Paper Cranes

Elizabeth

“Oh, I’m fine now, Hun. Thanks fo-”

Fay and I jumped at the sound of the door slamming shut, our heads automatically snapping in that direction.

“B-Brendon…?”

“Brenny-Bear,” Fay said to the panting brunette, “Why aren’t you wearing a shirt? Or pants, for that matter?”

“I-”

“Never mind, never mind!” I panicked, my voice becoming higher as I looked away with a scolding blush spreading across my face, “There are some hospital gowns in the cabinet!”

“Erm…thanks,” he smiled, going to the cabinets and pulling out the sterilized fabric before ducking into the bathroom.

“Oh, honey, you so like him!” Fay squealed like a teenage girl when the bathroom door clicked shut.

“I don’t! It’s just, I never…” I trailed off, embarrassed.

Fay gasped, “You’ve never seen a guy without a shirt on before?! Not even a picture?!” she asked, almost dumfounded.

I wanted to shrink back into a hole.

“Honestly, though, what teenage girl has never seen a half naked man before?!” Fay continued. I buried my face in my hands, making them much warmer than before. Sure, I’ve never seen a shirtless guy before, but I’ve never seen a pants-less one, either, and that’s what really made me panic.

Fay laughed, “I’ll be right back! I’m going to go to the store and pick you up the sexiest magazine in the entire place!” with that she skipped out of the room.

I finally figured out why Fay tore down all of my emotional walls, shields.

She reminded me of my older sister, Natalie, and it didn’t help that she sort of looked like her, too.

Brendon

I stared at myself in the mirror, desperately begging the pink tint in my face to go away.

“God, why did that have to happen?” I groaned, banging my head lightly against the sink in defeat.

She probably thinks I’m some freak, some wacko, right now.

But on the bright side, I thought - trying to cheer myself up, I had nothing in my pocket except sixty-two cents and a piece of gum.

I smiled at that, thinking how funny how broke I was at the moment was.

“Well,” I said to myself, “It could have been worse.”

Yeah, it could have been much shorter, and much too small.

I would have had to hide in the corner of Elizabeth’s room, hiding behind a chair or something, while freezing my might-as-well-be-naked butt off.

But, no. That wasn’t the case. Instead, I was lucky enough to grab two gowns in my rush and I was able to put both of them on so that my whole back half wouldn’t show.

I exited the bathroom reluctantly, only to find that my aunt had left me alone with Elizabeth who was doing what she did best – falling asleep.

“Elizabeth Hiroshi if you don’t wake your butt up this instant, your ass is grounded!” I joked in a shrill voice, attempting to hide how nervous I was.

She flinched, snapping her head in my direction.

I laughed at my own joke, hoping she would join in so she wouldn’t use her x-ray vision on my mind again.

Her ice-blue eyes shifted from my face to the gowns I was wearing, a smile broke through her expression.

“You look like you belong in an asylum,” she said, amusement lacing her words. I let out a small laugh as I kicked my converses off of my sock clad feet.

“You’re the one to talk,” I said, sitting down, “You still have bed head.”

This time, she let out a small laugh, probably picturing what she looked like at the moment.

Even though she looked like she belonged in the psychiatric ward, she was still very pretty. Her hair was long and messy, and her hospital gown brought out her inhuman ice-blue eyes.

I felt my lips twitched in the slightest bit upward at the thought.