The Misadventures of Daria Pigwidgeon

by Amy Lunderman

  Of course, silly me.

  “Oh. Right. That. Sorry….for….you know. The door closing.” I stammer out with a blush so dark I’d be shocked if I wasn’t glowing like light bulb.

  He chuckles again (something I think just might be my favorite sound) and turns away to face his car. I’m just glad to have his stare directed at something other than me. It’s never good to show up to a job interview with sweaty pits. Or at least I think anyway. Oh who am I kidding, I don’t know anything anymore.

  “You know if I could count on one hand how many pretty girls closed a door in my face.” He looks over his shoulder at me and my heart stops. Did he just call me pretty?

  He pauses for a second, then turns back around and says, “Well you know what I mean.”

  Um, no. I do not.

  But I want to. Are their many girls he makes so nervous that they slam doors in his face? If so, what is my competition? Who am I kidding; I’m no one’s competition, least of all not someone vying for Chance’s attention.

  I grumble a response that sounds like an agreement, though I’m sure it sounds like a frog is stuck in my throat.

  We stand in silence for a moment, and I wonder if I did something wrong. Not that I mind the view with him facing his car. Not in the slightest. I prefer the blue of his eyes though. Then he’s turning back to face me, like he heard my unspoken plea. I certainly hope not. That’d be so embarrassing.

  He waves his arms to the general direction of the car and says, “You ready to scoot?”

  “Huh?” I whisper.

  He chuckles. I’m mortified.

  “Are you ready to go check out the sub shop Ash was supposed to take you to?”

  Now I’m certain he thinks there is something wrong me with. I think there is to. This isn’t going very well, maybe I shouldn’t go anywhere with him. Even if I want nothing more than to be trapped in a car with him, it’ll do nothing good for my burning cheeks.

  So I say, “You don’t have to take me you know. If you just point me in the right direction, I can walk.” Then I glance away and whisper, “It’s nothing I haven’t done before.”

  And it’s true, having to rely on nothing and no one but myself most of my life. I did walk to the airport for goodness sake, and if able I probably would’ve walked here from Rochester just to save a few bucks. Not that I tell him any of this. Nor will I ever.

  “That’s not going to happen, rabbit. I already sold my rights to you for the day. So I’m yours. Use me.”

  My eyes go large as he does a dramatic bow, with his arms stretched out and practically sweeps the floor. He lingers in the pose long enough to make me snicker. If only he knew what saying that statement meant to a demon. Or what it means to a girl with a serious crush on him. Because I can think of some good ways to use, no, I won’t go there. Never mind.

  When he doesn’t move, I wonder if he’s going to. Then he lifts his head enough to peer up at me through a curtain of his thick hair. His eyes glimmer. I swoon.

  “I’m not moving from this position until you agree. Unless you want to cause me bodily harm, please say yes.”

  Snorting out a quiet laugh, I feel the cobwebs covering my spirit lifting. No way do I want to cause him bodily harm. Not when there are other things to do, alright stopping myself before I go there again.

  I smile.

  “All right, fine. You win. You can be mine.”

  If it’s possible my eyes go even bigger and a blush rushes through my body. Laughing, he rises back into a standing position. I look everywhere but him. What is wrong with me? He’s mine? Kill me now. Where’s my family when you need them?

  Thankfully he makes his way to his car and I get a brief reprieve. He gets hallway in before leaning over the door though and stares at me with that sly grin I can’t avoid. Then I realize I’m not moving. Not getting into the car I agreed to let him drive me in. Instead I’m standing here staring. Again. Like a loon.

  He calls out, “Your chariot awaits rabbit.”

  Shaking my head to clear the fog, I climb in beside him. I’m only just buckling myself in when he already has it started and backing outside. In a speed that sends me forward a little searching out for my invisible break peddle. Then we’re turning onto the road, and I get pushed back into the seat again. Not even a second down the road and I’m already feeling the proximity to him. Not that he notices, his eyes are all for the road.

  Still feeling it, I shiver.

