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                                                                      Vote for me please?

                                                                            Chapter 6

                                                               Allen’s Got Talent Part 1

Thursday – Lunch Time (27 hours to ShowTime)

 “

“You know you better slow down before you kill yourself.” I mumble looking at Kevin as he continues to stuff his face with Pizza.

“Dude, they’re serving Pizza, tomorrow it might be that special soup thing that moves around in your plate, I’m enjoying this.”

Eh, he’s got a point. I wave him off and he smiles, showing the crushed up pizza in his mouth.

“Gross Kevin.”

“Hey guys.” We both look up and see Arianna standing with a tray in her hand and a tall boy standing next to her. My eyes flash of curiosity while observing him. He’s…cute.

“Who’s your friend?” she turns her head and smiles.

“This is Chase Davis, my boyfriend.”

I instantly look over at Kevin. He’s stopped eating and I can tell he’s growing uncomfortable.

“Hey.” His very deep voice says and he extends his hands out to me. I glance over at Kevin for a moment who is glaring at the raven colored hair boy. I take it hesitantly not knowing what Kevin’s thinking.

“Nice to me you…I guess, um I’m Allen.” He smiles, showing his perfect pearly whites and two deep dimples.

“Hi, I’m Chase.”

His attention turns to a reluctant Kevin who just sits in his seat with his arms folded over his chest.

I kick him under the seat and he growls at me.

“I’m Kevin.” He murmurs, his eyes staying on the table as if something of interest had appeared there.

“Nice to me you.” Chase laughs nervously and takes a seat next to me. Arianna sits across from him and next to Kevin.

Let the awkward tension begin….

Though this room is packed to its capacity with noisy, boisterous teenagers around our table you can hear a pin drop. Kevin looks angry, Arianna look in love and Chase looks super uncomfortable under the scrutinizing gaze of Kevin.

“So, how did you two meet?” I ask trying to break the tension that is hovering over our table.

“Well we met at a McDonald’s downtown. She thought I skipped her and punched me in the face and after getting kicked out we just hit it off.”

“How romantic.” Kevin says with a fake happiness and smile. Arianna looks at him tensely and Chase is just confused.

This must be very uncomfortable for him, I can tell. I doubt he knows the current situation between the two.

“Well I’m happy for you and I hope you two are happy.”

They both smile at me, forgetting about Kevin for a moment.

“Yeah, she’s a great girl, I like everything about her. She’s pretty, smart, bossy, witty”

“Okay Okay we get it, you like everything about her.” An irritated Kevin says, shutting Chase up. He doesn’t take it offensively though; he just smiles at him mistaking it for sarcasm when in reality Kevin wants to rip his eyebrows off. Both I and Arianna can sense it.

“So does anyone know where Jessica is?”

“Who ever knows where that crazy whore is.” Kevin laughs and we all join in.

Jessica is the free spirit of our group; she’s also the oldest which makes it kind of ironic that she is the most carefree. She is still like a big sister to all three of us and out of all my friends I’ve known her the longest. We have considered her to be the leader of our little foursome seeing she’s the oldest, wisest and most educated. She’s the school’s President of The Helping Hand Club, which helps underprivileged and misguided kids in school. She’s always been about helping others seeing she’s had cancer for the past 4 years which scares me a bit to wonder where she is.

“I’ll go check up on her this afternoon.”

 “If anything happened to her, we’d know Allen.” Arianna says, obviously sensing some kind of distress in me.

“Yeah, her mom would have called us and told us what’s up if she was sick.” Kevin says, trying to add confirmation to what Arianna says. It doesn’t calm my nerves though.

“I’m still going.” I say sternly and they both nod. I’ve known the chick for 9 years; the slightest hint that she’s not okay troubles me.

“Wow, she sounds like she means a lot to you guys.” Chase says amazed and we all look between each other.

“Yeah she is…”

I trail off.

“Attention!”  That oh so annoying voice says and we all look over in that direction. Laura is standing on top of a table, in her cheerleading uniform with two there male cheerleaders on the side of her. The entire cafeteria room has gone silent now as we all wait for the trash I’m sure to make its way out of her mouth.

