The Lunacy Fringe

Felix had to go to school early on the morning of our first day back. So I got a ride with Quinn and Billie. Billie laced her arm with mine as we headed inside. Quinn disappeared, off to find Felix for some important conversation or something. We weren’t really listening.

“So, have you guys finally talked?” she asked as we watched Quinn hurry in ahead of us. My stomach flipped.

“Yeah, we’ve talked,” I admitted. I wasn’t about to tell her everything else we’d done. But she noticed my blush anyway, flooded by memories of kisses and bare skin.

“Has he asked you out yet?” I snapped back to attention.

“N—no.”

“He will. I have a feeling. So what did you guys talk about?”

“Pretty much everything.” She opened her mouth to ask more questions, but I stopped very suddenly and forced her to jerk to a halt.

Felix had just appeared around the corner ahead of us. He stopped and then smiled when he spotted us. Then he opened his arms, and I disentangled myself from Billie and rushed to wrap my arms around him. He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me. I knew he didn’t want to tell anyone yet, but I suppose he’d been telling the truth about not wanting them to figure out our secret. But now—now it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that we’d made up, and he was kissing me in the hallway. My heart was pounding, and he was so warm in the chilly morning.

“Did I miss something?” I heard Quinn ask. “Why is Felix making out with my sister in the hallway?” Felix smiled, and I laughed, and then we were lost in the kiss again.

“Shush,” Billie told him. “They’re making up.”

“Well, do we have to watch? It’s kind of making me uncomfortable.”

“C’mon, let’s just go to class.”

They must have left because we didn’t hear them again. And for a moment, everything was perfect. Until the bell rang, and he let me go.

“We should get to class,” he said, rubbing his thumb across my cheek. I nodded, still slightly dazed.

“Okay.”

We walked to the music room hand-in-hand. Miss Kay smiled when we arrived, and she seemed to realize things were okay again. She had us sit together at the piano. Even though we spent most of the period goofing off, laughing, and messing up our songs.

Afterward, he walked me to my next class and kissed me at the door. I didn’t see him again until Economics, but unfortunately, I also had that class with Jake. And my stomach twisted with nerves on the way. I didn’t know how he would react or what he would say. I’d have to move to a new seat. And, of course, he was waiting outside of the classroom. There was no way I could get in without avoiding him.

He perked up when I approached, and I realized he’d been waiting for me.

“Hey, Ruby,” he said.

“Hey, Jake.”

“I was hoping we could talk.”

“Oh, um. Okay. About what?”

“I just wanted to apologize for what happened at the dance. I just—I spent all break thinking about it, and I think we just needed some time apart. I’m really sorry for everything I said. For accusing you.”

“Oh—Jake—I—um….” An arm wrapped around my shoulder, and then Felix was standing beside me. He smiled at Jake with a nod.

“Oh—I see,” Jake said. “I guess I was right about you after all.” Then he turned sharply and headed into the classroom. I looked up at Felix and yanked myself out from under his arm.

“You didn’t have to be mean about it,” I said.

“I didn’t say anything at all.” But he was clearly trying not to smile. I rolled my eyes and headed inside. He followed after and snatched my hand before I could find a seat. I obviously wasn’t planning on going back to my usual spot beside Jake, but he apparently thought I was. “You should sit back here with me.” I rolled my eyes yet again and took the seat next to him.

Jake turned around to glare at us a few times during class. I still felt terrible about how things ended. I didn’t want to hurt him, and I did like him as a person. Just not as a boyfriend. And he had to know that. I knew he felt the same way. If only he would take the time to notice it. When he found someone who made him feel the way Felix made me feel, he’d understand. But I couldn’t really blame him for being angry. Because I hated Candy with a passion, and she’d never done anything to me besides go out with Felix for a few months.

And the whole trying to force him into bed thing. I’d forgotten about that. But I was never sure what her actual plan was for that. And now I was pretty sure Felix wouldn’t have let it happen.

He yawned and stretched beside me, casually dropping a note onto my desk. I wasn’t sure the theatrics were necessary since the teacher was scribbling away on the chalkboard, but it made me smile anyway.

“Do you want to know what I see when I close my eyes?” it said.

I smiled and wrote, “What do you see?” under it. I poked his arm with my pencil and handed it back. He almost looked disappointed I didn’t throw it to him amidst a sneeze or anything. Thankfully he handed it over like a normal person the next time.

“The way you looked that night. In that white dress with all those flowers in your hair. I felt like you chose them for me. Some of my fondest memories are of seeing you through the jasmines on the fence.” Then I was fully blushing in the middle of class.

“You looked so handsome in that suit and tie.”

“I’ll never forget how beautiful you are in white.”

The bell rang, so I shoved the note into my pocket to save it. He walked me to my next class, and we didn’t carry on the conversation on the note. I was fine leaving it just where it was. I would add it to the old cigar box my dad gave me, filling up with little mementos, notes, and pictures.

After class, we met again on the side of the building behind the bushes. Then we walked to the tree together. We were still hand-in-hand, forgetting for a moment that no one else really knew about us. We barely noticed the silence until I sat beside Billie in my usual spot. Felix sat beside me instead of on the other side of Quinn.

“It’s not that fucking shocking, guys. C’mon,” Felix said as I nervously pulled my hair behind my ear.

“Right. Yeah. No,” Aaron said. Then he squinted. “Actually, it is. What the hell happened?” Felix glanced at Quinn.

“I’ll tell you later.” I shot Billie a look, but she just grinned.