Sequel: Run Right Back ›
Status: finished.
Little Baby Pines
His Future Hanging by a Thread.
Kim stayed away from Jon. The two didn’t as much as exchange words between each other. When they entered his apartment, Kim went straight to the beige couch. It felt like an incredibly stupid idea for her to go back to his apartment. Kim was used to making idiotic decisions. One of them was screwing up her relationship with Sully. After the sorority girl night out, she was supposed to go over to his place. Going to Jon’s place was a good excuse not to go to Sully’s. It, however, was an ill-made decision. Sully was going to be upset with her for bailing on him. He had already bombarded her cell phone with multiple text messages worrying about her whereabouts. The strange, strong pull Jon had on Kim kept her close. Had she not been as curious about him as he was about her, she wouldn’t have gotten in the cab. She would have had the strong will to walk away.
He didn’t say anything to her. He just gave her a pillow and blanket and then slinked into his bedroom. Kim was spent. The day exhausted her. It didn’t take make much for her to fall asleep.
The following morning Kim woke with a start. She was still having nightmares involving Sully and Mindy. Was her subconscious trying to tell her that she shouldn’t trust them? Whatever was going in her mind was screwing up her sleeping schedule. The nightmare woke her up at 6:33 AM. To her chagrin, Jon was also awake. He was sitting at the island in kitchen with a sizzling cup of alka seltzered water.
Her bare feet padded against the soft shag rug in the living room and then the hardwood floor. “Jon? Are you awake?” A grunt was his response. “Wow, you partied so hard last night that you need alka seltzer? You are an old man.” She didn’t bother pulling out the seat next to him. She climbed onto the countertop instead.
“Can we talk now? Now that I am sober. I always seem to be fucked up around you.”
“I have that affect on people,” she said nonchalantly. A basket of assorted fruit was on the counter near her. She grabbed an orange, unpeeled it, and plopped wedges into her mouth.
He raised the glass to his lips. “First off, let me apologize for how I acted last night.” The water fizzed. “I acted like a crazy bastard. At first I was a dick and then I asked you to get in a cab and come home with me. I suck at talking to people.”
“You don’t know what you want is what it is.”
“Well, no…And can I say thank you for trusting me enough for actually getting in that cab for me? After the way I was, I would have expected you to walk off. But you didn’t.” The girl smirked. “Okay, I am not very well versed. I am not eloquent. I don’t know what to say without coming off as a dick.”
She sucked on a slice of orange. “Okay. You could start by explaining why you acted like a psycho pants or, maybe…” She drew out the word make a long ‘a’ sound in the word ‘maybe’. “Maybe, you could apologize. I don’t know. Just a thought.”
The cynicism in her voice reminded him of his speech and tone. His dry tone was always cloaked in cynicism and sarcastic shades. “Okay. You are right. You deserve an apology. Sorry. Sorry for being weird. Sorry for disappearing only to return and act like a jackass.” He looked into the fizzing water. He tightly shut his eyes before perching it to his lips and taking a long drink from the glass. “I don’t know what is with me, but I want to be around you. I want to be near you even though I know that you are probably bad for my image, no offense. It is just that you are a college girl that DJs and allegedly sells drugs. Sorry. Can I say I like you? I do, Kimberly. I like you.” He kept his eyes on his lap. “I like you and that is why I was upset with what I heard from Kaner. Now, can I ask you honestly if you are a drug dealer? Kim,” he looked up at her. “Are you a drug dealer?”
“Would that honestly be a problem?” The orange slice burst, getting orange juice on her jeans. Some of it dribbled down her chin. “No, but I used to be. I do it from time to time.” She wiped the juice off her face with the back of her hand.
The water in his tumbler was drained. He placed the empty tumbler in front of him. “Kaner said it was because of school financial problems.”
Kim’s upper lip curled. It was an innocent assumption. An assumption that didn’t make her look bad. However, it was a false assumption. “No,” she said flatly. “I am on a scholarship for being a kickass student and being in a sorority. It covers for most of the stuff, but I do it—” She jumped off the counter. “Why am I explaining myself to you? You assaulted me with your arrogance both times we met. I don’t know why I stayed over. I don’t know why I am talking to you.” The orange peels were picked up and tossed into the trash. Kim straightened out her shirt. “What is it that you are doing to me? Why do you have this stupid hold over me? Because, like, I am a compassionate and curious person. But even this,” she motions to Jon and the rest of his apartment. “This is more than I have done for any other person. Why do I keep letting you do this?” Her inner monologue found solace in her spoken word.
“Do you think that maybe it is because you like me, too?” Jon had let his head falter down again so that he wasn’t making eye contact with her. “That is presumptuous. Maybe it is just because you are curious and I am interesting. Look, I don’t normally jump into things. I over calculate things, okay? I am not Kaner. I have to worry about my image and what others see me do.”
“But?”
“But you don’t and I am drawn to that.”
Kim scrunched up her nose. “I sold drugs because that is how I was paid for the DJ gigs. The promoters gave me pills. They give Sully some cash and weed, but I only ever got pills. So I sold them so that I had money. I save the money, keep some and secretly transfer the rest to my parent’s bank account. A little every month so they don’t notice it much. Okay. That is why I sell pills. But I have stopped. I have stopped taking gigs, too.”
Jon nodded politely. “Thank you for that, Kim. You seem like a great girl. I would like to know you even though I totally fucked this up. Can we just start this all over again?” He pushed the chair out from under him. Kim backed into the counter when he approached her with his outstretched hand. “My name is Jon and I am abrasive at times.”
