake loving look.
“Pretty bad… you weren’t with me!” I reply, punching him flirtatiously in the arm. I look back at the popular table, only to see their faces turn red with anger. However, surprisingly calm, (but obviously jealous) Cassidy pulled out her compact mirror, put on her red MAC lipstick, and smacked her lips. She then rose from her seat, pulled her skirt a little higher as to reveal more of her legs than she already was. I rolled my eyes. She was playing the I-have-the-better-figure game with me. She strolls to our table, winking at every blushing boy she passes. When she gets to our table, she sits on the other side of John-Fredrick at an angle that revealed the most of her skin, and leaned in a little, which caused John-Fredrick to wrinkle his nose a little bit. I think she was wearing too much perfume.
“Hi Johnny.”
“What do you want Cassidy?” John replies.
“What, I can’t say hello to my boyfriend? And since when was I Cassidy? Aren’t I Cass babe?” She asks, smirking at me.
“Ex-boyfriend. And no, you can not say hi to me when I’m talking to Chrystina Indigo Sloane. Thirdly, ew” John replies, making me blush the tiniest bit.
Cassidy scoffs. “Oh stop. We all know you still like me…” she says, stroking John-Fredrick’s leg, biting her lip in a sad attempt of flirting or trying to make the pen in his pocket stand up.
“If you’re forgetting, I’m the one who broke up with you.”
“Stop denying your attraction to me.”
“There’s nothing there to deny.”
“Well I’m a hell lot better looking then Christina here for f**k’s sake.” Cassidy scoffed lamely.
“You know what? I don’t care. Wanna know why? Well usually I wouldn’t tell people like you what I think because it’s useless, but in this case, I will. And it’s Chrystina you b***h.” I say to her.
“Well?” she sassily scoffs, crossing her arms and legs, which showed even more of her overly tanned legs.
“You’re a b***h, a bully, and a traitor. And no one should care, and I DON’T care what b*****s think of me.” I say to her.
“I’m not a b***h, or a bully, or a traitor.”
“You are all three in my eyes. You’ve turned into one of those b*****s who gets artificial tans at a blowout bar, wear short dresses and flirt with every ‘cute’ guy you see. You’ve turned into a bully who makes fun of people based on what they wear or if they are wearing the latest trend or the trend from one week ago. You turned into a traitor because you left me to become a b***h and a bully. Not only that but afterwards you were mean and cruel to me, someone who you’ve known for your whole life and is probably the only real friend you’ve ever had. Or ever will.” I say to her at a rapid pace.
“My friends are real” she mumbles.
“They’re afraid of you and use you for your money you dumbass.”
She then couldn’t stand the shame anymore and kissed John-Fredrick on the lips, her kiss getting more intense as the time passed. She even groaned and moaned as if she was like turned on or something. It was all very disgusting to watch. John-Fredrick shoved her off him, and wiped his lips off in disgust.
“I’m a better kisser than YOU ever WILL BE you f*****g w***e.” She says to me. “I was the only friend you ever had. Or ever will have, true or not.” “I’d rather have no friends than be friends with someone like you.” I retort, before John-Fredrick drags me off out of the lunchroom.
“HOW DARE YOU CHRYSTINA. WE WERE FRIENDS ONCE, WEREN’T WE?” I hear Cassidy scream. I look back and I see her on the ground, her legs wide open, and not even knowing her undergarments were showing.
“WE WERE, UNTIL YOU BECAME A F*****G B***H” I reply, even louder than she. Funnily, no teachers heard us.
∞
“I am so sorry about that, you must have been humiliated.” Is the first thing John-Fredrick said to me.
“No It’s all right John-Fredrick, I’m alright.”
“Call me Jeremy, Chrystina Indigo Sloane. That’s my real nickname, not what Cassidy calls me.”
“You got to stop with the Chrystina Indigo Sloane. At least drop the Sloane and Indigo. It’s bad enough not being Chris or Chrystie.”
“No I’m going to keep on calling you Chrystina Indigo Sloane.” He says with a wink, and walks off with a small wave.
“Then you’re still John-Fredrick to me.” I reply.
