"I can't believe this," we had barely sat down at lunch before Klaus threw his copy of Carmelita's script on the table, "she can't do this."
I poked at my macaroni and cheese, unenthusiastically, "It's Carmelita, she can do what she wants apparently."
Violet shook her head, "I just don't understand why she picked Klaus," she said before hastily adding, "no offence."
"None taken. I don't know why she picked me either."
Duncan shrugged, "Probably just to get on our nerves. I mean, it's either that or this is her way of admitting she had a crush on Klaus."
"No," the word escaped my mouth before I could stop it and I quickly cleared my throat, "she- she didn't even know his name, how could she have a crush on him?"
I attempted to drown myself in my glass of water before returning to my lunch, desperately trying to ignore the three pairs of eyes I could feel burning into my skull. What's got into me, I thought to myself, maybe I'm coming down with something.
Duncan cleared his throat, "What does the script even entail? It can't be that bad."
Klaus scoffed, "Oh, let me enlighten you," he flipped to a random page before reading the lines, "Female lead: oh, my love, you know I cannot wed such a scoundrel as yourself. A man with dead parents is barely a man. Male lead: my love, I would do anything to make you accept my proposal. I'll fetch my local gravedigger and resurrect my parents to make you love me."
"That doesn't even make sense," Violet laughed, "The fact Carmelita's put her name to this will just turn her into the laughing stock of Prufrock. Maybe this could go in our favour."
Klaus huffed, "Oh so you're saying me handing over my first kiss to a horrible, bratty girl is all for the greater good?"
"That's not what I'm saying-"
"You've never had your first kiss?" Duncan piped up.
I gave him a look, "Neither have you."
My triplet just laughed, "Actually, I had mine in the school playground when I was seven, so there. I'm the most experienced out of us all."
"Um actually..." Violet flushed, "I dated our next door neighbour when we were ten. It wasn't serious but we uh... kissed."
Duncan and Violet high-fived. Klaus sighed.
"You guys are lucky," he said with a frustrated tone, "Carmelita Spats is the last person I would want to kiss."
The conversation fell silent, no one really knowing what to say. Carmelita had never showed any interest in Klaus before, other than the typical use of her favourite insult on him, so what was with the sudden desire to act romantically with him? I shook my head slightly before focusing on finishing up my lunch. In the split second I took to glance up, I caught my sibling's suggestive look out the corner of my eye. What is he-
"Well Klaus, the play's not until monday, that's plenty of time to have your first kiss," said Duncan and, despite talking to the middle Baudelaire child, his gaze was directed towards me. What are you implying?
Before he could say anything else embarrassing, I announced that I was heading to the library. When Duncan got that glimmer in his eye it was best to abandon ship all together before he could suggest something absurd or say something humiliating. This time, Klaus didn't try and come with me and despite enjoying hanging out with him, I was relieved to finally have some time alone.
The library was mostly empty which left Klaus and I's table unoccupied. I didn't bother getting my usually poetry books before sitting down and gazing out the window.
The sky was a dull grey which matched the dull grey of the other buildings in the schoolyard. Everything was grey, grey, grey. Everything at Prufrock was so dull, even within the walls, that it was impossible for a certain red head to blend in. Even if you didn't want to pay her any attention, her physical appearance and loud personality demanded it.
Even now, it wasn't any different. Carmelita Spats caught my eye as she strolled into the library, her tap shoes clicking with each step. She caught me looking and headed over, the ghost of a smirk on her lips.
Well done Isadora.
"I see you're enjoying my script," she said, her voice sickly sweet.
I'd almost forgotten that I'd put that on the table in front of me. I had come here to read it in peace and try and figure out Carmelita's little plan. She was flamboyant and belonged on the stage so, at first glance, her having a play wouldn't seem out of the ordinary. But this was Carmelita we were talking about. The fact that she had written it herself and was also directing it was suspicious. Why would she do all the work herself when she could just hire someone else to do it? She must be up to something.
"What do you think?"
I glanced up at her, "I haven't read it yet."
Carmelita took my response as an invitation to sit down, "Oh well then you can read it now so I can see your reaction."
I flipped through it unenthusiastically, "Looks great."
Carmelita's smile widened like a Cheshire Cat, "So you're happy with everything in here."
As if she would change it even if I wasn't.
"Yup," I said, dumping the script back on the table.
Carmelita grabbed it and skipped all the way to the end. She smile turned into her typical smirk and she pushed the script back towards me, "Even this?"
She was showing me the last page, the final scene. It read: the male and female lead share a long, passionate kiss. The crowd rejoices. THE END.
I swallowed. The line shouldn't have been a shock to me, I had been expecting something like that, but seeing it in writing made it feel a hundred times worse.
Nevertheless, I met her eye, "It's your play, Carmelita. Do what you want."
"Oh," she sneered, "I will."
At that she sashayed away, leaving me with the open script and a million thoughts. She had to be scheming, there was no other explanation. How else could she explain the sudden interest in Klaus? She had picked him to spite me. But why? Why Klaus? Picking Duncan would've done the same damage. If she really wanted to annoy me, she could've easily picked him and it would have the same effect. He's my brother, we both hate Carmelita, we have a longer history with Carmelita. If anything, her picking Duncan would've been worse. But even as I tried to convince myself that, I couldn't help but feel like I was lying to myself.
The bell for next lesson rang and I threw the script into my bag, not worrying about ripping it or making it look tatty. I couldn't care less about the state of it.
Carmelita could've picked Duncan, it would've affected me the same.
But it wouldn't, would it? Because-
I blinked a few times, as if that would whisk away the conclusion I had reached.
Because I like Klaus.
