record.”
So, he did know. “Your mom would let someone from the loony bin into your house?” asked Skey.
“Sure!” said Lick. He was on a hope surge now, straightening, gaining height.
“My curfew is 4:30,” said Skey. “They won’t let me stay out later.”
“Oh,” said Lick. The guy was crushed, so disappointed she almost had to scoop him off the floor.
“Maybe we could work on the phone,” said Skey. “I’ll give you the number. I get fifteen-minute calls. Staff might let me talk longer, since it’s homework.”
“Great!” he said.
Crumbs, scraps, he was happy with anything.
“You wash your arm yet?” she asked.
Lick shifted the books to his right arm and pulled up his left sleeve, displaying her dramatic red artwork. “Nope,” he said proudly.
Skey touched a fingertip to the lip’s center point, where everything entered first. “It was a joke, you know,” she said.
“I know,” he assured her.
“I mean, don’t take it personally,” she said carefully.
“Since when did life get personal?” asked Lick.
S KEY HESITATED , then got it out in a rush. “Y’know that guy you told me not to talk to?”
They were in Jigger’s car, looking for a place to park.
“Elwin,” Jigger singsonged.
“Well,” she said, looking out the window. “I got assigned to work on a Shakespeare project with him. The teacher chose the groups.”
“Oh yeah.” Jigger turned the car into a back alley. He didn’t seem all that interested. “Just remember,” he said sternly. “ My body’s the one getting your warm and oh-so-loving attention, right?”
“You know it.” Skey grinned, relieved. “Tonight, 9:45. I want to remember every second. I need some more weed.”
“Bad habit,” he grinned. “Help yourself.”
Opening the glove compartment, Skey slid some weed into her pencil case. “Um,” she said carefully. “While we were working on the Shakespeare thing? I got kind of dizzy and I put my hand out for balance. I ended up touching his face.”
“Whose face?” His mind on what was coming, Jigger had already forgotten.
“Lick’s face,” said Skey.
“Who?” demanded Jigger.
“Lick,” said Skey. “That’s what they call Elwin. In case you hear about it from someone else, I just got dizzy, that’s all.”
“Oh.” Jigger frowned slightly, then changed the subject to something more manageable. “Where’d you put the pills?”
“In my locker,” she said. “I can’t take them with me— they do room searches.”
He gaped slightly, then said, “Well, don’t forget to take them. You’re going to need every single one.”
They opened their doors onto cold November air, then slid into the warmth of the backseat. They had twenty minutes.
“Jigger,” Skey said, hesitating. “What if I get pregnant? The pills aren’t working yet. We never had to worry about that before.”
“You won’t,” he murmured, and she had to forget it then, let it go. The universe wasn’t going to stop its mad wild spin and change its rules for her. She might as well open to every way Jigger touched her, she so wanted to be touched by him, loved the gentle curve of his hands, the sounds they made together, their heat. Even though it had been half a year, he waited, touching her until she was laughing and begging for it. Then they were together, rocking and rocking, Skey hanging onto him the way she had hung onto her mother’s hand when she was small, so afraid to lose the connection, one small bit of love.
“You know the way dragons do it?” he whispered afterward, stroking her face.
“Up in the sky,” she said.
“They wrap tails and fly,” he said. “They fuck so hard, they leave claw marks all over each other. But they love each other, Skey. They’re soul mates. They love forever.”
His blue eyes were too intense and she lowered hers, nuzzling his mouth. No matter what he said, he never left claw marks on her. “I’ll love you forever, Jig,” she
So, he did know. “Your mom would let someone from the loony bin into your house?” asked Skey.
“Sure!” said Lick. He was on a hope surge now, straightening, gaining height.
“My curfew is 4:30,” said Skey. “They won’t let me stay out later.”
“Oh,” said Lick. The guy was crushed, so disappointed she almost had to scoop him off the floor.
“Maybe we could work on the phone,” said Skey. “I’ll give you the number. I get fifteen-minute calls. Staff might let me talk longer, since it’s homework.”
“Great!” he said.
Crumbs, scraps, he was happy with anything.
“You wash your arm yet?” she asked.
Lick shifted the books to his right arm and pulled up his left sleeve, displaying her dramatic red artwork. “Nope,” he said proudly.
Skey touched a fingertip to the lip’s center point, where everything entered first. “It was a joke, you know,” she said.
“I know,” he assured her.
“I mean, don’t take it personally,” she said carefully.
“Since when did life get personal?” asked Lick.
S KEY HESITATED , then got it out in a rush. “Y’know that guy you told me not to talk to?”
They were in Jigger’s car, looking for a place to park.
“Elwin,” Jigger singsonged.
“Well,” she said, looking out the window. “I got assigned to work on a Shakespeare project with him. The teacher chose the groups.”
“Oh yeah.” Jigger turned the car into a back alley. He didn’t seem all that interested. “Just remember,” he said sternly. “ My body’s the one getting your warm and oh-so-loving attention, right?”
“You know it.” Skey grinned, relieved. “Tonight, 9:45. I want to remember every second. I need some more weed.”
“Bad habit,” he grinned. “Help yourself.”
Opening the glove compartment, Skey slid some weed into her pencil case. “Um,” she said carefully. “While we were working on the Shakespeare thing? I got kind of dizzy and I put my hand out for balance. I ended up touching his face.”
“Whose face?” His mind on what was coming, Jigger had already forgotten.
“Lick’s face,” said Skey.
“Who?” demanded Jigger.
“Lick,” said Skey. “That’s what they call Elwin. In case you hear about it from someone else, I just got dizzy, that’s all.”
“Oh.” Jigger frowned slightly, then changed the subject to something more manageable. “Where’d you put the pills?”
“In my locker,” she said. “I can’t take them with me— they do room searches.”
He gaped slightly, then said, “Well, don’t forget to take them. You’re going to need every single one.”
They opened their doors onto cold November air, then slid into the warmth of the backseat. They had twenty minutes.
“Jigger,” Skey said, hesitating. “What if I get pregnant? The pills aren’t working yet. We never had to worry about that before.”
“You won’t,” he murmured, and she had to forget it then, let it go. The universe wasn’t going to stop its mad wild spin and change its rules for her. She might as well open to every way Jigger touched her, she so wanted to be touched by him, loved the gentle curve of his hands, the sounds they made together, their heat. Even though it had been half a year, he waited, touching her until she was laughing and begging for it. Then they were together, rocking and rocking, Skey hanging onto him the way she had hung onto her mother’s hand when she was small, so afraid to lose the connection, one small bit of love.
“You know the way dragons do it?” he whispered afterward, stroking her face.
“Up in the sky,” she said.
“They wrap tails and fly,” he said. “They fuck so hard, they leave claw marks all over each other. But they love each other, Skey. They’re soul mates. They love forever.”
His blue eyes were too intense and she lowered hers, nuzzling his mouth. No matter what he said, he never left claw marks on her. “I’ll love you forever, Jig,” she
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