Classes went by a lot faster than usual after that little encounter, probably because I was happy that Cassidy got badly roasted in the lunchroom. It was fun seeing her get so mad.
I can not wait for the bus ride home.
∞
Fencing Regional Tournament “Fencers ready?” I feel the blood running through me. I’ve got this, I know I do. “FENCE!” Step forward. Always gain right of way as the first move. Parry the sword and repose if they try moving. Fake once, fake twice. Lunge, arms go out first, then legs. Make sure you hit their torso. “Point to my right!” And repeat. “Point to my right!” “Point to my left.” “Point to my right!” “Point to my left.” Well I wouldn’t like them getting NO points, that makes them look bad I guess. “Point to my right!” “Point to my right!” “Match! 5-2 to my right!” “Atta girl Sloane.” Coach says, rubbing my hair.
“Not too bad Chrystina Indigo Sloane.” John-Fredrick says to me with a high five.
“Thanks John-Fredrick.”
“SABER A1 and B1 please step forward for your match!” I hear the referee scream.
“Oops gotta go, that’s me.” John-Fredrick says. I nervously watch him plug into the wires and salute, because the opposing saber is really good from what I’ve heard.
“Point to my left!” I hear the referee scream. Damn it, the opposing guy got the point. It’s okay John-Fredrick can turn it around. I see him advance and eventually hit the guy’s head, earning John-Fredrick a point. “Point to my right!” I hear the referee scream. “Point to my left!” DAMN IT “Point to my right!” YES! “Point to my right!” Only one point to go John-Fredrick. “MATCH!!! Score is 5-3” I hear the referee after John Fredrick slashes his sword against his opponent. John Fredrick throws down his sword, clumsily unbuckles from his wires, and throws down his helmet and runs to me and picks me up and hugs me. ∞
“It felt warm, really warm, as if my blanket became alive and hugged me. He also smelled like a mix of deodorant and sweat, but yet I didn’t mind.” I tell Amberlynn and Limei on the phone.
“OMG CHRIS THAT’S SO CUTE!!!!” Amberlynn screams over the phone.
“Geez Lynn won’t someone hear you?” I reply.
“I think the hug was really cute, especially the part where he picked you up! He might LIKE you.” Limei replies over the phone.
“Oh shut up Mei.” I reply. “It was just a friendly gesture.”
“Yeah sure, because hugging you by picking you and only you up is a friendly gesture.” Mei says.
“Mei you’ve got it all wrong. CHRIS likes Jeremy.” Amberlynn says.
“You guys call him Jeremy?” I ask, a little surprised.
“Chris, everyone does. You’re the only one who calls him John-Fredrick. And by the absence of your response, you do like him.” Mei replies, with a devious hint in her voice.
“WHAT? No I don’t like John-Fredrick.” I replied to Mei. I accept how welcome John felt on my tongue and the way the k came out in Fredrick. His hug too… No I do NOT like him.
∞
Every morning, it takes a little longer to get ready than usual. I don’t really know why though. John-Fredrick and I always sit together on the bus now. We’re really good friends too, everyday the conversation is different, and I get to know something different about him. His favorite band is Coldplay, his favorite color is navy blue, his dad is a doctor and his mother is a chemist. He has two sisters and they’re twins. I really do enjoy learning about John-Fredrick.
“So what you’re saying is that you like him??” Amberlynn says. “No, I think he will be a great friend.” I reply, feeling my cheeks get infinitesimally hot. “You’re BLUSHING!” Mei exclaims. “NO I AM NOT!!!” I scream.
“Not what?” I hear a boy’s voice behind me. I whip around, my ponytail flying and I see John-Fredrick with his black rimmed glasses with a hands-no, not handsome, smile.
“Nothing.” I whisper, blushing even more. “Told’ya Mei” Amberlynn says to Mei with a friendly elbow and a smirk. “I thought this was a joke…” Mei replies to Amberlynn. Before I could respond, I see John-Fredrick’s arms rap around my waist and he picks me up.
“We’re going to be late for Calculus Chrystie.” He says, and I realize this is the first time he hasn’t called me Chrystina Indigo Sloane.
