How to Steal a Happy Ending

•thirty four• Murphy's law.

"Everything that can go wrong, will."
- Murphy's Law.

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By the time I got there I was sweating. Not profusely but like, enough to have armpit sweat stains on my shirt. So in the greater interest of keeping these a secret, I had to opt out of reaching up and smoothing my hair down. This was all fine though because I'd found what I was looking for- Sara's  ticket out of my life.

"Hey Tim!" A bright smile, a bounce in my step and a half-wave (because sweat stains) accompanied my greeting.

He reciprocated in the opposite, a weary smile and a lackluster "oh hello Claire."

"Soo the dance is on Friday. You two going?" I asked, planting myself in his way to keep him from escaping the question.

Tim lifted an eyebrow from behind his thick rimmed glasses. "You two? I don't remember telling you I had a date."

Unamused, I raised an eyebrow back.  He was playing dumb but I wasn't going to fall for it. I mean, I know the guy was actually smart smart, not just nerd smart- he knew who I was referring to without being told.

We stood at an impasse for a while, my hands on my hips and his twisting around the straps of his satchel.

Finally, he sighed. "Look, it's not going to happen. She's going with James Montgomery."

"No she's not!" I exclaimed before common sense had time to tell me to act chill and unaffected. I cleared my throat, and reached for a snort of disbelief.

Not that it'd help, I'm sure the entire floor heard your little outburst.

"I mean, dude, come on. Sara and James? Please, that's  ridiculous. I'd know, don't you think, if that was true. Just ask her, I guarantee she'll say yes. She even told me so like two minutes ago, that's why I came looking for you."

I gave him a playful thwack on the chest (which needless to say wasn't well received) and nudged the boy towards the stairway, "You can't succeed if you don't try, right?"

He stepped out of my reach like the slippery, cowardly little dick he was. "Claire I already asked her."

"Tim no. That was before. Trust me, things are soo different now."

For someone so smart, Tim sure was missing out on the sense of urgency here. Our window of opportunity was small and closing fast.

But instead of taking a hint and sprinting to Sara's side, he stood where he was- a finger pushing up at his glasses.

"What's the big deal anyway? You haven't talked to me since kindergarten but now you're suddenly the proprietor of my love life?" The big deal is that some geeky loser is stealing away the love of my life and it's all because some other geeky loser is too chicken to ask her out.

"I just think you guys would be prefect together. If you gave it a chance, you could be really happy and I-"

"Oh alright. I see how it is. You're playing good Samaritan, huh? Trying to brighten up our dull, pathetic lives because we're such losers and can't possibly be happy without the help of someone as cool and popular as you. Is that it?"

I literally felt my forehead vein pulsate at his tirade. Why he was even angry was beyond me, those intentions were way purer than my true ones.

"Um, why don't you just take a minute. And, you know, chill out. I'll wait, we can go down to Sara's locker together okay?" I ventured a small pat on his shoulder.