Her delicate hand slipped into his warm hand. “My name is Kim and I am a loose cannon.” The two shook. “You know, this reminds me of a certain writer. Francis Scott Fitzgerald and the remarkable Zelda.”
“How did they end up?”
“Miserable. But don’t we all?”
He didn’t say anything to her. He just gave her a pillow and blanket and then slinked into his bedroom. Kim was spent. The day exhausted her. It didn’t take make much for her to fall asleep.
The following morning Kim woke with a start. She was still having nightmares involving Sully and Mindy. Was her subconscious trying to tell her that she shouldn’t trust them? Whatever was going in her mind was screwing up her sleeping schedule. The nightmare woke her up at 6:33 AM. To her chagrin, Jon was also awake. He was sitting at the island in kitchen with a sizzling cup of alka seltzered water.
Her bare feet padded against the soft shag rug in the living room and then the hardwood floor. “Jon? Are you awake?” A grunt was his response. “Wow, you partied so hard last night that you need alka seltzer? You are an old man.” She didn’t bother pulling out the seat next to him. She climbed onto the countertop instead.
“Can we talk now? Now that I am sober. I always seem to be fucked up around you.”
“I have that affect on people,” she said nonchalantly. A basket of assorted fruit was on the counter near her. She grabbed an orange, unpeeled it, and plopped wedges into her mouth.
He raised the glass to his lips. “First off, let me apologize for how I acted last night.” The water fizzed. “I acted like a crazy bastard. At first I was a dick and then I asked you to get in a cab and come home with me. I suck at talking to people.”
“You don’t know what you want is what it is.”
“Well, no…And can I say thank you for trusting me enough for actually getting in that cab for me? After the way I was, I would have expected you to walk off. But you didn’t.” The girl smirked. “Okay, I am not very well versed. I am not eloquent. I don’t know what to say without coming off as a dick.”
She sucked on a slice of orange. “Okay. You could start by explaining why you acted like a psycho pants or, maybe…” She drew out the word make a long ‘a’ sound in the word ‘maybe’. “Maybe, you could apologize. I don’t know. Just a thought.”
The cynicism in her voice reminded him of his speech and tone. His dry tone was always cloaked in cynicism and sarcastic shades. “Okay. You are right. You deserve an apology. Sorry. Sorry for being weird. Sorry for disappearing only to return and act like a jackass.” He looked into the fizzing water. He tightly shut his eyes before perching it to his lips and taking a long drink from the glass. “I don’t know what is with me, but I want to be around you. I want to be near you even though I know that you are probably bad for my image, no offense. It is just that you are a college girl that DJs and allegedly sells drugs. Sorry. Can I say I like you? I do, Kimberly. I like you.” He kept his eyes on his lap. “I like you and that is why I was upset with what I heard from Kaner. Now, can I ask you honestly if you are a drug dealer? Kim,” he looked up at her. “Are you a drug dealer?”
“Would that honestly be a problem?” The orange slice burst, getting orange juice on her jeans. Some of it dribbled down her chin. “No, but I used to be. I do it from time to time.” She wiped the juice off her face with the back of her hand.
The water in his tumbler was drained. He placed the empty tumbler in front of him. “Kaner said it was because of school financial problems.”
Kim’s upper lip curled. It was an innocent assumption. An assumption that didn’t make her look bad. However, it was a false assumption. “No,” she said flatly. “I am on a scholarship for being a kickass student and being in a sorority. It covers for most of the stuff, but I do it—” She jumped off the counter. “Why am I explaining myself to you? You assaulted me with your arrogance both times we met. I don’t know why I stayed over. I don’t know why I am talking to you.” The orange peels were picked up and tossed into the trash. Kim straightened out her shirt. “What is it that you are doing to me? Why do you have this stupid hold over me? Because, like, I am a compassionate and curious person. But even this,” she motions to Jon and the rest of his apartment. “This is more than I have done for any other person. Why do I keep letting you do this?” Her inner monologue found solace in her spoken word.
“Do you think that maybe it is because you like me, too?” Jon had let his head falter down again so that he wasn’t making eye contact with her. “That is presumptuous. Maybe it is just because you are curious and I am interesting. Look, I don’t normally jump into things. I over calculate things, okay? I am not Kaner. I have to worry about my image and what others see me do.”
“But?”
“But you don’t and I am drawn to that.”
Kim scrunched up her nose. “I sold drugs because that is how I was paid for the DJ gigs. The promoters gave me pills. They give Sully some cash and weed, but I only ever got pills. So I sold them so that I had money. I save the money, keep some and secretly transfer the rest to my parent’s bank account. A little every month so they don’t notice it much. Okay. That is why I sell pills. But I have stopped. I have stopped taking gigs, too.”
Jon nodded politely. “Thank you for that, Kim. You seem like a great girl. I would like to know you even though I totally fucked this up. Can we just start this all over again?” He pushed the chair out from under him. Kim backed into the counter when he approached her with his outstretched hand. “My name is Jon and I am abrasive at times.”
Her delicate hand slipped into his warm hand. “My name is Kim and I am a loose cannon.” The two shook. “You know, this reminds me of a certain writer. Francis Scott Fitzgerald and the remarkable Zelda.”
“How did they end up?”
“Miserable. But don’t we all?”
♠ ♠ ♠
Title from "Peak" by Dayplayer.