  Glancing at me, Chance mistakes my shiver for being cold and goes right to cranking up the heat. I get blasted in the face with cold air before he turns it down muttering an apology. Honestly, I didn’t even feel the cold. He’s sort of making me run a little warm.

  Noticing that he’s wearing something warmer than me, I know he can’t be chilly in the least. And the fact that he put the heat on, makes me swoon all the more. But I can’t let him sweat to death. I’m not a sadist. Those demon qualities are reserved for my other family members.

  “You can turn that off if you want. I’m not really that cold.” I tell him.

  I cringe right away, yelling at myself for implying anything. That he turned it on for me in the first place for example. But his eyes flick to me with a smile. Then he removes a hand from the steering wheel. Reaching across me, he snags my knotted hands from my lap.

  He moved so fast, I didn’t even have the opportunity to feel my hackles rise in worry of being touched. A different tingle courses through my hands from his though. A good kind that I’ve never felt before, one I could get used to. He lifts my hands up in front of the heater vent, and glances at me out of the corner of his eye. At least I think he does. My eyes are all for his hands grasping mine.

  “I know your cold rabbit. Your hands are like ice.” He says as he gives my hands a gentle squeeze, before relinquishing them onto the vent.

  I keep my hands ever so still, like it’s a matter of life and death if I were to move them. And in a way it kind of is. For my nerves at least. My gaze shifts to him and I’m in awe. Never in my life have I met someone like him. I don’t know if he’s always this way or it’s because of me, but I don’t really care. I could hang onto this feeling forever.

  “I did see you shiver just so you know and I’m not one to ignore the little things.” He tells me sternly when his hands are both back on the steering wheel.

  His words snap me out of my hazy wonder and I snatch my hands back into my lap.

  Face flaming, I shrug nonchalantly before I say, “I’m fine. If you’re warm enough, you can turn it off.”

  When all else fails, anger and resentment always prevails. Or in my case, a good way to cover your embarrassment. I have the feeling it’ll be used a lot.

  His laughter surprises me. “Don’t get a lot of people doing nice things for you huh?”

  His words are light, like he’s just joking around. Or like he’s trying to playfully convince me to just let him be nice to me. But they sink deep inside, because no, I don’t. Get a lot of people doing nice things for me, not since I met him and his parents at least.

  Demons aren’t known for their niceness. And if the last sixteen years are any indication, I’m not privy to it. I can tell the exact moment Chance picks up on the mood shift in the air around me. Or maybe it’s my silent tension. I have the urge to explain that I’m not so strange and people do nice things for me all the time. But the words fade before reaching my lips. What’s the point? I’ll only sound like I’m covering up for something. That would be worse.

  So I stay silent, slowly slipping from cloud nine. And back into my constant trapped bubble of despair.

  “So…Ash made a great show of proving herself to your new bestie, huh?” Chance says clearly trying to change the subject.

  It’s obvious he’s trying to make me smile. Or maybe it’s me wishing him to be trying. But none the less, I do. Because, bestie? It sounds so funny coming from him. And really, who says that in reference to me? I stay silent, but the trapped feeling recedes.

/>   He continues like nothing was weird, “Just a word of advice, once she gets her claws into you. Watch out. She’s quite fierce with her bestie status. Even if she sometimes stands you up and forces her brother on you.”

  I smile. All right, now he’s just talking to hear his own voice.

  He catches my smile and returns it. “Not that I was forced. But you know what I mean.”

  Before I can comment, that no, I don’t know what you mean. Chance is pulling into a parking lot to a restaurant. Looks like we’re here. The ride couldn’t have been more than a couple of minutes. I really could have walked. And yet, he wanted to drive me anyway.

  It’s funny. I didn’t even want to get into the car with him. Knowing my frayed nerves would give away my weirdness. But now? I could sit beside him in here all day. Goes to show how much I really know myself. Who knew, a demon with a crush.

  Even if said demon has a soul.

  I guess it does more than give me a conscious after all.