I look back over his shoulder to see Mei looking at us, and I think I was imagining it, but she seemed the smallest bit sad.
The ride to calculus class was great, and for some reason I smiled the whole way, feeling John-Fred-Jeremy’s arms around me.
∞
After school, we had a fencing tournament against the best school in our area, and I was nervous because I was going against their best foil fencer.
“You’re going to do fine, stop panicking.” Mei says to me. “Says you, you’re just watching. I am SO nervous. This match determines whether or not we go to quarter finals. Plus, both teams are already tied and this is the last match!!” I reply, pretty quickly.
“I know you are going to do just well. Breathe. Oh look it’s time for you guys to suit up. I’ll be cheering you on.” Mei says to me, with a reassuring smile.
“FOIL 1A and 1B please step up for your match.” I hear the ref say. Clumsily, I plug my wires in.
“Salute!” “FENCERS READY?” Nope. “FENCE!!” aw s**t.
“Point to my right!” Damn it, it’s okay though it’s only the first round. “Point to my right!” ok… “Point to my right!” um “Point to my right!” s**t. I can turn this around I think. I calm down, and I realize the opponent is making the same move again and again. Oh, that’s an easy one to diverge. “Point to my left!” YES “Point to my left!” “Point to my left!” “Point to my left!” We’re tied?! “TURN THIS AROUND NATALIE!” I hear the opposing coach yell. I see the opponent has fire in her eyes, so I return her fiery look with one of a tsunami. I see her advance towards me, I parry her sword and repose but miss, giving her time to come at me with her sword, however I jumped out of the way in time so that she wouldn’t stab me. As soon as she recovers, I stab her with my sword. “MATCH! 5-4” I hear the referee yell. I unplug myself and walk toward the stands with a bright smile on my face, and before I could stop myself, I run to John-Fredrick �" Jeremy, and jump up to hug him around the neck. He returns the gesture by holding my waist, my feet dangling above the ground, and we just turn around in circles, slowly. It was beautiful because I couldn’t know why. When we finally stop hugging, we smile at each other, and for the first time we look around to see the coach and our teammates with raised eyebrows. I instantly flush. Suddenly, I see someone storm out of the room. A girl with long black hair and dark blue jeans. Mei.
“I’ll be right back.” I say to everyone.
Slowly, as I go to the bathroom to look for Mei, I ponder why Mei had to storm out. Perhaps she felt sick or something. When I open the door to the ladies’ room, I see Mei staring in the mirror with two hands on each end of the sink directly below it. She looks �" exasperated.
“Hey Mei, what’s wron-“ I start. “Do you like Jeremy, I mean, John-Fredrick?” she says to me, with a hint of jealousy in her tone. “What?” “Since when did you start calling him John-Fredrick?” I ask suspiciously. “Because obviously you call him that and you have his phone number and he gives you all his attention because of some unknown reason, so I thought, if I called him John-Fredrick like you do, maybe he’d give me some attention and finally realize that I too am beautiful and funny like you! Or even BETTER than you.” Mei pours out, almost as if it was bottled up inside of her. I’m astonished that Mei would have said all these things. Then it hits me. She likes John-Fredrick. “Oh Mei-“ I start. “I’m sorry for saying all those things.” Mei says, starting to cry. “It’s all right. I don’t blame you.” “So do you like John-Fredrick?” Mei asks softly. “I-“ “If you do, I’ll give up here.” Mei says desperately. I look into her eyes and I see something I have never seen from her. She is really in love with him, and I still don’t know where he stands in my eyes. I don’t know if I like him, for I don’t even know what it feels like if I do like him or not. “I don’t.” I finally reply. “Really? So you’re saying I can pursue him and you’ll support me and be happy if he and I end up together?” She says with big, happy puppy eyes and a wide smile. “I really don’t like him Mei.” I say, putting a smile on my face, and for some reason, it feels fake.
∞
Ever since the day Mei confessed to me her feelings for John-Fredrick, I can’t stop thinking about him for some reason. Every time I’m not working on something in particular, the first thing I think is, “I wonder what John-Fredrick is doing right now.” It’s kind of weird. Maybe I’ll consult Amberlynn, for she knows far more about boys than I do.
