Prom?

Caley watched the clock as she chatted with her friends. Only a few minutes left to lunch, she still hadn’t gone to her locker to grab her books for her next class. Her friends were talking about prom again. It seemed that was all anyone talked about at school this week.

“Hey, I’m going to go to my locker and get my books.” Caley said quickly as she hurried to the door. “I don’t want to be late again.” She raised her eyebrows at her friends.

They smiled at her and returned to their conversations. She hastily strode to the door. Upon reaching the door, she realized she was stuck in the door jam. Everyone was either trying to get in or out. Once out the door, Caley found that she was still stuck behind Damon. She struggled to get past him but couldn’t.

All of a sudden, the entire men’s acapella group appeared down the hallway. They began singing something as they paraded down the hall. She noticed John was leading them again as she made quick eye contact with him. So typical, they’re probably advertising again… Caley shrugged and resumed her futile attempts to get past Damon. They continued singing in perfect harmony, adding random dissonances. The hallway was crowded with people trying to see what was going on. As they drew closer to her lunchroom, she noticed that they were coming her way. Caley tried to get away as they came nearer.

Unexpectedly, they stopped in front of the door as John took the lead role and burst into trills. Damon stepped aside. It was then that Caley realized all eyes were on her. In shock, she backed away, into the wall. Blake cut them off; Caley noticed the added second as John stepped forward.

“Do you want to go to prom with me?” Her eyes grew wide as he held out his hand to her.

Unable to speak, she nodded her head and took his hand.

“Yeah…” Caley finally gasped when she had come to her senses.

John’s winning smile appeared as he stretched out his arms. Caley noticed Mia’s wide grin off to her side as she hugged John.

“Only if my dad says yes…” Caley whispered to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Obviously this is the previous installment to the series Clio is working on. She realizes this probably isn't her best work, but it pretty much is 100% true for those of you who are wondering. She still is no good at making plots up, so we'll see where this goes. By the way, her dad did say yes, no matter how grudgingly. Do let Clio know if you would like her to continue this series or stop where it is. Comment or post on the tagboard please. 

Twenty Questions

Caley chatted casually with her friends as her date danced with another girl. Her eyes flicked over to Mia and Damon dancing together. She smiled to herself, remembering how she had successfully set that up. Her eyes roaming the dance floor, Caley saw many couples dancing to a fast tempo song. Looking around more, she briefly caught Camille’s eye and winked at her. Camille grinned back at her and continued dancing with Jace.

“Caley… Caley.”

Caley’s head snapped back toward her friends as she heard her name, several times.

“What were you saying? Sorry, I was watching Camille and Jace.” Everyone smiled at the mention of the names.

“Oh, I was just asking how you're enjoying your night.” One of Caley’s friends smirked at her. Caley rolled her eyes at her friend just as the song ended.

“I’m having a wonderful time.” She responded, shooting her friend a look.

Just then, she felt a familiar tap on her shoulder. Caley whirled around, perhaps a little too quickly, and came face-to-face with her date. One of her favorite songs had begun and couples were pairing up for slow dance. John smiled lightly as he offered Caley his hand.

“Care to dance?”

Caley took his hand and they walked out onto the dance floor. Once there, she placed her hands daintily around his neck as he placed his around her waist. Gazing into his eyes, she marveled at their greenish blue hue once again. A silent moment passed as they both searched for a conversation started.

“Hey, I have an idea,” Caley pronounced, “Let’s play twenty questions, or something like that.”

“Sure, that sounds good. You go first.”

“Let’s see, are you having a good time tonight?” Caley started with a simple question, so she hoped.

“Definitely! This is great! Are you?” Caley nodded as they swayed slowly to the music.

“Okay, I have a serious question. Why me?” John looked quizzically at her. “Why’d you ask me?” John pondered for a minute, trying to come up with the best response.

“You're one of my best friends, I knew we’d have a good time together. And…” John melodious voice trailed off, meanwhile taking on his more serious tone of voice.

