I didn't go to the airport when Leslie's plane took off. She believed in a clean break. From the moment we said goodbye, she wiped me from her life like a deleted file. I expected some tears and a lot of bargaining, but there were only silence, blank space and unanswered calls.

The cruel thing about goodbyes is how it clarifies everything. Sometimes you don't know how important something is until you lose it, but on the contrary, sometimes it's exactly what it takes to make you realize you can do without it.

When summer was over and school started, strangely I wasn't as beaten up about Leslie as I had feared. The last time I went through a break up, the emptiness was unavoidable and harsh, chewing its way through me viciously. The time I felt empty too, but if I were being totally honest with myself, it was a light kind of empty. Part of me even felt a little relieved.

I told myself it was because of the exhilaration of senior year, or perhaps not seeing Leslie around school helped. As the temperature dropped and the green leaves gave way to amber ones, we all went to the beach again to catch the last sliver of warmth and sunlight, before autumn was officially here. I looked at the tanned girls around me and had a flashback of the night with Leslie on the beach, but I couldn't remember how it felt when her hair brushed against my face. It was almost like a dream now.

"How could Leslie string you along like that when she knows all along she's going to Austria? I think that's beyond evil," Janet said. She was still convinced I had been under some sort of spell.

"J, for the thousandth time, please don't talk about her like that. Besides, I wouldn't use the word evil on anyone and certainly not Leslie."

"I wouldn't say Leslie is evil, either." Flora rolled over on her back. She was wearing a black one-piece swimsuit with the area around the waist cut out. Different from the white one she wore last time, but just as provocative. Now that was what I'd describe as evil. "Maybe she just has the biggest crush on Sean and she couldn't help herself. Not that I blame her. Sean is very crush-worthy. Dry and tasteless as a boyfriend, maybe, but juicy as a crush."

Ever since my knee got better, Flora had decided to go back to being my enemy. I hated all her implications about how boring I was as a boyfriend, and I remembered right away why we didn't work.

"So I guess you're back to having a crush on me," I said.

"I think you guys should date again and get each other out of your systems," Dylan commented beside me. "All this sexual tension and romantic bantering really hurts my brain."

Not wanting to reply to this comment, I said, "Actually, the brain itself can't hurt because there are no pain receptors."

"See?" Flora rolled her eyes. "This is exactly why I can't go out with him."

***

Two very unfortunate things happened in senior year. One was that I had world history with Flora, and Mr. Goleman was a very strict, no-nonsense type of teacher. He assigned our seats as well as history partners, and of all the instances, Murphy's Law just had to apply in this one. When my name was called after Flora, we both froze in our seats.

Flora was chewing a piece of bubble gum and it popped. She turned in her seat, three rows in front of me, and glared at me before raising her hand, as if she suspected I bribed Mr. Goleman into pairing us up.

"Can we pick our own partner?"

The appeal was denied, and Flora turned to shoot another round of daggers at me. I felt a flicker of irritation rising up. If anyone should be unhappy with the arrangement, it should be me. Flora wouldn't contribute much to our written paper and oral presentation, because she was a smart but lazy student. Besides, I found myself alternating between being mildly attracted to her and severely annoyed with her, and neither of these emotions was healthy. I really just wanted to stay away from her.

The other unfortunate thing was that Linda had officially started freshman year as my entourage. I didn't know which was worse, now that two of my arch nemeses were crammed into my life at once.

I did the proper act of being a nice brother by showing Linda around school and allowed her to eat with me during lunch break. By day three I thought enough was enough. We were standing in a lunch line together and she was giving me reasons why I should babysit her for just a while longer.

"I'm only hanging out with you because I want to start off high school on the right foot. If I'm seen with seniors, it'll make me appear much cooler," she explained in a flat tone, as if she couldn't understand why a simple concept like this couldn't get through to me.

"That's really pathetic, Linda. And being seniors isn't much of an achievement. If you stick around long enough eventually you'll get here," I said, picking up a plate of spaghetti. "While we're on the subject, let me just point out having my little sister tagging along doesn't make me appear cool."

