the Art of Breaking Up

Chapter Two

Life somehow didn't quite make sense anymore. Like it did, but it didn't at the same time. I felt like I could see the way life was supposed to be. It shimmered over what now seemed to be a new reality – a reality I wasn't prepared to acknowledge – like I'd been given the gift of Sight. Except, instead of magic being wonderful and opening up my world, it was terrifying and made my world feel narrow and small.

I could see through the bullshit to the truth, but the grass wasn't greener. It was black and full of thorns that tore into me, ripping gouges out of the armour that protected me from all the bad in the world.

"...or I could do a nudie run through next assembly," Lisa mused pointedly and I realised I hadn't been listening.

"That would definitely save me having to sit through Wade doing the announcements," I commented dryly.

"I thought you weren't listening?"

I shrugged as I shoved a chip in my mouth. "I wasn't. What did you say?"

"I was asking you what you knew about Hollard," she said, picking up my Farmer's Union Iced Coffee – going theory was that, if it didn't belong to her, the calories didn't count. Suffice to say, she saved me quite a few calories. She also cost me a buttload extra to account for her non-calories.

"Hollard?" I clarified and she nodded mid-sip.

My gaze roved over the common room until I saw him standing with his friends by the kitchenette.

Hollard was, by and large, your typical male jock – a type Lisa stuck to with avid devotion. Sometimes I wondered whether she thought she'd make Wade jealous by making her way through the soccer team. Other times I just admired her choosing athletic lovers.

Personally, I found the smart boys were more...attentive. And that definitely wasn't off the advice of a twenty-something year old Dolly magazine I'd found in my mum's old stuff. Honestly, the fact nothing had changed for teenage girls in twenty-odd years was both a comfort and a concern.

But, I wasn't meant to be thinking about Wade or jocks or nerds. I was meant to be focussing on Hollard.

"Rumours abound. Fact is elusive," I answered, putting on my best Yoda voice.

"Elusive to all but you, Master," she said with a smirk.

Speaking of rumours, one of them seemed to be that I had the downlow on the sexual – or lack thereof – prowess of everyone relevant. That whatever nonsense I spouted had yet to be refuted was either a miracle or a worry. I was pretty sure I didn't want to be the instigator of a bunch of lies – or worse, false hope – just because I had a faulty brain-mouth connection.

However, on this occasion, I did have some possibly helpful info.

"Word on the street is Amy dumped him for being impatient. But Malin," Amy's best friend, "let slip that he dumped her for hooking up with Dave."

"So, he's not only available, but desperate?" Lisa mused.

I could concede that. "Why try to discern the truth? I too choose to believe all the rumours are true." Look, it wasn't totally wrong.

Lisa whacked me companionably, her hazel eyes fixed on Hollard. The fact he stood with Wade hadn't passed me by, I'd just chosen to ignore it in favour of not letting the shit-head in my head more often than necessary in any given hour.

"Okay. So, do you think I go up to him now? Or wait until after school?"

I shook my head as I swallowed. "There's this brilliant invention. Called Messenger. I vote you use that."