Jay Mandal, novelist and short-story writer brings us another short-short.

Jay Mandal is from Southern England. After grammar school, he joined a City bank and worked in Europe. He’s written eighty short stories, fifty of which have been published, and two novels. ‘Slubberdegullion’ and ‘A Different Kind of Love’ are collections of short works, while ‘The Dandelion Clock’ is a novel. Speakout magazine have published at least one Mandal story in each issue, and his short stories have been featured in popular publications such as Passport and Lookout. 

Jay’s latest collection, The Loss of Innocence, is available from BeWrite Books and from the usual outlets
Jealousy
by Jay Mandal
Word Count 200
 
I’d always been jealous of Sam. Ever since primary school.  He’d always been faster at running, better at maths, more popular with the other children. He had fair hair that turned to gold in the sun, blue eyes the colour of the summer sky, and an appealing, lopsided smile. I didn’t stand a chance.
 
It got worse as we hit puberty. Not for him a greasy skin and spots, or clumsiness and being tongue-tied. The girls adored him, the other boys admired him, and the teachers respected him.
 
I hated him.
 
Of course, he sailed through his exams while I only just scraped a pass. ‘A’ levels next. Oddly enough, we chose the same subjects.
 
Sometimes we’d study at each other’s houses. He was always pleasant to me even when I was rude to him.
 
June was hot. Not just hot, but baking, without a breath of air anywhere. Too hot to study. We went out into the garden and turned the hose on.
 
I soaked him
 
“You sod!” he yelled as he gave chase.
 
I let myself be caught.
 
We stood there facing each other.
 
He kissed me very gently.
 
I let him.
 
After all, I’ve always loved him.
 
—The End—

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