"Your friends are really hot. I wonder if they'd be interested in a freshman." Conversations between us were usually like this when she ignored whatever I said and brought up a new subject. She was boy-crazy and her high school fantasies were solely consisted of dating, parties, and falling in love.

"My friends are not good boyfriend materials," I said. "And you're seriously too young for them."

She shrugged. "Anyway I'll need to sit with you for a few more days, or I'll tell dad and mom you're really mean to me."

"You tell them whatever you want because I don't care." I didn't like talking to my sister because it always made me feel immature.

"Lindy!!" An excited voice broke into our conversation. "I can't believe you're here and you didn't say hi to me!!"

We both turned around and it was none other than Flora Morgan, dressed in a ridiculously short skirt paired with an oversized necklace. The subtle scent of her jasmine perfume hit my face.

"Flora, hi!" Linda giggled nervously. "I just thought, you know, I'm not sure you want to hang out with me since you...since you and Sean..."

"You mean we broke up, yes," Flora said serenely. "Don't be absurd. I'm your friend, with or without your brother." She hung one arm around Linda's shoulder. "You must be so excited to start school! Care to join me for lunch? I brought my own today so you won't have to eat the yucky food in the cafeteria...." She kept on a chatter while leading my sister away to her table, without even glancing at me.

I silently thanked her for getting Linda out of my hair as I made my way over to where my friends were sitting.

"Congrats on finally ending your babysitting job," Dylan said, witnessing the whole thing. He took a loud sip from his coke.

"I actually don't mind having your sister with us," Jake said. "I've forgotten how cute she is."

I glanced at him in alarm. "Jake, please don't even think of trying anything with her."

"What are you going to do, threaten me with your friendship?" Jake laughed. "So it's sister against brother, tough choice." He held out his two hands, pretending to be weighing the options. He let one hand drop. "Sorry, I think sister Foster just won."

Besides us Dylan snickered. "Lighten up, Sean. Jake is a great guy."

Jake nodded, his expression all sincere. "I'm critically acclaimed. No one ever complains."

"I know what you do to girls and how you talk about them afterwards. Stay away from Linda." I felt a sense of protectiveness springing up although I really wasn't much of a fan of hers. Linda was bratty and stupid, but she was still my sister.

"Chill, man. I'm only kidding. I don't mess with girls under sixteen," Jake said with a perverted smile. "I'll wait."

My eyes traveled all the way across the cafeteria where Linda was sitting with Flora's gang. Flora was talking animatedly, and Linda was staring and nodding like she wished she could take notes. I guess she was in good hands. Flora could be super nice and friendly sometimes, and at that moment I thanked her again and again for putting up with Linda.

All my gratitude towards Flora wore off when she called me Sunday morning. I was still in bed.

"Good morning!!" Her voice boomed into the phone and cut right into my brain. "Time to go over the much-dreaded history project!"

"What?" I mumbled, barely able to open my eyes. "What time is it?" I fumbled with my cell phone and saw it read 07:15. "Flora, we agreed to meet at ten."

"I know, I know!! But I just got back from this all-night party and thought we should just get this over with, and then I can go back and sleep."

Like that's any of my business. I didn't get a good night's sleep for a mysterious itch on my thigh, and I especially did not appreciate a sudden change of plans. "Flora, I don't care what you've been doing, but I'm going to hang up now."

"Come on, I already waited an hour before I called you." Flora had great social skills when she felt like it. When she didn't, she acted on impulse and was downright rude and inconsiderate. "I'm at this coffee shop near your place. The Pavement."

"Good bye, Flora. See you at ten." I rolled over.

"Sean, if you don't show up here in fifteen minutes, I'm going straight to your house," she threatened, and I knew she would do just that.

I took a deep breath to calm myself and exhaled into the phone. "I'll meet you there."

"Okay, but hurry up. I can't stay long. It's not going to take all morning, is it?" she asked, like I was a kid pestering his busy parents for a trip to the park. "I have to go somewhere in the afternoon."

I sat up and rubbed my hand over my eyes, hoping to chase the sleepiness away. In times like these I really couldn't remember anything I liked about her. "Do I have permission to at least shower first?"

"Okay, make it quick."

She hung up before I could say anything else, and this was how my story started with Flora Morgan, again.

***

@AkankshaSharma3