The girl on fire

  I had never quite understood the true nature of the opposite sex, especially when it came to a certain girl. Not as shallow as one may presume, and yet still with many lessons yet to be learned. I suppose that is where I come in, unexpected as it may be. For I had, at the time, not found any reason to talk to anyone at that particular place. That nearly wretched place. A school?

  Perhaps. The teachers were fine and dandy, but that is never really my problem. It was always the students. My peers that were so ever irritating. But she, even though confused as I at one time or another, was more or less a sanctuary compared to sitting with those animals. Her name was Marlo.

  Her hair was not so far from the delicate beauty of a raven's feathers, its own occasional bobs and swirls magnificent and strangely dramatic. Her skin oddly pale for a girl of that age. No time to be depressed and anti-social if you haven't had any problems yet in your life. At the present time of my knowledge that was far from the truth.

  The voice distinct, and almost non-stop. But considering my physical state that’s probably what I should get. The other, smaller kinder barely got to hear a word unless it were their own. Suffice to say, I didn't get a word in edge wise until a few months into the motley relationship.

  I had become acquainted with her other friends, most absurd in behavior and utterly annoying, but why should I complain out loud? One in particular for some bizarre unknown reason was determined to keep me away from my lovely minuscule friend. I suppose my "Grotesque" figure as she put it was too hideous for her to comprehend on a regular basis. Like she could talk...

  But in the least Marlo had a better companion, her best friend Ceanne. Cute, jovial, and rather similar to my own stature, but that shouldn't matter! She had a thing for art. Very specific art. Something about two men with little to cover their thin figures.

  Time passed us all by, we all became better acquainted, more used to each other's ways. However, we all had less meetings in the summer than we had hoped. But it was not long before a very different school approached our lives. One known as the finale for education, if not simply the last days of teachings so we all could move onto collage. High school was here!

  Lady luck apparently had been most pleased with me as of late, for many of the classes I attended at the high school were also Marlo's classes. Oh, she was so beautiful... Her hair stretched down to her waist, her skin was brighter peach than before, and her eyes were always glowing with a decadent light. Too bad her many boyfriend's lacked my vision of her.

  Every other week, she would have SOMETHING to rant about, and who could blame her? She drew to her some of the most despicable characters you could hear or write about. I even recall a break up that got her a black eye. Usually I try and be around her, but this day and age she was concerned with some trivial thing called "Reputation". I suppose a fat male friend that was always acting like a happy drunk severely damaged this conduct.

  But in any case, these guy problems were not the worst that has occurred to her, not at all. She had confided in me tales of disturbed adults, and her innocent days long gone. Psychology be damned, but  still it would not be a surprise if these horrible memories could be making her subconscious come towards these ungrateful naves. I would not have it! Soon there was rarely a moment when she was not in some ways under my wing.

  Especially with news of a new boy, perhaps the worst of them all. This disgusting individual was named Thomas. Unfortunately, it was to my understanding they were intimate. An unknown feeling was beginning to overwhelm me. Thoughts of vengeance, violence, castration... this is jealousy I suppose?

  Before I could lay my own personal fury upon this disease ridden leech, a break up occurred! How could this come to be? Marlo... she told me that he ran before he met his timely death. She was becoming irritated to extremes far more wretched than I imagined. Hey, she managed to steal one of his Marilyn Manson t-shirts! Oh joy!

  To my disbelief, summer was already here again, even though I was nearly branded an idiot or a lazy prick for my... attendance. At least it was behind me now. I got to talk to Marlo a lot more at this time. I even was able to attend a burning of written knowledge of the foul guy. And even more happy was I to discern she was not hooking up with anyone anytime soon.

  Nothing happened... we talked, but no sparks occurred. I asked to date every once and awhile yet she would not have it. I couldn't give up though. Something was pulling me towards her still. I longed to hold her in my arms, the warmth of our hearts so close making the moment ever dear. I started thinking a lot more. Day dreaming, scheming. I couldn't tell if she had even the slightest feelings for me in return, but my mind was still filled with images of a hopeful future.

  I decided to write a nice letter for her. My voice and looks alone could destroy the feeling the words I wished to express could produce. I was already experienced as a writer, so I managed to make it enjoyable and readable. I walked to her house to give it to her. I knocked on the door, but her mother answered. I nearly begged her to make sure she got it.

  Truth be told, she was at her house as I left part of my heart for all to see, but I was too shy to stand and wait for reaction. I figured that I could wait for the call at my house, so I did. I kept the phone next to me as I laid down on the living room couch. I curled up, blushing from fictional images in my head of our lips locking and I was soon fast asleep.

  The phone rang as soon as I woke up with a stomach cramp. She asked if we could meet half-way in a walk to each other's house. She told me that she liked me too. I guess that isn't so bad, even though I love her. When we met up, there was an awkward silence on our walk back to her house. I ached, I longed to hold her close on the way over but she kept space between us. When we finally got there my worst fear was realized. Thomas was standing in the doorway.

  At the sight of him I growled like an angry dog, but I kept it muffled. She ran a little ways to his side. He said I was too late. Marlo didn't tell me that anyone else read the letter. I turned away, with bitter tears welling up in my dry eyes. Marlo said I could come in if I want. SURE. Why not?

  I sat on the couch, a lighter in hand. Marlo asked if I could hold it while she was dressing. Thomas followed her up the stairs. I was hoping she wanted me to burn him. I was gravely surprised she didn't ask me to. This was also a special lighter, to be noted. She burned everything she ever had with this. Marijuana, cigarettes, bad letters, just about everything. Those feelings came back to me. I wanted to grind in his face with my boot, but I guess that would screw up my friendship with Marlo. The pain...

  Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. I was sitting on that couch for half an hour. Thomas came back down, without a shirt on. He went to the kitchen and grabbed a slice of recently cooked greasy pizza. With chunks in his mouth, he said "You know, you'll never have her." in that mumbled pot-head voice of his.

  He seemed a little dizzy, walking towards the stairs. I could smell the simmering ganja. I snickered as my boots mysteriously got in his way and he fell flat onto his messed up face. He jumped back up "Who did that?" he was saying. Aggravated, he clumsily marched up the stairs.

  A few more minutes passed. All of a sudden, I heard a big thump noise. Sounds like someone was just thrown against a wall. I leaped to my feet and nearly tripped my way up the stairs, and kicked open the door to find a half naked Marlo with a big bruise on her forehead and a red faced Thomas standing over her.

  I soon landed my fist into his faced, flinging him to the wall. And he countered with an upper-cut to my gut, which I chuckled at, considering of course the great meaty-ness that is my gut. Marlo stood up and got between us, telling us both to stop. Thomas grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back to the wall. "You little...!" I yelled, pulling the lighter out, flicking it on and jamming it to his jaw.

  Recalling the grease from the Italian scourge, his whole body was soon aflame! He flung himself around, and fell back on poor Marlo. Now she of course was also on fire, and I would have gotten water were it not for her saying don't. I stepped back, in terror and awe. She grabbed me by the shoulders and kissed me upon the lips, my eyes wide open.

  Soon I was both without pain and remorse, seeing Thomas' thin body fall to ash's and blown out the window by the room's fan. Marlo was soon in a fit of hysterical laughter. She was always in love with the fire. It gave her clarity, and could show her true nature. As she was hugging herself, she bowed her head.

  And when the fires that she so loved began to consume her she let out an awful shriek of ecstacy. She gave me a thank you and good bye. And so thence forth, my lips were of ebony and ash.