Battle One: Dawn vs. Indigo

Juniper

“That’s my sheet music!” Indigo screamed.

“Oh, sure, because those are totally clarinet notes! Not at all ukulele chords,” Dawn retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Guys, please stop!” I stepped between them. “And, actually, both of you, those are guitar chords, so it’s my sheet music.”

My two best friends nonetheless glared at each other, folding their arms and seizing in tension. “No, Juniper,” Dawn contradicted me. “This has been going on for months. Years, really. We’ve been nonstop fighting since 1st grade and-”

“Yeah, over crayons,” I rolled my eyes and laughed derisively. “So mature to hold a grudge over Crayola.”

“-and, I can’t keep going. You can’t keep your friendship with her. You either choose her or me.”

And in that moment, looking at both of my close friends staring each other down, I knew that they were agreeing on one thing for once right now.

“No!” I shouted, and Ms. Bell reprimanded, “Juniper Brown, please close your mouth! You have two eyes and ears, and one mouth for a reason.”

I shot a pleading glance at Dawn, and she looked away pointedly. I did the same to Indigo, and she stared back, shrugged, and flipped her long, shiny, black hair.

“Ready, class? Alright! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight…”

I scrambled through sheets of music and started playing, thoughts hurtling through my mind.

Indigo

RING! The bell sounded, earsplitting. The class stopped playing, packed up their instruments and music, cleaned up, and left.

To my disbelief, I caught Juniper exiting with Dawn! I couldn’t believe it. She had already chosen my enemy?

‘Fine,’ I thought angrily. ‘Have it Dawn’s way, Juni! Just forget me.’

My feelings were hurt, my heart damaged, and my mind swimming.

I almost slept during Ms. Patterson’s science class while watching a video about conservation or conversation or whatever it was and the double-block of Mr. Schaffer’s and Mrs. Whaely's ELA.

Finally, I had lunch period at 12:30, and I didn’t bother to go over and fight over Juni with Dawn. I didn’t have to, though. Juniper, without Dawn, which was a great improvement, had walked up to me, like nothing between me and Dawn had ever happened. I felt anger boil through my veins. “Juniper,” I coldly muttered.

“What?” Juni shrugged, quite bubbly for the circumstance, and said, “What’s up, Indi? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, what’s wrong?” My eyes glared at my best friend as I laughed sarcastically. “Oh, nothing. Just that you chose Dawn Bolerbacc instead of me.”

“Oh, come on, I’m not actually going to choose you guys. You’re both my best friends.”

“Nope,” I disagreed, stood, and I towered over Jun, and I strutted over to Dawn, slammed my lunch tray on the table, growled, “You, me, Queenstown Park-you know where it is- 3:30, today, no excuses. I’ll see you there,” and slunk into the library.

Dawn

“I’ll see you there,” Indigo snarled, and left the cafeteria.

My eyebrows continued to fly into my hairline as I thought about my enemy’s last message.

Juni sprinted across the huge cafeteria toward me and gasped, “No- don’t go- you can’t- you don’t stand a chance-”

“I ‘don’t stand a chance’?” I interrupted, and my heart stopped, and tears burned into my eyelids. “Yes, I’m going, Juniper Faith Acaipo. I’m going to that fight and winning. And maybe, after that, I won’t be your best friend despite any outcome.” And I ran out of the room, extremely offended, with half of the students staring after me.

I ran into the bathroom, locked myself into a stall, rolled half of the toilet paper roll out of its roll, and started crying into it, curling onto the dirty toilet.

I heard a whispering tap, tap, tap, tap, and, knowing that they were heeled boots, recoiled myself into a smaller ball, hoping they would ignore me, but…no.

Knock. “H-Hello? I’m s-sorry, Dawn. I-I’m Lila Foster from Band class. I noticed that you’ve been sort of… off today, and I saw Indigo’s confrontation today, and, well… I thought you’d need comforting. You okay?”

I sniffed violently and blew my nose twice into the toilet paper. I answered shakily, “Ye-yeah, I guess. Thanks, Lila.” I unlocked the stall and stood.

Lila had honey-blonde hair, into straight hair stretching down to her hips. She was holding a book. “How-how did you know I love Percy Jackson? And the 4th book of the second series…”

“I saw it on your lunch table, and I’ve heard you talking about it to Ms. Green. Sorry for taking it.”

“It’s fine!” I felt considerably happy now.

“It’s 10 minutes till next period…”

“We’ll go together soon, then.”

Juniper

The bell rang, and I slid into my seat in Ms. Bloxez’s algebra class. “Miss Brown, please come earlier to be on time. Thank you,” Ms. Bloxez scolded.

I slammed my books onto my shiny desk, ignoring several classmates’ outcry.

‘What do I do?’ I thought, worried. My two best friends were going to be brawling at a public park. 