“Wanna come over?” I text Amberlynn. “Sure. Be there in 5.” She replies instantly. Sure enough, five minutes later, I hear Amberlynn’s knock on the door. “Hey Lynn!” I exclaim. “C’mon in!” “Sup Chris. Where’s Mei?” Amberlynn asks, taking off her coat. “I felt that I needed to discuss something with you, something I don’t think is for Mei’s ears.” “What?! Chris we tell each other everything what could be so important that Mei should not know?” Lynn asks with a quizzical look on her face. “She likes John-Fredrick.” I say, leading her to my room. “So you’ve finally been astute enough to
realize.” “About her confessing her feelings to you about Jeremy?” Amberlynn asks, plopping herself on my bed. “No, for some reason, I can’t stop thinking about him.” I say. “Who, the Boogie Monster???” Amberlynn says with a big smile on her face. I laugh. “NO, I mean John-Fredrick!” “Hmm. That’s interesting.” “I don’t know why I keep thinking about him Lynn.” I say with a small frown. “I don’t know why either, unless-“ Amberlynn says with a mischievous smirk on her face. “Unless what?” I impatiently ask. “Okay, I’m going to ask you a few questions to see if I am right.” Amberlynn says with a laugh. “Do you think about him a lot?” “Every day.” “Were you jealous when you heard of Mei’s feelings for him?” “Define jealous.” “boiling pot of anger within you every time you see Jeremy with another girl.” “I was upset for some unknown reason when Mei told me.” “Do you have an impulse to hug
John-Fredrick?” “What are your favorite parts about him?” “His eyes.” “Does it take you longer to get dressed in the morning than it did when you hadn’t known Jeremy? Like, do you mind you appearance more than usual?” “Yes.” “Chris, I think you like Jeremy.” Amberlynn says to me calmly. “No way.” I whisper. “You definitely like him my friend.” Amberlynn replies. “Stop. There’s no way. Mei likes him, I can’t possibly like him, right?” I ask stupidly. Although the new found discovery of my feelings toward John-Fredrick was alarming and concerning, there was a sub-conscious feeling of happiness and that AHA moment. “Just because Mei likes him, does not mean that you can’t like him.” Amberlynn stupidly replies. “But it’s too late.” “Why?” “Because I promised Mei that I didn’t like him and I would let her pursue him!” I reply tiredly. “Then you have to decide what’s more important, your happiness or hers.” Amberlynn says to me with a deep grey blue stare.
∞
“Oh my gosh Chris what should I wear tomorrow?!??!” Mei says to me over the phone. “Wear something navy-blue. That’s his favorite color.” I reply disinterestedly. “Thanks so much for supporting me Chrystie! And here I thought you liked him LOL!” “Actually, Mei-“ -
Two weeks have passed and I still haven’t told Mei that I like John-Fredrick. Meanwhile, I’ve tried avoiding both of them, and they’ve started to get to know each other. On the bus, I sit with other people, to which John-Fredrick frowns at. I’ve even see Mei flirt with John-Fredrick a little, and I never watched to see John-Fredrick’s response. I usually just leave. This is, I suppose, jealousy. After a while, however, I think John-Fredrick starts to notice that I’m ignoring him. On my rush out of Calculus class, I feel someone grab my arm desperately. I turn around, my dark hair whipping around, and I see it’s John-Fredrick. “John-“ “Chrystina Indigo Sloane. Why the f**k are you ignoring me?! Am I worth that little to you?!” John-Fredrick angrily shouts. “You oblivious dimwit! Mei likes.. likes.. you, that’s why I’m avoiding you, because.. because.” I start crying. “I figured that much. But I don’t like her Chrystina!” “I know.” I say quietly. “If you know, then you should know who I like! It’s not Limei!” I look up to see John Fredrick’s eyes, searching for some explanation. “Chrystina, I like you for f**k’s sakes!” John-Fredrick yells. Everyone is looking at us at this point. Even Amberlynn. “I-I-“ “And I know you like me too so don’t even try that.” “I don’t.” “For real?” “N-yes.” I say, and I run away. ∞
“Why did you say that?” Amberlynn says to me in the bathroom. “I promised Mei.” I said. “Then I don’t know how to help you.” “I wish you did.” “I can’t. If you have already decided her happiness is more important than yours, then that is your decision.”
