DARK CRESCENT

What Are We?

          I sat in a desk later that afternoon with about twenty other kids that had gotten detention that day. The faculty had regained control of the school I guess. I sat livid, twirling a mechanical pencil in my left hand as I glared at my rrd and black cap and gown draped over the back of the empty desk in front of me. I stared at it and it stared right back through it’s vacuum sealed, plastic prison. No air getting in, no air getting out…suffocated. I couldn’t help but relate. Thank God dad didn’t rip up my plane ticket, which was more his style, he just stashed it. Sixteen more hours and I’d be on a plane to New York, and I’ll be officially twelve hours and three thousand miles away. I smiled at the thought of this, but at the same time my smile faded at the thought of this.

            My heart hurt at the thought of leaving Maggi behind. Any other girl at this god forsaken school would be ‘meh’. Even Olivia with all of her kisses that tasted like coconut lattes and Full Throttle energy drink. Maggi’s kisses were sweet and bitter like salted caramel, the perfect combination. I would miss her giggle, the way the evening sun caught the color of her strawberry blonde locks. Her peridot-colored eyes and full, pink, pouty lips. I let out a groan of disappointment at myself and let my forehead slam to the desk.

“Be quiet Mr. Arthur” The detention teacher demanded.

            I didn’t raise my head, I just threw a thumbs up with my right hand. I had to find Maggi and I had to apologize. I couldn’t leave here with this deep agonizing churning in my stomach. It was going to be hard enough as is. She was my baby and I loved her. I hoped she’d be home after detention. After detention I immediately set out to Maggi’s house…on foot. Curse Mr. Oates for confiscating my skateboard today. It was five ‘o’ clock ; I had two hours before I had to be back at the school for graduation, plenty of time. Thirty minutes later I found myself trudging across Maggi’s front lawn. There weren’t any cars in the yard, so I was assuming her parents weren’t home from work.

            I pushed through the door of the large, wooden, red fence, letting it slam behind me. As I walked around passed the kitchen window I heard a noise. I stopped in my tracks, narrowing my eyes at the rows of short hedges lining Maggi’s back yard. It was almost like a border between the hedges and the fence. I continued to watch for a moment to see if it were the wind, or some wandering squirrel. I couldn’t see anything, but I could swear I heard breathing. Shrugging it off, I turned and began climbing the lattice. I climbed onto the roof and began walking around until I made it to Maggi’s window. I peered in looking at her. She was sitting on her bed, wearing a sapphire blue sleeveless, collared blouse, black sketch pants that flared out on the end and black suspenders.

       She had her hair pulled up, light make-up and she was losing the fight with the strap of a wedged black heeled shoe. She just couldn’t seem to figure out how get it to cooperate to go around her ankle. I tapped the window with my knuckles and placed myself down beside the window sill. Maggi turned to face the window and a look of exasperation and fury flooded her face. She got up from the bed, walked over to the window and slid it up.

“Why?” She fired.

“Can we talk?” I insisted.

“Why are you here?”

“I need to talk to you.”

“Why now?” She frowned.

I could tell she was searing with anger, but I was frustrated and about two seconds from matching her energy.

“If you’d move and let me in we can talk” I repeated, tapping the windowsill in time with the last three words.

Maggi and rolled her eyes.