RockScars

Lark was dancing around the back yard in her bare feet and a little white dress with a crown of flowers in her messy blonde hair that she made by herself. Shadows couldn’t help smiling. She spun herself around until she got dizzy and fell on her bottom.

“What’s all this dancing about?”

“I’m having a tea party with Jimmy. He’s gonna be here any minute and he got Oreo cookies!!”

“Wow.” Shadows rubbed his jaw. “What’s the special occasion?”

Lark giggled and got up on her knees. “I’m getting married.”

“You are? When?” He humored her little girl fantasy.

“When I get bigger, I dreamed it. I’m gonna marry the Prince and live happy ever after.”

Shadows looked at her seriously. “You dreamed that you were going to marry a prince?”

“No,” she giggled. “I dreamed I was going to marry the Prince.” She twirled her hair and smiled and Shadows was all of a sudden extremely uncomfortable. “I’m gonna marry Zacky.”

Holy fuck, batman!

Shadows bit his bottom lip and looked at the little girl who seemed as happy as could be. “You’re sure it was Zacky in your dream?”

“Uh huh,” she nodded and got up to stand in front of him and put her arms around his neck. “I’m sorry, I can’t marry you. Don’t be sad. You’re my daddy now and I love you too much!”

Shadows laughed. “I’m not sad. A little surprised, but definitely not sad. I love you too much too!”

“Are you gonna go see my sister now?”

“Yep! Looks like your guest is here.” He pointed at Jimmy who was walking through the yard in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that looked like tuxedo top.

Jimmy took Lark’s hand and bowed. “My fair lady, I bringeth thy cookies” He kissed her hand and Lark giggled.

“Come on, Jimmy!” She took him by the hand and dragged him over to her little plastic table. She could have dragged him all over God’s creation and he would have gone willingly.

****

Shadows went to see Twyla and as they did the night before, they ate dinner together. This time she did a little better, but there was a lot more than just eating that she needed to learn.

“Tonight, I thought we’d try something a little more personal.”

“I’m not making out with you!” Twyla protested.

Shadows chuckled. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m talking about showering.”

“No fucking way!” Twyla pushed her chair back, but Shadows grabbed her hand to stop her from getting up.

“Will you relax? I’m not going to shower with you! I’ll wait in here, but I’m going to go into the bathroom with you and show you how you can locate the things you need for your shower so you don’t crack your head open.”

Twyla backed down and relaxed a little bit. “Now, what do you usually wear after a shower?”

“I don’t shower,” she said lowly.

“EXCUSE ME?”

Twyla huffed. “I take baths. Usually, when I get home from class, I go have a cookie with Lark and then come up here and run the bath water while I get my stuff ready for the next day. I used to like to stay in the bath until the water went from hot to room temperature and my fingers wrinkled. By then I was usually relaxed enough to get out.”

Shadows nodded. Apparently she had her own routine that he should have taken into consideration. “What did you usually do after you got out of the bath?”

“Umm, usually I would get dressed and put on some lotion and then listen to my ipod or do my homework or both. Sometimes, I would go find Gates and watch the game with him or we’d just hang out in the kitchen.”

There was another thing he didn’t know a whole lot about. Her and Gates were friends and that was a luxury he never had with her. “Ok, so a bath it is then. What do you need?”

“I need my ipod, Mr. Bubbles, my vanilla sugar body wash and my shampoo and conditioner. Towels obviously.”

“Mr. Bubbles?”

“Shut up, Shadows, it’s my bath!”

He held up his hands in protest and laughed. “Hey no judgment here!”

“Oh! I need my razor too!”

Shadows had to think about that one. “A razor? Yeah, I don’t think I’m ready for that, do you really need to shave your legs tonight?”

“Among other things, yes.”

It’s a good thing she couldn’t see his face because if he could have he would have blushed. It was left to his imagination to wonder what she meant by ‘among other things.’

Pervert!

“Fine, I’ll give in on the razor, but if you cut yourself, I swear you wont get near a razor again. I’ll do it myself!”

“In your dreams, dirty little boy.” Ooooh good one. Wish I’d thought of that.

Shadows chuckled again. “Come on, let’s get your bath started. I want you go get up and walk to the bathroom.”

Twyla stood, but didn’t know which way to walk. Vengeance and Gates would just lift her up and carry her to the bathroom, but Shadows was intent on making her find her own way. Shadows watched her take her first step in the wrong direction. “Nope, you’re ice cold.”

“And you’re a dick,” she said turning in the other direction.

“You’re getting warmer.”

“and you’re still a dick!” ha ha ha

She continued to walk, but stopped when she heard her sister’s laughter coming from the window. “Bug,” she whispered.

“She’s having a tea party with Jimmy.” Shadows looked out the window. “He’s got Oreo cookies on his eyes like glasses and she’s laughing.”

“I can hear her.”

“Maybe tomorrow, I’ll bring her up here to see you for a little while.”

“Ok,” she whispered and continued walking.

“Much warmer.”

She continued walking and her hand touched a wall. She used the wall as her guide and walked along it. “You’re so hot.”
“Uh huh, I’m sure you didn’t mean that as a compliment.”

Shadows chuckled. “You’re on fire!”

She gave him the finger and found the bathroom door where she stopped and waited. “Good, now lets get your water running.”

Over the course of the next fifteen minutes, Shadows guided Twyla to finding the tub and starting the water. He had all her bath needs placed on a little step stool beside the tub. While Twyla took her bath, Shadows waited patiently in her bedroom.

Curiosity got the better of him. He’d never really spent any time in her bedroom alone and didn’t really know much about her other than that she hated him. Her bed was made up with a black comforter that had pink skulls with bows and she had a pink skull plushie pillow on the bed to match.

He picked up a little doll off the shelf on one of the walls. An original Strawberry Shortcake doll that looked like she’d had it since she was a child. She had a few other trinkets from when she was a kid. A little jewelry box with a ballerina inside, a Christmas ornament that looked so delicate given its age, it would probably break if he picked it up.

Shadows was tempted to go through her drawers, but didn’t. He did raise his eyebrow at the thigh high leather boots hanging out in the corner of her room and wondered where she wore them. While snooping about he stopped upon hearing her voice.

She was singing along with her ipod. “Just when things went right, doesn’t mean they were always wrong, just take this song and you’ll never feel left all alone…”

“So, she can sing,” he said to himself.

Another twenty minutes and the door to the bathroom opened. “I didn’t cut myself.”

“I see that,” he said looking at her legs. You’re gawking, Shads.

“Can I have my peace and quiet now?”

Shadows laughed. “Awe come on, don’t you enjoy my company?”

“What part of I hate you did you not understand?”

He laughed again. “You can have your peace, but I’m warning you. Tomorrow is laundry day.”

“Go fuck yourself,” she said with a smile.

“Go find your bed,” he said and walked out of her room laughing knowing full well he left her stranded by the bathroom door to make her way back across the room by herself.

As he walked down the stairs her heard her yell. “I HATE YOU!!”