∞
On the bus, John-Fredrick sits with Cassidy now. He doesn’t sit with me, Amberlynn, and Limei anymore at lunch. We avoid each other at fencing practice, and Calculus is even more awkward.
‘What’s up with John-Fredrick?” Limei asks us at lunch. “Nothing, I just think he wants to sit with his other friends.” I reply cooly. Limei eyes me suspiciously, shook her head, and returned to her food. Let us hope she doesn’t figure out anything.
Because I haven’t even figured out anything yet.
- So many skies pass, soon the moons do as well. I keep promising myself I will talk to him, but I end up not doing so. January to February. February turned into March, which turned into May.
The radio was playing Demons by Imagine Dragons. His favorite song.
It was sloppy Joes for lunch. His favorite lunch.
The magazine I read later that day had a fencing article- about a saber fencer.
My sister was wearing navy blue.
The world definitely hates me. I do not need a constant reminder of him in my every day life.
This I told Amberlynn. “I dunno what you want me to tell you, but it seems you’re looking for reminders of him in your every day life. You. F*****g. Like. Him.” Amberlynn replies to me.
“UGH why won’t someone just tell me what to do in this situation?!”
“Would you like to be eternally unhappy or get Mei upset for a week until I slap sense into her?” Amberlynn asks.
“The latter, I suppose.”
“Good, I’ve now slapped sense into you. Now, go find John-Fredrick.” Amberlynn says to me, pushing me out her door.
I sprint to John-Fredrick’s house, not
too far away.
I ring the door, and a woman, supposedly his mother, opens the door with a smile. “Hi, can I help you?” she kindly asks. “Yes, um, I’m John-Fredrick’s friend from school, Chrystina. I want to talk to John-Fredrick.” “Sure thing, come on in!” The lady says, and lets me in.
“She and Jeremy are upstairs.” She? I walk up to the second floor and go into his room. I’m shocked. Frozen. Ice. Paralyzed. He and Cassidy are making out furiously, her hands up his shirt. “Chrystina…” he starts. “No, it’s okay. I should have knocked.” I reply. To this I see Cass start touching him to make me jealous. “I’m just going to- I’m just going to go now.” I say, slowly backing out of the room.
I bolt out the door and just as fast as I ran to John-Fredrick’s house, I run back to mine.
Beep. BEEP. “Hello?” I ask. “HOW DID IT GO CHRIS???” Amberlynn screams over the phone. “He- he was making out with- with- Cassidy, Cassidy Holman.” I say, on the verge of crying. “That little f****r.” Amberlynn angrily mumbles. “Well, if you’d excuse me, I have some a*s to kick.” “What?! AMBERLYNN?!” She hung up.
Oh god, this was going to be a very, very, long week.
- AMBERLYNN
Well I guess it’s a lucky thing that John-Fredrick lives so close to me. I walk to his house with my arms crossed, and when I arrive, I stop at the gate and I see John-Fredrick pushing a very angry Cassidy Holman out of his door. She tried hugging him, and he pushed her off. I half smiled.
“JUST LEAVE CASSIDY!” “You’re the one who started kissing me!” Cassidy retorts. “It was, thoughtless, to.. to.. to get Chrystina off my mind.” Jeremy says loudly, not even seeing me. I smile. At least I know now Jeremy does indeed like Chrystina, even if he was making out with Cassidy. “You like her?” Cassidy asked dumbly. “Yes, but she doesn’t like me back.” He replies. Cassidy slaps her forehead. At least she wasn’t as oblivious as him. “What?” Jeremy asks. “She actually- oh never mind.” Cassidy starts, and I think I hear a hint of remorse and concern for Chris. I see Cassidy walk out, and she stops when she sees me. She nods at me, almost as if she knew why I was here.
“Make sure they’re happy. I should never have let her go.” Cassidy says to me.
I smile. She smiles back.