“Oh…” Caley mused over the answer. She wondered what it meant and why John didn’t finish his thought. The next few seconds felt like a lifetime as the long moment elapsed.

“Well, there’s another thing, but…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clio apologizes profusely for not writing in a long time, she has been busy and had no inspiration whatsoever. However, recently, some crazy occurrences have given her something to work with. This installment isn't much, but she hopes to continue this series soon. The series is out of order as well. She will compile and finish it all. See if you can find which post this matches with.

Just Maybe...

“Happy New Year!” Caley was greeted with the exclamations of her friends, “Are you glad to be back here? I sure am not.”

The New Year had come and gone, and Caley was back in school – New Year, blank slate, and a fresh start, exactly what she wanted.

Caley chatted with her friends for a few minutes, catching up on what they had done over their break. The first bell rang, indicating that she had only five minutes to being late. Not an auspicious start… Hurriedly going to her locker, Caley keyed in her combination and rummaged through her stuff to find the books she needed. Suddenly, she felt a tap on her left shoulder. Looking around, Caley did a 360° and found John standing to her right, smiling at her. She raised her eyebrows.

“Hey, how was your break? I have something for you.”

Caley looked inquisitively at John. “What is it?”

“A slightly delayed Christmas present.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clio knows she hasn't written in a long time. That is because she has not had any inspiration or time to. This is the first unfinished part to a new installment of stories. Thanks for reading.

Gothic Story

Clio was told to write a gothic story in class on the spot and this is what she came up with. She doesn’t know if it’s any good, but her teacher did read it to the class… so it should be…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The stranger leaned toward Isobel. He grinned, showing his not- so pearly whites. He reached into his pocket and took out a small knife, slightly smaller than a kitchen knife. Waving it under her nose, the stranger examined her. Already shaking uncontrollably, Isobel now began weeping with terror. He lifted her chin with his finger and placed the blade against her throat. She whimpered, likening to the sound a lost puppy makes. Curling a lock of her golden hair on his finger, he pulled her head backward.

“Please don’t hurt me!” Isobel pleaded with the stranger. “I’ll do anything you want.”

In one swift move, the stranger whipped his knife around and sliced that lock of hair.

“Don’t think you’re off the hook quite yet, love.” Sneering at Isobel, the stranger let go of her lock of hair, which drifted slowly to the grimy, dirty floor.

You Again...

This is the first part of a story Clio is working on. She was wondering on a long car ride what it would be like to reignite an old friendship after a long time. It is inspired by a number of things.

1. A story of the way Clio's friend's parents reunited

2. Her friendship with some special friends who will remain anonymous (you know who you are)

3. A secret between her... and herself ;)

As usual, Clio thanks you for reading this, and she hopes you will continue on visiting The Three Muses. She is hoping to have a thanksgiving story up by tomorrow.

It had been years since she’d seen him. She couldn’t believe that they met in that way. How could she have gotten so lucky as to run into him that particular afternoon?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She was merely walking past a Starbucks when she glanced through the window. Busy running errands, she barely paused to see who was inside the coffeehouse on that chilly fall afternoon. However, on that day, someone inside caught her eye. Halting abruptly in her steps, she turned to enter the shop.

A young man had his back turned against her, apparently waiting for his drink. She studied him briefly. He was lean, yet slightly muscular, and his dark hair was slightly messy, probably from the frosty wind blowing outside.

“Liam? Is that you?” She inquired of the young man who looked so liked a friend of hers in high school.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Liam spun around, completely taken aback. Who was she who knew his name? He didn’t recognize her, not straight away at least. Upon examination, he identified the young woman who stood in front of him.

“Claire? Wow, it’s been ages.”

She smiled at him, instantly igniting their old friendship.

