A Rose as Black as your Heart

(12) Old Maria

“Well done, team,” I whispered, after she’d stalked off. “We destroyed the voodoo Bolivar.”

“Yeah- and got a detention,” a guy said moodily. I pointed a finger at him threateningly.

“Hey- we didn’t make you join in! If you wanted to have a part in destroying her, you had to face the consequences.”

“I thought it was fun,” Nancy offered, and then turned her usual shade of red as all of us glanced at her in surprise.

After a pause, I stuck out my hand. “Nancy, I’ve decided you’re officially apart of the dark side. If I had a badge, I’d give one to you.”

Nancy giggled and accepted my hand shake, while Travis frowned. “Hey, aren’t I part of the dark side?”

“You’re ginger- you’ve always been part of the dark side.” I ruffled his hair, and the gathering around our table- and around the shredded remains of Miss Bolivar- laughed appreciatively.

Miss Bolivar stalked back over, beady eyes glinting with anger. “Class has ended, so I expect to see you all heading to your next classes. If any of you aren’t here for after-school detention...” She left the threat hanging ominously, and turned to the front of the class again. One of Travis’s friends made a snickering noise that set me off. Travis had to drag me out the classroom since I couldn’t stop laughing.

“And how exactly did stabbing a voodoo doll of Miss Bolivar make everything ‘just peachy’?” he mumbled, mainly to himself.

“Well, if it had worked properly,” I said, still caught between giggles, “all the stuff we’d done to the voodoo doll would’ve happened to Miss Bolivar too. Then we’d have no more biology.”

“But it didn’t work. Big surprise.”

I stuck my tongue out at him. “Shun the non-believer!”

After school, there were twelve of us in Miss Bolivar’s classroom, copying down notes from the experiment that we had been too busy stabbing the voodoo doll to carry out. Then Nancy, Travis, and a fat boy nicknamed Chunk helped me clean all the tables. Seeing as only four people were needed for that, everyone else scarpered. Traitors.

At ten to five, Miss Bolivar released us from our torture- sorry, detention, and I checked my phone for messages from Matt. Whether he was still ignoring me for missing out on dinner, or if he just hadn’t noticed I wasn’t home, I didn’t know, but he hadn’t texted or called me.

“What a caring big brother I have,” I muttered darkly, shoving my phone in my pocket.

“Maybe he guessed you were in detention, and didn’t want to call you back in case you got in trouble?” Travis offered.

“Yeah, well, for all he knew, I could’ve been kidnapped by a rapist.”

Nancy hurried passed the two of us. “Bye, guys! See you tomorrow! It was fun stabbing Bolivar today.”

I grinned at her. “It was fun with you on the dark side.”

Nancy looked happy. Travis gave her a salute. “Until the dark army is needed again.”

Nancy blushed beetroot red, but grinned as she scampered off. I snorted and whacked Travis in the arm lightly. “Dork.”

“Just being friendly.”

“So I noticed.” I watched Nancy hurry out the side gates as Travis and I went out the front entrance. “She fancies you.”

Travis blinked at me. “Huh?”

I rolled my eyes. “Nancy. Fancies. You. You honestly didn’t notice?”

“No.” Travis looked startled. “She always goes red. It’s nothing to do with me.”