I walk up to John-Fredrick, sitting on his porch bench, staring at the ground with his hands resting on his hair, and his elbows on his lap.
I sit next to him. “What are you doing here Lynn?” He asks, looking up at me. Huh. He has blue-green eyes. Don’t know what Chris sees in those.
“To put things in their rightful place.” I reply.
“Do you have something of mine?”
“I know something of yours.” I reply.
“What?”
“All of Chrystina’s bottled up feelings for you.” I say to him with a neutral expression on my face.
“She doesn’t like me and she probably hates me now and I have no chance with her.” He blurts out.
“False! She likes you, and I think she just feels betrayed, but that can be fixed.”
“If she liked me, she would have told me Amberlynn!”
“You know how Mei likes you?” I ask him.
“Yes, but I don’t like her and Chrystina KNOWS that.”
“Indeed she does know that-
“She doesn’t like me Lynn!” “LISTEN to me. She knows that you don’t like Mei but you may not know that Chrystina promised Mei that she didn’t like you and wouldn’t pursue you.” I tell him.
“But then why-“ “She didn’t know she liked you then.”
John-Fredrick bolts to the street, supposedly to her street.
“OTHER WAY!” I shout. He turns around, looks at me and smiles.
“Ah- young love.” I hear Jeremy’s brother standing at the door say.
“Jediah you’re only a year older than us!” I say laughingly. He nonchalantly sits next to me. I blush. ∞
John-Fredrick
I ring Chrystina’s doorbell. Her mother opens the door.
“Hi, um, I’m John-Fredrick and I really need to talk to Chrystina if that’s okay.” I say.
“Love I don’t think that Chrystina really wants to see you right now. Maybe try school tomorrow, she needs to cool down a bit. I don’t know what happened,” Mrs. Sloane says, narrowing her eyes, “But I don’t think she wants visitors right now.”
“Okay.”
That night was a total mess though. I couldn’t stop squirming in my bed and I got almost no sleep. How could I sleep? Tomorrow things would be right. Hopefully.
Instead of sleeping, I decide to get some studying done. I pull my copy of A Midsummer Night’s Dream from my bag. “The course of true love never did run smooth.” I read. Hm. Lysander understands it too.
∞ CASSIDY
I couldn’t sleep. I’m sure John-Fredrick can’t either. I don’t know if he has already told Chrystina his feelings yet, or if he’s going to do it at school. Either way, I couldn’t sleep, so I start reading the book closest to me.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Huh. Well, I guess I’ll read and get my homework done at the same time.
“Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind, and therefore is wing’d cupid painted blind. Nor hath love’s mind of any judgement taste…”
And I cry.
∞ CHRYSTINA
“wake up love.” Mum says. I roll around in my bed, trying desperately trying to not be nervous about seeing John-Fredrick at school today. Today’s going to be a nightmare.
As I board the bus, I look around and sit in the very back, where I could remain inconspicuous. Cassidy boards at the next stop, looks at me, and winks. What was that for? When John-Fredrick boards the bus, he sees me, but decides to sit with another freshman boy. Whew. But why on earth did he not sit with Cassidy if they’re making out and supposedly dating?
When the bus arrives at our school, I sprint for the exit and run even faster into the building to Calculus Class. About five minutes later, John-Fredrick awkwardly sits behind me.
“Good morning class. Who would like to collect the homework from last night?” Mr. Turner asks. John-Fredrick’s hand instantly shoots up.
“Um. Okay thank you for volunteering John-Fredrick.” Mr. Turner says, a little surprised. As I take my homework and put it in John-Fredrick’s hands, he drops a little folded piece of paper on my desk.
I unfold it under my desk and it read,
Meet me by my locker after Calc Class right before free period. ~J-F.P
I crinkle it and shove it in my bag. He looks at me, urging for eye contact as to see if I would actually go. Like hell was I going.
“Now class, let’s go over the Limit Theory…” Mr. Turner starts.
∞ When the bell rings, I rush for the door and go to my locker. John-Fredrick left early because his stomach was hurting, but I think it was fake, he sounded fine. Which probably means he’s waiting for me at his locker. I go to my locker, and John-Fredrick is there, leaning coolly on it.
