Love: Oh So Bitter, So Sweet by Gwinevere Keethley (ink ebook reader txt) 📖

"Why would you do this?" she demands weak-heartedly. "What would make you think this is right?" She isn't going anywhere until she realizes that person is trying to brainwash her. The burlap is thrown off, revealing a face she knows so very well.

- - -

Bonnie Borden entered the lunchroom like a queen, double doors wide open for her, however insignificant the event was. There were about ten other teenagers trying to fit through at the same time, of course. Even then, she had her uniqueness: hidden strength and knowledge she prided secretly under a well maintained mask of a minor existence. Although, most of her uniqueness could be in her way of friendship.

A smaller girl a few tables from the back of the reasonably sized room waved Bonnie over absentmindedly, recieving the 'thunk' of a lunch bag landing on the surface and another occupied seat. The girl was Bonnie's opposite, having bright, more revealing clothing and a look in her eyes that told of dreams.

"You're staring again," Bonnie stated disdainfully, pausing, "Kate?" The girl glanced back at Bonnie, and she knew she was in for the long one.

"You ever feel like this?" Kate asked, Bonnie sighed. "You ever felt love before? It's amazing, I can't even stop thinking about him!" Bonnie's paper bag crunched.

"He's a walking rectal cavity," she murmered through her teeth.

Kate sat up straight, "what?"

Bonnie smiled easily, lightening Kate's guard, "I'm your friend, correct?"

"Yeah, sure, why?"

"You understand that I do everything for your own good, correct?"

Kate's face started to scowl, "yeah, why?"

"He's not a good person. Trust me, I know what those are like, I have to go home to them, remember?" Kate's face turned bright red, her little lips opening to retort- "Just look! He's not only part of the pack of vultures," Bonnie jestured hastily to the group of popular students on the opposite side of the cafeteria, "he leads them. He's like a filet mignon, looks delicious, but the meat is badly undercooked and there's really more gristle than bacon."

Kate remembered the "fancy food failure" incedent, "he's not what you think he is, he's-" The vulture himself looked over at the two, then immediately back to his venue. Kate had noticed. "Did you see that! He totally has the hots for me! Did you see the way he smiled at me?" She grinned with delight and sighed back to propping her head up on the table. Bonnie, however, did not like the way he had smiled at them. If he really was smiling at Kate, she was in real trouble.

"Kate-"

"No. Stop right there. He smiled at me, that's all there is to it." Right then, Bonnie hit brilliance.

"So are you going to ask him out?" Kate stared, so Bonnie asked again as if it were the most normal question in the world.

"I said, are you going to ask him out?"

"I- I heard." Kate was too flustered to think, which was perfect for Bonnie. Kate was hers, and she always would be. This was her uniqueness in friends. She kept one, only one, and was very protective of that friend. Bonnie had also succeeded at protecting that friend, but success always blinded her.

"So?"

Kate looked dangerously gathered in thought, "I'll do it." Bonnie smiled, stopping it immediately after recognizing what was said.

"What?"

"I'm going to ask him out. Right here, right now." She stood and left the shocked Bonnie at their table, turning towards the vultures, away from Bonnie. She walked fast, a precaution against losing confidence. The vutultures, however, noticed the little sparrow's venture to their nest, and attacked.

"What? Is this," one screeched with cackling laugher from the rest, all except the leader, who smiled lightly, then dropped it.

Kate turned back to Bonnie, face as red as a pomegranite, lips brighter than the seeds. She was hurt.

Bonnie ushered her back to her seat, obscuring her view of the vultures. "They're jerks," Bonnie said lightly.

Kate sniffed almost silently, putting a softly curled hand to her eyes, "No, not all of them. He didn't laugh." Bonnie almost screamed. He wouldn't care for her even if there was an allusion that he would. He would take her into a criminal embrace, eat up all her love, and spit her back out to move to the next one, like all the rest.

"Help me do it," she mumbled.

"What?"

She looked up to Bonnie, "help me ask him out." Bonnie was torn, Kate looked broken, but she would break if she helped. There was only one way out: make Kate see that she was the only safe person. Even if it took years, she'd do it. She'd protect Kate.

"I'll tell you what," Kate turned hopeful, "I can't help you with asking him, but I can help you with the date."

- - -

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Kate cried ceaselessly, "Oh, did I mention 'thank you'?"

Bonnie laughed heartily, "Yes, I believe you did." Bonnie had always loved seeing Kate this happy. It didn't happen all that often, but that made it so much sweeter.

Kate pointed to a cotton candy package, then a pair of jeans behind the glass of a favorite store, then another, and another. She acted much like a child when she went to the small mall they had access to, which made it the perfect place to practice a date.

"Kate, I'm not sure, but I think you may want to dial it down more than that on a date."

"Really? I thought I was doing so well too," she sank a bit, then brightened right back up. This place really did bring out her best qualities, just by cheering her up. Kate started to wander further and further ahead of Bonnie.

"Kate!" Bonnie chuckled, "I think you're supposed to stay with your date!" Kate rushed back, giggling cutely.

"What?" she asked out of pure excitement, hooking her arm around Bonnie's. Bonnie took to it, smiling widely, in turn, making Kate's smile grow bigger. They were close, and it was a good thing. All other people were out of mind, and everything was how it should be. Just the two of them, together, alone.

"So what should I do on a date?" Kate asked suddenly.

Bonnie smiled, then led her in the direction of the photo booth without a curtain.

- - -

They laughed their way out of the movie theater, almost tripping on the steps on their way back to the car, leaning on each other's shoulder the whole way.

Eventually making their way to the vehicle, Kate's laughter dies down. "Thank you so much for today, he's gonna love the date we have."

Bonnie's heart about broke. "I feared you might still be hung up on that," she mumbled.

"What?" Bonnie had no verbal response, she just turned on the car and leand over to the back of the passenger seat. "What are you- Bonnie?" Kate's hands were tied. Then burlap covered her eyes. "Bonnie!" she yelled. Bonnie, however, retained silence.

Bonnie ignored Kate all the way to their destination, a small house in the middle of some obscure woods, well away from the suburban area they lived in.

"Bonnie, don't kidnap me," Kate said when her door was opened, and Bonnie responded for the first time.

"It isn't kidnapping if you come willingly."

Kate seemed helpless, "What about your family, won't you miss them?"

"No. They're monsters, remember? There is one specific monster I would like to talk about though."

"Him? Is this all about him?" Kate was stunned.

"You can't see it, can you? At all. He was going to use you, harm you! I took you out here to learn that, even if it takes years," Bonnie ended at a whisper.

"Why would you do this?" she demanded weak-heartedly. "What would make you think this is right?" She wasn't going anywhere until she realized that person was trying to brainwash her. The burlap was thrown off, revealing a face she knew so very well.

"Because you cannot go to him! He is not the one who loves you!"

Publication Date: 11-29-2015

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