company.
Too bad there wasn't a curtain number three.
"Fine," Gaia said, plopping onto a stool. "Get me three, with everything. And a root beer."
Charlie and Tim exchanged half-amused, half-disgusted glances, and then Charlie got up to place the order. Sideburns Tim smiled at her as he took a sip of his soda. Gaia stared at her translucent reflection in the plate glass window. Her hair was a brilliant conglomeration of tangles and knots, and one side of her jacket collar was rolled under while the other stood straight up.
She was utterly hopeless.
"I like a girl who can eat," Tim said, wiping his hand across his mouth.
"Pardon me while I swoon," Gaia said, nonchalantly straightening her collar. Tim laughed, and she almost smiled. Another key comeback. She was getting better at this. It almost made up for her utter lack of hygiene.
"So did you ask her yet?" Charlie demanded when he returned a moment later, slapping a paper plate full of hot dogs and relish and every other condiment known to man in front of Gaia. Charlie's hair, on the other hand, was so ordered and flawless, he could have had a team of stylists in his back pocket. He straddled the stool between Gaia and Tim and looked back and forth at them.
Great. What were they going to ask for, a threesome?
"No. She was busy lampooning me," Tim said with a good-natured laugh.
Charlie rolled his eyes. "Fine, I guess I have to do everything myself." He swiveled on his stool so he was entirely facing Gaia and popped his feet up on the bottom rung. "We're having another party tomorrow night," he said. "My place this time. I'd love for you to come."
Gaia smirked. "You just want me there for my aim."
"Not my primary motivation," Charlie said.
There was something in the way he said it that made Gaia blush. God, she hated that. Couldn't she have been born without the blushing gene? "I don't think so," she said. Then, as an afterthought, she added, "Thanks."
"Why not?" Tim asked, popping his head up over Charlie's shoulder like a parrot. "Didn't you have fun last night?"
Gaia shoved half a hot dog in her mouth, letting a blob of relish hit the floor. The word
ladylike
wasn't in Gaia's personal dictionary. She was kind of hoping her ickiness would drive them away, but they only looked more fascinated. "It's just not my thing," she said through a full mouth of food.
"Well," Charlie said, eyeing her plate. "We have three hot dogs' worth of time to convince you."
Gaia narrowed her eyes and shoved the other half of her hot dog into her mouth.
Charlie's brow knitted in concern. "You think you could eat a little slower?"
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Time: 4:30 P.M.
Re: 911
Hey, G. --
I left a couple of messages with Ella, but somehow I get the feeling you'll never get them. I need to talk to you. It's kind of important. If you get this, meet me at Dojo's at seven o'clock. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't huge.
Thanks.
Shred
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Time: 8:05 p.m.
Re: stood up
Hey, G. --
So I guess you didn't get the message. Call me when you get this. I really need to talk to you. I'm sure you can tell by the lack of bad jokes in this e-mail that I'm actually freaking.
Call me.
Shred
ROMEO
She's going to be a challenge. More so than any of the others. I can tell by the look in her eyes. She thinks she's strong, but she's not. She thinks taking a few classes at Crunch will make her invincible.
I can show her what invincible looks like.
I can show her a lot of things.
DAMN SCARY
"Mind your own business, Shred, he said through his teeth. Or this chair is going to seem like a blessing compared to where you'll end up."
A LAUGH
GAIA BOUNDED DOWN THE STAIRS on Wednesday morning, hair wet, clothes half buttoned, late for school as always. She cursed as she slammed her toe into a doorjamb on her way down the hall. It was then that she realized she'd forgotten to put on her shoes.
She came around the corner into the
Too bad there wasn't a curtain number three.
"Fine," Gaia said, plopping onto a stool. "Get me three, with everything. And a root beer."
Charlie and Tim exchanged half-amused, half-disgusted glances, and then Charlie got up to place the order. Sideburns Tim smiled at her as he took a sip of his soda. Gaia stared at her translucent reflection in the plate glass window. Her hair was a brilliant conglomeration of tangles and knots, and one side of her jacket collar was rolled under while the other stood straight up.
She was utterly hopeless.
"I like a girl who can eat," Tim said, wiping his hand across his mouth.
"Pardon me while I swoon," Gaia said, nonchalantly straightening her collar. Tim laughed, and she almost smiled. Another key comeback. She was getting better at this. It almost made up for her utter lack of hygiene.
"So did you ask her yet?" Charlie demanded when he returned a moment later, slapping a paper plate full of hot dogs and relish and every other condiment known to man in front of Gaia. Charlie's hair, on the other hand, was so ordered and flawless, he could have had a team of stylists in his back pocket. He straddled the stool between Gaia and Tim and looked back and forth at them.
Great. What were they going to ask for, a threesome?
"No. She was busy lampooning me," Tim said with a good-natured laugh.
Charlie rolled his eyes. "Fine, I guess I have to do everything myself." He swiveled on his stool so he was entirely facing Gaia and popped his feet up on the bottom rung. "We're having another party tomorrow night," he said. "My place this time. I'd love for you to come."
Gaia smirked. "You just want me there for my aim."
"Not my primary motivation," Charlie said.
There was something in the way he said it that made Gaia blush. God, she hated that. Couldn't she have been born without the blushing gene? "I don't think so," she said. Then, as an afterthought, she added, "Thanks."
"Why not?" Tim asked, popping his head up over Charlie's shoulder like a parrot. "Didn't you have fun last night?"
Gaia shoved half a hot dog in her mouth, letting a blob of relish hit the floor. The word
ladylike
wasn't in Gaia's personal dictionary. She was kind of hoping her ickiness would drive them away, but they only looked more fascinated. "It's just not my thing," she said through a full mouth of food.
"Well," Charlie said, eyeing her plate. "We have three hot dogs' worth of time to convince you."
Gaia narrowed her eyes and shoved the other half of her hot dog into her mouth.
Charlie's brow knitted in concern. "You think you could eat a little slower?"
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Time: 4:30 P.M.
Re: 911
Hey, G. --
I left a couple of messages with Ella, but somehow I get the feeling you'll never get them. I need to talk to you. It's kind of important. If you get this, meet me at Dojo's at seven o'clock. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't huge.
Thanks.
Shred
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Time: 8:05 p.m.
Re: stood up
Hey, G. --
So I guess you didn't get the message. Call me when you get this. I really need to talk to you. I'm sure you can tell by the lack of bad jokes in this e-mail that I'm actually freaking.
Call me.
Shred
ROMEO
She's going to be a challenge. More so than any of the others. I can tell by the look in her eyes. She thinks she's strong, but she's not. She thinks taking a few classes at Crunch will make her invincible.
I can show her what invincible looks like.
I can show her a lot of things.
DAMN SCARY
"Mind your own business, Shred, he said through his teeth. Or this chair is going to seem like a blessing compared to where you'll end up."
A LAUGH
GAIA BOUNDED DOWN THE STAIRS on Wednesday morning, hair wet, clothes half buttoned, late for school as always. She cursed as she slammed her toe into a doorjamb on her way down the hall. It was then that she realized she'd forgotten to put on her shoes.
She came around the corner into the
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