Heart's Reflection by P R Mason

to us.
    Before I could say
anything, she snipped two of my fingernails. Then sweeping my shoulder length
hair back, she took a lock from the nape and cut it off too.
    Coming out of my
stunned shock, I glanced at my friends and saw them as surprised as me.
    "Hopefully,
that won't show," I joked. "I'll never get Ronny to take me to the
dance if I have a bald spot. Potion or no potion."
    Nathan scowled.
"If you wanna go to the dance so bad, Istanbul, I guess I could force
myself to take you."
    "Thanks,"
I said through clenched teeth, trying to tamp down the kernels of hurt his
words caused. He had to force himself?
    "Yeah,"
he continued. "You clean up okay. You wouldn't be a total
embarrassment."
    The kernel popped
like Orville Redenbacher's in a microwave. "Wow, what a fantastic
offer," I retorted. "But I wouldn't want you to lose your creds with
the other geeks. I know you guys only date supermodels."
    "It's
okay," he said with a smirk. "Any sacrifice for a friend."
    Reaching up, I
gave a yank to a clump of his hair. "I wouldn't be seen on a date with
anybody who had a messy mop like this."
    "Oww,"
he protested, rubbing his head. "Sheesh. Are you trying to give me a bald
spot to match yours?"
    Aunt Vandi,
peering down her long nose, contemplated Nathan and me for a few moments before
making a tut tut clucking noise with
her tongue.
    "I take these
to make potion. Beeback." With that she swept through a beaded curtain and
disappeared into the bowels of the house.
    About five minutes
passed with Nathan harping at me and me sniping in response.
    "Honestly you
two," Gracella said. "If you don't knock it off, I'll leave you here
and you can get back to town through the gator-infested marsh."
    As she finished
the last word, her aunt stepped back into the room. Aunt Vandi walked past
Nathan, and he jumped, startled.
    "What is it, bohbo ? You act like I may turn you into
toad or sompin."
    "Hehe."
Nathan tried to laugh.
    Aunt Vandi stopped
in front of me and held up a capped vial. Inside was a brownish red powdery
substance. "Dis potion. It make this Ronny guy take you to the dance and
it bring you love. Dis what you want?"
    I nodded, and took
the vial with trembling fingers.
    "Take care no
one but your guy swallows dis mixture."
    "Swallows?"
    Nathan snickered.
A genuine laugh this time.
    Duh, Tina. Somehow it hadn't occurred to
me I was going to have to get Ronny to take the love potion.

 
 
    Gracella held one
side of the sign against the lip of the table as I held the other. Applying a
piece of the tape, I affixed my side before standing back to take a look. The
signed screamed in block letters: Lacrosse
Team Fundraiser Bake Sale. Brownies $1 .
    We'd set up in a
corner of the cafeteria, and a few pre-lunch students milled around us, eyeing
our progress. On the table, we had three-dozen brownies. Each had been wrapped
in plastic and decorated with a slender ribbon bow. The ribbons were red and
blue on the normal brownies. We'd
decorated two special love
potion-filled brownies with yellow ribbon and then hidden them safely inside a
picnic basket.
    "Tell me
again why we have two s pecial brownies?" Gracella asked.
    "We have a
spare, just in case something happens to one."
    "Like
what?"
    "Like it
falls to the ground."
    "This isn't
going to work." Gracella shook her head and wrung her hands.
    "It will
work," I said, arranging the brownies in precise spaces on the table.
"Our target loves brownies. I've noticed him getting one every time they
have them in the lunch line."
    "Why would we
be fundraising for the lacrosse team? We aren't on the team, and we aren't on
the insipid cheer squad."
    "So? Anybody
can have school spirit," I defended. "It's common knowledge the
school board cut funding for athletics and everything but football is
suffering. Besides, we'll actually donate the money, so we aren't cheating
anyone."
    "What if
Ronny doesn't eat lunch inside today?" Gracella asked.
    "Shhhhh,"
I whispered. "Don't say his name. Just say