Flower Romance Series -S1-

“Sorry,” he said. “I just… I don’t like dumb girls.” The words slapped her. She thought she had misheard, but after a few seconds, and from his little smirk, she knew it was no mistake. He had his hands in the pockets of his uniforms' pants, looking annoyed.  “... Dumb girls?” She repeated in a little voice. The girls standing a few steps behind him giggled, amused by her dumbfounded expression. The handsome adolescent boy, too, didn't look sorry at all.  He rolled his eyes and walked away, saying nothing else. The little group of teenagers left, all in snickers and giggles, leaving her alone and devastated.  She felt her throat tighten up and her heart breaking in little pieces. He called her dumb. Dumb, like an i***t, a simpleton. She looked down, pulling on her patterned skirt, her vision becoming blurry. “I’m not... dumb…” Little tears started rolling on her cheeks. She had imagined this moment so many times… Now she felt defeated. All the courage she had gathered to confess her love, to tell him how she felt, for this? Daisy sniffled loudly, letting her tears flow. She felt so lonely and ashamed. How could he trample over her feelings like this, and laugh about it, too? She kept crying, helpless, wiping her tears as they flew with her trembling hands. The bell rang, but she couldn’t go back to class, not when she was feeling like this. She stumbled a couple steps back and turned around, walking away from the scene. No, no, she couldn’t walk into her classroom, not when she was like this. She couldn't face their sneers and mockery again. She would just crumble, cry, and die of shame. Daisy walked along the building, looking for a place to hide far from the crowd of students. Any little corner would do, as long as she could be left alone and cry out all she wanted. After a minute, her feet naturally led her behind the gym building, in that little space between the wall and the fence. It was full of wild grass and dirt, but Daisy didn’t care. She squeezed in that little space, where no one ever came and started crying all of her distress, loudly. How could he be so mean? She wasn’t dumb! She had poured all of her feelings into those words she had struggled to say, and all he gave her was that amused, mocking look… “Uh… Excuse me?” Daisy turned her head, surprised to hear someone’s voice. She hadn’t even realized she wasn’t alone. A couple of meters away, a boy from her school was hiding too, his back against the fence and a cigarette in his hand. He was looking at her, a bit unsure. “Are you okay?” He asked. With her runny nose and the loud crying, it was clear she wasn’t.  She stared at him, a bit lost. She couldn't recognize that boy, but his ripped pants, oversized jacket, and many piercings explained why. He was definitely one of those students that never came to class and didn't care much for the rules about smoking or proper uniform wearing.  She was baffled.  "Who... Who are you?" She mumbled.  "Eric. What are ya cryin' for?"  Daisy pouted a bit. She didn't want to tell a stranger about her rejected confession earlier. She still wasn’t over it, and this guy would probably mock her too. She sniffled loudly, rubbing her nose with her wrist.  "Someone was mean to me... They called me dumb."  "What about it?" "Do I look dumb?" She asked.  He chuckled. Another mean boy was laughing at her! Daisy was unhappy. She didn't know Eric, yet he was already making fun of her! Was she this funny? Was there something about her that gave others that feeling? She didn't have many friends. Was that why? She had come to this school hoping to learn more about other people, but so far, she had been highly disappointed...  Eric changed his cigarette to his other hand, staring at her, looking curious.  "You're a fairy, aren't you?"  "How do you know?" Asked Daisy, surprised.  "Round face, slightly pointy ears, flashy but natural pink hair, big eyes, and a crybaby. You're a stereotype, sweetheart."  "I'm not a stereotype! And my name is Daisy, not sweetheart!" She protested, a bit vexed. "Oh, and the flowery name. I always wondered if that was true... Well, we don't have many fairies in this school."  "You humans are so mean, anyway. I should have gone to an Elven school..."  "Elves are uptight, arrogant, and self-centered. Well, more than humans. Anyway, is that what you were bawling about? Did someone call you dumb? You fairies are so sensitive..."  Daisy felt a bit annoyed. That human was talking as if he knew everything about her or her peers! She wanted to protest, but when she remembered her failed confession, her sadness took over her anger. She sighed, looking down, a bit disheartened. Somehow, this wasn't the school life she had imagined at all. She had insisted so much about going to a mixed school, now she was regretting it bitterly.  Were fairies looked down on by other species? The truth was, she hadn't been able to make more than a couple of friends since she changed schools three weeks ago, and both were fairies. She turned to Eric, pushing her pink strands of hair back.  "... Do you really think fairies are dumb?" She asked in a quiet voice.  Eric was surprised for a second, then chuckled, raising his cigarette to his lips.  "No, I just think you're too naïve. Human girls are more mature, less innocent." "I don't think so..." pouted Daisy.  She didn't like being called naïve. She wasn't a child! She was sixteen years old already and smarter than many people in her class. She had good grades, and the teachers liked her too. So why didn't her classmates like her? She couldn't understand... She had tried to blend in and speak about the same topics, but sometimes, she wasn't interested in makeup, and her house didn't have any screens for her to watch the shows or videos the other students always rambled about.  "Why do you care about someone who calls you dumb, anyway?" Asked Eric.  He was scrutinizing her, that curious little fairy who was so heartbroken. She was very cute, like any fairy. She had pale skin and some freckles under her big green eyes. Fairies were naturally pretty, with perfect skin, rosy cheeks, and pouty lips. That she had been crying like a baby didn't hinder her beauty in any way.  Daisy avoided his eyes, looking a bit annoyed. "Some... guy."  "A boy? Oh, let me guess, you loved him?"  She became even redder, making Eric chuckle. Daisy glared at him. He really was too nosy and insensitive! The boy slowly took another drag off his cigarette. Eric's eyes on her were making Daisy nervous. He had that typical bad boy attitude, roughed up looks, his black hair all over the place but shaved on the sides. She could even see the beginning or end of a tattoo on his neck, above his shirt's collar.  "Told you," he said. "Fairies are naïve..."  "Being naïve doesn't mean we are dumb!" She protested.  "Okay, then who was it? The guy you liked?" Daisy sighed, looking away; she didn't want to tell him. She didn't like his attitude like he knew everything. She heard Eric chuckle again.  "Let me guess... Probably one of those pretty boys. Hansen from the third year?  Or David, the soccer guy. Oh, or that blondie from third year!"  Daisy blushed. How did he know! Even if he had said the guy's name, she didn't want to tell him, and stubbornly looked away. Eric smirked. He knew he was spot-on. That little fairy girl was easy to decipher. She kept blushing and pouting every time he was right.  "So, he called you dumb? Why did you even fall for that guy if he's that kind of asshole?" "I didn't know he would be so mean! He looked nice, and... he’s handsome and popular, too..."  "See? That's why fairies are called naïve, sweetheart. You just fell for the pretty face without realizing there's a dirtbag right under it."   Daisy was a bit struck. The truth was, she understood what Eric meant, but she didn't like it. Daisy had barely talked to the guy a couple of times, found him nice and... fell for it. Was she really that naive, like he said? The young fairy hadn't thought there was anything wrong while falling one-sidedly for that boy, but, indeed, it was all her own fantasy. The more she thought about it, the more upset she felt. She started crying again, uncontrollably, and Eric was stunned. He hadn't expected that. "Hey, sweetheart, I didn't mean that badly... It's not your fault the guy was a jerk."  "But it is my fault! And now he called me dumb! I feel dumb!" He sighed. Fairies were such a hassle... Why had he tried consoling her in the first place? She had come into his hiding spot, and he wasn't that heartless to let a girl cry, but still.  "Stop crying over a jerk, first of all. Smart girls don't cry over jerks."  Daisy nodded, but the crying wasn't stopping. Eric rolled his eyes. She had a pretty face, but what a handful. He was getting mad at whichever jerk had made her cry so much in the first place. "I said stop crying, you'll get ugly."  "Fairies aren't ugly..."  "Maybe not, but you still get wrinkles like everyone, so stop whining." If she kept wailing like that, someone was going to notice, and he didn't want the teachers to find them. First, that would be his favorite hiding spot busted, and second, he might get accused of bullying some innocent fairy chick. He walked over and pulled her arm up to get her back on her feet. Daisy, like all fairies, had a petite and slender build. She was smaller than him and adorably cute, with her long pink hair and big eyes. Eric sighed.  "Stop crying, I said." "I don't want to be called dumb again. Everyone thinks I'm such an idiot." "Why do you care what they think, anyway? And I told you, you're naive, not dumb. There's a difference." "How do I get less naive, then?" She protested between her tears. "I don't want them to make fun of me again!" Eric sighed. Should he just leave her to cry there? He didn't know her, after all. He already barely knew the faces of the people from his class, and Daisy wasn't even one of them. However, it felt a bit late to turn his back on her now. He hesitated, throwing away his cigarette and putting his hands in his pockets.  "Don't do that," she protested.  "Do what?"  "Your cigarette butt!"  "Oh..." He tried hard not to roll his eyes. He was an i***t. Throwing a cigarette butt on the ground with a fairy watching... He sighed and picked it up, putting it in his jeans' pocket.  "There, sweetheart. Now, are we done crying?"  "Hm..." Indeed, she had stopped crying. Her eyes were still a bit red, but the tears had stopped. Eric nodded, satisfied.  "There, see? Now, you should go back to class." ...And leave me alone, he thought. However, Daisy turned to him, looking resolute.  "Can't you teach me? How to be less naive, like human girls?"  He was rendered speechless. What was she asking now? Eric brushed his hair back, confused. How come that girl was so absolutely naive? She was asking the school thug that kind of thing! Most chicks didn't even dare approach him at all! He always wore ragged clothes when he didn't have dirt or blood on him. He was famous at school for brawling, skipping class, and not giving a damn about rules. It looked like nothing had reached her innocent pointy ears!  "Sorry, sweetheart, but no. Find a friend to ask. I..." "Please! I don't want to be called dumb again, and none of my friends will tell me! How do you get to not be naive?"  Eric considered running away for a minute, but Daisy's big green eyes on him held him back. He sighed internally. Fairies were really more dangerous than he thought...  "I don't know, sweetheart. Date people and learn from them. Make new friends."  "I already have friends!" "Friends who don't live in flowers and fall in love at first sight! Life isn't a romance novel, sweetheart. Just date some boys, learn to say no, and don't believe everything they tell you."  "But I don't want to date anyone I don't like..." "Well, apparently, the boys you like aren't any better than the others."  "How about you, then?"  Eric paused for a second, unsure of what she meant. He was afraid to understand and laughed nervously.  "What about me?"  "Do you want to date me?"  He was speechless once again. Truthfully, he was torn between slamming his head against the wall in front of him, sighing, and laughing. Well, he didn't really want to laugh at her, seeing how sensitive she already was, but this situation truly was impossible. He massaged his temples, trying to understand that crazy fairy's logic.  "Why in the world would you choose to date me of all people?"  "You said to date some boy, and... you're nice..." She muttered, a bit confused about his attitude.  "I am not nice, sweetheart, I was just trying to find out why a fairy came crying into the isolated place I usually hide to smoke and making sure she won't rat me out. I am not in the nice guys' category, sweetheart."  "But I promise I won't rat you out!" She said with that cute pout of hers.  "That's not the problem! Find some other i***t guy to date! You're cute, trust me, it won't be a problem!"  "Why not you then? You just said you find me cute!"   "Oh, for f**k's sake..."  "Please...?" Eric wanted to rewind those past ten minutes and leave her crying there to go on with his life. He mentally swore to never, ever try to console a fairy again.  He took a deep breath and turned to her, trying to address this problem as calmly as possible.  "Sweetheart, I'm the last guy you want to date, alright? I fight every day, I throw my cigarette butts in the grass, and I don't like people. See? I'm another kind of a jerk."  "But you picked it up. The cigarette butt. And you said I'm not naive..." Daisy said with her cute voice.  "What about the fighting, then? You fairies can't stand violence, right?" "No..."  "See? Not possible. I don't date naive girls who can't stand violence and cigarette butts. See? That's why I can't date fairies, sweetheart. Yes, you're very cute, but no, not me. Any guy but me." Daisy looked defeated, finding no more argument. Violence was one of her biggest weaknesses. Fairies weren't used to any kind of violence, so when they started going into human cities and saw it everywhere on the screens, or in the streets, they were shocked. Daisy knew she couldn't stand it. Just seeing a fight between two boys of her class a few weeks ago had given her the biggest panic attack.    Seeing that Daisy was not giving him any more arguments, Eric was relieved. He was a bit sad for her; high school was a cruel world for a fairy, but he didn't want to get involved with her. He hesitated, feeling a bit awkward.  "I'll get going now, sweetheart. Don't cry again, okay? And stop trusting guys just because they look good and act a bit nice to you. If they are mean or call you dumb again, just kick them in the balls."  "I can't kick someone in the balls..."  "Oh, right, violence. Uh... What about if you close your eyes?" He asked.  Daisy hesitated a second, then nodded. She avoided looking at violent images on TV, so closing her eyes should be fine. "Well, then you can do that, sweetheart. You aim, kick as hard as you can, and right away, close your eyes for two seconds. If you hear him whining, that’s the jackpot."  Daisy nodded, but despite his poor attempt at joking, she still had that sad look on her face that made him feel a bit guilty. She should be fine now, right? He sighed and ruffled her pink hair.  "Fairies are not dumb, okay? Chin up, sweetheart, and remember, don't cry for jerks." "Okay..."  "Good. Bye then." He hesitated a second but turned his heels before this got any more awkward or she changed her mind. Would she get in any more trouble? Well, it wasn't his business anyway. He had done what he could for her.  Daisy watched Eric go, a bit disheartened. She tried to remember his advice, but how would she find someone to date her now? Relationships with human boys were so complicated..