I wasn’t quite sure why Karen hadn’t given me a more specific deadline, but I could work with it, so I didn’t complain. Looking in the mirror I was almost shocked when I saw my brown hair. No matter how many times I dyed my hair, that first look in the mirror was always a bit frightening. I combed my fingers through it, noting with pleasure that it was still soft and shiny. I was definitely blessed with resilient hair.
Opening up my closet, I browsed through it for some “nice girl” clothes and decided on some white Capri pants, a light blue short sleeved shirt, and white tennis shoes. I pulled half of my brown hair into a ponytail, letting the rest hang down with a small wave. Though I wasn’t actually breaking up with the boy today, I wanted to get into character so I’d be more comfortable when I did it. I’d have to catch up with Karen at school today and orchestrate her upcoming “sick” day. Until then, I’d just hang back in the shadows and maybe observe her with Nate so I could get a better idea of what kind of boy I was dealing with.
As I pulled into the school parking lot, the silent threat David posed still hung in the air. I glanced around the area, doing a quick scan to make sure he wasn’t nearby. When I was satisfied that he was nowhere to be found, I made my way to Karen’s normal hangout. She had said that she and Nate were usually in the cafeteria between classes, so that was where I set my course.
The cafeteria was relatively empty, which didn’t surprise me since most students ate breakfast at home or simply skipped the meal altogether. A few students huddled in close groups at the long picnic tables, exchanging that morning’s gossip. Others sat alone, slouched over their miniature milk cartons with dazed looks on their faces.
I spotted Nate and Karen instantly. Today Karen’s long brown hair was pulled up into a ponytail secured by a pale yellow ribbon. She laughed loudly at something Nate had said, but instantly slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound. Her eyes grew wide and she giggled soundlessly at her own candid show of amusement. I smiled at her behavior in spite of myself. I looked over to survey the other half of the couple, which is when I saw Nate for the first time. He had short, light brown hair and the rosiest cheeks I had ever seen. His features, however, weren’t what struck me about him. It was the look in his eyes that really stood out. The way he looked at Karen reminded me briefly of the way movie stars look at each other in romantic films, though this look was less polished. It was a warm, sincere look that could have melted anyone’s heart. From where I stood, it actually appeared that Nate cared about Karen, rather than what she could do for his popularity or what she looked like. He actually looked into her eyes when she whispered things to him, and his smile was genuine.
It was a touching moment, but it was, sadly, completely irrelevant to what I had to do there. I sat down at an empty table near the door and took a plastic-wrapped bagel from my white backpack. I opened up my breakfast as quietly as I could, not wanting to draw any attention to myself. We only had about ten minutes before the first bell rang, warning us to get to class, so I decided to take those ten minutes to really observe the couple before me. Something about the entire situation didn’t make sense. It didn’t match up with the other clients I had helped before. Karen didn’t look politely bored or audaciously interested in another boy; she looked happy. The blush I’d seen the day before returned to her cheeks at something Nate had said, and a smile spread across his face at the sight of her quickly reddening cheeks. Unless Karen was a wonderful actress, she was happy with Nate, and I was pretty sure she wouldn’t be getting an Academy Award any time soon.
“You’re doing another job,” came a matter-of-fact voice beside me. I turned, my face set in grim annoyance, as I instantly recognized the voice.
“How do you pop up everywhere? Do you just dedicate your time to following me around?” I was angry at my break in concentration, and my voice showed it. David’s eyes held mild amusement at my disgruntled expression.
“Actually, I just got lucky on this one. I always eat breakfast in here.” He looked like he was trying to hold back his laughter at this fortuitous chain of events. “So, can I eat breakfast with you?” he asked finally. I shook my head firmly at his question and rose to leave, though his hand instantly encircled my wrist. “Please, Amelia?” Again I shook my head, though I did sit back down, against my better judgment. “What if I promise not to talk about our little disagreement at all? It’ll just be a nice normal breakfast.” Much to my surprise, his eyes actually looked hopeful, as if he really wanted to eat breakfast with me. I knew it was a bad idea, and every cell in my brain was telling me to leave, but my muscles didn’t seem to listen to my brain, so there I sat. Fraternizing with the enemy.
