Title: Slits
Author: Sen
Notes: Another piece of fic written when I was sixteen. The description matches my high school, though, minus small details of the updates they've made to the building in the past two years. This is probably my favorite fic on here.

Jake glared at his reflection in the mirror of his bathroom. He looked perfect -- minus the tie. His hair laid just right, his black suit was crisp and clean. His button-up white shirt didn't have one crease or wrinkle. He smelled good, too. A faint smell of Candies had blossomed when he sprayed once and walked through the disintegrating mist. So what was it about the tie? It was a dark green, and Florinda had asked him to wear it. "So we don't clash for pictures," she'd said. Right now it looked like one big knotted blob that stuck out like a sore thumb. He attempted another whack at untying it -- and made it worse. "Bitch!" he yelled at it in frustration.

"Am I?" Florinda's voice rang out from the doorway behind him. Jake jumped in surprise and turned. He gasped and she grinned. "I suppose that means I look good, yes?" His expression matched hers, for it was contagious. "Yeah."

Florinda looked beautiful; her long brown hair in wavy curls, her lips glossed subtly. Her green dress was spaghetti strapped, and showed a little cleavage, for it curved with her. The hem line dropped just above her knees.

"I'm sorry that I didn't really ask you if you liked green," and he interrupted her, "It's my new favorite color." She nodded. "And, I finally see who the bitch is," she said, advancing toward him. She took his tie in both her hands and twisted and turned many times till she jumped back, exclaiming, "Voila!" Jake spun around, staring at the double-winsor knot in the mirror. "Hey, thanks," he said, folding his collar over it.

"No problem. And just so you know, I didn't just walk right through the door, your dad let me in."

"Ahh," he said, turning back to her and placing his arms on her waist. "I wouldn't have cared either way," and he pressed his lips to hers.

His fingers played with the tiny silver locket dangling on a chain from her neck. It was round and a shiny little snowflake was engraved on the face of it. He opened it up to see the hollow circles, devoid of pictures. "Why do they make these things if they're too small to hold an actual picture?" he teased, snapping it closed. "Why? Because they are pretty, dahling." He combed his hand through her hair. "I thought I was supposed to pick you up at home?" he scolded gently, snatching her hand with his free empty one. Florinda's lower lip stuck out and she pouted, "I couldn't wait."

"A likely story!" He kissed her again.

"Linda?" James called out, his black bangs overshadowing his eyes. He watched her turn at his voice and crack a smile.

"Hi, James."

He smiled wistfully and wrung his hands. "Where's your date?"

Florinda sipped her blue plastic cup with red-dyed punch quickly. "Jake's in the bathroom," she said.

The glittering disco ball that hung from the rafters suspended from the ceiling spun rapidly, casting orbs of light around the room. Many of the orbs showered both Florinda and James. Entranced, James asked, "Wanna dance?" She nodded. "Okay." And she set her cup down on the papered table. He led her through dozens of couples to the center of the room. As a fast song started, they began moving to the music, arms, legs and hips.

Jake stepped out of the hall just in time for the fast songs tail end. He was engulfed in the dancing shadows and dancing orbs; everything seemed to flicker around him. He caught sight of Florinda, dancing merrily with James, and the song ended. James planted a kiss on her lips and she pushed him away gently. Jealous anger seared through Jake, his fists clenching with a primal rage.

"Don't do that again," she snapped after she brought her hands up and pushed James back. "I -- I'm sorry," he said, and she shook her head. "Not again." She stalked off and leaned on the dark brick pillar. James's mouth stayed agape. His date, a short pretty blonde, glared back at him as he looked around for a hiding place.

Jake touched Florinda's arm and she frowned. "I suppose you saw that, didn't you?"

He sighed and slipped his arm around her. "Yeah. He seems like a real nice guy, doesn't he? Try to steal my girlfriend?" he winked, catching her eye. "So you want me to go beat him up? I think I could take him."

She laughed. "No. He probably feels bad enough now. But thanks for attempting to restore my so-called 'honor.' I love it."

Jake wet his lips. "Did you know that it's true you learn something every day? I learned that 'fiddle' is a verb and a noun," he said proudly. Florinda giggled once more. "Come," she said, "you must dance with me." It was not a suggestion, nor a request; just a gentle demand.

When the chorus for the song came on, Jake's eyes lit up with excitement. "Linda, this is my soooong!" And he began mock-singing along with it. "'I'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you.'"

"Stop!" she said, giggling uncontrollably. But yet he continued, "'I know you were right, believing for so long. Oh, I'm all out of love, what am I without you? I can't be too late,'" and she lip-locked him before he could finish. After they pulled away, he said, "I really think that sometimes you kiss me just to shut me up." She looked up at him angelically. The song dragged on. "What are you thinking about?"

Mischievously, she answered, "Guess."

"Oh. Well, I bet it's sex," he said, accentuating the word 'sex.'

She smiled, creating more laugh lines. "No. It was you. But now, y'know, I think I can picture both."

"Ah, Linds, you are great," he tittered.

During the next song, she leaned on him, still slow-dancing. "Jake?" she asked.

"Mm?"

"In a while do you want to go somewhere and watch an old horror movie? Y'know, one where virgins live. Sluts die. That sort of thing?"
"Whatever you want."

Florinda nodded. "I'll be right back then. I have to use the bathroom," she said, pulling away.

"Hey, Anna?" Jake asked a few minutes after looking by himself.

The blonde who had broken up with James an hour before snapped her eyes to attend Jake. "What?"

Jake combed the crowd with his eyes one last time before asking, "Have you seen Florinda? She went to the bathroom a while ago, and she wanted to go rent a movie or something when she got back, but, I can't find her."

Anna shook her head, her brown eyes dilating in the sphere-encrusted light. Then, a figure moving behind him caught her eye, and she smiled. "There she is," and went back to dancing with her new partner. Jake turned, and his eyes widened.

"Jake!" Florinda called, her eyes dimming, and she tripped, almost falling on the foot-long and very sharp, very bloody knife; she had taken it out of her arm. Scarlet tears ran down her wrists, through her fingers, and staining her dress. Tears soaked her eye lashes. The knife clattered to the floor, and she doubled over, caught by Jake.

"Linda, Linda, baby, what happened?" he said frantically, brushing hair out of her face. "Help!" he screamed over his shoulder. "Somebody help!"

"I didn't. Jake, Jake, I didn't. I didn't!" she cried, her voice raspy and dying, her face already drained bone-dry of color. Jake tore off his black suit jacket and laid her on the floor, tenderly propping her head up on the balled-up jacket. The crowd had gathered around them, forming a great wall. "Baby, it's going to be okay," he said, trying to enfuse hope in not only her, but himself. "I didn't," she repeated weakly, and moved no more. Jake momentarily stopped putting pressure on one of her wrists to check her pulse in her neck. It wasn't there. His body shook in anguish as someone pulled him away and mutterings of suicide escaped the public. He fought against the many hands and arms to return to her, but to no avail. He was barricaded. The wave of mutterings continued, this time about her uncanny ability to appear unhappy consistently. More waves of pity passed and Jake exploded, "She did not kill herself! She said she didn't!" And James, numb, spoke up in the new silence, "She said, 'I didn't.' She could have meant that she just didn't mean to."