Voodoo

Seth sat with his friends in the schoolyard of Standard High after the last period of the day. Friday was the best as it consisted of nothing but the sunshine and breeze of the upcoming weekend- free of all things school-related. The three of them had their backs facing away from the school and were chatting about pretty much everything that came to mind- from music to videogames, even about siblings. Ron sat on his left, a guitar in his lap, playing chords. Jordan sat on his right with an empty notepad and pencil, completely distracted by their conversation rather than jotting down lyrics for their supposed song for their new band.

"But yeah, man, I want to follow my heart and all, but I just can't seem to tell my 'rents about why I don't want to go to that 'medical camp' they keep pushing for me to go," Jordan kept tapping the eraser against the pad much to Seth's annoyance. "It's not the end of the world if you just speak your mind for once, dude. You just better do it sooner than later so you don't waste time."

"Like the time you're wasting on June?" Ron paused his strumming to tease Seth and to wait for a comeback. Seth rolled his eyes. "She just loves to be right about everything! I get one stupid algebra question wrong and she acts like she's the smartest person in class. She's so annoying."

"Say that to my face instead of bragging to your friends about how dumb you are," the devil grabbed the back of his hair and pulled his head back, forcing him to stare back at the girl. He winced at the pain from his scalp, attempting to pry away from her iron grip. June was pretty for someone who was two years younger then them. She skipped a grade (or two) and landed in all of their Junior classes. Seth hated her. Jordan thought of her like his younger siblings-annoying but harmless. Ron's mother had hired her to be his math tutor, but other than that had no intention of being friendly after learning hours.

"Shut up, I don't even like you!" Seth's face was turning red as he continued to twist away from her grip. "Why are you even here?"

"We go to the same school. Duh. I just also needed to tell Ron that there won't be any tutoring today since his mom isn't answering the phone."

"There's something called a voicemail," Jordan pointed out nonchalantly, half attempting to support Seth. "And telling someone who's already here is easier," June smiled as sweet as she could, making Jordan shuffle a little farther away from where he was seated. She let go of Seth to readjust the strap of her backpack. Seth felt as if she pulled a couple of strand out. "Could you also tell her that the payment is due next week? And that she didn't pay me last time either."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll let her know. Seeya on Tuesday," Jordan started a latin strum pattern. After she was out of earshot and headed to the carpool area all three exhaled a long sigh. "Really, dude? I don't even like you?" Jordan smiled toward Seth, clearly seeing a potential love interest for his friend.

Seth couldn't understand why June made him feel a certain way. He wasn't even quite sure what was happening as June had never approached the three of them- at least not without her entourage. What he had said was indeed random and had only happened one other time during lunch. He needed to stop saying things he would never say.

"Yeah... I'll see you guys later."

Seth lived only a few blocks away from his house, which was a 20-minute walk, give or take. Halfway from his home, though, he felt a presence. It was as if someone was watching him. He glanced around and behind him, but found nobody around. The neighborhood was always quiet and friendly, just the way everyone had liked it: peaceful. Seth shrugged off his feeling of being watched and went on his merry way. A cool breeze blew past him and he could feel a soft touch on his cheeks.

By the time he reached the front door to his house he felt a sudden pang. It started with a headache, so sharp and quick that he thought he would fall over from the shock of it. As he held his head, he felt a radiating heat from the pain slowly seep towards his chest-near the heart. Seth struggled to grab his keys and unlock the front door. His parents weren't home just yet, but he figured as soon as he got inside he could grab a phone or a glass of water. I'm probably just dehydrated, he thought to himself. Yeah, a cool glass of water might do the trick. He then struggled to catch his breath when he walked through the front door, his breathing starting to feel heavy.

