by Rue Volley
I stopped and looked in the mirror. I actually looked like a girl. I grinned at myself and ran down the stairs. I hit the bottom step and Johnathan stood up and stared at me. I raised my eyebrows at him. His stare followed me to the kitchen. I could feel it. I guessed he was regretting his decision to dump me… good! I don’t know why, but it felt so good to know that I looked amazing. I grabbed a glass from the cabinet and opened the fridge up. Josh walked up and leaned towards me. I looked up at him and he grinned.
“Your hair, you figured out how to grow it, didn’t you?” he said. I crinkled my eyebrows.
“You knew how to do that?” I asked him. He straightened up.
“Yep, if I’d have known you wanted it long, I would have shown you how to do it,” He said.
I stood up and ran the rim of my glass on my lip. He stared at my mouth. I smiled and walked into the living room past Johnathan. He still stared at me, as I sat down on the couch. He went to sit down and almost fell off the edge of the chair. I glanced at him. He looked like he was in shock. I sighed and propped my boots up on the coffee table.
Josh came in and looked at him.
“Sucks to be you,” he muttered at him. Johnathan leaned forward.
“Your hair,” he said to me. I looked up at him.
“My hair what, Johnathan?” I said. He sat back and kept staring at me.
“It’s really pretty Rue,” he said. I looked at him.
“Oh, thanks,” I said. I looked at Josh.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked him. Josh sat down next to me… way close.
He rubbed my boot and grinned at me. Johnathan stared at us. I thought it was funny.
“Well… I think I will just surprise you,” he said. Johnathan stood up.
“Where are you guys going?” he asked us. We both looked up at him.
“Well… Josh is taking me on a date, Johnathan,” I said. Josh leaned back on the couch.
“A date?” Johnathan said, evenly toned. Josh nodded at him.
“Yes, you know what those are, don’t you?” Josh asked him. Johnathan crossed his arms.
“Yes, I do… I just didn’t expect for you to be going on a date this fast Rue,” Johnathan said, irritated, obviously. I pushed myself up and looked at him.
“What? Am I supposed to be in mourning?” I asked him.
I walked back into the kitchen and he followed me. Josh stood up, but stayed in the living room. I grabbed an apple and took a big bite out of it. I looked at Johnathan and raised my arms to him.
“What?” I asked him. He shook his head.
“No, I don’t expect for you to be in ‘mourning’, as you so nicely put it.”
“What do you want me to do then?” I asked him. I took another bite from the apple.
“Well… you should not be running around, it isn’t safe,” he said. I laughed at him.
“You are kidding, right?” I asked him, and then continued. “What...? Should I go up to my room and lock myself in? I am going to go out. I know that things aren’t ever going to be normal, but I am not going to hide out in this house the rest of my life,” I said.
Johnathan looked back at Josh.
“You should not be taking her out Josh,” he said. I stepped up to him.
“You leave him out of this Johnathan. I want to go out. Josh is taking me out. He would never let anything happen to me anyway.”
He reached out and touched my hair. I backed away from him and my braid fell out of his hand. I stared at him for a moment and I saw the Johnathan that I knew, the one that I saw at the party, at the bonfire. I cleared my throat and walked past him. I looked at Josh.
“Let’s go,” I said to him. Josh stood up and followed me to the door. Johnathan called out to him as I stepped onto the porch.
“You better protect her,” Johnathan said. Josh turned to him.
“I won’t let anything happen to her.”
“You better not,” Johnathan said under his breath.
Josh flashed up to him and leaned in to his face. “You just dumped her like two hours ago, stop acting like you own her.”
Johnathan looked up at him and clinched his fists.
Josh waited for a moment and then walked out the door.
I stood on the porch and stared out at the day. It was beautiful. I smelled the air and felt Josh step up behind me. I turned to him and saw the black swirling on his skin.
“Are you okay?” I said.
He grinned. I adored his mouth, his lips were full, his teeth whiter than white. His two canine teeth were a little crooked and I stared at them for a moment.
He leaned up to my face and whispered, “You look so pretty.” I grinned.
He reached for my hand and we walked to the car. I looked at the one he had stolen and saw the dent in the back. I looked at him and squeezed his hand.
“Is your… you know… feeling better?” I asked him. He smiled at me.
“Why...? Do I need to use it?”
I blushed and looked away from him.
“No… I just, well never mind,” I stammered.
Josh opened the car door for me and I sat down. He laughed. He got in the other side and looked at me.
“Theodore fixed me up Rue… I’m good,” he said as he started the car up. I cleared my throat. “So… what’s the plan?” I asked him. He pulled out and grinned.
“I got this on lock down,” he said.
We drove downtown and he pulled up to Coffee. He stopped the car and I waited as he ran to my door and opened it up. I was not used to him being so close to a gentlemen, it was unlike him. I wondered if it annoyed him to act that way or if he had a break through. Maybe this is how he acts at first and then he goes ass. I hoped not. I got out and looked at all the kids coming in and out of Coffee. As usual, they were all there. We stepped up to the door and he opened it up for me. I looked at him.
