Blues

35. Crazy Blues

"He makes me feel so blue

I don't know what to do

Sometime I sit and sigh

And then begin to cry."  

Crazy blues by Mamie Smith

"Candice!" Alexa squeals the moment I enter the classroom, bolting out of her seat to engulf me in a huge hug, before she pulls back, a mirthful smile osculating her lips. I look over her shoulder at Claire, whose eyes penetrate mine with an invidious look, before she looks away.

Pulling back once more, Alexa focuses her jovial gaze on me, like I'm her Christmas​ gift. "You won't believe what happened last night! It's all thanks to you!"

I frown, smiling in spite of the ache I feel through and through. She wouldn't believe what happened to me last night, all thanks to her brother. "Has last night kicked some sense into our boy Trent?" I ask, recapturing the moment when he was about to lunge to the dance floor and hit the shit out of Ethan.

Her smile falters. "No, not Trent. He didn't even acknowledge me."

My smile turns into a lower. "What happened last night then?"

"Ethan happened!" She whispers, her smile back full tilt. "God! He was like an angel who fell from the sky just to make last night the best in my whole life!"

My heart falls.

Now my fears are slowly materializing.

"Oh really?" I ask, making my way to the two empty seats in the back, where Claire is seated.

Alexa follows me, taking the seat next to Claire, leaving me to occupy the last. "Yes! He's like no one I've ever seen before!"

"Did you, like, have sex?" I find myself asking, my fears coalescing full steam ahead.

Her face flushes, her smile widening. "No! Not yet! Uh- I mean, no, we didn't. We stayed together the whole night, chatting and dancing and laughing! It was like the best night in my life." I can almost see stars glimmering in her soft, hazel eyes like pieces of diamonds, a contrast to the crepuscular look Dylan's eyes bear.

No, Candice. Don't you dare reminisce about him again. That guy must be cast out of your life as fast as possible.

"And he asked me out!" She whispers in my ear, jolting me away from last night's nasty memories, her words taking me aback.

"He did?" I ask, my eyebrows shooting up.

She nods enthusiastically. "I know right! I was surprised too! He's just so elegant and beautiful. The way he spoke screamed class and gentlemanliness."

Is she talking about the same Ethan I know?

"That sounds.. mesmerizing." I admit, my mouth open. Is that his new way of baiting girls? Manners?

"I honestly don't know how you do it, Candice." Claire pipes up, prompting us to look at her.

I frown, awaiting a sardonic remark. "What do you mean?"

"That indifference. If someone tries to step a foot towards someone I've ever dated, I'd break their leg. No offense, Alexa babe, but don't you remember what Gretchen said? ex-boyfriends are just off limits to friends. I mean that'sjust like the rules of feminism." She shrugs, leaning back in her seat.

Alexa's face falls, and she looks at me with contrition in her eyes. "Candice, I'm really sorry. I didn't-"

"I don't care." I interrupt her, giving her a reassuring smile. "He's not my property, just because we dated for a while."