For the Love of Magic

Jack Always Seemed So Happy When He Came Out Of The Box!

The lunch room is buzzing with its usual activity at a not-so-dull roar. Some teachers on the other side of the room were trying to break up a mini food fight before everyone else caught on. Kids poked at their food, testing if it were still alive before hungrily eating it up. At least, those whose food didn’t respond. I know. GROSS!!!

Jaz and Ryan are bickering like the good old times about Ryan’s new rebel idea to grow a beard and take up clay work. Hairy potter. I didn’t laugh. Izabella sits on my right going over some Social Studies notes for her test after lunch and Dominico sits across from me. He is glaring at me like I just murdered someone.

 It’s been over a week since I locked him in a dumpster and proceeded to keep him in there for three hours at which point Izabella finally said that anymore would be too mean. I had groaned but released him. The fury in his eyes could burned through granite. He jumped out and had started to chase me but, as if he forgot, I’m a witch. I easily asked the air for a little help to which it lifted me up, just out of Dominico’s reach. When he jumped his fingers grazed the bottoms of my sneakers. I had called goodnight to Izabella and told Dominico to cool it with the witch thing unless he felt up for a round two before quickly descending and skateboarding home.

The next Monday at school Izabella had actually succeeded in getting Dominico to turn down the dramatics a bit so, for the time being, he sat with us at lunch. He never took his eyes off me when he ate though. He just munched and glared. I had gotten bored of glaring at him around day two so I was ignoring him completely. Izabella asked me a question and I looked over her shoulder to see what she was referring to before answering “1912.” Dominico glared at me harder as he often did in class when I got an answer right or out of class when I spoke to Izabella. Gosh. Jack seemed so happy when he came out of the box! Of course Jack is a creepy clown without a lower half but then again, apparently he’s very optimistic. This guy’s a grump. A grump who can’t take being beat up by a witch. Or a girl. Maybe he’s mad because I, a girl younger than him, beat him up. I also temporarily turned his sister against him but he shouldn’t be mad at her. Oreos are difficult to pass up.

The bell rings and I wave farewell to Jaz and Izabella as Ryan, Dominico and I head to math. I’d been helping Ryan after school the past couple days because he’s now seriously falling behind on math and I think that Ms. Kinder suspects him of cheating. At very least he’s doing his homework now.

“So you think it’s a good idea? The beard?” Ryan asks me. I hang my head and slowly shake it.

“Ryan Lincoln if you become an insult to the best book series ever written…sigh…you must be shunned indefinitely,” I say solemnly. Ryan places a hand on my shoulder and casts me a dramatic look,

“Is this truly where we part, good friend?” I sigh again,

“I’m afraid so.” We hold our dramatic looks for approximately three seconds before we both burst out laughing. Out of the corner of my eye I even catch Dominico grin. I don’t say anything. Ignore. Ignore. Ignore. Ignore.

“But seriously,” Ryan says.

“No. Don’t do it. Pink panther is good. Stick with pink panther. It would be awesome to have a wizard friend but hairy potter isn’t a wizard friend,” I explain to him. “Plus if you have a beard in high school then you’ll truly lose all hope of ever having a girlfriend.” I tell him. He laughs humorlessly.