Potionate Love by Patricia Mason

POTIONATE LOVE
    Copyright 2012
    Patricia Mason writing as P.R. Mason
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    Dedication
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    "There's
only one way I'm going to get him," I whispered to my friend Gracella as the math teacher droned on. "A love
potion."
    The object of my
adoration, Ronny Tallsman , sat in his first row,
corner seat, blissfully unaware of my feelings or the plot. From my position in
the second row, on the opposite side of the classroom, I had a perfect view of
his profile. A faint wave curled his chin-length blond hair. His eyes—which
I knew were a shade of vivid azure—darted between the board and his note
pad as he scribbled with his pencil. He frowned and bit his full bottom lip
before scrubbing at the paper to erase a line of writing. Then he shook his
head, sending the curls swaying.
    "You gotta take me to see your great aunt, the voodoo
priestess," I continued to Gracella .
    "Root doctor,
Tina." She shot the correction under her breath from the seat beside mine
without her head turning. If I didn't know better, I'd believe she was concentrating
on what Mrs. Blake was writing on the chalkboard.
    "Root doctor.
Voodoo. Same thing."
    "Not
really," she said.
    "But she can
do a love potion, can't she?" I pleaded. "You told me she did one for
your cousin and now your cousin's married."
    "Yes but...Oh,
I wish I'd never told you that."
    " Constantina Dimas," the math teacher called on me.
    My attention
snapped forward.
    "Here, Mrs.
Blake." I thrust my hand in the air.
    "Can you
answer the equation?" She tapped the stick of chalk against the board
three times while glaring at me. She obviously knew I hadn't been listening to
a word she'd been saying.
    I glanced at the
foot-long problem and threw out the answer. " u /c
= 9.352."
    "Correct,"
Mrs. Blake said between grinding teeth, her eyes narrowing to slits. "Thank
you, Constantina ."
    My being a math
prodigy came in handy to cover for my lack of attention in class. My parents
insisted that next year I enroll in Senior honors math. I had to take advantage
of this year to coast. Only trouble was, my attitude irritated Mrs. Blake and
she relentlessly tried to catch me out.
    "There's
something unethical about this," Gracella whispered.
    "Ronny's not
going out with anybody, so it's all right."
    "Why do you
want to go out with him?" My friend Nathan asked from the chair behind
mine. "He's a stupid jock. He plays football."
    "Yes but he
also plays lacrosse," I hissed back.
    "So
what?" Nathan argued.
    "That means
he's cultured," I said.
    Nathan gave a
disgusted huff. "This is dumb. You can't make someone want you with a love
potion. I thought you were going to be a scientist. This is totally a
contradiction to anything scientific or logical."
    "It fits
perfectly." I spoke under my breath and over my shoulder. "I want
Ronny to take me to the Spring Science Fair Fiesta Dance this Friday."
    "What does
that have to do with anything?" Nathan's breath was hot on my ear.
    "That makes
it science-related." I waved at my ear as if swatting a fly.
    " Constantina Dimas," the teacher demanded, making me
cringe. She was really trying to get me today.
    Not hesitating, I
answered,"10x minus 3."
    The teacher stared
at me silently for a moment and then nodded before turning back to the board
for more scribbling. "Does everyone else see how Ms. Dimas reached her
solution?"
    "Besides,"
I continued to Nathan. "The Chinese part of me may be good at math and
science, but the Greek part is superstitious."
    "What Greek
part?" Nathan asked. "You're adopted. You're all Chinese."
    " Constantina Dimas," the teacher demanded. "Can
you give us the answer to the next problem?"
    "Y equals x
squared over 3x minus 2," I said almost immediately.
    Her mouth pursed
so tightly I could count the twenty-three lines wringing her mouth.
"Correct," she finally said.
    I raised my hand
again and the teacher fixed her gaze on me before nodding to give me