“You don’t have to do that Josh,” I said. He leaned over into my ear.
“Awesome, it’s kind of weird.”
I laughed and we walked in.
The room was full. I looked around and saw people that I recognized. It was so strange to see them. Life had gone on, like nothing had happened. None of them knew anything… oblivious to the crazy. Well, except for one and there she was in our booth, sipping on a frappe as usual. Sara spotted me and jumped up. She stared at my hair and then grinned big at me. She didn’t even care that I was there with only Josh. She ran up to me and almost knocked me over with a big hug.
She whispered in my ear, “You and I need a long girl talk.”
She backed away from me and smiled up at Josh.
“Hi,” she said to him. He grinned at her.
She grabbed my hand and pulled me to the booth. Josh went the counter and started to order for us. I hadn’t told him what I wanted and I hoped that he wouldn’t get me something gross. I sat down and Sara slid in and leaned towards me.
“Your hair is the bomb,” she said. I smiled. Of course, Sara would find my hair the hot topic, after all that has happened.
“Thanks,” I said.
“Did you do some abra kadabra on it?” she asked me.
I looked around but quickly realized no one heard anything you said anyway in there anyway.
“Oh my God Sara… I just did it, with my hands! It was freaky!” I said, as her eyes got wider.
Josh stepped up and handed me a frappe… cool. I smiled and took it from his hand. He slid in next to me and gulped on something darker than night. I leaned over and smelled what he had.
“Gross,” I muttered. He looked at me.
“What?” he said. “I like coffee, black... no sugar.”
I looked at Sara. “That’s nasty,” I said. Josh looked at me and then at her.
“What? It’s a ‘coffee’ shop… I got ‘coffee’… how odd,” he said.
I crinkled my nose and sipped my Frap. Sara giggled. She looked at me then at him.
“So, what’s new?” She asked.
Josh almost spilled his coffee. I cleared my throat.
“Oh… you know, the usual,” I said.
She leaned towards us. “I knew that you would come back Rue. I just knew it. You know Josh was just a mess while you were gone,” she whispered.
Josh cleared his throat and looked around. “Yea, I’m better now,” he said.
She smiled and leaned back in her seat. She pointed a finger at me.
“I am coming over tomorrow and you are going to tell me everything.” I nodded as I sipped on my straw.
“I mean it,” she added. I stopped drinking and looked at her.
“Okay,” I said.
She then went into Sara mode. She looked at both of us and crossed her arms.
“So… where are we going?” she asked us.
I looked at Josh and he leaned up to her, she leaned forward.
“It’s a secret, I am taking Rue on a date,” he said.
Sara squealed and some kids stopped talking for a moment. I sighed. Josh sat back and grinned. I looked at her. “He is holding the information hostage. I don’t know what we are doing.”
“How fun,” she said.
Josh stood up and held his hand out to me. I looked at her and smiled as I took it. He pulled me up. Sara slid out of the booth and hugged me. Josh said goodbye to her and pulled me towards the door. We stepped outside and he looked around. I looked up at him.
“Is everything okay?” I asked him.
“Yep… just keeping an eye out for crap,” he said.
We walked to the car and he opened my door again. I could get used to him doing this, I really could... I guess. He shut my door and walked to his side and got in. I looked at him.
“Where to now?” I asked him. He laughed.
“You think I’m easy don’t you?” he said.
I sat back and decided at that point that I wasn’t going to ask him anymore. I’m just gonna let him tote me around. He drove as I watched the kids walking around. It was like summer, although summers there consist of kinda chilly days and cold nights. It’s still better than snow. I watched a couple walk down the street with their arms around each other and wondered how mundane their lives were, how normal. I looked over at Josh and wondered if we were just two normal people, no flashy disco light show just be there together. Probably not. For a moment, I was glad that I was different.
We pulled up to the library and I looked up at it. I had forgotten about my birthday present, my unbelievably cool present. Who else got a cool wing of a library? No one, I would guess. He got out and I opened my door. He flashed to it and opened it the rest of the way for me. He took my hand and we walked up the steps. I hesitated at the door. Josh looked at me.
“You okay?” he asked me. I nodded and we stepped in.
We walked across the entryway and Brooke stood up at the desk.
“Rue!” she said. I smiled at her and Josh pulled out the key. He unlocked the door and we stepped in. I looked around and smelled the air closing my eyes.
“Why do you do that?” Josh asked me. I opened my eyes and looked up at the skylight.
“I love the smell of books,” I said as I stepped into the middle.
A tree had been planted in the middle since I had been there last. I looked at it then stepped closer. I touched the white bark and looked at the white flowers all over it. I looked back at Josh. He grinned.
“I planted it in here for you, I thought you would like it,” he said as he stepped towards me.
I looked at it and traced my fingers across the trunk. It hummed under my fingers.
“I love it,” I said. He stood there and watched as the tree started to pulsate with color as I touched it. He sighed.
I looked up and started for the spiral incline. He flashed up behind me and we walked up the outer ring, towards the top. We reached the top level and I looked down at the ravens etched into the white stone on the floor. My eyes followed them all the way up to the top. I looked over and saw my chair. I ran to it and jumped landing in it and snuggled back. He crossed his arms and smiled.
