Painful Smiles

Clara cheered loudly with her friends. Just today the French guy came and the whole school was already talking about him.

If she could make a better impression on him and make him one of the guys drooling over her, then her popularity would be more stable and no one would dare her.

Even other Queens of neighboring schools would be obedient to her.

His silver hair gave off a different I’ve with his emerald eyes. If not she was the Queen of the school, she could have dated him.

‘But really, couldn’t anyone else be his tour guide? Must it be my ugly twin’ she sipped her orange juice.

Belle giggled on her use of ‘ugly’.

‘Claudia isn’t ugly though. She just doesn’t want to tap on her beautiful part’ Mega giggled also. Clara rolled her eyes and sipped her juice again.

What was beautiful about her twin? The only thing Clara truly admired about her twin is her charisma and independence.

Her sister was basically missing out in the basic things of life like their parents’ love so she definitely didn’t want her twin’s life.

Mark slammed the door open and glared at the three of them. Belle and Mega stood up slowly. ‘Excuse us’ he barked at them. The both friends scurried out of the class. No one else was in. Mark turned calm and sat down beside Clara.

‘Now you’re scare them away, hurry tell me way you want’ Clara frowned. Mark kept quiet, staring at her.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

‘I don’t have all day, boyfriend. What do you want from me?’ she asked. He glanced at her lips and then at shirt. ‘You changed your clothes?’.

She smiled, ‘So?’. He diverted his gaze from her lips again and stared at the door. She got up from her chair, she pushed her remaining orange juice to him.

She walked to the door returned and blew him a kiss. When he didn’t attempt catching her kiss, she left pouting. He watched her leave.

It hurt him that he would have to keep on swallowing his words all the time.

Their relationship might seem like a game to remain the school’s favorite and popular couple.

It might seem like that to Clara. But to him, it meant a lot more. She meant a lot more.

Some of his friends had whispered to him about Clara playing cute with the new guy.

They all knew had techniques, her girls, Mega or Belle, had used it on them.

He was beyond jealous when he caught her red handed flirting with the French guy. Biting her lips and acting cute, it angered him more to see the French guy looking at her as she left.

He was rich, good-looking and also popular. It would take him almost nothing to take Clara away.

Mark’s phone vibrated in his pockets and he dug in to get it.

‘Hello, mom’ he picked up. ‘Son, are you feeling better? Just wanted to remind you to take your drugs’ his mom’s voice rung from the other side.

He nodded, ‘I will take them now. Thanks’ he spoke lowly. He cut the call after she said bye. He exhaled, even his girlfriend didn’t know he was sick.

She was busy chasing after the popularity by adding more rich admirers to her gang. She may not even care about how he left.

He must have been a fool to think dating the school’s Queen was easy.

**********

Claudia’s mood improved by the time she got back home. Perhaps it was Paul’s energetic vibe that helped.

Or the fact Wright walked her home and her dad gave her a face when he saw them together. These days she enjoyed annoying him, enjoyed annoying his favorite daughter too.

‘Claudia? Clara? Someone sent you guys gifts’ their mother shouted from downstairs. Paul jumped down from the bed and made a somersault.

‘Whoa, Frenchie. Easy on the legs’ Claudia smiled. He made little jumps and began hopping down the stairs.

Claudia joined him. Her face went sour when she saw Clara admiring a pink hoodie. A pink huge teddy sat besides her. She was sitting on the couch.

Paul ran to her and sat besides her. He looked longingly at the teddy before making puppy dog eyes at Clara.

‘Mom, surely these gifts are from Mark to his girlfriend. Why’d you call me?’ Claudia folded her arms. Her mother came out from the kitchen with her aprons.

She frowned when she saw Paul trying to sneak away with the pink teddy. ‘Young man, drop that doll. I am going to give it to an orphanage’, Clara glared at her mother.

Mrs. Larabee ignored it and faced Claudia with a smile, ‘Well dear, I called you because the letter said ‘to the beautiful daughter of the Larabee’s’ so I called you both to identify who’.

‘Mom, its mine. No one gives gifts to Claudia with sweet messages, and who would give her a teddy’ Clara snickered.

Claudia sighed and began walking upstairs, Paul dropped the doll dejectedly and started walking with Claudia.

‘And mom, don’t send my gift to an orphanage. I rather give it to Paul’ Clara began whining. Her mother sent her a hard glare and she shut up.

‘Grow up. I don’t even want my son liking dolls. Give it to younger kids, will you. Grow up Clara Larabee’ she made a long sigh and went back to the Kitchen.

Clara angrily threw the doll to the floor and stepped on it. It’s not like she gets to keep it anyway. She looked at the short message written on it.

She was sure of one thing. Whoever sent this message, didn’t know she was a twin and could possibly be sending it to Claudia. Chances were low it was too Claudia.

The gift could actually be for her since she was popular and everyone would like to please her. Still, she was sure the person who sent must be a new student or someone who didn’t know her. Everyone knew Claudia was her twin so the Larabee’s had two daughter.

Well, everyone except for the new guy, of course. Clara smiled, her game did work.