"Barbara, you okay?".
I looked up at the owner of the voice and back down at the poor paper I'd been venting my anger on. The paper did nothing to deserve the stabs it was getting. I'd wanted to doodle but I thought against it and began stabbing the paper instead. The funny part was I was stabbing it lightly. I was angry, yes, but not angry enough to destroy my pen and go out to buy a new one.

"Barbara?" Cameron called again.

"What?" I glared at him, holding my pen like a knife. I don't know if I was actually thinking of stabbing him or not. Maybe I'd have stabbed him lightly too. Just so I don't destroy my pen.

"You're still mad?"

"Do I look like I'm not mad? What other signs do you want so you know I'm super mad at y'all?"

"I'm sorry. But everything seems weird at the moment. I mean, the bracelet just disappeared and"

"Stolen, Cameron. It got stolen by your awfully annoying cousin. Wait! Why are you on their side?"

"On their side? No one's picking sides here. I don't even understand what's going on here."

"What's going on is that your cousin and my former best friend stole my bracelet and are somewhere laughing while all of you think it disappeared and it's really, really stupid to think that you actually believe them."

"Um, I didn't really understand what you were saying but I'm sure they're not with the bracelet. If anything, I think they're shocked too. Rory has been going on about how she thinks the bracelet is magic and stuff like that."

I let out a short, involuntary laugh. "Magic. You know, there was a post I saw on Instagram sometime ago. It read 'magic is science that we don't understand'. Science. What's wrong with you all? We're science students! That's beside the point. You know what? I'm going home."

"But school isn't over yet."

"Who cares!" I grabbed my bag and walked out of the room.

"That's how someone started changing, you know!" Cameron shouted behind me. That's how someone started changing. Aurora!

I walked back to the classroom and sank into my seat. "Please don't talk to me for the rest of today."

"Are you begging me not to talk to you?"

"Just shut up!"

"Okay. Oh, sorry. I wasn't supposed to reply. Right?"

"Right."

Finally, he stopped talking for that moment and for the rest of school hours. Well, he'd stopped using his mouth, so he started sending notes. The one he just sent read: Hey, do you want me to accompany you to your house? Or does the no talking policy also mean no communication at all?

I picked up my pen and wrote back: yes. It means no communication at all. Don't worry, I'll be happier tomorrow and then we can talk.

Immediately I passed it to him, he picked up his pen. I don't even think he read it. He passed another short note to me. All this for a bracelet?

I didn't write back because I actually thought about what he said. In fact, I was thinking about it until I got home. Why was I getting so mad about the bracelet? Why did it hurt me so much? Well, because it was special and unique. It's not everyday you pop into a store and get a bracelet that could change colours and shine and other stuff. Right. That's why I was angry. And also because of the way I lost it. I mean, did they see me as a five year old who'd believe her bracelet just magically disappeared into thin air?

"They're all crazy."

"Who?" Came a voice from my bag. I quickly opened my bag and checked my phone. I'd mistakenly dialed Almond's number.

I put the phone to my ears and spoke. "I'm sorry. I mistakenly called."

"Oh. And here I was thinking you were missing me."

"Any why will I be missing you?". There. I'd found my next victim to vent my anger on.

"Chill. I can tell that you're angry. What happened?"

"It's just school stuff." I sighed.

"Let me guess. Ex best friend is giving you trouble?"

"Something like that."

"You know what, I'm in front of this store that sells great cookies. Give me twenty minutes and I'll be at your place."

"Cookies. Sure."

He hung up and I fell back on my bed. What were we going to talk about? My bracelet? Was he really going to come over and talk about my bracelet? Oh shit! He doesn't know it's about the bracelet. He just thinks it's ex best friend problems.

Exactly an hour -or more- later, there was a knock on the door. I opened it and let in Almond who was holding two small plastic bags.

"Cookies and ice cream."

"I wasn't expecting that too. Thank you" I led him to the sitting room.

"I didn't see chocolate flavoured ice cream so I went with strawberry and coconut. But the cookies are chocolate chipped ones."

"It's fine." I opened the bag and brought out the first small box of chocolate chip cookies. There were three boxes.

"So, what happened in school?"

How do I say this so he doesn't feel like I'm overreacting?

"Um, nothing much. Aurora made her boyfriend steal something of mine. Well, he didn't really steal it, he dragged it off my wrist and lied about it. Then she had the guts to tell me it vanished."

