Spark

15 - I Know Nothing About Love

Maybe I can break the curse, and I can be in love forever-Nessa Barrett.

Nestled between my mom and Charlotte, I try to maintain my composure as I watch the main character in this horrific romcom make another terrible decision. For the thousandth time. In the past forty minutes. Nothing was more cringe than a terribly written script desired to appease the audience. We're not fools. We just like giggling and kicking our feet in the air.

"She's going to go back to him," Charlotte says, grabbing a fistful of popcorn from the bowl in her lap. "She likes him way too much. Rookie move."

My mom gently slaps her shoulder. "You're twenty. What do you know about love?"

"Do not repeat that sentence outside." Charlotte guffaws. "I'm twenty. I know everything about love."

My mom gasps. "Care to elaborate?"

Charlotte seems to realise where the conversation is heading and cuts her gaze from the television and to my glaring mother. "I'm kidding. I know absolutely nothing about love. Zilch!"

I silently chuckle to myself and munch on the popcorn I'd kept on my lap. I was only watching this movie for them. Quite literally, it was horrible and made me want to lunge at the main character and scream at her to have just the tiniest bit of self respect.

"Starr, love, can you grab me a bottle of water?" My mom says, tapping me on the knee without tearing her eyes away from the screen.

Relieved that I have an out, I happily skip into the kitchen and pull open the fridge. I'm about to return to the torture that's the movie when I hear crying coming from the house next door. Miles' house. Our kitchen somewhat overlooks their garage and I catch a glimpse of dark hair underneath the backdoor lighting. I see Veronica. A complete mess without composure. She's talking with Miles and constantly trying to reach out to speak with him but he refuses to come near her.

Aware of the fact that I shouldn't be watching them, I exit the kitchen and return to the living room with different thoughts in mind.

×××

It's that time of the school year. The much dreaded school trip. The utter pain and humiliation that could be felt. The terror that comes with sleeping somewhere unfamiliar. The possibility of just having forced social interactions. What is not to be detested about it? It's an absolute vector in my school life. I can't wiggle my way out of it though, because of this.

"You've got to come!" Morgan squeals. "It's a two day trip, Starr. I promise you'll survive."

I gape at her in horror. "I intend to."

She grabs my hand and begins to do her hoppy thing. "Please Starr. You've got to come with!"

"You hate geography." I remark, knowing this was still going to favour me in absolutely no way.

She rolls her eyes. "Who cares? It'll be fun. Get your mom to sign the slip and let's go add another remarkable experience to our teenage years."

Now, I roll my eyes. "Convincing much."

A smile spreads across her lips and she gives me a toothy grin, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. "Yes! I love you."

I awkwardly pat her hands. "Not so loud."

×××

I'm not the teaching type. Neither am I the patient type, apparently. I'm just about to explode from having to explain the trigonometric identities and how to use them to Colton for the fourth time. This is the same as this. It's not a difficult concept to grasp. Or I'm just impatient and not at all understanding.