The Optimist

thirteen

I feel like I owe you all another chapter. Enjoy! By the way, our favorite cereal head on the side!

Jacob

. . .

That smile.

Her smile. I know she thinks I'm obssessed with it and that I'm a douchey forgetful student that she sees worthless to attend prom with, but I see something in her. My worn Nikes sit on the floor and I ease my feet in and out of them while Chresanto lay on my bed, scrolling through his phone.

"Her brother is hot." He says, suddenly. "Nadia's."

I lean over and pat him on the shoulder. "I'm glad you coming out didn't cause a big stir and all. It's the most inspiring stories. You liking him and me liking Nadia. Sibling love. How rare is that?" I ask. Nadia would probably say I'm rambling, but a true optimist knows it's just expressing our feelings.

Through our mouths.

With sound.

And words.

"Thank you," Chres appreciated "Nadia's not bad, she just reads to much. Her glasses and all too much." He says. His accent is thick with Western descent.

"What do you mean?" I ask. What the- too much?

"'Cause you know, like, when ya'll finally in bed and to that point where she-"

"Okay, stop!" I interuppt him laughing. I know exaclty where hes going with this.

Chres's sensual mindset it hilarious, because he can never say something that won't fall into a sexual category. "I like to hear things but not that." I admit. He can take things really far when it comes to sexual talk and that's disturbing.

'I'm serious!" He laughs, raising his hands in defeat. "It gets in the way." He rolls of my bed and adjusts the belt around his waist. He wiggles his toes and lays on his back on the red circle carpet in the middle of my room.

"I do, however, know about that little beef ya'll parents got. Some jealous shit in high school still going on. What happened anyway." Poor improper dialogue.

"Jealousy. Nadia's mom has it against my mom." I explain, remebering my mom's sinister tone at the mention of her name. "Luckily, I'm nothing like her. But in a good way." I add. Chres stares at the ceiling and sighs.

"I love Nathan too much and I'm not going to ever stop." Chres palces his hands behind his head and kicks his feet up. Crazy boy.

"It's about time you start telling people about reality. Stop sugarcoating things. Telling people they won't fail when they probably will, especially when it's their own fault." He mumbles. "And when it comes to Nathan and Nadia's parents, that's exactly what's about to happen." He goes from subject to subject.

"So you want me to be mean to their parents and force them to dissovle the grudge to a shred?' I ask. Chres, like me, has a weird way with words, but his throws reality at you. Failing class? "Whoops", he'll say. "It's okay," I'll say. Maybe I do sugarcoat things.

People don't come to Chres for advice like they do me, and he has a playful jealousy towards that. He thinks I sugarcoat things and tell them it's alright when it's not while I think he likes to rub the bad situations in their face and makes them suffer.

One of us is right.

"Something like that." He replies cooly. The TV's small sound fills the room as I ponder a little. What if he's right? I come to a conclusion.

"Violence is not the answer." I tell him. "Force, either."

He shrugs and sits up, running a hand through his short brown locks. "How else will they give up that stupid grudge?" He asks. I laugh at him. Does he hear himself right now?

"Well maybe by making peace-" I start, but he interrupts.

"No peace, no violence."

"Then how will we do it? You know, make them like us. I really want them to." I admit, honestly. Nadia is changing me in ways she can't see, but it's not good. She probably thinks I'm forcing her to smile, when honestly all I want is to see are those perfectly white teeth for a good reason.

See, my dad's a dentist, and he records everyone's teeth model for something at his dentistry. It's creepy yet cool at the same time becuase he can make a mold of their jawline by one look at a picture. Now, he needs Nadia's, so I got a picture, probably creeping her out. Nathan was an easy target, but Nadia not so much.

I wasn't technically lying to her when I told her why I wanted to see her smile, but the camera part wasn't optional. Dad forced me to take the picture, and I didn't even want it myself. Just her own smile.

At school, they think I want pictures for keepsakes and yearbook memories, but it's really becuase I want to save my life from their demanding ways. So, I have to be nice to them and give them advice and all that good stuff to get on their good side so I can.

Dad's orders. Mom doesn't care.

"We can do whatever they want." Chresanto wriggles his brows with a sly smirk. Oh, Chresanto.

"Optional." I reply, though I'm doing nothing they want me to do. Her parents are nice people and all, but Mom's stories make them seem so vile. Especially her own prom story.

She told me word for word:

"She looked so pretty. We went together, so we matched. Her dress was nothing but long red sparkling fabric that hugged her waists and mine went to my knees with lace sleeves and across the cheese. After admiring our dresses, we took off to prom to go flirt with your Dad and Nadine's."

"Nadia." I corrected. She continued.

"When we were there, she was gone quicker than you could say hey. Just left me, dry and high in the midde of the dance. Of course, I was disappointed and lonely, but I still expected her to come back. She didn't. I found a parter to dance with, and it was because I fell on him looking for her." She paused, googly eying me with her hand on her heart.

"Oh, your dad! So sweet! But when Cara did finally come back, it was to meet up with me to take her home. No to mention, through the whole car ride all she did was ramble about her and Tom Crestfield and how they kissed and danced and ugh! It was horrible. I said nothing, just listened." She pauses to cackle. "That's why you're such a good listener because your ol' mother was." She jokes.

"I'll never forget how she left me." Her tone was vengeful and full of spite at the point. "She said that we planned pre-prom to split and that I probably forgot, but Jacob, booy, I know she never made that plan."

I just nod the whole time, letting her ramble.

"Jacob!"

I jump out of my state of memory and turn to Chres, who's practically screaming in my face. He releses the gip on my hand which he unknowingly grabbed.

"What?" I ask, confused as he points to the window. In a hushed tone he whispers "Nate's outside, bro, look!"

I dash to thw window, my fingers colliding with the window pane harshly. And there, standing below us, is Nathan.