When You're Back at School

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Lorraine couldn't give up hope.

She searched the corridors for James on the first day back at school. She waited for his call. But all in vain. James Parker had either disappeared or was thoroughly avoiding her. She knew it was probably the latter.

Lorraine had dragged herself back home and into bed on the night he had broken her heart. She was ashamed of how low she'd stoop for love. Her mind kept calling her stupid but her heart didn't agree. She'd woken up the next day missing James' arms around her.

The worst had hit her that morning. It was the first day of school and James would be roaming the halls with Betty, like Lorraine had never existed. She felt sick at the thought that while she slept fitfully through her dreams and thoughts about James, he'd done the same for another girl.

So, when Lorraine spotted Betty in the corridor, she wanted to scream down the ceiling. Adam was trailing her like a bodyguard. His nose was plastered. Lorraine was about to storm away when she saw Adam hurry Betty into her new homeroom and come out again.

James was trying to approach Betty but Adam stood in his way.

"She still doesn't want to see you," Adam said. His voice sounded exhausted.

"Not this again -" James started.

"James!" Lorraine called out to him. She tried to smile despite her hurt. James looked at her, his black hair was a mess and his eyes looked like they hadn't seen sleep in days. But then he just turned and walked away.

Lorraine tried to follow him but the bell rang and she had to get to class.

*****

After class, Lorraine hunted down Adam. She cornered him near the girl's lavatory.

"Lorraine," Adam said. His voice was emotionless but he looked at her with such contempt that she felt herself curl inwards.

"Are Betty and James - " she couldn't say any further.

"No!" Adam said with disbelief. "And not that it's any of my business, but I hope you're not with him either. He doesn't deserve it."

Lorraine wanted to argue. Her heart wanted her to defend James even now. If Betty had gotten over him after a year, why couldn't she after a summer? Hadn't he said the most hurtful, bone-crushing things to her?

"Is Betty mad at me?" Lorraine asked. She hadn't thought of it in that way before.

Adam's eyes widened. "I don't know. She hasn't spoken about it."

"James hurt you, didn't he?" Lorraine pointed at Adam's nose. She hadn't known James to have a temper which could lead to a fist-fight. Then again, she hadn't known him at all.

"Yeah. I should go - "

"You're a good guy, Adam."

Lorraine couldn't see an ounce of pride in his eyes, just shock. But it was true, and everyone knew that.

"Uh, thanks," he shrugged.

Lorraine walked into the lavatory before the tears spilt over.

Unfortunately there was one more girl there. Her hair was tied up in a makeshift bun and she had been touching up her lipstick. In her gray hoodie and blue jeans, she looked harmless, but Lorraine knew better.

"I'm sorry that happened," Inez greeted her. "But Betty deserved to know."

Lorraine checked the stalls and turned on a tap so that no one else could hear.

"Do you know who told Betty?" Lorraine asked. She wanted to know who had ended her passion so suddenly.

"I did," Inez answered confidently.

"YOU! But you were the one who told me to date James!"

"I said you'd be good. I never forced you; that was a decision you took all by yourself." Inez shook her head. "I didn't ask James to cheat on Betty either."

"Shit," Lorraine said as realization struck her. "What have I done?" She'd tried to keep the guilt at bay, drowning it out with her own sense of betrayal. However, James had played both of them. Betty didn't deserve the anger directed at her. But James was trying to win only one of them back.

The flurry of emotions was too much for her to contain as she sunk to the floor. Inez tried her best to comfort her, but the other girl couldn't even begin to guess what was going through Lorraine's mind. The blizzard of blame was making her head feel like it was going to explode. But that would make the job of the janitor way harder. Would he sue her family if he had to clean her brains from where they splattered on the mirror.

Lorraine laughed hysterically at the thought. That was it. She couldn't think straight. Nothing was making sense anymore.

"Girl, I'm sneaking you out of school," Inez said seriously. "You can't run laps in this condition."

Lorraine nodded, but she didn't even feel Inez's arms around her as she helped her up.

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