Lips Like Coffee

cup: 32

Norma

I had no right to be jealous. Yet every time I saw them together, I wanted to snatch him away from her. Seeing her smile so brightly, because he helped fix her hair or did something small for her, made my blood boil. That effortlessly romantic idiot is supposed to be mine. I'm the one who should be happy beyond reason to be with him.

Despite this city having a population of 50,000, it still wasn't big enough for the three of us. There have been more than a few occasions we've run into each other in public, and each time was more awkward than the last. We spoke to each other, idle and meaningless chatter until we both became silent and just stared. Catherine of course would break the silence, tugging on his arm or addressing me directly. The fact that she was so nice made it worse.

She always smiled at me, and it kind of pissed me off because I like her. I didn't mind that Pen was with her. Catherine was a good fit for him. Tall, athletic, and gorgeous from head to toe, her bubbly personality was just the icing on the cake.

"Oi, Jeanie," a voice broke through my thoughts.

I blinked as I looked up at James. He furrowed his eyebrows at me as he bent over with his hands on his knees. Placing the back of his hand on my forehead, he asked me if I was feeling okay. Moving away from his touch, I stood to my feet and dusted myself off.

"I'm fine."

"You looked like a dumb deer in headlights, just sitting there staring."

I turned around, throwing a punch toward his face but he caught it.

"Gotta be quicker than that."

"I hate you."

Stalking off, I went to change my clothes. I didn't feel like working out anymore. As I unwrapped the white gauze tap from my hand, I kept my eyes trained on the floor. If I looked up and saw them being cute together, I might have puked. Whatever. Stupid Narcissus.

As I entered the locker room, soft singing could be heard as I neared the bathrooms. When I rounded the corner, Catherine stood in front of the sink as she combed her hair and sang. Great so she was gorgeous and great at singing. With a small huff, I put my head down and tried to pass her as fast as possible. It didn't work.

"Oh, Norma-Jean," she exclaimed, popping up from her leaning position.

I stopped mid-stride, pivoted on my right heel and plastered a smile on my face. "Catherine!"

She set her hairbrush on the sink, then came to me with open arms. I narrowed my eyes as she approached, then ducked as she tried to ensnare me in her grasp. Catherine was facing the wall and I watched as her hands opened and closed again. When she turned back around, a wide smile was on her face as her head tilted to the left.

I'm not sure why, but I felt threatened by her demeanor. Her energy had changed drastically despite her still smiling at me. A dark cloud was surrounding her.

"Are you okay, Catherine?"

"I'm fine! Fine! Just peachy."

She moved around me and began collecting her things from the sink. I could see her muttering to herself through the mirror and I stepped closer to her. With caution, I placed my hand on her upper arm. Catherine froze in place as she looked up through the mirror.