Chapter 4: Harmony

I was cleaning my sweater. Why did I go to that stupid meet. Jimmy and Arthur always told me and Fay to never go for these meets and have a chat before we went back for Brooklyn.

 But Melinda Parker's husband, Adam Stranger, is a force to be reckoned with. I was slumping in a cubicle and sobbing as I recalled what happened. It happened a few hours ago. Fay was grumbling at me and said, "Can't believe you wanted to go to a crusty sports hall with sweaty boys just because Melinda Parker's husband asked you to go."

 I looked at her and said, "He was a decent person and you were the one who gave me the ticket." Fay said, "Cause I knew you wanted to go and you left before I told you how I got it." I sighed and said, "Whatever." Someone saw us and said in a snide tone, "Fay, I thought you were too stuck up to attend a school event."

 Fay grimaced and turned to see Kelly and asked, "Shouldn't you be cartwheeling like a monkey instead of being in severe contact with body odour?" Kelly shut up and Fay watched the game. I then saw Jimmy and Arthur. I waved hi at them. They looked at me in shock but shook it off.

 I then saw August on the court and thought, 'Oh crap.' Fay looked at me and said sarcastically, "Fifty states, a hundred and fifty schools, what are the chances."

 I groaned and watched the game. Fay looked pissed by the minute. She said, "August, please stop being the next Michael Jordan." The crowd stopped cheering. 

 I looked around cautiously and Kelly said, "Miss ABC, I'm sorry but I didn't expect you to want your own school to lose to the biggest basketball sports festival, or do you really think you're above everyone else, with that soap opera of a sob story you have."

 Fay said, "I didn't-." Kelly said, "You didn't mean to what." I asked, "Can you leave her alone? She didn't mean what she said, and I would also say that if I had a girl who kept on having that toxic scent on her."

 Kelly took the cup of coffee she had and spilled it all over me. She then said in a snarky tone, "Oops, look at that, that's what you get when you try to play hero, Clark." She then dumped the rest of the coffee on my bag.

 I then stormed off to the bathroom to wash up. As I hid in the cubicle, I got a call. It was from Sharon. I do not like Sharon but let us see what she got to say. Sharon said, "Oi, Har, how's living in New York?" I said, "Fine, how is Texas?" Sharon said, "Getting high." I take back what I said. I do like her. I like my own sister better than Kelly.

 Sharon said, "Mom's thinking of staying in Texas, don't worry, I convinced her that I had to stay for high school." I said, "Thanks so much." Sharon said, "Don't thank me, I will still make life a living hell."

 I laughed. Maybe it was because Sharon did not fit in but we had those love-hate relationships where we hate each other but we stuck by one another.

 She was like my confidante. I thought she was worse than most bullies I had. After meeting Kelly, I do not think so. Someone knocked on the door and said, "Har, it's Fay." I opened the cubicle and she handed me a sweater. She answered, "The game's finished and when I told Arthur and James what Kelly did, she was at a receiving end of a verbal lashing, James gave me his sweater for you to change."

 I said, "Yeah, my drawings are ruined." Fay looked at the wet book said, "We're going to a diner I like, they booked the cab, change quickly so we can go out, I'll get you a new one." I nodded and finished changing. Fay always trash talk me. It was her way of showing love.

 As we went to the diner, Arthur and Fay were being their usual flirty self. James wondered aloud, "Sometimes I wonder what it is like to actually be in a serious relationship?" I said, "Well, I know how it is like to crush on someone?" Arthur asked, "Do you know how nice that Stranger was? He handled losing to our school better than the ex-captain, so sorry your school lost tho, Fay."

 Jimmy asked, "Yeah, oh yeah, Har, how is art school?" I said, "It's good." Fay sipped the milkshake and gave me a look. I just said, "Well, the fact August lost to you was crazy." Jimmy laughed and said, "Yeah, though, Arthur, I wouldn't say he was nice to me after the game, he snapped at me."

 I asked, "What happened?" I know August well enough to know he would not literally snap at someone for no reason. Jimmy explained, "Well, he had a freaking fit when I went up to say that it was a good game." 

 Fay looked away and Arthur asked, "You know something, don't you, Fay?" Fay explained, "August's sister, Jenifer, she struggles from social anxiety and sexual harassment, she has been hanging out with the wrong people and people in the basketball team make crude jokes about her in front of August."

 Jimmy looked away and said, "No wonder he lashed out." After we finished eating, Fay bought me the sketchbook and said, "Hey, Har, you know I'm not actually opposed to you dating August, I think he genuinely needs someone right now that his sister is going through this."

 I nodded and went to the outdoor basketball court. I usually go behind the bleachers for inspiration. As I sketched, I felt someone's bag hit the wood of the bench. I looked up to see August. I then started drawing. I then heard a thump and someone asked, "Why are you here?" I looked up to see August and thought, 'Crap.'