He frowns.

He looks behind... there she is. He quickly looks back down as he sees her turning to look forward again.

"7th January 2025

Who is this girl who infests my mind?"

He stops for a moment.

He frowns once more.

Question marks begin to fill the page as his mind ticks, looking for answers.

He stops once more.

"A PLAN", he scribbles a scratchy looking circle around this as his eyes light up.

"1: Talk to Specky."

He turns around without giving his mind time to think.

His hopeful, purple eyes meet her unbothered green.

"... Hello."

She doesn't respond.

"Err... I'm Popsicle! :)"

He attempts to smile, although all he can muster is a slightly creepy grin.

...

She turns to her left, her eyes gazing out the window. She plants her arm on the table. She carefully rests her jaw in her upright arm.

Ignored.

The boy spins back round. He instantly starts scratching the page as he pours out his emotion.

"what whyam what wh- ahhhhhhhh!!!"

He puts a 'x' next to "1: Talk to Specky."

Safe to say that was a failure.

------------

The shrill of a automated bell strikes the air.

"Ok class, you are dismissed. We'll continue with Algebra after lunch. Don't be late!"

The class erupts into a symphony of squeaking and scooting chairs as the students funnel through the tall wooden doorway.

Popsicle closes up his notebook and reaches down to his bag...

As he looks down, a white scrap of paper catches his eye. 

A note?

Did he write that? That doesn't look like his handwriting.

He picks it up.

"Meet me at the park. I want to ask you something."

Popsicle stands for a moment, as still as water. 

Was this...Specky?

His heart starts racing. His mind gushes with potential scenarios.

He immediately whips open his notebook.

"CALM. CALM. CALM. HASBHSVDAGSVGJHJB.

He is not calm. He picks up his things from his desk and shoves them all in his black, ripped and ragged backpack. 

He sprints out the classroom.

He smiles.

----------------------------

Popsicle's soft running slows as he approaches the park. He scans each apperatus, looking for Specky.

His eyes squint... no one?

Confusion overwhelms his mind.

No one is here...? Really? But the note said...

"Oi, you."

That tone of voice. 

"Hahaha! Look at the state of you, by yourself in a park. You looking for little kiddies, you pedo?"

"Did you... was it your note?"

His two sidekicks laugh as Piggy spits on the floor.

"You what? A note? Are you trying to joke around or something?"

 Suddenly his face becomes serious.

Popsicle begins to sweat. He looks at Piggy, who is now expressing a face that only meant one thing. Popsicle braced himself for the inevitable. Just as he begins to close his eyes he notices something.

 A flash of red.

The sound of a swing squeaking.

Air being gentley pushed back and forth... and back and forth... and back and forth... was it her?

WHACK!!

-------------