Intertwined

Chapter 1

"Tell me again why you're urging me to blind a stranger."

"For the last time; you're not going to blind anyone, Charlie!" Zoey, my best friend, exclaims dramatically, the way that only Zoey can. "All you have to do is blow a little cinnamon around the room," she explains for the fourth time, gesturing frantically around the cafeteria like a lunatic, which she very well could be.

"Which could ultimately end up blinding someone," I point out. "Besides, what makes you think it's going to work anyway?"

"I told you; the website said that blowing cinnamon into a public place will lead you to your true love," she sighs and wiggles the small zip lock bag in front of my eyes again.

"But it also said that throwing an apple from the second floor will get you pregnant," I remind her. I've never understood her incessant attempt to match me up with someone; my theory is that it makes her forget about her own, failed love life. And despite however annoying her constant nagging about my love life might seem it does provide a nice distraction from the college funk that all of us seniors have fallen in to over the last couple of weeks.

"Just do it!" she groans frustrated and throws the zip lock bag at me. I feel it collide with my forehead, before I watch it fall onto the food tray in front of me.

"Fine," I groan and reach for the bag. "But you so owe me for this!" I shoot her a pointed look and she makes a cross with her fingers over her heart, silently swearing that she will find a way to make it up to me.

I fumble a bit with the bag, before I'm able to get it open and release the dusty powder from its prison. I dump the content into the palm of my hand and a spicy dust cloud rises up into the air. I gag. I hate the smell of cinnamon.

"What are you waiting for? Christmas?" Zoey stares at me from across the table, with her arms crossed over her chest and a strict look in her eyes. "Just throw the damn cinnamon and get it over with." I resist rolling my eyes at her eagerness, at the risk of getting another pointed look thrown my way, before I turn back to the task at hand.

I clench my hand around the spice, close my eyes and pray to the whatever high powers might be out there that I wont make a complete fool of myself. With my eyes still squeezed tightly shut I take a deep breath and bring my hand up to my mouth. In one swift movement I unfold my hand and exhale, sending the sweet spice flying through the air and in whichever direction my breath takes it. I keep my eyes closed, wishing for the best, when the sound of a chair being knocked over cuts through the cafeteria and Zoey gasps in horror, and instantly I'm forced to look.

The muffled conversations in the cafeteria comes to an instant stop as everyone stares at my chemistry teacher, who is sitting on the floor and fumbling for anything she can grab a hold of to pull herself back onto her feet.

I sit, frozen in my seat, as I stare at her pathetic attempts to pull herself up from the ground. Given the situation I should have helped her, but in the moment all that registers in my head is my life slowly passing by in flashes. Oh lord, I'm so dead.

By the time Mrs. Wilmer finally succeeds in pulling herself up from the ground the whole cafeteria is chatting loudly again, and I get the feeling that within long the word about my little fiasco will spread.

I try to hide behind my tousled hair, but it takes Mrs. Wilmer less than a second to see right through me; I might as well have been transparent or wearing a big, bright, neon sign flashing 'I did it!' across my forehead.

And so, with the whole school as my witnesses, Mrs. Wilmer hauls me away from Zoey and our table and towards the principal's office, where she forces me to take a seat on a bench in the reception. Then she pushes the door to Principal O'Connor's office open and storms in, making sure to slam the door after her, no doubt to prove a point.