The Key Chased the Blade

We walked down to Cold Stone Creamery and waited in line for an ice cream. It was packed for some reason, but that was fine, I got to wait and smell the sugar. That kind of thing drove Simon insane, but that was my favorite part of going somewhere: smelling the good food.

I saw John's girlfriend waiting in line with some of her friends. She wasn't too hard to miss; she had the strangest fashion sense I'd ever seen, but even if she didn't wear her neon colors, I could tell who she was immediately. This girl was big. Muscular big. God, this girl was bigger than John. She was about three inches taller and thirty pounds heavier; she was part of the wrestling team at school. It still left me in mystery what she saw in my brother.

"Rhode!" I yelled. "John ate his own boogers until the fourth grade!"

She turned from her friends and gave me her wide, crocodile smile. "You already told me that trinket of knowledge, Noah. Come up with another gross fact later."

I made it a part of my routine to tell John's girlfriends embarrassing facts about him.

"Oh boy, Noah. No wonder your brother doesn't like you," Simon said as Rhode turned back to her friends in line.

"What are you talking about, John loves me," I said. I actually liked Rhode a lot, she talked to me when all of John's other girlfriends despised me. Rhode shared my sense of crude humor. I guessed that was the reason why she was with John; John was like me but ten times worse. God. That boy could probably out-burp anybody in a burping contest. Rhode was his biggest competition though.

"What do you want, Noah?" Simon pulled out his wallet and looked at the menu, and Rhode went back to talking with her friends. Simon had probably already decided what he was going to get, already calculating the amount of money he had and deducing the whatever and getting the answer all scientific-like in his head. Without him, I swear I'd go into debt. Or at least fail my math classes.

"Man, get me a Chocolate Devotion," I said. "I'm feelin' the chocolate today."

Simon grinned. "Alright. I'm feeling cheesecake, so I'm going to get that cheesecake one."

Rhode and her friends ordered their ice cream and we got up to the counter. Simon started talking to the cashier, but something caught my eye. It wasn't too special, but I'd never think that of her. I saw the edge of a pocketknife in Rhode's pocket. I wanted to go tell her to hide that better, but I didn't. I was suddenly disturbed.

Simon handed the cashier the money after he ordered. "You okay, Noah?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said. I didn't know why that bugged me so much, maybe it was the thought that Rhode was worried about getting attacked too. That girl could definitely fight some assailant off though.

Simon looked like he didn't believe me, but he didn't say anything.

"C'mon, let's get our order," he said.