Survival Of The Fittest

It was now set in stone that Robert Barron and Rachel Gettys would be going to prom together. Everyone knows you can't cancel something after it's been announced that loudly, unless you want to be heckled by every female student in school. And boy, was it loud.

Chloe bit her thumb, glancing away from Erik. "This is pretty much my fault, isn't it? I should never be allowed to give advice. Ever." She turned back toward her friend, with a look of sadness in her eyes.

"Uh, listen, I might get out of here. I'll get back to you on studying together, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. No problem." It was very difficult to try to keep the optimism in her voice that she and many others were used to. Why couldn't high school drama be dispersed evenly throughout the year instead of it all happening near prom?

Bobby came back, just to tell the two that he had to go. "Knee issues? Pretty lame excuse," she thought, trying to restrain a laugh at the tasteless pun she conceived. Given that he was just talking to Rachel, he was probably going off somewhere to badmouth them. Nevertheless, Chloe smiled and said waved goodbye. Her attention now fixed on Erik, she cupped his hands in hers. "If you need to talk to me about this, you know my number." With that, she smiled weakly, gathered her stuff and returned to her locker.

((Edited to say that Chloe Strong will be continued elsewhere))

Erik's stomach twisted slightly as Chloe spoke, and he shook his head silently at her words. It wasn't her fault Rachel and Bobby were going to go together - and that they had made such a big deal over it - honestly, he'd half expected it.

Well, not the big deal. That had been surprising. But still.

He offered her a half smile back, unfolding out of the chair and reflexively hunching his shoulders down. "Will do. Thanks, Strongwoman."

With that, he grabbed his things, stuffing them haphazardly into his bag, and took off. No point in dwelling on what had just happened, after all.

((Erik Laurin continued in Ego Sum Volo Futurus))