Poison Apples.

it was another Monday to Brenda.

Brenda woke up early that morning. she was excited for another week. she washed her hair that morning. she had a simple breakfast before putting on her uniform. it was a solid morning before returning to her mundane life.

that morning Brenda gets inside her classroom. she said hello to everyone. she was smiling. Alice was ready to talk about her boyfriend. Hanna was into her weird things. she was today pretending to be a mind reader. she believed to be from a distant linage of mind readers. Patricia was again in front of Grace looking at her stolen seat. Timothy for once wasn't sleeping in the middle of the class. there was some warmth in there.

then Brenda's eyes meet with Pierre's eyes. there is a strange feeling in there. Brenda goes back to her seat. Grace stands in front of her with a fake smile. Grace offers a caramel apple. Brenda takes the apple grateful. she starts to eat the apple. it was delicious.

"Hello little shits. Fuck, Monday again. my mother told me to do better." said Mr. Bark as he gets inside the classroom. he seems mad.

Mr. Bark opens his book. he reads some of it. he then throws it away. he looks at his students. he walks around the class thinking. he then takes some chalk. he writes on the board. he looks at his handwriting feeling proud.

"Okay Alabama looking kids. I want you each to come forth with an argument about love. the class will be divided in half. one side will shit talk love. the other side will defend love. it wasn't on my plans. I just came up with that idea for today. it's too early, and a fucking Monday to go down the boredom road." said Mr. Bark feeling passion on his soul.

the classroom splits in two. in one side Martin, Alice, Jack, Patricia, and Bernard. those are the kids defending love. on the opposing side Grace, Pierre, Hanna, Chole, Brenda, and Timothy. those are the kids who are ready to hate love. the rest of the students take a side or another side depending on their taste or emotions.

Mr. Bark claps excited. he then asks each team to choose their representatives. each side is allowed to send a person to the front to make an argument. they all have five rounds. each round will have four people speaking up for the group. they lose the round if all the people on their side loses the argument on their round.

Josh was minding his own business skipping class like always. he looks at his girl. he asks Mr. Bark for permission to stay. he jumps from the window inside. Josh sits with his legs crossed. he scratches his chin as he gets ready.

for the first round Bernard comes forward ready to show them hell. his archnemesis stands at the opposite side of the board. there is some sweat. Bernard feels nervous. he breathes in. he then tells himself that he is ready. Mr. Bark asked them to start whenever they are ready. Pierre and Bernard look at each other. they nod to each other as they say, "ready."

Mr. Bark looks at Pierre giving him the authority to go first. Pierre looks at Bernard. he asks him if he can handle him going first. Bernard nods as he whispers, "fuck you." then Pierre walks around holding an empty piece of paper.

"Love. what is love. if it isn't a delusion caused by substances in our brain sending signals. love is a false prophet of marketing. there is nothing authentic and substantial about an invention created to sell products." said Pierre in a robotic tone. 

"Had you ever felt true love? because if you haven't, then you have no right to criticize something you don't even know. to love is to allow yourself to fall prey to an intimate emotion that makes you feel nude. expose in front of the other party. an emotion that makes you feel the glory when she is smiling. and feel your guts carved from the inside out when she cries. it is wonder. it is sorrow. but more than anything love is pure. a piece of your soul." said Bernard.

"Love is fake. scientist had proven that what people call love doesn't last more than six months. something so artificial can't be real. I refuse." said Pierre.

"You're trying to explain the impossible. maybe roots grow in the body, but love takes its purest form in the soul. we can live with an unrequired love.  we can be in love of something superficial. we can survive after love expires, but we can't live without love. a world that hasn't experienced love, is a world condemning itself to eons of eternal misery. sorrowful is to love once and lose it overnight. a true tragedy is to die without ever knowing what love looks like. because love is life, and to live is to love life itself." said Bernard.

there is a huge paused in between. the whole classroom was shocked. Bernard isn't one to engage in debates. they never expected much from him. Mr. Bark asks the students to vote for the student who made the better argument. they all agreed with Bernard.

there were others who went against Bernard. they all lose the first round. Grace claps glad that Bernard won the first round. she was happy for the guy. 

in the second round Alice was ready to burn down Rome with passion. she looks at the other parties in the debate. the first person on their side loses the debate. Grace defeated him easily. she was ruthless. she allows others to go first.

"What is love, if not a desire. a wish. passion. carnal and dirty. filthy and pure. sexy and cute. love is given many shapes and forms. love is a part of our essence. love is what we call the blossoming of our inner selves. love is a phase of life." said Alice blushing.

"Love is a fabrication to nourish fragile egos. it's a complimentary lie to improve the lack of self-respect that comes with solitude." said Brenda.

"People have the tendency to doubt what they can't see. but what about what you can feel? if you feel touch. is that fake? is that real? if you feel heat or cold. is that in your mind? is that an invention of your imagination? if we give such importance to things we feel like pain. then why do we have to doubt love?" said Jack with all sincerity.

then after the second-round ends in a stalemate, Mr. Bark more excited gives them a second to take a break. he lets them come up with better arguments. he rests his eyes. he puts a strawberry lollipop between his lips. he then stands up lively. he orders the debate to continue.

"We talk about love as if it was important. but is it actually significant? I don't feel it that way. for me love is a tag we add to a relationship to make it sound more important than what it actually is. love is sex but colored in pink tones. love is an ideocracy." said Chloe as she speaks in a calm and cold tone of voice.

"I believe in love. every time I go to Por... I mean love-hub, I feel it. every time my stronger head wakes up from its slumber, I feel it. every morning, I go from wood to iron, and I feel it. in the middle of some exclusive self-discovery, I FUCKING FEEL IT." said Martin full of passion. 

"So many great speeches here and there. but I don't feel it. I don't understand it. until someone proves it to me that it is real. in the depth of my heart, it is fake." said Grace.

the debate finally ends. they give the winning to the Pro love team. Mr. Bark promises pizza for the winners as a reward. there are some happy screams. some angry screams. some silent people thinking about things. people questioning their answers. 

the class ends with some laughter. the students go to their next class. in between classes Grace tries to approach Brenda. she gives her an apple pie that she baked. they talk some more in the corridors or in the class. their friendship seems to grow strong.

after what can be described as a long morning. lunchbreak comes at last. Grace and Brenda are walking together towards the cafeteria. like two little loyal dogs Bernard and Pierre follow with some steps of difference. they are having fun by just standing close to her.

Grace for a short moment goes to the bathroom. she does her needs and returns. Pierre is having a friendly conversation with Brenda. he smiles so innocently. Grace returns to her seat. Brenda is drinking a juice and laughing.

"Thanks for the apple juice."

"What apple juice?" said Grace as she stares at the juice in Brenda's hand.

Brenda starts to throw up blood. she falls on the ground bleeding to death. Grace is in shock as she observes her dying friend. everyone else runs towards the dying girl. no one knows what to do. Grace looks at Pierre as she feels horror. he is truly a monster.