Slamming the front and ignoring to lock it, Seth dropped his backpack and limped toward the kitchen. His breathing still felt ragged even though he dropped the extra weight of his textbooks. Nearly dropping the glass he took a few deep and slow breaths, then a few gulps. The water was cool and refreshing, instantly replenishing his fatigue. He started calming down after a few more sips, wondering what exactly had just happened. A panic attack? Asthma? He was never diagnosed with any of those and his parents were pretty sure none of that ran in the family. Whenever his dad got home he'll be sure to tell him. For now, there was an essay due next week that Seth preferred to start before the start of tomorrow morning Saturday.

When he felt ready, he took out his laptop and sat on the couch in front of the television. Flipping on the news channel that started soon at three, he started to type his intro. The essay was supposed to be based on a book he never even tried to read: To Kill a Mockingbird. From the other juniors and students that have read the book, it had nothing to do with killing birds. Right, Seth was just going to look for a quick synopsis, then go from there to answering the prompt.

By the time his dad came home, Seth was already finished with the first paragraph of the body. "Seth! I told you not to keep the front door unlocked. Why was it open?"

"Sorry, dad. There was some kind of emergency and I forgot..."

"Really? What kind of emergency?"

"I, um... I'm not sure. For a minute before I got home I couldn't breathe or something."

"Uh-huh. Are you alright now?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay, well, you're mom should be home soon. You can talk to her about your condition. Right now, I have groceries in the trunk."

Seth knew his dad wouldn't really be concerned, as long as he was still breathing and conscious everyone was fine. At this point in time, Seth knew he was fine too. He took a step outside to assess the back of his dad's car when he saw June in front of his house. "Crap," he muttered under his breath. Even though June took a carpool to get home, her house was only around the corner from his, which didn't make sense to him as of why she didn't walk like he did. It could have been that she had extra-curricular activities, or that it was a safety issue. He could protect her if she decided to walk home with him. Wait. Why was he even thinking about that? He would hate the fact of walking her home if she missed her ride! His parents knew her parents, which meant they would trust him, but he would refuse, no matter how nice they asked. Seth hated June, but for what reason? He couldn't remember. Yet here she was now, in front of his house, smiling something wicked. Almost as if she was plotting his demise. He felt a chill run down his spine as he approached the end of the driveway toward her. He just needed to reach the car and ignore her gaze.

June seemed to be holding what looked like a doll in her hands. A doll that Seth swore could have looked like him. As soon as he was at arms length from her, she hid the doll behind her back. "Is there something you need?" he asked, surprised at the words falling from his mouth.

"Huh? No, I'm just taking a quick stroll. Don't mind me," June turned to avoid his gaze. There was an awkwardness compared to her usual harshness. It startled Seth in a way, but was somehow also making his heart melt. "O-okay. Then I'll see you around?"

"Tomorrow?" The question came out of the blue. Seth felt hot but nodded nonetheless. "Yeah, if you want." Why was he agreeing? Why was she asking? What the heck was going on? June nodded and practically ran away to her house, leaving Seth confused and disturbed. He couldn't resist her pull in attraction, like he was under some kind of spell. He was supposed to say no. He was supposed to hate her. He was supposed to hang out with his friends tomorrow, not June. He forgot all about the groceries and stumbled through the doorway in a daze. His father sent him back out and told him to get his head out of the clouds.

Two months went by like nothing, but there was indeed a big something. Seth wasn't seeing his friends anymore because of June. There was no band, no practice sessions, no hangouts. She was all he was thinking about. From the moment he woke up to the minutes before he slept. There were some nights where he couldn't go to sleep because of her. They would text back and forth constantly: teasing, flirting, joking. Calling consisted of hour-long sessions of non-stop compliments and therapies about the day even if they had just seen each other. His mindset had did a complete 180, now thinking that June wasn't so bad. Just last week they had ended up getting matching tattoos (with parental consents of course). The skin was still a little sore to the touch. The ink was small but still noticeable whenever they upturned their wrists to show matching flying birds. It was June's idea. Seth had only wanted her name, but was still glad that she called the shots. He wasn't even sure how they ended up with the crazy idea.