"Your bracelet?" He stuck his hand into the box and grabbed a cookie.

"Yes. My bracelet. I know, it may feel like I'm overreacting but the way they took it really got me mad. They claimed it just vanished. What do they think I am? A five year old?"

I stopped, waiting for him to say something but he didn't. He was busy munching on the cookies.

"Did you hear me at all? Or was I speaking to myself?"

He swallowed. "I did hear you. I was only trying to process your words. If you claim she's bitchy"

"She is."

"Okay, since she's bitchy, why would she want to make up a story about the bracelet. I mean, she could have just waved it in your face and storm off or something. That's bitchy. Not saying it vanished."

"Great. You don't even know them, yet you're on their side. Just great."

"I'm not picking sides here, I'm just eating cookies and ice cream."

"Look Almond, this may not mean anything to you but it means a lot to me. I mean, she was even talking about the bracelet being magical. She said it was responsible for."

"For what?"

Do I tell him about Cameron and the purple unicorn?

I didn't want to, but I found myself talking. "There was one time Cameron made me wish for something. So I wished for a purple unicorn."

"A purple unicorn?". I knew he was holding in a laugh.

"It's funny. But that's what I did. So I got home and discovered this tiny new charm on my bracelet. It was a unicorn and it was purple. "

"So you're saying your wish came true?"

"Kinda. I showed Dory, um, Aurora and she said it looked like someone had attached it. We concluded it was Cameron and let it slide. Now, she's saying it's magic."

"May I use the bathroom?"

"First door on your right" I pointed him in the direction and turned back to my cookies.

"Um, Barbara." He called.

"What's up? You need anything?"

"You might want to come see this."

"You talking a piss, I'll pass."

"I'm serious."

He did sound serious. I walked up to the bathroom and knocked. 

"You can open it."

I did and saw him. And what he was holding.  Now, this is the point where people faint but I've never for once fainted and it wasn't going to start today.

"How did you get that?"

"I saw it on the sink. You have two of them?" He asked and I shook my head. "So this is it?". I nodded. I really, really wanted to faint but I couldn't. I just continued staring at the bracelet and if it had eyes, I would say it was staring back at me.  "Are you sure you didn't leave it at home?"

But Eric had dragged it off my wrist. Aurora had seen it. How could it be here?

"I don't know, Almond, I don't know."

"Well, good thing is you've got it back. Now let's go finish eating."

"I'm not hungry anymore."

"What? Okay, what do you want to do?"

"Sleep. I feel tired." That was true.

"Okay. Then I'll be leaving."

"No." I held him. "Please stay."

"Um, okay." He led me to the couch and laid my head on his lap. One moment, I was shutting my eyes tight. The next moment, I saw that girl again.

"I'm sorry. Please." She was screaming. "Why are you doing this?" She pleaded as the figure in the rainbow cloak moved towards her. The figure opened his/her/it's hands and something like a screen came up.

"I wish I never cross path with her again." I heard the figure say in a voice that sounded a little like mine.

Slowly, the figure started taking of the rainbow cloak and Amanda continued begging. "Please, Barbara, please." Barbara? Why was she calling... The cloak had completely come off and the first thing I saw was the bracelet. And the girl wearing it was..... Me?

I did? No! I didn't. I only wished to not see her. I didn't. I didn't do it.

"I didn't do it!"

"Barbara!!" I heard a male voice and slowly opened my eyes. I was laying on Almond's lap and sweating. "I think you were having a bad dream."

"Yes." I slowly rubbed my eyes. "It was bad. But it was just a dream." I forced a smile. "I'm okay."

"Would you be able to stay alone for a while?"

"Why?"

"You look hungry. You need real food so I'm going to go into your kitchen and prepare something for you."

"You can cook?"

"What? You think I'm too busy fucking around to know how to cook?" He frowned at me.

"No. I didn't mean it that way. I was only.."

"I was kidding babe. Now make sure you don't go back to sleep. I wouldn't want the food to get cold."

I just nodded. I wasn't even planning on sleeping. 

Immediately he left, I grabbed the bracelet and ran upstairs. Getting to my room, I looked for a safe place to keep it. I don't know why, but I was having a bad feeling about it. Also, I couldn't wear it because if Cameron or anyone found out, they'd ask questions about how I got it. No. I wasn't wearing it again.