Monday, December 8, 2008

The Frosch and the Wellspring; My Displaced Fairytale

The Frosch and the Wellspring

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, in the chemistry lab of Wellspring High, the scent of formaldehyde mixes with that of rose perfume so strong, the stench lingers for hours after class. Equally as annoying is the clicking of a clasp on a gold heart shpaed compact as it is sporadically opened and closed. Sarah Wellspring sits at the back of the class, obviously bored, as she gazes into the source of the nuisance, admiring her fondness for the color of roses on her lips as well as their scent. Her golden locks cascade over her face in such a way as to offer her the occassional unnoticed beauty rest. However, no one in the school even dares to confront her about her distractions given her namesake. It is no coincidence that she shares her name with the school built and funded by her grandfather.
As she sat in class on one of her least favorite days, one in which the use of scalpels and purple latex gloves would be not only inevitable but necessary, she took out her compact and unconsciously began fiddling with it. All of a sudden, Jacob Frosch, the vintage video game enthusiast, made his entrance wearing his signature ball cap and glasses.
As he passed Sarah's desk to set his computer bag on the back counter, he tripped over her Louis Vuitton purse and hopped and hobbled to regain his balance. In all the commotion, Sarah dropped the heart-shaped compact which snapped at the clasp as it crashed on the tile floor. Jacob reached down to retrieve the broken pieces before Sarah had the chance to shed any tears.
"I apologize. You know, I can fix it for you if you would like" offered Jacob.
In a startled and yet excited voice, Sarah delightedly accepted with "Oh i you could that would be wonderful!"
"Of course," croaked Jacob as he choked on his new found confidence, "I can fix it right now if you would be my lab partner for today's dissection."
A look of slight distain appeared on her face as she heard his proposal. "Well, what are we dissecting?"
"Frogs. You know, they're not as bad as people think. They're actually one of the easiet things to dissect."
"Okay," Sarah decided. "I guess I can partner with you for today."
"Great" replied an ecstatic Jacob. He had always been mesmerized during class by her and now he was getting the chance to actually work with her.
He handed her back her newly rejoined compact and watched as she returned to her seat, anxiously awaiting the time to choose her as his lab partner. However, when the time did come, the ungrateful Sarah turned to her best friend Aurora as her partner and began getting the supplies. Jacob Frosch approached Sarah in confidence, unaware of the girl's betrayal of her assertion, and sat next to her. Unaware of his presence, Sarah turned too quickly, gesturing about a tennis match she had won the previous night, and smacked Jacob in the face with the back of her hand.
"What do yo think you are doing?" she snapped at him.
He looked back up at her with a look of hurt and confusion in his eyes as he gathered the broken shards of his glasses and retrieved his hat from the frog laden tray on the table next to Sarah's.
"I guess you don't know how to keep your word then" he remarked.
As she turned around to provide a crude retaliation, she choked on her words when she say Jacob sans his signature look for the first time. He was actually not half bad without the glasses and hat. Actually he was on of the better looking guys at the school with his shaggy brown hair and bright blue eyes.
Sarah turned instead to Aurora and with pleading eyes asked, "Would you mind if I worked with him today? I did tell him that I would."
Aurora, realizing the same appealing qualities of the formerly outcast guy before her agreed with little hesitation. By the end of class that day, Sarah's and Jacob's frog was completely mutilated and unrecognizable and they had a date for Friday night.

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