“As you know, the San Francisco Middle School Talent Show is tomorrow night. We need to you to show your school spirit and show up to support me…uh I mean us talented kids. So be there or be square and immensely obese!” she jumps down and the room goes back to its chaotic sound of teenagers.

“What’s her talent, hand jobs?” Arianna snorts and Kevin chuckles.

“I don’t know what Matt sees in her.”

“Calm down Ari they are just partners in the dance.” I say putting a piece of pizza in my mouth.

“That’s not what I heard; I hear they started dating officially yesterday.” I cough and Arianna looks at me confused. Kevin looks at me and points his head to the door.

“What’s up with you two?” Chase questions and Arianna eyes narrow on the both of us.

“Um, nothing. Me and Kevin have to take care of something.” I get up and grab his hand and exit the cafeteria.

I flare my lip up as soon as we leave. I can feel the anger building in me and Kevin notices it too.

“Allen, calm down.” He tries to calm me down but right now I’m not hearing it. I start to pace in front of the door and punch the wall next to it.

“That conniving blonde bitch!”I seethe through my clenched teeth. I can’t believe I believed her. I should have gone with my instincts.

“Allen it’s just a rumor, we don’t know if they are actually dating.”

“Yes we are.” We both turn and see Laura with her hand on her waist. I charge at her but Kevin holds me down.

“Bitch! I should have known; you’re as fake as your hair color!” She smirks knowing that I can’t break loose of Kevin’s hold. My legs flail all around trying to get at her but Kevin is too strong to break loose.

“Face it Allen, Matt doesn’t like you honey. He’s straight and he’s with me.”

“Let’s see how much he likes you when you’re a rotten decomposed corpse!” I roar trying to break loose of Kevin’s anaconda like hold.

“Calm down Allen, she not worth it.” I ignore him and keep fighting to break loose.

“Let him go Kevin, I’m sure my boyfriend will teach him a lesson if he lays a finger on me.”

She’s asking for it but Kevin knows better than to let me get at her. I’ll rip her limb from anorexic limb!

“Allen she’s a girl you can’t hit her.” He sets me down in front of him, blocking me from going after Laura.

“So she can just get away with being a deceiver just because she has a vagina? Just like that?”

“She’ll get hers Allen.” I look pass him and at her. She blows a kiss and winks. I scoff and fight the itching urge to gnaw her neck off her body.

“You’re damn right she will.” I sneer pushing past him and head in the direction from both of them. I enter the boy’s bathroom and look myself in the mirror.

Why would Matt even think of dating her? Is she more appealing than me? Maybe she got into his head with her slutty mind tricks. I need guidance…or a spell. Sadly I’m no witch yet so there’s not much I can do. I feel something hit my hands and I look down.

Water? I am…crying? I quickly look up into the mirror and see the streak rolling down my cheek. I quickly wipe it away and clear my throat.

There’s no way in hell I’m going to cry over something like this. If he wants to be with that skank so be it.

So why am I still crying? I tried to stop but it just isn’t working. I cry silently, just letting it all out before someone comes in here as sees me like this. I lean up against the door of a stall and sink down to the ground.

Maybe I liked Matt more than I really wanted to acknowledge and it scares me. It scares me that someone can actually make me breakdown in a bathroom at school. It’s sad and unsanitary all at once. I laugh bitterly at my thought and get up off the floor.

I go back to the mirror and look at myself. I look decent, my eyes aren’t that red color you get from after crying so I should be clear. I let out a deep breath and exit the room.

--

The rest of the day goes on very slowly. I avoided Matt like the Black Plague and stayed clear of Laura. Lord only knows what I’d do if I get my hands on around her throat. But Kevin’s right, violence won’t solve my problems. Though they’d make it a hell of a lot better. But right now I have something more important to do and that’s see what’s up with Jessica. We pull up in front of her suburban home and I sigh softly.

“Okay Allen I’ll be right here.” Drew reassures me with a smile.

I step out of the car and make my way to their door and ring its bell. No more than 2 minutes later Mrs. Clemens answers.