“You and that chair,” he said to me. I rubbed my hands across the leather and sighed again.
“This is heaven,” I said, as I smelled the leather. He leaned against the railing and watched me.
“I am sorry,” he said to me. I looked at him. What is he talking about?
“Sorry for what?” I asked him.
“For Elin,” he said.
I leaned up and looked at him. “You are apologizing to me?” I asked.
“Yes, I apologize every fifty years or so. I just want you to know that I am sorry.”
I bit my lip and stood up. I walked past him and leaned against the railing.
“Rue?” he said, sounding like he may regret that he brought it up.
I looked up at the skylight and then back to him.
“I accept your apology. Now we don’t have to talk about it ever again.”
“Deal,” he said.
I started to walk down the spiral incline and he caught up to me, took my hand and we didn’t say anything else until we reached the door. He held up my hand and handed the key to me.
“This belongs to you,” he said.
I looked back at the tree and grinned, it is mine… awesome.
We stepped out and Brooke stood there waiting. I looked at her.
“I am glad to see you back. Will you please tell Theodore that it is okay for him to come here, at least once and awhile? He does own it.”
I nodded to her and she walked back to the desk and sat down. She raised her book and grinned before she started to read it again.
“Does she know what we are?” I asked Josh. He looked at me.
“Theodore let her know everything… he trusts her.”
I looked back at her and she winked at me when we reached the door. I waved at her and Josh pulled me out the front. We walked down the steps and he opened my door again. I ran around to his side and opened his door up. He walked around the car and laughed, got in and I closed it. I smiled, ran back to my side and got in. I looked at him while he started the car up again and pulled out. We drove out of town and I got a little nervous. I looked at him.
“Should we be leaving town?” I asked him. He winked at me.
“Trust me, I laid protection symbols down… no worries,” he said.
We only drove for about a half hour. He pulled into a parking lot and I looked around. Toys hung from the tree branches of every tree and the front door was a brightly painted spiral. I watched as he got out and opened my door up once more. I stepped out and looked at the building. Josh stood there with his hands on his hips. The sign over the top of the read… “ALL YOU CAN EAT” in black and purple. I looked back at him and smiled big time. He laughed.
“Time for you to eat,” he said.
I ran to the door and stepped inside. It was decked out in every crazy thing you could ever imagine. Old bicycles protruded from the walls as well as toys, boats, and a thousand other things that made it look more like a fun house, than a place to eat. A large face led us inside, its mouth being the door. I didn’t care that it was busy, of course it was, lay out the food and they will come.
I looked out at the largest collection of every type of food you could ever want. I grabbed a plate and started to pick a little of everything. Josh jogged up behind me and grabbed a plate too. I finally filled my plate beyond ridiculous and we looked for a seat. We spotted a black impala, hollowed out with a booth, and took it. I sat my plate down and prepared to do some serious damage to it.
We ate without talking. He was hungry and so was I. Six trips back to the buffet later, we finally decided that we couldn’t eat anymore, without the employees getting suspicious. We ran out of there laughing. I stopped and held my stomach as I looked at Josh. He grinned at me. He stepped up and wiped some whip cream from my lip and I licked it from his finger. He stared at me for a moment then I jumped in the car, he followed and started the engine.
“Oh my
god… I could have eaten more,” I said. He laughed and pulled out.
We drove back towards town and he took a road I didn’t recognize. I watched as the houses started to disappear and the sky started to get darker. He pulled up to a brightly lit up sign and I looked at it.
“No freakin way,” I said.
He looked over at me and pulled in.
I turned in my seat. “You brought me to the drive in?” I asked.
He shrugged his shoulders and grinned.
“Oh my god… this is great,” I said.
I sat back in my seat and let him pay the girl at the booth then we pulled in. He found a nice spot and turned the car off. I looked over at him and raised my eyebrows. He smiled.
“I take it that you now want popcorn,” he said to me.
“And red licorice and chocolate covered peanuts… oh, and a drink,” I said.
He stepped out and leaned down. “Anything else?”
“Napkins,” I said.
“Okay then,” he said as he left me there.
I sat back. Oh my god… I love the drive in. I do… as much as I used to love the carnival. I looked around for a moment, hoping that I didn’t just curse us. All I saw were other couples, some of them making out. I sat back and looked at the screen. The funny pre-movie stuff came on. I got mesmerized by the dancing hot dog on the screen as Josh opened the door. I flinched. He leaned over and handed the popcorn to me. He sat down and adjusted his seat back. I did too.
“This is the best,” I said, as I shoved popcorn in my mouth.
Josh sat all of our goodies down… more than I had requested. I grinned. How cool was it that I could pig out 24/7 and he didn’t care, in fact he’d join right in? I bit into a piece of licorice and pushed a handful of popcorn into my mouth. The flavors twisted together in my mouth and I “mmm’d”. Josh looked at me.
“Did you just mix your licorice and popcorn?” he asked me. I nodded and grinned at him.