Painting our Life - 6 Colors

   I can't continue this. Every day she mopes, doesn't go to school and barely eats. I lied to the teachers about her being sick with the flu for the past week. Every day I cross my fingers for Twilight to come and erase everyone's memory of us. To return us to our normal age. To make things right and bring us back where we were. Dash. I wish for nothing but her happiness right now. I really do. And I wish I could be with her. The mornings snuggling in bed with her when she was pony is but a distant memory now. A memory I wish I could relive.

   I knock on her door and open it. Dash is sitting on her bed, fumbling around with her laptop. Her fingers rapidly shoot around, pressing the keys she need to type words. Tears roll down her cheeks as she types.

   Of all people, why was Jakob the one who goes to Centennial? There are two hundred thousand people living in this town, I'm pretty sure half of that population are teens or have kids who are teens. Why Jakob?

   "Dash. Are you really going to go around like this?" She looks at me. Her purple eyes sparkle and she flattens a few strands of red hair that stick out.

   "I already told you, I'm not going to be in the same room and that jerk." She returns to typing and weeping. "Damn it. More people in this world calling me lesbian. What the hell is up with everypo-" She pauses and licks her lips, "Everyone." The words don't come out in her usual beautiful voice, they come out as croaks.

   "You really care what they say? You really care what a few stupid teens write about you on the Internet? And you're really skipping school because of one idiot from your past?" Dash grooms her hair with a hand.

   "Of course I do. Wouldn't you be pissed if people called you gay. And you'll never know how I felt. He was my friend, and when his dad grabbed me and tied me up, it was like a knife driven through my back. He betrayed me and locked me up in a cage to be sold as a pet." The first few words catch me by surprise. Her tone was more insulting than questioning.

   "Da-" Before I could say anything, she holds up a hand, silencing me.

   "Kyle, I'll admit it, I hate living here. I hate being what I'm not. And I hate humans!" My jaw drops. Her jaw drops. She covers her mouth, but spoken words cannot be taken back. I take a deep breath. "Shit, I didn't mean that, it just came out bec-"

   "Don't... Just stop." I hush her. "Don't say anymore." I leave the room, close the door, and for the first time in a long time, I feel the need to cry. A few tears drip down my face. Inhale. And exhale.

   I grab the phone in my room and dial Centennial's number. The secretary picks up and identifies herself.

   "Centennial C.V.I, this is the office. How may I help you?"

   "Yeah, uh, this is Kyle Linston."

   "Ah, Kyle? You're the new kid? How was your first month here at Centennial? I hope to see you here ready to learn later."

   "It was great. But about coming to school today..." I fake a cough, "That's the reason why I called." I pause, and the lie almost chokes in my throat. "I'm feeling queasy so I can't come to school today."

   "Oh. I'll need to speak to one of your legal guardians about that."

   "I don't have one. I live alone." I bite my lip.

   "You live with no guardian? With Shay Brooksin? You take care of everything? Is she alright?"

   "Yeah, she still has the flu though. I swear, if I had a parent, I would have them talk to you."

   "I'm sorry honey, but you'll have to come. I can't give permission to students without getting a parent's say first. And don't make up such silly lies."

   "But-"

   "Be at school." She hangs up, leaving me alone with no one to talk to. I should really practice my lying techniques. I grumble and go downstairs to pack my lunch.

   My happiness with Dash has been replaced with sorrow and anger. Sorrow for our friendship that's seemingly falling apart since we began school and anger for Jakob. Jakob, who tore us apart years ago. Jakob, who has reentered my life to ruin it once more.

   I sling my bag over my shoulder and open the front door. Years ago, I would walk to work. Mostly due to my lack of a car. A memory clicks into my mind and I remember the day Dash and I met. I look around the garden, and find a stone. It's nice and smooth. It's about the size of a baby's fist, and is perfectly round. I pick it up. A stone. I have the urge to chuck it away, along with all my problems... But I control myself and squeeze the stone tightly. My old habit takes over, and I hold the stone to my chest as if it's the most precious gem in the world. A diamond. I sigh and drop it. If only my relationship with Dash was as strong and impenetrable as a diamond.

   I get in the car and start the engine. A thousand thoughts race through my head and stupidity almost takes over. I almost decide to skip school. The thought seems appealing but I shake it off and drive to school.

   The day drags on and on. Just on and on and on and on.i find myself thanking the gods that it's Friday. During English, I doze off and receive a detention slip for it.

   I sit alone during lunch, not eating. My stomach growls and begs for food. I forgoed breakfast this morning and I ate little dinner the night before. Not very smart but Dash's sudden depression has me full of stress and worrying.