“Oh Hello Allen so nice to see you.” Her serene and calming voice greets me with a gentle sweet and motherly smile. Mrs. Clemens may not be the best looking woman, but what she lacks in beauty she makes up for in hospitality and a certain regalness that only a woman of her experience and caliber could carry. Her short pudgy frame only adds to her seemingly beautiful character traits.

“Nice to see you too Mrs. Clemens; I’m here to see how Jessica’s doing.” Her smile fades and she sighs but lets me in and closes the door behind me.

“Jessica is not feeling so well Allen.” She looks away into the distance, avoiding eye contact.

“What do you mean?”

Deep down inside of course I know what she means. But I was hoping, pleading that I was wrong. Just let one good thing happen for me today because God knows I need it. Her eyes finally turn to look at me, all the sadness and lost of hope are all locked inside them. She moves over to the couch and sits. I follow her lead and sit next to her, putting a comforting hand on her knee.

“Jessica…has been sick lately hence the reason why she has hardly been to school. She’s been wanting to come back and watch you perform at the talent show but I told her it’s best if she stayed home.” she affirms, her voice is wracked with a pain. A mother’s pains of watching her child slowly lose a fight against a cancer. I can only imagine how it feels for a mother to suffer that way. The pain must be excruciating.

“Can I see her?” I barley whisper not wanting to overstep any boundaries. She smiles for a second and quickly nods.

“She’s in her room upstairs, she’ll be happy to see you dear.”  I smile and thank her.

I make my way into the family room where the stairs are, but notice that it’s completely quiet and clean.  For a home of six kids, it’s odd. Usually it’s filled with all of them watching TV, playing with toys and just having a good time. But I guess because of Jessica’s recent status everyone has just died down.

I climb the creaky stairs make my way to her door. I don’t open it. I just stand there in front of it. Thinking of something to say. What will I? How will I? I put my hand up to knock but just freeze in that position. If her mom’s mood is any indication she must be in a pretty bad state and seeing her like that might just kill me. I suck in a deep breath and knock softly. A part of me hoped that she wouldn’t hear it but no such luck.

“Come in.” her clear and imperial voice calls.

I quickly open the door and poke my head inside. She’s laying on her bed with the covers over her. Only her tiny head is sticking out.

“Jess?” her head snaps up immediately at the sound of my voice and she smiles widely.

“Allen?” her green eyes bulge when she sees me and a huge smile forms on her face. “Well come in silly.” She says laughing and sits up in her bed. I walk into the room and close the door behind me. I run over to her, nearly tripping on a pair of sneakers and engulf her in a hug long overdue.

“Oh Allen, I’ve missed you.” She lets go and searches my face. “Have you been eating? You look a little thin.” For some reason she has always thought she was my mother, always checking up on me all the time.    

“I have Jess, but how are you? You haven’t been to school in a while and I’m worried.” She waves me off and scoffs and gets up out of her bed. She runs her hands through her thick honey brown hair and looks me in the eyes with her shiny emerald green eyes.

“You know that I miss a lot of days Allen it’s normal for me to not show up for a while.”

“Yes, but It’s been a week now, are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” She says quickly back at me and I roll my eyes.

“Jessica, it’s okay to be scared, you don’t have to be the tough one all the time.” she shakes her head and goes over to her window, peering out of it with a longing gaze on her face.

“I’m alright Allen, maybe not in the physical state but in the mental and spiritual.”

“What do you mean?” her head slowly turns to look at me and she smiles lightly.

“My health is decreasing Allen yes, but I have fought it for four years. Valiant to say the least for a female let alone a fifteen year old. I’ve helped people and encouraged others, I feel fulfilled.”

“What are you saying Jess?”

She moves back to her bed and sits down. She picks up a mirror and looks at herself in it, fixing her hair in the style of a bun.

“I look at myself every morning Allen and you know what?” she places the mirror in her lap and looks me directly in the eyes.

“I’m tired, of everything.” I knew what she meant. I felt my heart beat pick up in speed and my breaths start to come out quickly and short.

“I want to just…let go of everything and go where I’m supposed to be.”

 “Your place is here.”

