Today's prompt: Who filled the pool with strawberry Jell-O?
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It was her last day of senior year at Elk Valley Public High School, and she was sitting in homeroom when the announcement came over the PA system.
"To whomever thought it was funny to pour strawberry Jell-O mix in the school's pool, rest assured that you will be found and properly reprimanded. That is all."
Everyone in the classroom started up a racket chattering about Jell-O and speculating about the possible culprit. Grace O'Malley wasn't so thrilled about the shenanigans because she had swim practice later that day. And if she was right about the brutality of her coach, they would be swimming through the strawberry flavored goo.
"Grace, who d'you think did it?" Ryan asked, leaning over on the edge of his desk and tapping Grace on the arm. "I've got a sneaking suspicion that it was Bailey, he's got a shifty look about his eyes."
The two turned in their seats to look back at Marcus Bailey who was wrapped up in his jacket, as if he didn't have a locker. The truth of the matter was that he kept so much shit in his pockets, he was reluctant to let any of it out of his sight. And if the rumors were true, the things he kept in his pockets were less than pleasant. Maybe strawberry Jell-O mix was one of those unpleasant things.
"Ryan. Bailey always looks shifty. Remember that time you snuck up on him the the hallway and he nearly knifed you with a spoon?" Grace replied.
"Better than spooning me with a spoon, eh?" Ryan countered, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively and earning himself a swat from Grace when she rolled her eyes.
"Shut up, twit. It was probably Caroline anyway. It's always the quiet ones, and she hates swim team, so she'd do anything to get out of practice," Grace said, giving the guessing game a try of her own.
"Why's she on the swim team in the first place then?"
"Parents forced her."
"Ah. And they didn't think to force her into cheerleading or something productive?"
"Because swimming is less productive than badminton, right?" Grace asked, batting her eyelashes innocently as a scowl settled onto Ryan's face. "Don't get me wrong, that birdie needs to be frequently beaten into submission."
"It's called a shuttlecock."
"Because that's so much better."
"Maybe it was Principal Wilson. I mean, does he have anything better to do than sabotage a high school swimming team and the tortures of PE swim class?" Ryan said.
"Hm. You've got a point. He's got motive, opportunity, everything."
At that point, the PA system crackled into life once again, "The Jell-O culprit has been identified. Grace O'Malley, please report to the principal's office immediately."
Grace's jaw dropped in a parody of every cartoon she had ever seen as a child. She looked at Ryan helplessly before gathering up her backpack and heading out the classroom door to the hoots and hollers of her classmates.
"It's as if we spend our entire lives avoiding Jell-O but it's always there at the end, waiting."
- John Grisham
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