Chapter 9

The school was filled with green all over on Saint Patricks day. Students either with green clothes, green hair, or green anything really, wandered around the halls in festivity. No one was more festive than the twins Caleb and Liam, as Thomas learned the hard way when he forgot to wear green that day.

They wore ceremonial kilts and had their faces painted green and carried, what looked like some cheap Toy's R us paintball guns. "It's Saint Patty’s day," Liam said.

"Means everyone's Irish," Caleb finished. "So where's your festival garments? Your celebratory green colors mate?"

Thomas sighed, "Look I forgot so can we just proceed with whatever crap you have planned as punishment?"

"Don't worry mate-" Liam started.

"We got you covered," Caleb finished.

The both of them then raised their paintball like guns and pulled the triggers. Out of the barrel shot some greens sticky slime that covered Thomas from the chest down. They started cheering until another victim not wearing green strolled past them, and they got her too.

Security guards showed up not long after that, and the twins exclaimed at the same time, "It's the Scotts!" Then they turned tail and booked it out of the cafeteria. Thomas, having lost his appetite went straight for the gymnasium; he wasn't even going to bother changing clothes until a teacher told him too. Or hopefully, sent him home for the day on a free pass.

The group looked at him queerly, and he explained, "Caleb and Liam got me with their slime guns for not showing enough holiday spirit, or whatever. But it's not just me they seem to be hitting anyone not wearing green today."

Kellen was dressed almost like a leprechaun with green boots, green wool pants and even a green sweater that was striped in dark green and moss green. Normia had painted green clovers on her cheeks and a light green puffy skirt with moss green boots and matching fishnet stockings. Miranda had worn a casual wear of blue jeans, and a leprechaun T-shirt, but with the same four-leaf clover painted on her cheeks.

"You want a change of clothes man? I mean the lost and found should have something you can borrow given your predicament." Kellen asked.

Thomas shook his head, "Honestly I don’t' even care. Maybe I'll get lucky and be sent home early or something."

"Or coach Larsen will throw your ass in the showers with your clothes on."

"I'm willing to take that risk."

"So Thomas," Normia said, jumping into the conversation as she always does. "My mom was complaining about some kid running in front of her car with a skateboard then ditching her through some oncoming traffic. You wouldn't happen to know everything about that would you?"

"That was your mom? Shit that's why she looked familiar... You're not going to turn me in are you?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of a high five. My mom was so embarrassed it was awesome."

That brought a smile to his face. He was still a little upset at Miranda from Friday. She was the only one he didn't talk to or hardly look at. The bell for class came as a relief to him that morning.

He was later told to wipe the green slime off him in the bathroom with the paper towels best he could, but he wasn't sent home. All through the halls that day the twins caused havoc to anyone in passing not wearing green. All the while they were chased by the security guards who they continued to elude.

At lunch, Miranda sat down with him, but they didn't say much. They were quiet until a great commotion occurred in the cafeteria. The guards finally caught up to the twins and tackled them to the ground. They struggled a lot, and while being hauled away to the principal’s office they screamed, "We Irish will never surrender!"

"Well this is certain to be a Saint Patrick’s Day to remember," Miranda said.

"No kidding, it'll make for a fun college story I bet."

"Hey uh, you're not still mad at me from Friday night are you?"

"I don't know. I little maybe."

She sighed, "Well you don't want to hear it so I won't bring it up again."

I wish you wouldn't have brought it up at all, he thought to himself. But he said nothing.

Spring was just around the corner, that meant the Spring Formal dance was too. Since he started his Freshmen year all he could think about was that dance. That’s when he'd ask Lexi out and sweep her off her feet. But for some reason the closer, the dance got the more he thought of Miranda, and he didn't know why.

Thomas was cheery in those weeks before the dance, filled with hope and excitement, and expectations. "So any of you going to the Spring dance?" He asked his friends as he approached them in the morning.

"No date," Kellen said.

