k-12: the shadows

❥

crybaby

"it's finally warm enough for tennis again," crybaby sang, skipping down the corridor.

"i don't know why you're so excited, considering what happened last time we played tennis," celeste teased, referring to a few months back, when the ball had floated off (by itself according to crybaby) and nearly knocked out some poor innocent boy who was just trying to read his book.

"hey, we don't talk about that," crybaby pouted.

"wait a second, let's remember the fact that he wasn't the only kid crybaby tried to murder," alexis chipped in. "she nearly got me with a ball once. it wasn't even a tennis ball either, it was a proper baseball ball."

"fuck you," crybaby whined. "come on, let's play tennis already."

the group of six girls made their way down the corridor and outside, across the school's perfectly manicured gardens to the pastel pink tennis courts.

as they made their way through the maze of dome shaped hedges, crybaby took in what everyone they passed were doing, and couldn't help but miss the days of recess. now their class was older, they no longer had recess but free time, which is what they were in the middle of now; kids sat around under the orange trees smoking pot and exploring each other's bodies, making it hard to know where to look whenever they passed anyone.

crybaby plopped down on the coloured concrete of the tennis courts, humming softly.

"hey, catch," she heard magnolia yell a split second before a tennis racket hit her with a dull thunk on the head.

"that hurt," she called, rubbing the place where it had hit her.

"sorry," magnolia giggled, not looking apologetic at all.

the girls readied themselves with tennis rackets and began to play, while chatting idly.

"did you guys know that there's two holes, down there?" angelita asked after a moment.

"you didn't know you have a butthole?" celeste asked bluntly, which made everyone burst out laughing.

"uh- guys... the ball is floating away," alexis pointed out. it was true; the tennis ball had begun to float away, trapped within a pale pink bubble.

crybaby burst out laughing, and jumped
to her feet in order to chase it. "shit."

crybaby loved being with her friends.

they were the only people who made her happy,

and made her feel like she belonged.