The Locker Wars

Riley gave Adele a drive to school on Valentine’s day. Since she had done Adele’s hair and makeup that morning, she didn’t want it to get all messed up when it was snowing even more.

“Do I look okay?” Adele asked as they entered the school.

“It’s February and you’re in a skirt,” Riley pointed out, “Can’t get much more okay than that. And hey, don’t we have PE first? Great, all my hard work...”

“You know I love you, Riles,” Adele pouted, squishing her friend into a hug, “Okay. I guess I’m gonna go like... see him now. I’m so fucking nervous.”

“Jeez, Adele, don’t be so modest,” Riley rolled her eyes, “You look great. Ugh, go get him then.”

Adele smiled before skipping off.

* * *

William was just scribbling something down quickly before he managed to stuff the piece of paper into the small slit. He pretended to lean onto his locker and then figured that he’d look better pretending to search through his books. No sooner than he got the door open, though, was when Adele came skipping into the halls.

She skidded to a stop in front of her locker, and William found himself gaping. She looked pretty. Way beyond pretty. Even more beautiful than he last checked.

He stuck his nose in his locker so that he wouldn’t stare as she opened hers up, humming something happy. Wait, was she wearing a skirt in the middle of February?

“Hmm...” Adele made a curious sound. And then William heard the sound of her unfolding the paper, and he squeezed his eyes shut.

Adele liked to read things out loud to herself. “To the most beautiful girl to have ever crossed my mind.”

William crossed his fingers.

“Oh...!”

She’d seen the rose that William had nestled between her Sociology binder and her World History binder. He knew that she liked things neat and in order. Lunch was between those classes. Perhaps she wouldn’t get it. But all William wanted to do was just talk...

Adele closed her locker and squealed slightly to herself, walking away. William took his head out of his locker and looked at her back, where she made her way to Skyler. He stood there, eyeing Adele like she was some piece of meat and not some A+ student with good looks and a wild sense of humor. William watched as she kissed Skyler on the cheek, her eyes lighting up.

“No!” William growled. He kicked his locker. It wasn’t supposed to turn out like that. Wouldn’t she have recognized the handwriting or something? Who else knew her schedule and why she needed to take her classes, and who else had a spare last period? William’s plan was to meet up with her... but now, obviously, the plan was ruined.

He slammed his locker closed and cursed; cursing at the war, the fact that Skyler had come in unplanned, and how now he was never going to tell Adele how he felt. He thought that he’d... well, it was all garbage now.

He spun around and opened his locker again with a rapid pace; he wasn’t going to go to classes today. Fuck classes. Especially with Adele in two of them. If he had to watch Adele tell Kirsten and/or Riley about the card and rose that Skyler had sent her, then fine, let her lie.

William just wasn’t going to take it anymore.

* * *

Skipping school was so unhealthy. Plus, there were consequences. Like, having to catch up on missed homework and lessons, and he wouldn’t get to see Adele (not that he wanted to see her... but it was just that... it was complicated). And then later, he’d get in trouble and stuff. Not too cool.

William disappeared to the mall. He didn’t have anywhere else to go. If he went home, his mother would find him home earlier than usual. And then he’d get in trouble, and trouble was something that he really wanted to avoid right now.

He decided to go see if he could afford to buy anything. Maybe he’d get a card for Adele. Or more flowers.

He checked his wallet and pulled out a ten dollar bill that was supposed to be for his lunch. Nope.

Unless he starved, this could be some sort of offering of his love for the girl. It wasn’t like he needed to starve or anything, because he was just naturally thin. But he just didn’t know what to do.

He wandered around the stores, watching salespeople give him dirty looks, until lunchtime. He phoned Mike, because Mike would have a plan.

“Dude, I skipped,” William groaned into the phone.

Mike was clearly shocked. A straight A+ student didn’t skip like that, right out of the blue. “Why? I mean, dude, there’s this special presentation going on in the library after lunch for career-choosing paths and stuff—”

“Fuck that shit! I’ve got something way more important to deal with, other than choosing my fucking career.” William was mouthing off to his friend, ignoring the fact that there were little children with their parents around. He didn’t care. At least they didn’t have to deal with the perils of love.

“You going to tell me?” Mikey asked finally. After a few moments without a reply, Mike sighed. “I’ll meet you at the mall in twenty. I’ll bring Jason.”

“You don’t have to...”

“It must be some emergency if the school’s smartest student is acting like the school’s biggest rebel.”