The Lady in Red

He knew it was his last chance. Should he mess up this case, he would be dishonorably discharged from his unit. The detective strove to hear what the only pair in the bar was speaking about. While he was getting up and inching slowly toward the counter, his suspect caught his eye. The suspect shifted in his seat, blocking the investigators only opening into the couple's conversation. Rising, the detective stumbled to the bartender, pretending to be drunk.

“Another round for me,” he slurred, keeping his guise.

“Are you sure that's a good idea, sir?” The bartender asked, raising his eyebrow, “this is your fifth round.”

Still slurring his speech, the detective replied, “of course!” Nodding furiously, he stumbled blindly back to his seat.

While waiting for his drink, the detective looked around, observing his surroundings. It was winter. A cold, brisk wind blew in the street, making them unusually quiet for the average late night in 1928 Chicago. The bar was dark and empty. There were only three people in it, the detective, his suspect, and his beautiful companion. The detective glanced over at his suspect. The man was dressed well, his clothes pressed neatly and his maroon hat covering his eyes suspiciously. His companion was a gorgeous lady dressed in a crimson satin dress. Her silky, golden hair was curled fashionably. Although she appeared pretentious, snobbish and superficial, he tried really hard not to gape at her striking figure. Flicking his eyes back to the man, the detective noticed that he seemed rather nervous.

He noticed that the couple had been conversing in hushed tones for close to an hour now, occasionally stealing glances at the supposedly drunk detective. While waiting for the right moment, the detective reviewed his case in his head for the hundredth time. He was an undercover cop trying to discover the identity of the top criminal in Chicago. If he got lucky, he would even be able to arrest him. His suspect was said to be an expert in disguise. Studying the curious figure with the scarlet lady, he could understand why.

Suddenly, movement broke his train of thought. To his horror, the detective realized he had forgotten to continue his drunken stupor during his contemplation. The suspect whipped his hand out of his pocket and shot the detective in the side with a small 9mm pistol. Crumpling to the ground, the detective grabbed his side, desperately trying to slow the bleeding. An intense, stabbing pain shot through his body.

Several mysterious occurrences happened next. The lady in red, rather than running and screaming, rose to her full height and smirked at his collapsing figure. Glancing at her, the bartender, a young man in top form, turned away quickly and began minding an already very clean row of beer mugs. He appeared to be simply terrified of the scarlet lady.

“Hello, detective.” Signaling to her companion, she enunciated in a beautiful British accent. “Bring the poor man a seat.”

An epiphany struck the detective. The answer had been staring him in the face the entire time, literally. Whispering hoarsely, he forced the realization from his lips.

“You're it! You're the criminal I've been hunting for.” Her impeccable Queen's English made his New Jersey accent he had had since he was a little boy suddenly sounded harsh and grating to their ears.

“Now why would you say that, my dear detective?” Picking him up and dropping on a hard wooden stool, the detective’s original suspect placed his gun against the detective's back hostage style.

“I can’t let you go now that you know my little secret, can I?” The detective met her cold blue stare with an equally dark one.

“How did you do it? How did you fool so many people into believing these crimes were committed by someone else?”

“Elementary, my dear detective. I merely planted enough clues as to point it to someone else. As the police force has pointed out, I am a master of disguise. Besides, no one ever suspects a woman, especially a beautiful one. Now that I’ve answered all your questions, we’re done here.” She gestured to her bodyguard, as the detective guessed her companion was.

“Finish him off.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is a story Clio wrote for school. She was to look at a picture (she would tell you what that picture was if she remembered) and write a story based on it. She wanted to try her hand at a mystery/detective story, and she dearly hopes you like it.

Just Friends

The party was going great. Inside, people were dancing and hanging out by the food, as teenagers always do. Outside, a fire had been started and was burning merrily. Caitlyn sat down by the fire to warm her chilly fingers. This is exactly what I needed after this week, a good time out with friends, with no worries.

“Hey Dylan, how are you?” Caitlyn smiled at the smartly dressed kid next to her. She hadn’t really spoken to him in awhile. Their friend circles were vastly different, but he was a nice guy.

