Peanut Butter Kisses

Chapter 10 - The Intruder

༻ Kristina ༺

Not here, not here, not here! It's not here?! Where the heck did it go?!

It's been over an hour now and I'm still looking for my blue hanky. I already checked everywhere – the classrooms, the hallways, the bathrooms, the field and the gym. Where could I have left it?!

I remembered throwing it at Daniel's face earlier but I already checked the field – it wasn't there.

I released a frustrated sigh before continuing my search. A part of me knew it was already hopeless, but I'd still look for it anyway.

Wait... maybe the janitor picked it up, mistook it for trash and threw it away?!

I sprinted towards the back of the school, where all the trash sat waiting to be picked up by the garbage truck. Just meters away I could already smell the foul stench of the area, but that didn't stop me at all.

I was about to dive into the trash bins when Ronnie, one our school janitors held my shoulder.

"Whoa there!" he said, smiling confused. "What's the student council president doing here?"

"Ronnie!" I couldn't help but whimper. "I haven't seen you in a while."

He chuckled shortly before replying. "Well, you know. I'm busy dealing with mission impossible: making the whole school spotless. But never mind that, what are you doing here?"

I smiled at him. I've known Ronnie since I was a freshman, and he's one of the nicest people here. He's in his mid-forties I think, but he looks a tad older because of work. Nonetheless, he never complains and he always smiles. That's why I easily get mad at the students carelessly throwing their junk anywhere without considering who has to clean up right after.

"I lost something important, and I thought maybe you or the other janitors picked it up and threw it away. Ah! Did you happen to see it by any chance?" I think I talked a little too fast and sounded too excited.

"Slow down Tina! What'd you lose? I'm sure if it's something important, I wouldn't throw it away like that."

Good point.

"A blue handkerchief. The color's a bit faded and old and it's a bit small in size. Like a kid's handkerchief."

He looked up to think. "Where'd you last use it?"

"The field, while we were playing a game. I threw it at a zombie and I forgot to retrieve it. But I already looked, it wasn't there anymore."

Somehow, in the middle of my explanation, a foolish grin spread on his face, the wrinkles on the corners of his mouth appearing. I raised a brow at him but he just chuckled.

"You threw it at a zombie, huh?"

I didn't like the way he said that. I'm sensing this conversation was going somewhere displeasing. "Is this zombie named Daniel, your rumored fiancé?"

My jaw dropped. "How'd you know that?"

He laughed one more time. Boy does he look like he's in a good mood. "You can't keep secrets in this school. Whatever the students know, the staff knows. Well, except for the teachers. Because they're kill-joys."

I snorted, agreeing with what he just said.

"Anyway, I need to find that thing before I go home and – "