"Bro, we need to talk," Jordan bumped shoulders as he slid on the lunchtable bench next to him. Ron sat on the opposite end at the same time and finished Jordan's thought, stopping Seth from nearly falling off the other side. "It's about your new girlfriend."

"June? She should be here any minute."

"Yeah, we know. It's why we needed you to listen to us first before she comes around here," Jordan shifted around his gaze to make sure the devil wasn't around. "Dude, we miss hanging out with you. It's like she's all you think about-"

"Like you're under some kind of spell," Ron cut Jordan off. "Seriously, you've always hated her. And now? You're wrapped around her fingers."

"I know, there's just something about her. I'm not sure what's happening, but I can't help but fall head over heels for her. It's completely unnatural and I don't think I can stop-"

"Well you have to! What happened to bros before-"

"What Ron's trying to say is that we think you are possessed. You mentioned seeing a doll the first time June asked you out right?"

"Yeah, but I haven't seen it since that one time. I've completely forgotten about it since I've been with her. She's all right though, guys."

"No! That's what she wants you to think! You're a puppet and we're going to help you," Ron was known for his outbursts. Sensitive Jordan was only nodding and looking out for June.

"But what if I don't want help?" Seth asked defiantly. He was getting tired of his friends crazy theory, but was fearful that they could be right. What if whatever he was feeling were not his own? Would June do that?

"She's coming," Jordan announced quietly.

"Look, my next tutoring session is tomorrow afternoon. I'll see if I can find that creepy doll when I have a chance and prove you wrong."

"Why don't we just ask her straight up. She on the way here right now," Seth challenged.

"She'll know what's up and lie to our faces."

"Three..." Jordan started a countdown.

"June wouldn't do that."

"Two..."

"Says the puppet."

"One..."

"Hey, guys," June smiled and waved, about to set her backpack on the table when Seth stood and whirled on Ron with a fist. "H-hey!" Jordan jumped out of his seat to hold Seth back. June's eyes grew wide as both her boyfriend and his friend were throwing punches. A group of students started surrounding the area with excitement and cheers. A whistle blew as an SRO and english teacher attempted to pull the two boys away from each other. Obscenities were thrown back and forth with both being dragged to the principle's office.

At dismissal, Seth walked June home with an icepack to his eye. They walked in silence with him still fuming from the fight with Ron. Earlier when they were both escorted to the office and placed in front of Principle Lee she had asked the simple question of "what happened?" and immediately they started fighting again. Seth was placed in a separate room where Ron would tell his ridiculous story first. June sighed when they were halfway from her house. Two minutes later and she sighed louder.

"If you need to say something then just say it," Seth was already annoyed with how the day has been. He didn't want another argument if he could avoid it... or maybe he did. The confrontation with Jordan and Ron made him open his eyes a little bit, before one of them started closing up on him on his way home. "You're an idiot to start a fight over me," June cut to the chase. "Technically, he was bashing me, not you."

"Have you ever hear that saying about sticks and stones?"

"Words still hurt, especially when they're intentional."

"I know that feeling," June muttered under her breath low enough for Seth not to hear correctly. "Huh?"

"Nothing."

"Anyway, I do have a question for you. It's been bugging me since the guys brought it up."

"What?"

"Where is it?"

"Where's what?"

"Before we started hanging out there was a doll. I remember you had it when..." Seth gulped and couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence. When I was spellbound by you. Found you at the front of my house and I didn't turn to go back inside. There was no way to even put into words that day when things started to change.

"I don't know what you're taking about."

"Gosh, June. Stop playing dumb, you had a doll behind your back when I saw you that day."

"So what if I did? How does that concern you?"

"It does if you're into using me."

"What?" June stopped in her tracks. They were at least five more minutes away from her house. He stopped and was ready to square off. "And just what are you implying?"

"I've never felt this way about anyone, much less towards you. I'm suspecting you of some kind of witch."

