Skittles, Chairs, and Foreign Strippers

When Matt met Angela, he swore he saw sparks fly behind her head. Or maybe it was just the fireworks show happening at the festival he met her at, but still, it was a sign. With her blue hair fading to a greenish yellow and her eyes a massive size and a brown color that reminded him of milk chocolate, his favorite kind of chocolate, he couldn't help but swoon. She was thin and wiry with a small frame in every aspect, which he didn't care for. And her smile was less than perfect. She wore braces with yellow bands that did not compliment her teeth at all. But it still did not matter to him. He saw the potential. And he knew he could get her.  

But he didn't, and he didn't understand why. He was devilishly handsome, or so his mother told him. His hair was well kept and a lovely dirt color. His eyes were hazel, he would argue, even though they were brown too. His jaw was well defined, and his cheek bones were prominent and probably the most exemplary feature on his face.  

"So why can't I get this girl whose hair reminds me of a Skittle? If anything, I'd be doing her a favor," he thought, as he was watching her put her things into a locker. 

So, he put on a big charming smile that was clearly over-compensating and his big boy pants, the ones without holes unlike every other pair he owned, and he walked right up to her. 

"Hi there. I like your hair," he said with a fake grin. And there it was. The sentence that started it all. And by all, we mean nothing. Because she stared at him with a fiery intensity that could possibly burn holes into these pants as well. 

"Really? I heard you call me a Skittle," she said. And he didn't realize that when he thought he was thinking, he was actually verbalizing his thoughts. 

"Ah. Nice," he said, with the impish grin still plastered on his face. 

"Can you go now? Thanks," she replied, and looked back into her locker. And Matt was sad now, because this candy-looking girl that he was pretty sure he was in love with said no to him. 

"But I love you," he whispered, and his bottom lip curled up into a pout. And Angela's eyes became wider than what anyone thought was possible. 

"Get lost, you freak," she said, slamming her locker shut hard. But Matt didn't move. A girl came up to Angela and patted her on the shoulder. Her lips had formed a perky smile, and her light brown hair was in a lovely pixie cut. Her eyes were a pretty blue color that were inviting enough to swim in. Her name was Elizabeth, and the moment she laid her eyes on Matt, she knew she was in love, too. 

"Who's your friend?" Elizabeth asked, with a mischievous smirk engulfing her face. But Angela only grabbed her dear friend's hand, aiming to save her from this 'freak' and pulled her away. 

"Wait!" Matt called out. Elizabeth stopped, but Angela didn't. She wanted to keep going and get away from him. 

"I'm Matt," Matt said with a shy smile. Elizabeth smiled back, even though she was already smiling. 

"I'm Elizabeth," Elizabeth replied. Matt was actually aiming to get Angela's name, but she was too disgusted at his undying love for her. Please, he only loved her, it wasn't undying yet, and she should really get over herself. But Matt smiled at Elizabeth, waved, and left. They saw each other now and then for a week in the halls, and once the week was up, Elizabeth thought it was the time to ask him out. So she did, and poor Matt, when he found out Angela was Elizabeth's best friend and how much she hated him, could not say no to her. Matt, himself, had two best friends, Michael and Brad. Michael hated being called Mike and only allowed one person to do so. It was his darling girlfriend Sylvia, a girl born in Poland who came to the US in 2003. She still had her accent but spoke both Polish and English perfectly. And she called Michael Mike and got away with it just because she sounded so cute when she talked. Michael and Matt met freshman year in detention because Matt was using his phone in class multiple times and Michael had earned a pretty permanent spot in detention when he stuck tacks on teachers' chairs and placed a few strips of sand paper to the toilet paper in the teachers' bathroom. 

Brad, on the other hand, was different. Matt and Brad met in third grade and quickly bonded over their love for the same TV shows, music, and superheroes. Brad once stuck a crayon up his nose to distract the teacher so Matt could sneak into class without appearing late. And this was sophomore year. They were that close. Matt thought Brad could never betray him. 

That was, until Matt introduced Brad to Elizabeth, who introduced him to Angela. And Brad was stricken with instant love for her as well. 

"Hi there," he had said. "I like your hair." And with no previous comment about her resemblance to a Skittle, Angela was at ease. They started dating within three days. And so, Matt was stuck with a pretty brunette who was nice and all, but had to watch his best friend of all time date the Skittle girl he was so in love with. Both of their relationships lasted until after high school. Michael on the other hand broke it off with Sylvia and fell madly in love with a Spanish girl named Isabelle. 

They were all pretty happy with their standing. Except Matt, of course. He wished he didn't think Angela looked like a Skittle, but he did. And he loved her for it.