Sue: Amaya or McCain

Sorry, didn’t have food, so I ran out to the grocer’s.

Sue made it to homeroom well before the bell rang. Better safe then sorry.
The ticket was still in her hand, and she stared.
She wasn’t even sure if she liked him. After all, friends had dreams about one another, right?
And since she mostly hung around McCain and Amaya, so it made sense she dreamt about them, right? And since they never hung out together, it made sense that she dreamt about them separately, right? And dreams were always weird, right?
So when Amaya entered her dream-room in that maids outfit, that didn’t mean anything, right? Even when she started to…
Ugh! She put the ticket away and buried her head in her arms. High school and puberty were hard enough without these confusing feelings.
In her arms, she smiled slowly. Maybe it was a sign!
Yes! She would go to the exhibit with McCain, and if he made a move that was it. She and he would be a thing, and Amaya would just be a friend.
Sue felt a light poke on her shoulder and sat up.
Speak of the devil
The pretty, mute devil.
Amaya smiled and waved from the next desk over. Cheerful as ever.
”Hi Amaya. How are you feeling this morning?” Sue asked, resting her head on a propped up hand. Amaya gave a thumbs up, just like most mornings.
”Glad to hear. Hey, can I ask your advi-“
Amaya quickly cut her off by putting a small flyer in front of her. It was an advert for a film matinee this Sunday where Amaya worked. The film seemed to be a genderbent film noir, starring a female detecting with a tall, dark and handsome male fatale. Tickets were apparently two for one. Sue looked up.
”What, you want me to go with you to this?”
Amaya leaned forward, stars in her eyes and nodded enthusiastically.
”Alright, it looks pretty interesting. I’ll meet you at the cinema, cool?”
Amaya gave a thumbs up
Just then, the first bell rang and the teacher drew everyone’s attention to the diagram on the board.
Sue got out her notebook and started copying the picture and noting what the teacher lectured.
More than once, while looking up, she thought she caught Amaya sneeking glances at her through her peripheral vision
Couldn’t have been though. Amaya was usually very studious and attentive

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Amaya and McCain had different lunch times then Sue, so she was stuck at the drama table, as she called it only to herself… and McCain and Amaya.
Though she participated in the conversation, it was always a light source of amusement and wonder how the others could make a mountain out of a molehill.  Even issues she had thought resolved were brought up again and again, seemingly for the sake of something to whine about.
It was beyond beating a dead horse at this point, it was stirring a jar of glue.

The day ended and Sue got herself home, as she normally did.
No one else was home yet, and she climbed the stairs to her room where she shut the door and turned on some music from her computer, on shuffle.
Wouldn’t it be nice, if we were older? Then we wouldn’t have to wait so long
 Skip
Fell in love with a girl. I fell in love at once and almost completely
Skip
Give me your, give me your, give me your attention, baby
Skip
I never thought I’d miss you, Half as much as I do
Skip
I’m confessin’ that I love you
And that was enough music for today. Sue flopped down on her bed and sighed. The ceiling offered no insights so she started on her homework.
At some point in the evening, her mother came home and prepared a quick dinner, which was eaten quietly, as normal.
It being a school night, Sue fiddled with the book she was currently engaged in before calling it a night and going to bed.
She hung up her necklace on the bed post, like she usually did, and did her last phone check like she usually did.
Two texts, like there usually were.
 ☆☾ ☆ =^ ◡^=      -From Amaya, as usual
Goodnight. Sleep well. -From McCain, as usual
Sue sighed, looking at her phone. This hadn’t been usual, but was fast becoming so.
She turned on the phone power saver and rolled over to sleep and exactly two dreams.
As usual.

She had two dreams that night, but when she woke up she couldn’t remember the order they occurred. Her mind almost seemed to switch between the two of them, back and forth, like an indecisive couch potato.
In one, she was on a stage in front of a faceless audience, dressed in some Japanse costume, wearing a mask. A large eight headed dragon puppet danced in front and around her.
In the other, she was sitting at a desk in an office and the world was black and white, and the room was smoky.
A new figure entered the stage wielding a large sword. Though he also wore a mask, she could tell it was McCain. A drum beat, strings and flutes started playing as he took a measured step. The dragon turned and faced him.
The door knocked after a silhouette appeared through the textured glass where ‘eyE etavirP’ was spelled out. “Come in” Sue found herself growling and a woman stepped in wearing a form fitting black dress. Though she wore a veiled hat, she could tell it was Amaya. She started towards Sue.
McCain slowly moved his sword in an exaggerated arc, grasping it with two hands. The music intensified and the dragon approached, hissing and swaying, putting itself between McCain and Sue.
Instead of taking the chair, Amaya sat herself on Sue’s desk, carelessly dragging her arm over papers and around the edge of a full shot class Sue hadn’t noticed before this. Obscured by the smoke and veil, Sue guessed Amaya was wearing a sultry smirk and her fingers continued to rim the glass.
With a running start, McCain leaped towards the first serpent head and swung, causing the head to fall. In a fluid motion, he swung again and a second one joined the first on the ground.
Amaya leaned over the desk and sipped the glass empty without picking it up. She licked her lips and shifted over to her knees to start crawling closer to Sue. With a slow motion, she pulled her hat off and let it fall to the ground, viewing Sue closer and closer with half-lidded eyes.
The last dragon head fell. McCain raised his sword arm and released his weapon, letting it clatter to the ground. The music stopped. He took a step towards Sue. A drum beat. Another step. Another drum beat. Another. Another. Another. Another. He was close enough for Sue to see his eyes through the holes in his mask. He stepped onto a fallen dragon head that Sue would swear hadn’t been there before, bringing him face height to Sue.
The femme fatale pushed back Sue’s fedora and traced her face with her fingers.
McCain raised his mask over his head, while doing the same to Sue’s. He let his hand remain on the back of her head.
Amaya gently pulled on Sue’s chin closer to her face while moving closer.
McCain tilted his head and moved closer to Sue’s face.
Amaya’s eyes closed.
McCain’s lips parted.
She moved closer.
He moved closer.
Sue could smell her perfume.
Sue could feel his breath.
Closer.
Closer.
Lips parted.
Breath heavy.
Sue closed her eyes and waited.
Sue closed her eyes and waited.
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing
Sue’s alarm went off and she opened her eyes and groaned. Not again.


cont