Poppy Jennings' Revenge

After Poppy and I’s reunion, he left to go sit somewhere else towards the front of the room, leaving me alone in the back. I sat all through the rest of the class thinking about the things I’ve done to Poppy Jennings. He’d been scratched by my claws far too many times and I never realized how deep they ran.

And I didn’t even feel an ounce of guilt.

Poppy hadn’t instantly become my personal punching bag when he moved in next door in the fourth grade. I still remember how pale his skin was-- coming form Canada and all. He ran out of his parent’s red Subaru and his straight, flat, floppy hair bounced with every step he took.

Each morning before school, I’d see him run to catch the bus at 6:45 AM down the street at the bus stop. His black Jans-Sport backpack was always half unzipped with his brown lunch bag poking out from the inside. He even shared his PB&J sandwich with me once.

In a way, I guess we were friends for a short span of time.

Fifth and sixth grade rolled around and that was when my palms began to itch.

“Question three on the paper is cut off-- stop talking Helen-- but question three is: which element…”

Helen.

That was the name of Poppy’s mom…

Hearing the name reminded me why I disliked him in the first place.

It was because I was jealous of him.

I was jealous that his parents weren’t fighting like mine were; I was jealous that he didn’t have to hear his parents yelling at each other from the downstairs kitchen like I did; I was jealous that he was an only child; I was jealous that he got to live somewhere other than California; I was jealous of how talented he was; I was jealous of how popular he became and how popular I wasn’t; I was jealous.

It sounded all too stupid.

“Ms. Venus… Ms. Venus!”

I snapped out of my stare on the pencil sharpener that was sitting on Mr. Atkinson’s desk. I slowly gazed up at my teacher, “Yes?”

“The bell rang a minute ago,” He informed.

“Oh—right!” I said as I gathered the scattered paper on the table and shoved it into my purple binder. “Thanks, see ya!” I babbled as I rushed passed him and went down the hall to my locker.

I turned the combination and tried to focus on my next class. “Sorry I didn‘t get to sit with you in chemistry. My friend pulled me over to sit by her and she’s what you call, demanding. ” I heard Mallory explain.

I glanced over at her and told her it was okay.

“But how was your first your first class, Mr. Atkinson can be boring sometimes, and his lectures will killyou?”

I sighed, “Believe me, that class was anything but boring.”

“Why?” She gave me a horrified look, “Oh, is it because you like chemistry?”

“Yeah, if only.“ I groaned.

Mallory gave me a confused look, “I don’t understand?“

I closed my locker after placing my binder in it and only bringing a pencil to the next class. “I reunited with my former friend from the home state.” I explained as I turned around to face her.

“You don’t seem too happy about that…”

“Not really. It’s actually a really long story.”

“Well, I’ve got time.” She smiled as she held her binder across her chest. “I mean, I have a whole thirteen minutes to spare. Walk me with me to my locker?” She asked.

I shook my head and ran my hand through my light brown hair. I didn’t know this girl and I didn’t even know if I could really trust her. But what would it matter anyway? My chance to catch the ’drama free life’ ship had sailed when Poppy reeled in the anchor.

“Alright.”

---

We were now in ceramics and thank the lord that Poppy and I didn’t have that class together. In the hallway, he couldn’t stop staring daggers at me while we passed each other.

When he looked at me, it was like time slowed down and everything was a blur. The only thing I could see clearly was his dead stare that sent chills all around my body. And in that short amount of time, I practically felt myself turning into stone.

Getting through this year wasn’t going to be easy…

After I finished telling Mallory about Poppy and I’s past, her jaw dropped, “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe you’re her!” She said, flabbergasted.

“What do you mean?”

Mallory cleared her throat. “When he first got here, he told us all about a girl who pretty much tortured him while he was in California.“ She paused and tapped her fingers on the table. “Yeah… he really hates you.”

“Is it that obvious?” I asked sarcastically.

Mallory shrugged her tiny shoulders, “Uh, not to be a joy killer but—the whole crew pretty much knows about you… they’re gunna hate you, too.” She informed me. “Well, maybe…”

I sighed, “How could you kill the joy that was never there?” I asked as I turned in my seat to face the front.

I felt absolutely terrible. I just wanted to curl up into a ball and lay on the floor. I just wanted to go back to sunny California where the beaches were, where I could find a MAC store at every corner of each block, where my friends were, where I lived my whole life and where I didn’t feel so… pathetic.

Mallory placed her hand on my right shoulder, “Hey, it’s okay, I’m your friend...” She said, giving me a smile. “Besides, it’s only the first day, maybe it’s not what I said and it won‘t be that bad.”

I smiled back and thanked her. “You don’t have to be my friend, I mean, I know your brother is PJ’s best friend and all…“

Mallory grinned and shook her head, “He’s PJ’s friend, not mine. At least not really.“ She paused. “We know each other, but we don’t hang out. We’re loose friends.”