   Throughout lunch, I felt every pair of eyes from the table of jocks on me. I was sure they were going to come and beat me up for what Dash did to Jakob but I think they would've done that already a few days ago if they planned to. Still, it nerves me knowing that I might be beaten up one day by a group of people who have gorilla strength.

   The periods after lunch passes slower than the morning block.

   After an eternity of torture, the dismissal bell finally rings. I take one look at the detention slip. A few minutes pass and I decide what to do. I crinkle the slip into a small ball and toss it away on the way out.

   Nearly a decade ago, I felt alone and helpless. Then I met Rainbow Dash. She dragged me out of my despair. Now that feeling is back.

   Scan and bag. Scan and bag. All joy has been sucked out of working. I watch the lady grab her merchandise and walk out of the store.

   A little boy walks up to the counter and sets down a pack of Pokemon cards with a ten dollar bill. I scan the cards and put the ten dollar bill into the cash register. He smiles joyously as I hand him back the pack of cards and his change. He runs to the front of the store where a woman (most likely his mother) takes the leftover money. He says, or I think he says "Thank you." I can't hear the words. His mom smiles and pulls him in for a hug. They leave the store.

   I felt a pang of jealousy seeing such a happy family like that. In a sick way, I could say I'm being greedy. I already have Dash. She means more than anything to me. Why should I be envious of someone else? I don't know.

   A few hours pass. Before the end of my shift, I pull out my cell phone and dial my home's number.

   "Kyle?" Dash croaks my name. I have Caller I.D, if anyone she doesn't know calls, I have told her to leave the phone be.

   "I'll be home in about twenty five minutes, have you eaten anything today?"

   "Not really, why?" A long silence follows. I wet my lips and mutter under my breath.

   "Don't leave the house, ok? I'm coming home." I click the end call button. I zip up my hoodie. The seasons seem to be stuck at autumn, and not budging to winter. Still, I don't want to catch a cold because of a few chilly breezes. I check out at the employee's lounge, and leave for the parking lot.

   Inside the car, I sit for a few seconds. In the past week, I found myself zoning out and staring into space for minutes more often. Dash was always there to wake me up when I daydream, she isn't here right now. I start up the engine and drive down a few blocks to Pizza Pizza, order a vegetarian pizza, and drive home with the hot italian pie beside me on the passenger seat.

   With the pizza in one hand, I fumble around with the house keys in the other hand. Opening the front door, I step in and an incoming object almost causes me the drop the pizza. Not an object... but a person. Dash has her arms around me, and I set the pizza down on the stairs to embrace her hug. She pulls back slightly to get a good look of my face.

   "I've been waiting." She forces a weak smile. But it quickly drops. "And... I'm..." She coughs a bit, and almost chokes on the word. "Sorry."

   "It wasn't your fault."

   "No, but what I said this morning, that was. It sort of just slipped out, and I didn't mean it, not at all." Dash says, not sure if her apology did the job. "Are we still friends?"

   I smile. "Of course." She wraps her arms around me once again, this time tighter. I hug her back. We stand there for a moment of silent, when our stomachs simultaneously growls.

   Dash laughs. "Hey, mind cooking some dinner?" I point at the box of pizza sitting on the stairs.

   "Figured we'd have something simpler tonight."

   "Food is food." She raises an eyebrow. "No meat?"

   "All vegeterian." We bring the pizza to the living room, where we could eat and watch television at the same time. Before I sit down, I decide to as for a silly favour. "Hey Dash?"

   "Yeah?" She says through a mouthful of pizza.

   "Do you mind giving me that welcome every night as you did before as a pony?" I laugh. She chuckles and points out a major flaw in my request.

   "Hey, don't forget I have school too now, as well as a part time job."

   "Oh yeah." She eyes the tv remote, and snatches it before I could, laughing at my feeble attempts to grab it from her.

   As I try to take the remote from her, she holds it out of my reach and flips through the channels. We're laughing like idiots, already forgotten the day we had without each other. I'm sure the sound was loud enough for the people who live in town can hear us. After all, we do live nearly two kilometers outside of Guelph. The tv channel changes like lightning, until one channel playing one particular movie captures our attention, settling us down from the fight for the remote. Speed Racer. Dash sets the remote down on the table and picks up her slice of half eaten pizza.

   Everything is fine again. The fight is over and Dash has gifted me a great refresher on memory today. What I had said about wishing our relationship being as perfect and strong as a diamond, I realize it is a diamond. No diamond can be mined out without a small chip here and there after all. It has taken all this for me to open up to it. And now I find myself forseeing better days. Even if English, history and science tests will drag most of those days down.