The one thing Caitlyn really liked about winter was the snow. The sparkling, beautiful, peaceful, and perfect snow always seemed to make her day. However, there was none. Today was just cold… miserably cold, bitterly cold. She shivered in her thin cardigan. Although she had taken a special care to dressing tonight, she forgot to take into account the freezing temperatures. Dressed in a sheer lilac blouse and blue jeans, her favorite pair of black boots, and a light cardigan, she felt free and happy… until she stepped outside.

“I’ve been pretty good. Not so good sometimes, but pretty good nonetheless. You know how it is.” Dylan grinned wryly at her, showing his pearly whites.

Caitlyn raised her eyebrows briefly, and then laughed aloud. “I suppose I should.” She took a moment to stare at the fire. The flames danced brightly, flickering amber. She shivered again. I wonder what’s going through his head…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dylan scrutinized Caitlyn for a moment. She looked prettier than usual. It was obvious she had dressed more carefully than usual. For what reason, Dylan could not possibly fathom.

“And how have you been, Caitlyn?” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. He had unintentionally, but all too obviously broken her train of thought. He watched her shiver so slightly but uncontrollably. He felt the sudden urge to remove his warm coat and give it to her; she looked so cold. I can’t do that; people will think I like her. So what’s stopping me? He pondered the thought for a second.

“I’ve been doing pretty well so far, school’s tough, but it always has been.” Caitlyn tried desperately to warm her hands in the fire. “Oh, it’s freezing.”

That’s it. I don’t care what people think.

Dylan peeled his thick, warm coat off and draped it over her shoulders. With a warm smile he said, “I’m not that cold, you need it more than I do.”

Caitlyn was completely taken aback. They were in public, in the middle of a group of their friends. What was Dylan thinking? But the coat was too inviting. She gripped both sides and drew it close to her.

“Thank you.”

Clio apologizes for not writing for a long time. However, she has been busy with school and all the other wonderful things life has to offer (although it is not very apparent in her stories, Clios does have some sense of humor). This story is not finished (unless the readers want it to end here). Do comment and tell Clio what you think. Thank you for visiting The Three Muses.

~ Clio

Leila: Part 5

Clio is sorry this has been so long in coming. School just started and she has had little to no time to write.

“She hasn’t spoken to me in forever! It’s like she’s still mad at me for that… incident.” Seth grumbled.

“Oh… Maybe she’s busy. School is pretty hectic now.” Crystal explored the possibilities. She knew Seth wasn’t thinking straight.

“No. She’s online and not responding to me. She’s not even responding to my test messages!” Seth was annoyed. Why was Leila being so incredibly evasive?

“Well, maybe she’s on, but not on. I’ve done that before.” Why am I protecting her?

“For six days?” Seth couldn’t believe what Crystal was doing. When did she, of all people, become so defensive over Leila?

“It’s possible… I don’t know.” Crystal trailed off uncertainly. She didn’t know what Seth wanted to hear from her anymore. He didn’t get her either nowadays… What do you want from me?

All of a sudden, Seth’s phone buzzed. Crystal raised her eyebrows.

“Speak of the devil…” Seth hit the red cancel button angrily.

“Call her back. You're never going to get anywhere if you guys don’t talk.” Crystal wondered why she was giving love advice. She had never been in a relationship before…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several days later…

“Go talk to her. You’ve been waiting for her for hours, days even.” Sounds familiar…

“You don’t mind?” Seth gave Crystal a puzzled look.

“No, of course not.” Crystal paused, “well, yeah I do, but when has that ever made a difference…” She mumbled under her breath. It’s not as if your mind is around anymore now that she’s here…

“Oh, okay. Bye!” Seth scampered off as fast as he could. “Leila! Wait up!”

“Bye…” Crystal looked across at them dejectedly. She didn’t like Seth, not that way, but she loved him. She couldn’t stand seeing him be with… her. The “witch” as some of her friends called Leila. Many were wondering why they were still together, especially Crystal. Seth could do so much better.