“Now, today we are going to be learning a bit more complex algebraic questions. For example, we’ll use b, f, and p as variables. The example question is ‘s+(2x8)=b+3f’. Now, first…”

I tried to understand what my teacher was saying, but my head began to argue otherwise. It was not clearing, but buzzing with unavoidable thoughts and minuscule bees ‘buzzing. And, soon, my stomach was tying itself into complex knots and my innards were becoming queasy. My lungs were constricting and my throat was becoming dry.

I slowly but deliberately raised my hand. I waited 7 minutes before blurting, “Ms. B, can I please have a bathroom pass. It’s urgent.”

Before Ms. Bloxez had completed her nod, I flung my body out of the room and into the clean bathroom. But on the way out… BLEARGH! I managed to aim my throw-up into the trash can. Crying uncontrollably, I made it to the bathroom.

I choked, “This… can’t...happen! My friends… can’t… fight!”

I had a drastic mental breakdown in the cleanest stall. I ripped out the rest of a roll of toilet paper and cried into it, wanting to howl, but sobbing silently.

I stopped only when I heard a minorly sharp voice saying quite loudly, “Juniper? Miss Brown?”

“Clementine! Please use a comforting voice,” said a much more comforting voice indeed.

“Yes, I agree, Clementine, thank you, Mrs. Scarlet,” a dignified voice answered.

I gasped extremely audibly. Dr. Nebraihe, the principal, was here?!

“Miss Brown?” Ms. Bloxez repeated, her voice much more comfortable, though.

I quickly wiped my eyes and unlocked the stall.

Indigo

I unlocked my bike from the bike rack, clipped my helmet on, and started riding to Queenstown Park.

I hadn’t seen Juniper at all for the rest of the day, and I hadn’t Dawn, either, so I assumed that she had truly chosen Dawn and hadn’t even thought about me.

Before I knew it, I had arrived at the park. I parked my bike, took off my helmet, thinking I wouldn’t need it during the fight, slunk my backpack off, and waited on the swings.

Quite a few minutes later than 3:30, Dawn arrived; finally. And before that, about 25 kids turned up. Word must have spread. Great-more people to see Dawn lose, as she should.

The girls hung on the jungle gym while they waited and the boys sat on the playground toy as they did the same. The swings were left, deserted. Too close to the fight, I suppose.

The first words spoken were from Dawn. She taunted, “So, what are you gonna do?”

“That was weak, Dawn,” I answered. “I’m no bully, and I don’t want to get physical unless I have and am forced to.”

“Why are we here then, Indigo?”

“Oh, I think you know. We’re here to fight for Juni.”

“Fine. Bring it on,” Dawn threatened.

“Fight, fight, fight, fight!” the kids chanted. One girl screamed, “Rap battle!”

“Thanks, Lila!” Dawn thanked, sounding extremely grateful. “Rap battle, Indi?”

“Do not call me Indi, Dawn!” I shrieked. “Fine, rap battle. I start.”

Dawn

“So, Dawn, here we fighting for Juni-”

“Is that your rap?” I laughed derisively, and Indigo answered, “It’s called ‘freestyle’, Dawn.”

I let her continue reluctantly. “Why should you get our best friend? You’ve been bullying me since 1st grade over my favorite golden crayon. You said, ‘You like golden? Silver’s much better for you. It’s gray. Like you.’ Juni stood up for me; that’s reason #1. You want some more? Or are you done?”

It was my turn. I was ready, but my mind was thinking. “Oh, yes, you’re pulling the defensive. Well, did you want me to tell you the truth or what? I thought it was the best possible idea. And reason #1… you have more? More ‘horribly explained excuses’? Well, I don't want to listen to more. So, let’s listen to my side of the story. So, as you said, I had some critiques on your golden crayon. I walked over to your table. And I said, ‘Silver might be better, you can shine more with it. Though you don’t need it.’ If you really took that in offense, then too bad for you. Go back to 4th grade… learn context clues. And anyway, I don’t stand by my last comment. Bronze would be a lot better than you: Golden’s for me. I’m #1, and you’re #3.”

Indigo shouted, “That was too much overtime! My turn now!”

“Yes, I have 6 more reasons, because 7’s the most magical number-”

“Guys, stop! Please!” Juniper, coughing horribly, cried running and wheezing. “Don’t fight, please!”

“NO, Juni!” I shrieked back.

Jun answered determinedly, “ NO, you listen, Indigo, and you, Dawn! I was so nervous that this was going to happen that I’ve been losing sleep, which I already had very little of, and today, during algebra, I threw up and had to leave! You are going to either resolve your differences or become friends.”

Narrator

Today, three years later, Dawn Bolerbacc and Indigo Strasse still haven’t become true friends but do slightly get along.