"Pfft..." June couldn't contain her laughter which irritated Seth and made him feel ridiculous. This was supposed to be a serious conversation. Here she was thinking he told the best joke in the world. "Really? What, you think I had a voodoo doll? That I cast a spell on you? Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm serious, June. You wouldn't believe me if I told you that I couldn't stand you at the beginning. I-"

"Listen, I'm aware with how disgusted you were with me from the start. But I'm going to say this right now. There is no doll, Seth."

The next day Seth was in the kitchen making himself a sandwich before he went to his room to start his homework after school. Wrapped in napkin, he was about to take a bite when something stopped him. Pain shot through his gut as if someone punched him. He dropped his meal and caught himself as he fell to the ground. He lifted his shirt to see what just happened and didn't see a thing. There was no other pain as it was gone in an instant it happened. There was now a mess on the floor with layers and slices of the sandwich. After cleaning up the mess there was a knock at the front door. Looking through the hole and Ron was anxiously banging on the door.

"What do you want?!"

"Seth! I got it! I got it-let me in!"

Seth thought twice about opening the door, but it was Ron- his best friend. The one with a matching black eye. Seth unlocked the door and had Ron come in himself, holding a doll that looked like him. "Look, see? It's you."

The doll was identical to him, clutched in Ron's shaky hands. He had squeezed the doll, knocking the breath out of Seth and making him lean forward towards his pal. When the doll was lightly tossed toward him, a slight exhileration with vertigo made Seth want to cringe. June lied. After all that happened yesterday, she was the absolute worst.

Ron had kept the door open and there she was in the doorway, a sorry look of an apology on her face. He couldn't take this anymore. "Get out..." he wasn't sure who he was referring to- Ron or June- maybe even both. "Bro-"

"Get out! OUT! I need a minute!" Ron shook his head, bumping June on his way who refused to leave. "Seth, I'm sorry. I can explain."

"You liar. What's this if it's not me?!" Seth wanted to shake the doll, but feared the sensations that would follow after.

"You're right, but I had my reasons-"

"Please. You really are a witch. Stay away from me."

"I can reverse it. Just give me some time to explain."

"Explain what, June? Everything's a lie- this doll, my feelings- you were in control of everything and I couldn't stop it."

"You have no idea what it's like to like someone who hated you! I wanted to show you for once that I could be someone you wanted!" June closed her eyes to try and stop herself from crying. Alligator tears, Seth thought to himself. He really wanted to believe her, but it was a little to late now that she couldn't control the doll.

"The doll doesn't control everything. Sure, the first couple of weeks was all my fault, but after that everything else was on you." June stomped her foot, aggravated that she had shed a tear. She wiped it off with the back of her hand. Seth rolled his eyes in disbelief. After a minute of not saying anything June turned her back on him and was muttering something under her breath. A cool breeze came from the open doorway that chilled Seth to the bone. The front door then magically shut on its own, bringing another feeling of dread towards Seth. "You can burn the doll. It's not connected to you anymore. I'm going home." June refused to look him in the eye and left without another word.

A few minutes after she left he shook the doll as a precaution to if he felt anything. Nothing. He ran back into the kitchen and found a lighter, running to his backyard where the fire pit was and burned the doll before tossing it in. There was something, a pit in his stomach that he felt wasn't right even though June was telling the truth this time and the doll was no longer connected to him. He swore to himself and waited until the doll completely disappeared.

Seth put on a pair of shoes and ran to June's house. He had to tell her something important. At her doorway he was breathless, but knocked regardless. Her mother answered, telling him June wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone right now. "Please, for June this is really important."

"Perhaps I can relay the message."

"It's okay, mom. I'm already here," June popped up from behing her, eyes puffy from her crying.

"June, I have something to say. Please, hear me out." Her mother closed the door for their privacy on the front porch. June gave him her full attention, bracing for a horrible comment.

"I still can't explain it, but even now my heart is racing. Not just because I ran to your house or because of that stupid doll, but because I still think of you-even right now.

"Even after you left and broke the curse, my heart still feels like it would burst." Brace for impact, Seth bowed his head towards June. "You're right, June. For someone I thought that I used to hate, I'm still falling for you."