David relaxed once he decided I wasn’t going to leave, and he let a smile grace his lips. He pulled a granola bar out of his backpack along with a plastic bottle of orange juice. I picked at my bagel with a doleful expression on my face, hoping he’d take the hint. Karen and Nate were still giggling and whispering at their table, though now it only annoyed me, where seconds before I’d found it heartwarming. David looked at me sideways and laughed softly.
“Sitting with me isn’t that bad, is it?” he asked with a grin. I turned my head to him, giving him a very clear look that answered his question in a second. He raised his eyebrows at me, still smirking, and shook his head. “All right, time to change the subject. How was dinner with your mom last night?” I looked down at my half eaten bagel, hoping to hide any hint of the truth my expression may show.
“It was fun. We did dinner and a movie. Probably stayed up later than we should have but it was worth it.” I wasn’t sure why I was lying since he’d probably bugged my house or something and knew that I’d really spent the evening eating reheated leftovers. If he detected the edge to my voice, however, he didn’t show it.
“That sounds like fun,” he said simply, without a smidgeon of sarcasm. I nodded my head but said nothing in response. Our conversation had definitely taken a turn for the awkward. I couldn’t quite understand why David had decided to eat breakfast with me. It seemed odd that he was so bent on destroying me and yet he wanted to spend time with me. I suppose he could be trying to get to know me better so that it would be easier to take me down. After all, that’s what I did to my customer’s boyfriends. I sighed deeply, instantly attracting David’s attention. “You all right?” He asked that question a lot.
“I guess,” I said glumly. David always seemed to make me so depressed. It was a mixture between my hate for him and his stupid ideologies and my secret wish that he’d just realize that he wanted to be with me for the rest of his life so we could live happily ever after. “I feel like the victim of a kidnapping,” I said suddenly, once again using my brilliant social skills around this boy who seemed to always make me say the most ridiculous things. David looked at me the way I expected him to-like he had no idea where that had come from.
“Why’s that?” he asked.
“It’s like you’re holding my business hostage, and yet I’m forced to be around you and eat breakfast with you… so it’s like you’ve kidnapped me, and even though I know you’re trying to ruin my life, I have to be around you and treat you civilly.” The words came spilling out of my mouth with absolutely no censor. I wasn’t even sure if they made sense, but the whole thought process had definitely made sense in my head before it had made its big debut out of my mouth. Surprisingly David didn’t look confused, but disappointed.
“Maybe you’ll get Stockholm Syndrome,” he said with a laugh before turning serious again. “Amelia, I know you feel like I’m ruining your life or sticking my nose in your business, but I’m really trying to help you. I’m sure I sound like a shrink or something, but you really do fascinate me.” He stopped short once those words left his mouth and I wondered if he was rethinking what he’d said or just wondering if he’d come off as a creepy stalker. I was still bothered by his insistence that he belonged in my life somehow, but I couldn’t help but feel a small twinge of affection for him. He kept his gaze trained on me expectantly and I looked around for some kind of out. Karen and Nate had left without me noticing, so I took this as the perfect opportunity.
“I need to go. I’ve lost track of my client.” I stood from the table, leaving my bagel behind and walked away from the cafeteria, feeling the oddest impulse to turn around and go back to where David sat with a frustrated expression on his face. I instantly heard footsteps behind me, which I knew were David’s so I turned abruptly to thwart any attempt he was making to follow me. “What do you want? Why can’t you just leave me alone?”
“Because I’m-”
“Trying to help me? Yeah, I know, you’ve used that line. What is it you really want? You know there’s nothing morally wrong with my business. If people want me to help them break up with their boyfriends, that’s between them and me. It has nothing to do with you, so just stay out of it. Besides, you can’t do anything to stop me. You don’t have some claim over the hearts of angsty high school boys.” I glared up at the guy who stood before me. His shaggy blond hair was hanging in his green eyes as usual, and the glare he wore matched mine perfectly.
“You’re not doing anyone any favors by doing this. They should do this on their own. It’s not like they’ll be able