“John-Fredrick, what do you want?” I ask calmly.
“I need to put things in their right place.” He replies.
“Do you have something of mine?”
“No. You have something of mine.”
“What?”
“You have all the feelings I felt for you and I don’t even have one of yours.” He says, staring at me with his blue-green eyes. I search the ocean in his eyes with the night sky in mine, and I can not see anything but what is obvious. He does indeed like me and even if the stars can not agree with my judgement it feels so right.
“I-I don’t know how to give them back to you.”
“By giving me yours.” He replies.
“What are you talking about? I don’t even like y-“
“Bullshit.” He replies.
“I don’t… I don’t like you John-Fredrick. I really don’t”
“How gallant of you.” He says to me.
“What?”
“You’d give up your own feelings for your friend’s? I think that’s extremely gallant of you.” He says.
“How do you-“
“Never mind how I know, Chrystina.” John-Fredrick says, “Just don’t even try to deny that you like me because I know that is not true.” I start to run away, sprint away, move away, but John-Fredrick grabs my wrist and pulls me back into a hug. My arms are against his chest and my head is buried in his arms and I’m crying. It’s a polaroid perfect moment, as my mother would say.
“So can I have your feelings too Chrystina Indigo Sloane?”
“Y-y-yes you ob-o-obviously can.” I manage to say between sobs.
As we break away from our hug, once more, we see a bunch of people around us clapping. Even Cassidy. I see Mei walk with Lynn happily down the halls until she sees me and John-Fredrick holding hands. She drops her books and breaks through the crowd. She grabs my shoulders and starts shaking me violently.
“HOW F*****G DARE YOU CHRYSTINA!” she yells. “YOU VERY WELL KNOW I LIKE HIM SO WHY ARE YOU WITH HIM?”
“Because I like him and he likes me too.” I say. She stares at me blankly, shakes her head and runs off.
“I have to-“ I start.
“Go.” John-Fredrick says, holding my hand up and then letting it go.
Sure, I did like John-Fredrick, but Mei was important to me too. I reach the bathroom and I see Mei once more gripping the same sink and staring in the same mirror as she did on the day I told her I didn’t like John-Fredrick.
“You lied.” Mei said to me. “I know, Mei, I’m really sorry…” I started. “How come? We had an agreement.” “You can’t help some things. Me falling for John-Fredrick is one thing.” “F**k you Chris.” “I know you’re pretty angry.” “I thought he was mine! You AGREED with me. Do you even know how much I tried to impress him? ANY IDEA at all? My god, Chris, you never even liked a boy, Lynn and I thought you were a lesbian or something.” “I do know. I’ve tried to impress him too. I’ve tried and I really like him Mei. It just so happens out of all the girls he knows he for some unknown reason, likes me too.” “Don’t talk to me.” Mei says, brushing past me and opens the bathroom door, leaving me there, staring back into the mirror that I looked into when I made Mei the promise those months ago. ∞ John-Fredrick were now happy together, and I was glad I finally came to terms with my feelings.
“Wow, I guess we’re soon-to-be Juniors, huh?” John-Fredrick says to me. “SAT’s. yaaaay.” I say sarcastically. John-Fredrick laughs, and throws his arm around my shoulder, pulling me close. “We’ll hang out soon, right? John-Fredrick asks casually, burying his chin in my hair. “Are you asking me on a date?” I ask teasingly. “Well you know, I’ll pick you up, we’ll hang, eat something, and I’ll plop you back to your home. So I wouldn’t call it a date...” John Fredrick says nervously. “That’s a date dear.” I say to him, laughing a little. “Well, a bloke can’t get his hopes up too high… But I suspect you would like to go on a date, wouldn’t you?” “Only if you ask properly.” “OH fine. Would you go on a bloody date with your poor boyfriend?” “Why of course, dearie.”
Maybe we didn’t have Mei’s blessing, and I know she’s my best friend, but hey, who said we had to figure it all out now?
Sincerely, Chrystina Indigo Sloane © 2016 IndigoCatastropheAuthor's Note
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Added on July 17, 2016 Last Updated on July 17, 2016 Author
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