Diary of Remember Allerton, daughter of Isaac Allerton

This is a story Clio wrote for homework. It is an entry into a diary written by a little girl aboard the Mayflower when it landed in 1620. She was not sure whether she should post it as it uses a radically different style from her usual writing. But she thought she would prove that she can branch out to different genres.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

November 11, 1620.

After weeks (or what felt like forever) of sailing aboard the Mayflower, we finally landed on dry land today. Well, maybe it was not dry, but it sure was good to see land again. We landed on the beaches of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Mother, during that awful voyage, always said to be grateful we can go to the New World, but I really want to get off this boat! Unfortunately, we cannot. I have no idea why, but everyone seems really worried about some patent. I have no idea what a patent is; mother told me it tells us where we can live. That confused me, because I thought we came over here so that we did not have to be told where to live. But apparently this patent is a big deal.

I felt the worst today when we were on the Hudson River. I overheard the crew talking about how dangerous it was to be traveling there. I guess that is why we turned around. I really hope I can get off this shop tomorrow because after this many people shared the ship for that long it smells here real bad.

I am still feeling a little seasick although we have been docked for several hours. And everyone is looking a little poorly. I really hope no one gets sick. Mother, who is never ill, is feeling so. But father blames it on the new baby that will be coming.

The New World looks amazing! It is so unlike crowded Leiden back home. The first thing I noticed was the greenness. Every shade of green imaginable, it is here. I stood by the side of the boat for hours just staring over the side of the boat. I saw hundreds of fish in the waters, and sometimes, I would catch of glimpse of an animal running through the forest. How I long to go run out there after being cooped up on this vessel for such a long time.

Remember When

This is an unfinished work by Clio. Hope you like it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remember when I stayed up all night to talk?

Remember when I listened to all the problems you had?

Remember when I helped you through all you were going through?

Remember how many times that happened?

Remember when I was always there?

Remember all the times you disappointed me?

Remember when you used to care about me?

Remember when you promised you’d always be there for me?

Remember when you said you loved me?

And now I need you, but you're never there. When did you become so inconsiderate? When did you become this person I don’t know. You were always oblivious, but never so much. I never had to tell you that you hurt me, until now. And even then, what was your reply? “It’s the truth.” You never really understood, but this is worse than ever. It pains me to see you like this.

What happened to you? What happened to me? What happened to us?

It’s almost like I never existed.

Celene, The Moon

Celene stared out to the night sky, but her gaze caught absolutely nothing. Her thoughts were elsewhere.

For once, just once, I’d like to feel loved. Celene mused to herself. She was mentally and especially emotionally exhausted, sick and tired of being used, then pushed aside. Okay, maybe she hadn’t been used, but she sure felt like it. Why did she spend so much, investing her time, effort, and even herself, into something that didn’t matter in the end?

Celene shook her head; trying to clear her mind, get a fresh perspective.

Maybe I’m just being ridiculous, it’ll all be better tomorrow. Celene brightened up and put a smile on her face. For a brief instant, she was herself again. But was that really her? Or was it the mask she wore so often it was mistaken for her. With those recurring thoughts, Celene’s bright moment was gone.

As she sat at her desk, Celene wondered just how many people were going through the same thing at that exact time. Someone must also have felt this at some point or another in their life, right?

So much hurt… A quote materialized in Celene’s mind, “Love means exposing yourself to the pain of being hurt, deeply hurt by someone you trust.” She rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the pain, yes pain, she felt. Celene had always tried to be impersonal; it seemed easier. But someone always promised something; someone always swore they’d always be there, whenever you needed them. However every time she let someone in, she was eventually let down, some a lot quicker than others.

Her eyes were suddenly drawn to a little + shape.