  Chapter Five

  All crushing aside, I can’t help feeling a little disappointed when Chance parks the car and turns it off. So what do I do? Enjoy the moment we have before getting out? No. I ruin it by opening my mouth. And speaking. I think I had something going with playing mute.

  The floodgates have been opened unfortunately.

  “You don’t have to come in or wait or anything.” I hastily say, avoiding eyes that are boring into mine “Thanks for the ride, but I can walk home.”

  See what I mean by ruining it?

  Talk about using anger and resentment as a defense mechanism. I’m already turned away and easing the door open, when a light touch sparks something inside me. It starts from my back, where his hand is, to everywhere in a rush. My hackles rise slightly, in preparation for striking out against the touch. I inwardly cringe. Outwardly, it looks like I’m flinching.

  Chance pulls his hand back, probably thinking I flinched from his touch. In a way I did. I’m just glad he didn’t get zapped. I like him too much to hurt him. I do wish he was still touching me though.

  “Rabbit.” He says in an odd voice that sends chills down my spine. Then clears his throat, stops, and continues. “I’m going in with you.”

  Over my shoulder I say, “You don’t have to. I can manage.”

  I just can’t stop can I?

  “I have no doubt about that. But. There is someone I want to introduce you to. If that’s all right?”

  Pivoting in the seat, I turn to get a better look at him. He’s smiling that sly grin at me again. Except I can tell this one holds something close to annoyance. Not real annoyance I’m sure. But more like, he’s getting tired trying to convince me to be normal.

  You and me both, buddy.

  “Oh.” I reply not sounding very genius at the moment. “That’s fine I guess.”

  Nodding, he says, “Good, because Ash is inside. And I’m sure she’ll want a progress report of my skilled duties.”

  He flashes me another grin and gets out of the car. I’m left sitting here thinking what the heck a progress report is. Hopefully it’s not what it sounds like. It was bad enough living through the last couple of minutes with him. I can’t imagine giving a play-by-play to his sister.

  Can you say awkward?

  I can.

  Awkward.

  I climb out of the car hoping he’s already inside so I can get myself all collected. Only, I step out to find Chance waiting for me. He has his hands sheepishly dug into the pockets of his jeans. For all the world looking like a kid in elementary school - except he clearly isn’t - what with all of the lean muscled height of him.

  Then he smiles. I smile. A horn blares.

  We both turn and glare at a car trying to get around Chance. Who was, for all intent purposes, standing in the middle of the parking lot. Laughing has never felt so good. Now who’s blushing? Not I, says the girl laughing at the boy jumping away from an elderly couple driving a Prius.

  The car drives past and winds up parking on the other side of the lot. Not that I was watching. My eyes are all for Chance. I see a trend beginning here. His eyes are lighter than normal with laughter. His cheeks have a fine shine of a blush just grazing the sharp angles of his cheekbones. Some would be embarrassed by almost being rundown by an old person, but not Chance.

  I can see it in the way he continues to skip back to the restaurant. His arms lifted up in question. Smiling, he waves me over to join him. Cautiously, I check both ways before I cross the street. And make sure I give him a knowing smile as I do. Never have I ever been so bold. Never have I ever had so much fun over something so simple.

  Holding the door open for me he says, “After you rabbit.”

  Smile still firmly in place, I skip across the threshold. A whisper in my right ear almost causes me to stumble.

  “I’ll get you back for mocking me. Just you wait.”

  His breath is warm on the back of my neck, it sends chills down my spine. Before I can wonder if he’s playing or being serious, he spins around my prone form and faces me. He’s smirking. I’m speechless. Is that a flirtatious smirk? Or am I losing it?

  His smirk takes on a sinister tone in a flash then is replaced with a bright smile. He was totally just playing me. Oh it is so on. Never make deals with demons. We always win in the end. Trust me. I know this stuff.

  I’m about to call him on his bluff, when he turns away and saunters over to the checkout counter. He says something to a boy on the other side of it. That’s when I realize we’re not in my perfect little world with just the two of us. No. We’re in a full restaurant (on excuse me, a sub shop, same difference) where I’m supposed to be looking for a job. Learn to focus Pigwidgeon.

