Pulse

“So what do you want to do today?” Ivy asked. After that one random moment of sincerity, their relationship - if it could be called a relationship - was back to its normal, playful state.

“I’m not really sure… What do you usually do?” Daniel asked, grimacing.

A wonderful thought struck Ivy. A horrible, wonderful thought. This was going to be fun. Her mouth involuntarily curled up into half of a smile when she spoke. “This.” She said, grabbing her pillow and whipping it around underneath her head, smacking Daniel in the face in the process. She jumped face first onto her bed.

“No!” Daniel shouted, laughing. “You’re not sleeping that easily!” He tried to pull her off of the mattress by the ankles, but it was no use. Then, inspiration struck him. “Hey” he whispered into her ear, his breath warm and oddly comforting against the back of her neck. “Are you ticklish?”

Ivy jumped up out of bed then, he had found her weakness. She backed up, arms extended in front of her, as Daniel advanced. “Let’s not be too hasty, now.” She was trying to be brave, but, ridiculously, her voice shook.

“Oh, I think hasty is exactly what I should be!” His grin was positively mischievous as he strode towards Ivy, backing her into a wall.

Suddenly, his hand shot out, like lightning, and came into contact with one of Ivy’s unprotected sides. She fell down instantly, shrieking.

Daniel laughed. Ivy looked at him, confused as to why she was on the ground. He laughed harder.

“Ouch.” Ivy accused, rubbing her back. “That hurt!” But she could hear the teasing in her voice, and she was sure he could, too. And it only made him laugh harder still. The room seemed to shake with his exuberance.

Ivy obstinately sat on the floor, her arms folded over her chest, barely able to suppress the grin that would match Daniel’s. It was threatening to explode out of her at any given moment.

After Daniel finished laughing at Ivy’s misery, he offered to help him up.

“Always a gentleman, aren’t you.” Ivy snorted, reaching for his hand.

What Daniel didn’t expect was as soon as Ivy’s fingers clasped around Daniels, she pulled with all of her strength. Caught off guard, Daniel went toppling down to the floor, narrowly missing hitting his head on the corner of a shelf sticking out of her wall.

“Owwwww.” Daniel moaned. Ivy started to laugh at him, just the same way her had laughed at her.

Her eyes started to tear up at his expression, which was one of frustration and amusement. She found it difficult to breathe. Ivy waved her hands back and forth in front of her face to illustrate this.

“Breathe, damn you!” Daniel shouted, smiling, playfully patting her on the back until her breathing resumed a regular pattern.

They were both giggling when they stood up. Ivy was still dizzy from lack of oxygen. Just then, little Randy poked his head into Ivy’s room.

“Momma says breakfast’s ready.” He laughed out loud at the playful teenagers.

“Ok, buddy, we’ll be right there.” Ivy dismissed him with a wave of her hand, and then turned to Daniel. “Apparently, my mother wants to meet you.”

“I’m so scared.” Daniel said, faking a tremor in his voice, wringing his hands.

“You should be.” Ivy cautioned. “My mom’s kind of crazy. She can’t stop thinking I’m seven.” Ivy laughed and shook her head at the prospect of Daniel hanging out with a seven year old kid.

Daniel sighed, a heavy, defeated sound, and trudged out of Ivy’s bedroom. It made Ivy laugh.

“What is it?” Daniel demanded.

“I just thought about the horrible implications of this. A teenage boy walking out of a teenage girl’s room in the wee hours of the morning…” Ivy looked at him, waggling her eyebrows.