There’s only one who will never let you down, am I right? Yes, she could repeat all the textbook answers mindlessly, but nothing felt real anymore. Pain, it’s nothing compared to the joy that comes in the end, right?

She sat, just sat, and did nothing else for a few minutes.

Just listen, that’s all I’m asking for. How hard could that possibly be? Just a few minutes of your time, that’s all she was looking for, just an assertion that you really care about me, just… something. Every time she looked around her, Celene could see people’s wonderful lives. Even hers looked wonderful from the outside. No one knew just how much pain she went through every time this happened.

She sighed audibly. Just then, her mother walked into her room.

“Celene, dinner’s ready.” Her mother called out brightly, completely unaware of the turmoil going on inside Celene.

“I’ll be out in a minute.” Celene answered in an equally cheerful tone.

I wish I could believe you miss me. I really do. Unfortunately, Celene had been battle hardened from previous experiences. She didn’t know what to believe anymore. So many people, so many bad experiences. So many acquaintances, so few friends.

All of a sudden, she felt… nothing. The pain had left, but so had the joy. What a price to pay. An unexpected wave of tiredness washed over her. Remembering her mother, Celene rose out of her seat. She stepped outside the boundaries of her room, put on a confident smile, and sat down to dinner. She was ready.

“Celene, how long did you expect us to wait for you?”

Untitled

Standing alone

In a crowded room

Too many people

"I'm so alone"she says

"Whydo I feel

So isolated

These areall my friends

I don'tknow what's going on"

But don'tforget me when I say

I'll alwaysbe here for you

I'll neverforsake you,

Even whenyou think you're all alone.

The partystarts;

She looksaround.

She noticeseveryone,

But no onenotices her.

She fakes asmile,

Strollsover to her friends.

She'shurting inside

But no onecares.

But don'tforget me when I say

I'll alwaysbe here for you

I'll neverforsake you,

Even whenyou think you're all alone.

I'mreaching for you.

Justholding out my hand.

I'm reaching for you.

But don'tforget me when I say

I'll alwaysbe here for you

I'll neverforsake you,

Even whenyou think you're all alone.

This is Clio's first successful attempt at writing song lyrics (meaning she actually finished one). She would really appreciate your help in picking a title for this song. She has run out of ideas and isn't very creative in the first place. Do comment or tag on the tagboard. Thank you.

Leila: Part Three

“She broke up with me…”

“Again?” Probably not the right thing to say… Crystal cringed. “I’m sorry, what happened this time?”

“Yeah, for about the... fifth time this week?” Seth’s sarcasm wasn’t lost despite the fact that Leila had… done it again. “She went on a date with Nate while I’m out of town, and conveniently forgot to tell me.”

“Wait, hold up. Nathaniel – Nate?” Crystal, completely taken aback, gives Seth a quizzical look.

“Yeah, that Nate. They were out past dark. I’m not the jealous type, but that concerns me – ”

“And rightly it should!” Crystal interrupted. Ashamed, she drew back. “Sorry…”

“It’s alright.” Seth sighed, clearly upset. “They went out for coffee and stayed out quite late doing stuff… I don’t even know what stuff!”

Silence. Not knowing what to say, Crystal didn’t respond. They both were thinking hard, that much was clear. After a moment, Crystal asked, “What happened next?”

“She said she wanted to talk, and I told her I was in a public place and so I couldn’t.” Seth paused. He seemed to be looking for the right words to say. “She got mad.” Surprise there… Crystal suppressed a smile while Seth continued, “She basically said she’s sick of waiting and so we’re over. To top it all off, she did this over text.”

“Seriously? Over text?” Crystal was shocked. Even for Leila, that was low.

Seth nodded. He was numb, and he wasn’t sure if it was with anger or pain. How could Leila do this to him… again? It’s not as if this was the first time. This was the third, fourth maybe. He wasn’t sure. He still loved her; that much was for sure. But now he wasn’t so sure how she felt about him either…

“Seth?”

Seth snapped out of his deep thought quickly. “What were you saying?”

