3:30pm

37: amendments

"I don't wanna," she murmured, lowering her eyes to her laps.

"No, no." I crossed over to her at once, crouched down to her face level and, with the tips of my first and middle  finger, raised her face up so her eyes met mine.

"You are not gonna sit around here, looking all grouchy and sad while Marnie throws a party in her house thinking she's successfully snatched someone else's boyfriend."

"Thinking?" She raised her eyebrows. "Knowing, you mean."

"Nope. What you saw, Kayla, was Gregory and Marnie kissing. What you don't know is the reason behind it, and I believe you should know that first, and certify how Gregory feels about you before you draw conclusions."

"Even if I know the reason, Cleo, that doesn't give it a hundred percent guarantee that I can just . . . let it go.  Forgive him."

I sighed. "If I find Marnie, she'll definitely get hers. She's a trifling ass bitch, you know? That's all the more reason you should hear Gregory's side of the story."

Mikayla was silent for a moment. Then she spoke up, "You're right. I guess. I mean, I know how Marnie is. Plus, she's not even his type. For one, she don't got ass like I do."

I laughed. "See? Why sit around sulking and being a cry baby when you could be out having the fun of your life? So, come on, get dressed 'cause we're going out."

I straightened up, took her hand and pulled her up from her seat.

"Where are we going though?" She whined. 

"Where else?" I grinned, dropping her hand.

"Oh, no." She held her forehead. "Don't tell me it's the Seven Drops of Springfield."

"You know it!" I gave her a heartfelt smile.

"And you're gonna make me ride the coasters?"

"Uh-huh."

"And make me watch the car race even when you know it makes me dizzy?"

"Why not? That's the definition of fun." I grinned.

Her hand still on her forehead, she shook her head. "I am so dead."

°°°°

The next Monday, at school, I went against Mikayla's wishes; I confronted Gregory on the matter. 

"Gregory," I called his name, marching up to him at his locker. 

Looking up from the phone in his hand, he turned in the direction of my voice. The moment his eyes fell on me, a smile formed on his lips, "Oh, hey, Cleo. What's up?"

"Don't "what's up" me," I scowled, on getting to him. I crossed my arms, shifted my weight to my fight foot and stared at him.

"Okay?" His face bore a confused expression. "What did I do?"

"You know just what you did, " I said, with a hard look on my face. 

"No, I don't." He shook his head slowly. 

I sighed. Slapped my forehead. He really didn't know? He really hadn't figured out what I was talking about yet?

"You kissed Marnie?" I raised my eyebrows. "On Saturday? Remember any of that?"

"Oh." His lips formed an O.

"Oh? That's all you have to say? So, you're guilty then."

"How do you even know about that?" He asked, his thick, dark eyebrows pulling together in a knit. Then they relaxed, only to spring up. "Wait a minute, does Mikayla know too?"

"No, she doesn't, really." I shook my head.

"Oh, jeez," he exhaled, a hand to his chest. "Thank goodness."

"Of course she does!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up into the air. "How else would I know?!"

His frown returned in a matter of seconds. "What? How?"

"Apparently, she went over to your house on Saturday and met you both. I mean, jeez, of all people, Marnie? Marnie? I mean, come on, her body count alone should scare you away for fear of catching AIDS."

"You don't know what happened," he said before running a hand through his dark hair.

I raised my shoulders. "What happened then?" 

Quickly, he turned and shut his locker. "That's not important right now. What is, is that Mikayla freaking saw us. Do you know where she is?"

"What happened, Gregory," I said, more slowly than I'd done the first time.

"Goddamn, I messed up," he cursed, once again raking his hand through his hair. "Okay, here's what happened. I was sitting outside, on the front porch, going through my Instagram and sipping soda when Marnie pulled over at the sidewalk, saying she was on her way to see Jennifer and decided to drop by. 

"Of course, I found it weird and hoped she'd leave quickly, although I didn't know how to say it to her. Minutes later, she said she was leaving and out of nowhere kissed me. I'd been taken by surprise, okay? And I admit, I'd been slow to pull back, but it wasn't my fault. Everything happened so fast and . . . I had no idea Kayla had been there. And of all the moments, at that one."

At the end of his narration, I sighed and uncrossed my arms. I adjusted my backpack on my shoulders before looking back at him. 

"She's in the homeroom," I said. "You'll find her there."

"Thanks," he muttered, snatched his backpack up from the floor and made to leave when I stopped him.

"Oh, and one more thing," I said, fixing my gaze on him.

"Yeah?" He looked eager to leave.

"Don't ever make my best friend cry again. That shit scared me to death."

"She . . . cried?" His expression was one of bewilderment. 

"Of course, she did. She loves your ass, so, of course, she did."

"Fuck me, I am so screwed." He muttered, more to himself than to me, before leaving in a hurry.

"That you are," I said to the empty spot he'd once stood. 

Inasmuch as I shouldn't have gone against Mikayla's wish and talked to Gregory, I was glad I did. Or else, I wouldn't have known his side of the story. And she might not get to know too. And he wouldn't know that she'd seen him. And eventually, they'd drift apart from one another, becoming estranged lovers.

So, I was happy I did.