“Not anymore. I feel as though I’ve completed my tasks on earth and I’m destined for something better.” I move over to her and sit beside to her on her bed.

“You can’t give up Jessica. People need you, I need you.” A rest my head on her shoulder and she pats it softly.

“I’m not giving up, I’m just finished. You need me, well I’m here now. What seems to be the problem?” I look up slowly and chuckle a bit.

“That’s not what I meant you know.”

“I know, but I can tell something is bothering you, what is it?” she knows me to well...

“Well, Matt and Laura are a couple now.” She skins up her face in disgust and I laugh tenderly.

“Yeah I know, but the thing is I thought he liked me. I was so sure of it, but now this just throws me into uncertainty.” I confess truthfully and return my head to her shoulder.

“Well, I say if that’s what he wants let him do it. Let him find out that it was a mistake and that what he wants is in front of him. Forgive him and Laura for their betrayal.” I scoff and lift my head to meet her eyes.

“Why should I? They sure as hell don’t deserve it.”  

“That may be but you must remember Allen, Forgiveness is not for them, it’s for you. Now I really have to rest so go.” she chuckles and I do too. I get up off her bed and hug her one last time.

“Thank you Jess, for everything.”

45 minutes later

We finally arrive back home and I feel much better after the talk with Jessica.

“Allen?” that to familiar voice calls and I see its Matt sitting on my doorstep. Drew looks over at me with questioning eyes but I wave him off.

“It’s okay Drew, he’s a friend.” He nods slowly and goes inside. I slowly move up the stairs and sit beside him.

“What are you doing here?” I ask and I hear as he sighs quietly.

“I came to talk to you.”

“About…”

“Us and what we are.” A silence takes over after he says it. Both of us just waiting for the other to speak. I just stare straight ahead; watching as the sun sinks from the sky and as the moon slowly takes it place.

“And what might that be?” my gaze remains on the retreating sun. I don’t even want to look at him right now. Sure he’s making an effort to finally bring some sense into this confusing relationship we have but the fact that he has been rumored to be dating Laura nearly squashes every chance I’ll ever have in being with him.

“I really don’t have a clue what we are. Sometimes we’re friends, other time we’re enemies and then…”

“Then, we act as though we’re in a relationship.” I say finishing his thought.

“I’m just as confused as you are Allen.” I snap my head in his direction, I can feel the anger growing in the pit stomach but I try to control it.

“I’m not confused Matt, I like you. I really do and if you’re any bit of a man you’d tell me that you like me too.” 

He opens his mouth but closes it back again. His lovely eyes seem to be in a conflict with his mind. In them I can see he wants to say something, but his logic isn’t letting him. Someone has been messing with his head.

“Matt, say something, anything.” The look in his eyes becomes more pained and he starts to pull at his hair.

“Allen, I—” is all he manages to get out before huffing and standing up.

“If you can’t say it Matt then know that I will forget about our relationship. I’ll stick with just being friends with you and only friends.” His jaw clenches and he closes his eyes.

“I like you Matt, a lot too but I am willing to let you go. I’m willing to move on from being stuck in this stupid cycle. So if you can’t say it, just stick with Laura.”

A tear slips from his eye and he approaches me slowly. I stand up to face him and let our eyes connect. He searches my face over and over again as if he’s looking for something.

“Allen I-I,” he breathes out and clears his throat “I…….can’t. I don’t like you.” He says through a pained voice. I fall back a bit and move closer to my front door. The sun has now completely dissolved away and the moon shines bright in the warm, quiet, windless night air.

“I don’t like you…” he whispers, no longer looking at me.

“Goodbye Matt.” I turn and walk into my home and shut the door and locking it from Matt. Locking it as if it was my heart.

“I’m sorry Allen…” I hear him say faintly through the door.

“I’m sorry too…”

Yay! For being on time! *throws confetti in the air* tehe.

A/N - Yes, this is the end of this particular part of the story. No, this isn't the end of the story. Candy Man 2 is coming out at sme poit down the road (IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SUMMER 013, but that was cancelled) and will be a continuation. I had to cut it off here because a short story is only 30 pages and, I kind of liked this ending. 

XOXO

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