"I made a promise to you, and I tend to keep it. You're my friend, Jim, and friends protect each other."
Liz slammed her locker door closed with a tired sigh, leaning her back against it as she watched Jim and Toby talking on the other side of the courtyard by the lockers, her sight of them occasionally blocked by the passing bodies of students. So far, there have been no sightings of the stalkling, but it did not lessen the fear and anxiety that Jim radiated with each passing glance at the sky.
Although Liz is constantly vigilant of Jim for his protection, she is equally distracted by him as the memories of her childhood replayed in her mind with a vengeance that she was not prepared for. She could remember the old promises they made together as children when everything was simple to them. But fate had a laugh and decided to make things difficult by separating them, thus breaking their promises to one another. Yet, despite all that, fate brought them together again in unexpected ways.
"It seems fate has tied the boy's destiny with yours in more ways than I can imagine."
Maybe in more ways than she can handle. Liz thought to herself, closing her eyes briefly as she massaged her hand along her tensed neck and shoulder.
"You got it bad," A familiar voice commented, prompting Liz to open her eyes to see Claire's mirthful ones watching her with lips pulled in a teasing grin. Confused by her statement, Liz raised a brow. "What do you mean?"
"You've been staring at Jim for so long, you didn't even notice me calling your name or me walking up to you," Claire said as she nudged Liz, wiggling her brows with a knowing smirk. "Honestly, Liz, it was like you were a statue, which by the way, is a skill they need for art class next semester. I hear they're looking for a sitter. You should sign up."
"I was not staring at Jim," Liz scoffed, unaware of her flushed expression that goes unnoticed by Claire. "I was just thinking about rehearsal, that's all. And I am not signing up to sit still and be scrutinized by twenty pairs of eyes for an hour and a half."
"You're right about the latter," Claire said before bursting into giggles, smacking Liz in the back. "But you're a terrible liar, Liz, especially in regards to Jim. If the force were with me, I would have mind tricked you both into admitting your feelings right about now, but it seems I got to do this the hard way."
"Huh?" Before Liz realizes it, Claire is dragging her by the arm toward Jim and Toby.
"There you are!" Claire shouts cheerfully, catching the boys mid-conversation by surprise, though it was Jim who jumped back slightly. "Claire! Liz!"
"Jim! Just the guy Liz was looking for," Claire stated shamelessly, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"Huh?" Jim looked confused while Liz blushed, hiding slightly behind Claire just out of the boy's view. Seeing that his best friend was in the presence of another, Toby saw his opportunity out.
"Well, looks like you've got a chaperone. Adios. I'll let you know when I gotta go to the bathroom." The redhead said, walking away as Jim rolled his eyes.
"Liz got something to share," Claire said without missing a beat, her words capturing Jim's attention while Liz froze, her eyes widening. What?! Something to share? Is she trying to set me up or something?
"Oh? What is it?" Jim looks behind Claire's shoulder at Liz, though she remains partially hidden from view. Noticing Liz's unusual behavior, the boy begins to worry. "Liz? Is something wrong? Can I help with anything?"
Jim steps around Claire to see Liz, but the brunette remains silent and moves out of sight, walking around her friend clockwise as she keeps Claire between herself and the boy. Biting back from laughing at her ship, Claire interrupted. "Actually, there is something you can help with, Jim."
This made Jim and Liz pause their circle around Claire as the boy rubbed the back of his head, not quite understanding what was going on. "Really? I-I mean...how can I help?"
"The thing is..." Claire started and, in the blink of an eye, had her hands on Liz's shoulders from behind and pushed her towards Jim. Caught off guard, Liz lost her balance and stumbled forward, landing in his arms.
"Liz needs a lover, and this is your chance, Jim, so take it and don't mess this up!" Claire shouted. With that said, she ran off, waving her hand. "Okay, bye!"
Confounded, Liz and Jim stared after Claire until she disappeared from sight, not realizing their arms still wrapped around one another.
"There you are, Jim! Liz!" Ms. Janeth popped out of the gymnasium doors. "So glad you're here! I hope the two of you are ready to recreate the tragedy of true love. Though beneficial for the play, I suggest you keep your show of affection to a minimum while on school grounds and outside of rehearsal. Now, places in five!"
As soon as the teacher went back inside, Jim and Liz looked at each other confused, their eyes widening when they realized how close they actually were, their faces merely a few inches apart and their arms intertwined. To any passerby, they looked like they were being intimate.
Instantaneously, the two teenagers backed away from one another, both looking away and blushing shamefully at their earlier predicament.
"What's she talking about?" Jim mumbled, rubbing the back of his now-flushed neck as he stared at the ground. Liz gazed upwards to the sky, hoping her cheeks would look as if they were sunkissed as she tried to understand what Ms. Janeth meant. It didn't take a minute to realize the answer. The girl groaned. "Ms. Janeth must have been talking about the play. It sounds like you're back to playing Romeo again, and Claire must have known about it. She was playing with us."
Jim takes a moment to process this, confused as to how he was back to rehearsing as Romeo when it should have been - "Oh, that's right! Steve must have been injured when he fell off the side of the road."
"He what?!" Liz turned to Jim in shock. "How did that happen? And how do you know this, Jim?"
"Early this morning, Toby got me a rental moped to drive around as a present. When I was driving in the outskirts, Steve popped up with his moped and decided to race me. I tried to get him to leave me alone when I noticed the stalkling chasing me, but he wouldn't. Instead, he went to the opposite lane, where this car was passing through, and Steve drove off the road. Last I saw, he hit a tree root and went flying from his bike down the hillside." Jim explained though he shivered at the memory of almost getting caught by the stalkling. Liz shook her head in disappointment. "Steve's an idiot for driving into the opposite lane. He's lucky if he only got a concussion. Otherwise, he would have gotten hit by a car and ended up dead."
Blue eyes widened at her bluntness, but Liz merely shrugged with a smile. "At least now you get to be Romeo again."
"Liz needs a lover, and this is your chance, Jim, so take it and don't mess this up!" Claire's repeated in Jim's mind, his face growing hot at her words. To think she was trying to set Liz up with him, how stupid of him for thinking it in the first place.
Turning away from Liz, Jim smacked his cheeks with his hands before shaking his head. As if Liz really needed an actual lover...she just needed him to play Romeo.
Her Romeo.
And that was more than enough for him.
For now.
Reader Question: Are you a lover or a fighter?
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- Miss_Nightingale