Chalk

4

“So......how’d it go?”

Alice busted into the house like she owned the place. She did own a key, but it was supposed to be for emergencies and I sure didn’t see any fires. I tried to scowl at her, remembering the sparkles she’d sabotaged me with, but she looked too damn cute to be mad at. Like a four year old in a frilly skirt and a top that looked suspiciously like a leotard.

“It was . . . terrifying,” I said truthfully, because in all honesty I could barely get myself back to the car and when I did, I had to sit there for a while before my body would function enough to operate a vehicle. I’d hightailed my ass out of there once shirtless-guy plucked me off the wall, claiming that I had to get home, and he grinned slyly at me as I packed up my things and fought with my tiny excuses for shoes. They were suctioned to my feet, I swear, and even though I used every ounce of strength I had left (which wasn’t much) I couldn’t get them off. Shirtless-guy watched for a while, making me nervous for ages before he eventually dropped to his knees and shimmied the shoe off my foot with practiced ease. He was a lot more gentle on me than I had been on myself. My face flamed red and I tucked my feet back into my sneakers without socks on, desperate to get out of there.

He trailed me all the way back to the rock where his giant-friend was still trying to get to the top.

“Man, this rock is manky. I can’t climb that shit.” Giant-friend fell to his feet beside us and I shuffled in my shoes, wondering what the fuck he was saying. Shirtless-guy smiled at his giant-friend, a spark of evil in his eyes that made my knees feel even more quivery than they already did.

“I did it,” he gloated. “Manky rock and all.”

“Yeah, but you’ve got magic fingers and fucking super powers, “giant-friend griped. “Plus, I’m like four of you.”

No joke.

“I’m just gonna go now,” I stuttered, hooking my thumb over my shoulder in the direction of my far-away car. “Thanks for the . . . you know.” I chanced a glance up at shirtless-guy one last time and, goddamn, his eyes were greener than anything around us.

“No problem, Sparkles. Maybe we’ll see you around again sometime.” It sounded like he was encouraging me and making fun of me all at the same time and I’m sure I blushed brilliant red underneath all those damn sparkles. I bit my lip, rounded on my heel, and the last thing I heard was giant-friend asking shirtless-guy just what it was I was thanking him for.

“That’s a Gumby, for sure,” shirtless-guy chuckled.

“What the fuck do you think a Gumby is?” I asked Alice and she scrunched her face at me.

“Like that green, floppy guy from tv?”

Oh. Well that makes perfect sense. Green and floppy. That probably summed up just exactly what I’d looked like. Great.

“Why?” Alice asked when I didn’t respond and I rolled my eyes at her.

“I overheard some guys talking,” I muttered. “They speak a different fucking language.”

Manky? What?

“There were guys out there?” Alice giggled, excited even though I knew it would take more than threats of death to get her into a pair of those stupid shoes. “Cute guys?”

“You would not believe,” I sighed, my head chock full of bulging muscle.

“Are you gonna go back?”

I was trying to push shirtless-guy’s naked chest away and wondered if it wasn’t encouragement I’d heard in his voice after all. Maybe it had been anticipation? It sounded almost as though he was inviting me back. He’d probably be a good teacher, what with his apparent magic fingers and super powers.

“Yeah,” I smiled. “I think I am.”

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