Day two of my three day expedition to poison my best friend with cheerleader love juice, and I was feeling grumpy. Gabe and I had returned to purgatory, my irritation level too high for being on earth any longer.
“It didn’t go so bad,” Gabe offered.
“It did so,” I snorted. “I gave him his second injection of love juice. And suddenly, Evan and Lauren were making out instead of studying. Did you see him dodging his friend’s phone calls? And he lied to his mother. And I still don’t trust her, Gabe. That girl is trouble.”
“Macy, people fall in love and they get caught up in, temporarily. It’s normal.”
“Whatever,” I said. “I’m just worried that when our love juice wears off, she’ll shatter his heart.”
“Are you sure that’s your worry,” Gabe asked. “Be honest with me Macy. How much of your concern is really jealousy?”
“Why would I be jealous of Lauren and Evan, that is disgusting…”
“Because one upon a time, arrow or no arrow, he adored you,” Gabe said. “He represents what you’ll never have, what I can never give you. Macy, I’ve seen the way you look at him. It’s like your staring directly into the eyes of the life you should have had.”
“So, I’m dead. I got over it.”
“Have you Macy? Because watching Evan move on is the last straw, the final admittance. Watching Evan fall in love has forced you to grieve your death Macy, and it’s a lot to handle.”
“No, I am not gaga for Evan. I love you, Gabe. It’s just I care about him, and I know what’s good for him. Do you the fates give a damn if his girlfriend has a reading level above third grade or likes his favorite bands?”
“This isn’t a Taylor Swift song Macy, its destiny.”
“How the hell do you know so much about Taylor Swift? And there has to be a way to change it. You change my destiny once.”
“And now you’re stuck in purgatory,” Gabe said.
“Whatever.” I said. “I just want to forget for a little while. I need to go for a walk.”
“Macy, don’t be mad at me, I am just trying to protect you.”
“I know, Gabe. But has it been so long since you’ve been alive that you can’t even sympathize with me.”
“It’s been a while, but I still relate.”
“Then why are you so ardently supportive of this crapshoot called destiny? You never hesitate to listen, you are always just following orders.”
“I was trained by Hera, who is a different kind of Goddess than yours. Eros can barely control his tongue, and his deified status is a fluke. But the others aren’t so bad.”
“Eros is right,” I said. “God, this love business sucks. We do what we’re told, when we’re told, and these poor schmucks don’t know what hits them. Free will is an illusion, and love is just…:
“What is love, Macy? I’d love to hear you tell me this revelation you’ve had about love while pouting about your ex-boyfriend’s new life. You know what else I’d just love to know, at what point am I supposed to be pissed off at how glaringly jealous you are of Evan loving someone else?”
I was angry enough that my blood could have boiled, so I am not proud of what I said next. It just came out, and then, I couldn’t put the words back in.
YOU ARE READING
Bows and Eros
Teen FictionWhen sixteen year old Macy wakes up in purgatory, she knows something isn't right. She was supposed to survive the surgery and live a long happy life. But when she meets an odd man named Zed, who is a reaper for the underworld, she learns she died e...