"Only dance I'm going to is Senior prom next year," Normia answered.

"I thought about it but I made new plans this year," Miranda said almost as cheery as Thomas.

"Let me guess your plans, Thomas," Normia said. "Ask Lexi out, get rejected but try again later?"

"Nope. I'm going to ask her out, she's going to say yes, and it's going to be a great night for us both."

"Well good luck with all that buddy," Kellen said.

"Thanks, in fact, I think I'm going to search her out now."

Thomas didn't find Lexi until after lunch, on his way to fourth period history. She seemed upset by something but he didn't fully notice. All he saw was her with her long brown hair, her pointed chin, and brown eyes.

"Lexi, hi I'm-"

"Thomas," She answered when he paused from nervousness. "Yeah I remember you. What do you want?"

He started to sweat now, mostly in his palms. "I wanted to umm," he cleared his throat before continuing. "I wanted to ask you out to the Spring dance."

She looked like she was about to say no right away but something changed in her eyes, and she smiled, suddenly friendly, and said, "Let me think about it and I'll get back you soon okay?"

"Yea-yea! I mean of course, uhh see you tomorrow, or whenever."

She smiled and continued on her way to class. He watched her disappear into the crowd until continuing onto class himself.

Lexi returned to Thomas a couple of days after he asked her out. She said, "Yes" and they were set to meet up just outside the gym at 7 P.M the night of the dance. His friends were surprised that she agreed to go with him, which annoyed him a bit. Apparently though Harold broke up with her, so he didn't have to worry about him showing up to ruin their big moment.

He had to borrow a dress shirt and some better pants from Kellen, but neither of them had good shoes, so he stuck with his sneakers. And on the night of the dance, he was so nervous, he thought he might suddenly, go claustrophobic on the bus ride to the school.

"I made new plans." What Miranda said earlier seemed to really bother him. That's not right, this is her first school dance she should be going. I should take her, as friends. He shook the thoughts out of his head. Miranda has probably been to plenty of school dances before, she's a sophomore. Still he couldn't help but wonder what her newly made plans were, and with who.

No, he couldn't be thinking of Miranda right now, tonight was his big night with Lexi. Finally, he would show her they were meant to be. But why was he suddenly thinking of Miranda right now, it wasn't easy, but he eventually managed to push her to the back of his mind when the bus dropped him off a few blocks from the school.

He was early, but so was Lexi, as she was there waiting for him. Her hair was tied in an ornate bun, and she wore a bedazzling Sea Blue dress that outlined her natural curves. She looked stunning, he was so taken aback he couldn't evens say hello.

She smiled at him, "I'll take your silence as a sign that I look good?"

He found his voice, "Like a goddess."

She smirked at his comment as if expecting no less. He then offered out his arm, and she wrapped hers around it, and the two strolled into the gym. Balloons hovered up on the ceiling, spring spotlights spun around the room and music blasted as the students danced around the center of the gym.

"Thomas, will you grab me some punch, I need to speak with my friends for a minute," Lexi said.

She was already heading over to her friends before he could answer, though. He smiled meekly and went over to the punch table to pour her a drink and one, maybe two, for himself. There was a line, but it was short. "I made new plans." Miranda’s words echoed in his head again while he waited in line.

What new plans, was she going to the dance before? But with whom she didn't say anything to us. The line moved, and he shook those thoughts out of his head again.

Finally, when it was his turn to get punch, Harold pulled him out of line to talk. "What the hell do you want?" He asked aggravated.

"Look, man, I just came to apologize about before when we fought," he said.

Thomas folded his arms, "Oh?"

"Yea, I'm not normally like that. I mean at all. And I'm telling you this from experience, Lexi she’s no good for any one man."

He chuckled, "Oh I see what this is, you're jealous because I'm at the dance with her, and she doesn't want to go out with you anymore."

"Look man I broke up with her, over a month ago. And I wish I'd done it sooner. That girl is poison, you'd be best to keep your distance from her as well."