  A shouted version of my name draws my attention from Chance’s backside, to the dining room in the other direction. And there is Ashley, Chance’s sister, sitting with a group of girls. Where my experience with boys is pretty slim to none, my experience with girlfriends is pretty much nil. So basically, when she gets up and runs over to me, my hackles rise up. I quickly swash the urge to zap anyone that touches me. This is good because, in the next instant she has an arm wrapped around my shoulder.

  Leaning into me she says, “I’m so glad you made it. Sorry I bailed on you. I hope Chance wasn’t too terrible.”

  Terrible, um, that would be a no. “Oh. Not at all.” I mutter.

  Not that she really hears me, because she is pretty much talking over me.

  “I of course, only remembered after dinner, that I promised Jane that I’d meet her this morning. She’s having boyfriend problems. And as best friend, it’s my job to convince her she’s not certifiable.”

  I nod in understanding. But in reality, I have no idea what she’s talking about. Do girls always talk this fast? My only experience is with my older sister Raina, and in between the torment, we never talked liked this. Maybe I should talk like that, super-fast with an excited lite to my voice.

  Then again, maybe not.

  Chance calls out, cutting off his sister’s next intake of breath before another tirade. I gratefully turn to him, and see that he’s waving me over. The boy he was talking to is staring at me. So I guess this is it then. My first attempt at a job interview. Please, let me get it. I just hope someone is listening to my weak prayer.

  Easing out from under Ashley’s arm, I shift in the general direction of the counter. Trying to not seem like I’m blowing her off or anything, when I sort of am. She simply flashes me a bright smile and gives me a double thumbs up. And as fast as she ran over, she flitters back over to the table with the other girls.

  Alone, I have no other reason to not head over to the counter. But it doesn’t mean I have to rush. So I don’t. And it not only lets me clear my nervous thoughts, but also to check out the guy Chance was talking to. In a weird way he kind of looks like the love child between Harry Potter and The Hulk. In that he is all bulky muscles, but then his face is oddly soft. He is another one with pretty blue eyes.

  Unlike Chanc
e though, this guys are hidden behind round black rimmed glasses. His hair is a dark mop that is trimmed like a skater’s motif. He might be somewhat intimidating looking, but I find an easy smile gracing my features as I step up to them.

  “Rabbit this is Toby Reed.” Chance says as he points from me to the Potter-Hulk, and then points from him to me. “Toby, this here is our newest resident. And job seeker.”

  Toby takes one look at me and a fine blush stains his cheeks. He fumbles with his glasses, that I know couldn’t have been crooked. Instantly, I can sense that it’s a nervous gesture. But what is making him nervous? Surly not me. Why would I make anyone nervous? It would be understandable if he knew I was a demon, but no one knows that.

  I glance at Chance to see if maybe he notices anything funny out his friend. He was already watching me, so I didn’t have to like flag him down. He winks, and then turns back to his friend.

  Okay then. No help there.

  Shifting my gaze back to Toby, I notice he’s no longer there. Startled, I search out for him. And when I don’t find him, I can’t help being impressed by his light footing. I never would have guessed. Before I can turn away in thinking I’m not getting a job here, he pops up from the floor.

  I jump back about a foot away and make a ridiculous squeaking sound. Chance laughs. Toby looks guilty. All I can think is how in the world did that boy fit under the counter? And why would he want to? That’s when I see a bundle in his arms. It looks like maybe a shirt and a hat, but I’m not sure.

  I’m about to turn to Chance and ask him about his friends mental health, when the boy chucks the bundle at me. I have to quickly step forward to grab it. Once it’s in grasp, I give him a raised eyebrow.

  Chance sidles over to me, puts an arm around my shoulder and says, “Looks like you’ve got the job kid.”

  My gaze goes to him briefly, eyebrow still raised. Seriously? That’s it? No interview or anything? I turn back to toby, who seems to blush more than I do. What? Does he judge his interviewee’s based on looks alone? Not that I’m complaining.

  “I do?” I ask them both.