The Earring

Danny had never been as sure of anything as he was sure of his love of Amelia Featherfoot. Throughout his four years of high school, Danny had made it his ritual to spend every day behind her on the bus ride to school and memorize the intricacies of the back of her head. Even without ever speaking to her; besides asking for the occasional pencil or if he was feeling brave, notes, Danny had become convinced of his true love on those tiny trips to and from school, silently admiring the back of her head.

A sudden break from the bus caused Ameilia to lean forward in her seat. It pulled to a full stop and let in a group of groggy teenagers that awkwardly stumbled to their vinyl seats. Among them was a twiggy girl with a long face and a short side swept chestnut haircut. She carefully stepped over stray legs and sat herself down beside Danny.

Bella Bombarda had been Danny’s best friend ever since kindergarten. Since their last names started with the same last letter, they always seemed to get paired off for things; projects, desk assignments, even as field trip partners. Neither developed many other friendships, Danny because of his severe shyness, and Bella because of her brash unladylike behavior. It was this dichotomy in their personalities though, which is perhaps what made their friendship all the stronger. Even though Danny knew she was the type to make him do her homework and do all the work on a project, Danny would accept doing it because Bella would stand in the lunchline for him and talk during class presentations.

“I want a rematch today, anyone can win if they choose Meta-Knight for every round, I was the only one swapping my character!” Bella began, apparently resuming the conversation they had begun yesterday. Danny looked away from Amelia and noticed Bella resting a pink arm cast on her partially ripped up jeans. Should I ask how that happened or am I supposed to already know?

“What?” Bella asked, blushing from his gaze. Danny looked away back into Amelia’s direction, “Oh, I get it. You’re not even listening to me are you loverboy? Don’t you realize how pathetic you are?”

“Yes,” Danny responded without a thought. Suddenly the bus stopped and bodies started to move out of their seatings. Danny watched the back of Amelia’s head rise above her seat and get lost in a row of bus riders.

“Honestly, I wish you’d just ask her out already. It’s gonna be really pathetic if you have a crush on her all these years and you never ask her out once,” Bella lectured me as we gathered our things and filed out of our seats.

“You’ve told me before, I know,” Danny said, resigned to hear her speech.

“Well what’re you gonna do? Watch the back of her head for the rest of your life? It’s unrealistic! You need to grow up and grow a pair,” She said, squeezing an imaginary pair of testacles with her casted arm. Why is she being so nosy? If I want to be miserable then it’s my misery. Don’t make things worse and make me embarrass myself too. Danny stared at her arm and then lowered it for her.

“Thank you. I already have a pair. I don’t need a second.” Danny said, bluntly.

“If you had any balls you would have asked her out already,” Bella said motioning over to Amelia’s seat. As Bella looked back over to the empty seat, she noticed a distinct glimmer lying on the floor.

“Hold up,” She said and scurried toward it.

“Ya’ll going in or what?” Herman the bus driver shouted from behind a fried chicken leg.

“Um…” Danny began, trying to speak through the heavy presence of Herman’s authority.

“Shut the Hell up, Herman,” Bella said, casually dusting off her clothes. Herman shot them a glare and then continued to dine on his breakfast.

“What was it?” Danny asked, looking away from the bus driver. Bella smirked and held out her good hand.

“This my friend, is your ticket to a free prom date with Amelia,” Bella said, holding up a tiny sapphire earring.