"You know what I'm not buying any of this."

"Seriously I'm telling trying to warn you; in fact, she's only dating you so she can make me jealous. You're a nice kid, don't let her turn you into a jerk like she did with me."

"How about you get out of here before I tell coach Larsen that you started the fight Valentines day. And threatened me further to cover for you about it."

Harold shook his head, "Look at what she's doing to you, man." He left him alone after that.

When Thomas got back to Lexi with the drinks, she wasn't thirsty anymore and dragged him onto the dance floor. He never realized how bad he was a dancer until now, but Lexi was always looking elsewhere. He stopped dancing after a while, realizing she wasn't even dancing just staring off into the distance.

He found what she was staring at and saw it was Harold and his date, a pretty and kind looking Junior girl with auburn hair and a freckled face. She looked shy but Harold soon enough managed to get her out onto the dance floor with him. Soon as he did Lexi commanded Thomas to stay there, then left in a rush.

She disappeared, and Thomas was left to stand around awkwardly while others danced around him with their dates. He went back to staring at Harold and his date, they looked to be having so much fun. Maybe he was telling the truth, maybe he really did move on. If so then why was he saying all the mean things about Lexi? Maybe they had a nasty fight or something.

Lexi returned a few minutes later, but her eyes were still dead set on Harold and his new girlfriend. She looked anxious, and a moment later Thomas saw why. A girl with her hood over her head passed through the crowd behind Harold and his date carrying a bucket. She then raised the bucket over Harold's date and dumped its contents all over her.

Rotted fish guts mixed with something brown and just as smelly doused the poor girl as she shrieked in disgust and terror. The hooded girl meanwhile turned away and ran as the crowd backed away from her victim. Lexi burst into a callous laughter, and when Harold turned his enraged eyes towards them, she grabbed Thomas by the hand and led him outside.

There she laughed even harder, and crueler. "That was horrible Lexi," Thomas said incredulously.

Lexi stopped laughing and dropped all pretenses of being nice. "That bitch deserved it for taking Harold from me. She thinks just because we're not together it means she can move in on him."

"I thought that we were dating now."

She scoffed in disgust. "I was just going out with you to make him jealous. And you'll make for a great alibi; you'll be my witness that I wasn't near the girl when it happened too."

"But it was you, you set it up, you were waiting for it."

"Of course, I was, so what?"

He took a deep breath, he was seeing things more clearly than he'd ever before. "You know I loved you since the day I first laid eyes on you in sixth grade. And I thought you were the kindest person in the world, but you had to put on a tough bravado to make yourself not be a victim of cruel intentions. But the truth is, you're the one with the cruel intentions. And you're not a good person, you're not even nice, and I see that now.

"I thought I knew what love was with you, I thought what I wanted was you. But what I wanted was the idea of you, that's not real love. Love is something else, someone else..." A girl with peach blonde hair, fair skin, and emerald eyes, with the world’s most beautiful smile.

"Wait you're dumping me? You don't dump me loser, I dump you!"

Thomas shook his head, "Too late for that."

He turned away and rushed out of the gym. He wished he had his board, but he didn't so he went to the bus stop. After a minute of waiting, he asked the people there when the next bus was.

A guy with a dark beanie hat and long hair answered, "Sorry pal you missed it by like five minutes."

He took off jogging: he couldn't wait for the next bus. He had to see her now, had to tell her how he felt. How he changed, that she was the right one for him, and he was a fool for not noticing it sooner.

When he arrived at her house, he knocked on the door. She answered with a smile.

"Miranda, there's something I need to tell you."

"Who is babe?" A voice asked from inside.

She turned and said, "It's my friend Thomas, come say hi."

A moment later a handsome guy with dark brown hair studded jaw, and a good outline of muscle in a black shirt came by and stood next to Miranda.

"Thomas this is my boyfriend Luke," she said.

Luke offered his hand out with a smile, "Pleasure to meet you, Thomas."