“And so what happened?”

“Well she told me she’s now with Nate. When I asked how that happened, she said that he asked her out.” Well that was quick… Crystal didn’t know how to respond. When these things happened, she rarely did.

“Oh… So are you guys still together?”

“I don’t know; she hasn’t spoken to me since or informed me otherwise.” Seth was thoroughly confused. And while talking to Crystal usually made things clearer or made him feel better, it wasn’t working this time.

“Go call her.” Crystal suggested mildly but firmly.

“You think it’s a good idea?” Seth was unconvinced. He wanted to call her, but maybe they should just let things cool off a little first…

“Definitely. You guys need to clear things up. I’ll be here if you need to talk later. If not, just text me.” I’m always here, aren’t I? Crystal mused for a moment, then smiled at Seth.

“Alright. I might not be able to come back later, I’ll tell you what happens though.” Seth walked off into the distance, fumbling with his phone.

So you guys are supposedly still together although she broke up with you. Crystal shook her head, wondering how that works. Seth, such a complicated child, though not really a child at all, was he? And Leila, oh Leila, she’s two-faced. That’s the only good way to put it. Crystal wondered what others said about her, and she hoped it was good things. God knows how much she hoped it was good. 

Leila: Part Two

“Hey, what’s up?” Crystal finally got a hold of Seth after a week of no contact. With Leila gone at camp for a fortnight, it was not as if he had a good reason to be unavailable. In fact, that weekend before, he himself had said how he was going to be free to hang out with Leila gone.

“Nothing… Just bored now that the summer’s finally here. Nothing to do, you know…”

“So is that why it so hard to contact you nowadays?” Crystal’s customary and well-known sarcasm kicked in.

“No, I’ve just been busy…” Crystal tried not to get aggravated; Seth was being annoyingly vague. She pressed on.

 “Well, didn’t you just say you’re bored?”

“Yeah, I’m busy being bored.”

“What? That makes no sense!” After a short pause, Crystal continued. “Anyway, what have you been up to?”

She waited a few minutes. After no reply came, she was forced to leave the conversation. 

Leila: Part One

Crystal looked over at Seth and Leila. They were perfect for each other, as so many had already pointed out. Crystal wasn’t sure how she felt about this. In public, they were adorable; doing all the things couples ought to do – holding hands, flirting, and basically behaved like they were in their own little world. However, alone, only Crystal knew what went on behind the scenes. Her mind flitted back to the many times Seth had confided in her about Leila.

“Are you talking to Leila?” The conversation often started this way.

“Yes. She’s mad at me again. She’s being moody…” He often trailed off, unwilling to say much else about the situation.

Crystal’s mind darted back to the present, in which Seth and Leila were walking quickly toward her. She was confused. She knew she didn’t like him, the way everyone was suggesting she ought and did, but…

“Hey Crystal!” Seth smiled and came over to her. Leila followed a little distance behind, pouting just the teeniest little pout. Crystal saw it and pulled back quickly, but not noticeably.

“Hey, how’s it going?” She forced a smile on her face. At this point, Adelia, one of Crystal’s better friends also known as Del, ambled over to the trio.

“Hi guys!” Del made a reference to a popular book series, or something of that matter, and the conversation sprung up from nowhere. Soon, Seth and Del were debating the most arbitrary topics. Crystal allowed her mind to wander back to the past. She remembered the days in which Seth seemed to care more. Nowadays, he barely seemed to notice things. Off course, Seth had never really been observant, but with Leila, things had just gotten worse.

Crystal thought about these things. She cared deeply about Seth. She knew that, but why did her friends always have to alter that into something completely different, romance. She had an absence of romantic feelings toward Seth, but she knew if given the chance, something could develop. As Del often liked to phrase it, “Leila’s sudden kidnapping by ninjas” would work just fine. But it was his life to live; Crystal knew he had thought this through many times. She’d just have to wait and see what happens…