Page 23 of To Love or to Lose
“No,” I respond quickly, my eyes widening at the thought of glitter.
I’ve always had an issue with things that involuntarily stick to me: lint, cat hair, any other type of residue.Glitter is a whole other beast. It sticks to everything and is barely visible until Iam finding specks of it on my face, in my car, on my clothes, Absolutely anywhere for weeks to come, and it doesn’t go away.
It is the most contagious craft supply, and I can’t bear to look at it.
Winnie and Eloise laugh, knowing my frank distaste for glitter.
“I was kidding,” she says.
Eloise stands from the table again. “Do you guys want fries?”
“Of course,” I say, handing her my empty cup when she holds her hand out for it. “Thank you.”
“So.” Winnie looks at me as Eloise walks back toward the kitchen. “How are you, really?”
We don’t normally do this—become all gooey and vulnerable about our feelings. Usually, I would just give a noncommittal shrug, saying I’m fine.But today, Winnie looks like she’s really concerned about me, and it warms my heart the slightest bit.
I lift a shoulder in contemplation. “I’m working on it.”
Chapter Seven
252 days until graduation
FOOTBALL GAME VS. ST. PETERSBERG PREP: TONIGHT @ 7
I glance at Logan as we walk through the main hallway in between third and fourth lesson. “Are you going to the football game?”
“I’m going, you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” he says.
“No.” I shake my head. “I want to go.”
I’ve never been to an American football game, and I want to make the most out of my time here, so I might as well do the things all the other kids are doing.
We walk into sculpture class and sit in our seats.
I’ve noticed that Ms. Geller hardly bothers us, which makes the class more independent. She gives us a general outline for a project, and the materials we need, but other than that, she allows us the time we need to work on our own
We have finally gotten to where we are working on actual projects now that Ms. Geller has gone through all the class procedures. Right now, we are working on carving Styrofoam into sculptured heads, attempting to recreate what the ancient Greeks did with marble.It’s an interesting but tedious process, and like nothing I’ve ever done in previous art classes.
“Who did you choose to do?” Logan asks from across the table.
He’s attempting to sculpt George Washington, claiming that he has a face that’s easy to replicate.
“Plato,” I say, staring at the picture of the Greek philosopher while taking another sliver of Styrofoam away from what is supposed to be his cheekbone.
“Gen loves that guy,” he replies. “What's so cool about him?”
I shrug, expecting to be laughed at for what I say next. “I like his idea on soulmates.”
“Soulmates?” Logan asks, and I nod. “What did he say about soulmates?”
“Love is born into every human being; it calls back the halves of our original nature together; it tries to make one out of two and heal the wound of human nature.”
Logan almost laughs but rubs his hand over his mouth to restrain himself. “He thinks soulmates cure the issues of human nature?”
I shrug, continuing to carve Plato’s face. “I think it makes sense. The more people who are happy and in love, the more peace the world will have. I think many people’s troubles come from anger, and if they met who they were truly meant for, maybe they would mellow out and therefore make the world abetter place. The most insufferable people are the ones who are fueled with aggravation, and maybe if they had the right type of love, they would be less… intolerable.”
“If Gen found her soulmate, do you think she would be more ‘tolerable?’” Logan asks.