“Oh, well, thanks for willing to risk your social reputation.”

She laughed, “Hah, no problem. I was always the odd one out anyways.” Mallory then looked by the door and scoffed, “God, how is this guy still alive?”

I turned around and saw a tall figure with short, dark brown hair, and long, built limbs. He walked through the double doors of the ceramics room and placed on a dirty apron hanging from one of the storage doors.

“Who’s that?” I asked

Mallory scoffed, “That’s Vallen Weber.” She said as we both watched him as he grabbed a chunk of recycled clay.

“He used to be best friends with PJ and Jerrico until…” She trailed off as he walked passed us to grab a tool, “Until PJ and Albany started dating.”

“Who’s Albany?” I whispered as Vallen walked passed us again.

Mallory rolled her eyes, “Vallen’s ex, PJ’s current girlfriend,” She paused to check her phone, but then she continued. “she’s quite awful, honestly. I hate her. She’s a bitch and thinks she’s the shit or something because she’s Student Body President.”

“Oh, so she’s on of those.” I said, “I used to be one of those.”

“Well, you’re not anymore right?”

I shook my head.

“Anyway, PJ, Jerrico, and Vallen were like a Golden Trifecta. Those three dominated on the basketball team and we almost won State last year. They were all best friends until Albany dumped Vallen for PJ. Vallen and Albany dated for like three years until PJ showed up and she made it super obvious she was interested in him.”

“Jeez, that must have been rough.”

“You’re telling’ me. There was so much drama that Vallen decided to quit the team and stopped being friends with both PJ and Jerrico. He kind of just dropped from the face of the planet last summer and now I guess he seems to not care about school and is getting into fights all over the place. He’s Major League sketch now--total outcast.”

Who knew boys had just as much drama as girls did?

“So what, they’re like enemies now?” I asked as I brushed off dry, powdered clay from my hands.

“I guess…” Mallory replied.

I watched him throw a ball of clay onto the wheel, “He’s kind of cute.” I commented.

“Yeah sure, if you like dead animals.”

The bell rang and a woman who looked like she was in her late thirty’s bounced into the room. He blond curls framed her face and all I could see was her youthful smile. She sported a dirty, spoiled apron, just like Vallen had.

“Continue your projects, everyone!” She said as she walked over to her empty desk with only a Mac laptop sitting on t.

“That’s Ms. Williams, AKA the coolest teacher you’ll ever have--” I got up in the middle of Mallory’s sentence, “wait, where are you going?” She asked as she sat up straight.

I nodded over to Vallen, “I‘m going to go talk to him.”

Honestly, I didn’t know what I was really doing. But all I knew was that if he’s an enemy of Poppy’s, he’s a friend of mine, because one, we’ll have something in common, and two, everyone needs a friend…

“Hey,” I said as I grabbed a blue chair, “I’m Crymson.” I introduced as I sat down in it.

No response.

He continued to mold his clay. I watched his thumb puncture a small hole in the middle of the cylinder shaped clay on the wheel and slowly, as the wheel spun, he expanded the opening, and then continued to mold its shape.

I cleared my throat, “I-I’m Crymson Venus,” I introduced again, “What’s your name?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

He finally looked and gave me a brute expression, “Why ask the question when you already know the answer?” He took his foot off the petal, “Are you testing me to see if I know my own name?”

I was surprised by his bold response and didn’t know how to counter it. I pressed my lips together and awkwardly glanced off to Mallory, who was attentively listening in on our conversation.

“What?”

He looked over at Mallory and then back at me, “You’re friends with Mallory and when does she not talk about me? She practically builds a border between me and the school population. So to save your embarrassment, I suggest you quickly trot back to your seat and act like this never happened.” He then leaned forward and whispered, “Besides, you don’t want to be caught dead talking to me anyways, right?”

I sat back in my chair to create distance between our faces. He sat back in his chair, too, smirking. He then nodded over to Mallory, indicating that it was time for me to leave.

“So, how’d that go?” Mallory asked in sarcasm,

“We’re getting married in July and regardless of the gender, we’re naming our first child, Chandler-- how’d you think it went?!”

Mallory laughed at my response, “I call being bridesmaid!”

“I will become his friend one way or another.”

She smirked as she sat back in her seat, “Right, good luck with that!” She then sat back up, “Hey, there’s actually a charity basketball game this weekend, if you really want to make friends, you should definitely come!”

I bit my lower lip, contemplating if it was a good idea, but then I realized that Blue was going to be in the tournament, as well, so I’d have to go anyways.

“Yeah, sure, I’ll be there.”

“Oh, but let me warn you, the whole coop is going.” Mallory said as she nodded her head over to Vallen, somehow indicating that Poppy and his buds were going to be there, too.

I let out a sigh, “Good.”