Summary: Ike & Firkle spin-off from Caprice. One wants to die. One wants to live. What happens when the moon falls in love with the sun?
So this is the first chapter of my IkexFirkle spin-off. It's a companion piece to my other story Caprice, but it will stand on it's own, so reading Caprice isn't a prerequisite, however this story follows the same timeline and I'd like to think it might be more enjoyable to read them together.
For those who are surprised that I decided to take the time to start a new story instead of focusing on one of my other stories, well I'm a little surprised as well. This is something that I had sitting in my pocket, but I was going to wait until after I completed Liars and got a little further along in Caprice to start this, so when I got the a request from Fandom_frenzy, I originally said that it would take a while. However, I shifted some things in my schedule, giving me extra time to write this weekend, but my new chapter of Caprice wasn't flowing, and I just updated Liars with two chapters, so decided to work on this instead.
If after reading this chapter you enjoy it, please read my end notes regarding future updates.
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Chapter One: Lipslide
*Firkle POV*
I'm waiting again. It's always like this, he picks the time and the place where he wants to meet up - today it's in front of the Walgreens - I always show up early, and he's always fucking late!
This is our tenth 'unofficial' date, and his being late doesn't surprise me anymore. I didn't even rush to get here today, I took my time showering, and selected my outfit carefully. Even though he hasn't said it - he's too nice to say it - I know that he hates how I dress.
Today, instead of my regular black ensemble, I decided to add a little color, so I'm wearing a short sleeve blood red T-shirt with black motorcycle boots, and a pair of black vintage jeans that I savaged from Michael's attic. Michael used to wear them when he was my age, but they're big on me, since I'm kind of fucking small for my age, so I added a grungy black leather belt that I borrowed from Pete. Ike will probably hate this outfit, but fuck it, he knows that I'll never be a conformist.
I want a cigarette so fucking bad, but I'm trying to cut back. Ike says I'm too young to be smoking, and that people don't like to kiss someone who has cigarette breath. So I don't smoke on the days when I'm suppose to meet up with him. The thing is, we've met up every single day since summer started, so I rarely get to smoke anymore, but he hasn't kissed me yet. He doesn't even try to hold my hand, not that I'd let him if he tried.
The weather sucks again today, this heat wave has lasted nearly a month, and it doesn't seem like it will ever let up. I bought a cup of coffee on my walk over, but I don't really feel like drinking hot coffee while waiting in the hot sun, so it sits untouched at my side.
"Yuck!" I spot a weird little bug crawling up on the side of my coffee cup, so I back off a bit. I really hate fucking insects, and this one is really a weirdo.
Looking closer, I notice that the bug is actually handicapped. I think it's a cricket, but it's missing one of its legs, which makes me feel sort of sorry for it. I don't want it to crawl into my coffee and drown, so I pick up the cup and shake the little guy off into the grass, before getting up and walking across to the trash can and popping the still full cup inside.
Peeking through the glass into Walgreens, the hideous wall clock informs me that Ike is nearly 40 minutes late. It's the longest he's ever kept me waiting, and I contemplate calling him, but I won't, because that would show I give a damn, and I don't!
The parking lot is getting crowded now because the conformist have started waking up. I head back to the only shady area, and spot the little crippled bug again. Now, it's limping slowly towards the other end of the sidewalk. I'm bored, so I sit and watch it hobble across the pavement until I notice the group of girls that are just about to cross paths with it. They'll definitely step on it.
It's too late to save it, so I avert my eyes, not wanting to witness death so early in the morning.
Miraculously, the little guy survived, he made it out from under their numerous feet no worse for wear, and I know that I shouldn't feel happy about that, but somehow I do. I guess it's because he's a little like me, a sad tiny creep, broken and different from all of the other bugs, yeah he's exactly like me.
'Ah!' He's almost to the other side now, but here comes a guy on a bicycle! Shit, he's directly in the bike's path. I jump to my feet, feeling desperate to rescue the little guy, but alas I'm too freakin' late! The bug ends up squashed under the tires of some douchebag's red bicycle.
"Fucking murderer." I mumble under my breath, but then it hits me, maybe the bug crawled out into the pedestrian traffic on purpose? What if it was trying to commit suicide... that would make him slightly different than me, because although I've wanted to die nearly every single day of my life for as long as I can remember, I don't actually have the courage to kill myself.
Now, I really need a cigarette, but instead I pull open my backpack and take out a little white paper bag with the Walgreens logo. I open it and peek inside. It contains two tootsie roll pops. One is raspberry, my favorite flavor, but it was the last one in the store; the other is orange, which I don't really like, but the only other option in the store was chocolate, and I don't like chocolate at all. I hope Ike likes orange.
I look up suddenly, when I hear the familiar click clack click of Ike's skateboard rolling down the sidewalk towards me. I don't smile as I look towards him, but it's hard not to, because he's just so freaking... interesting, dazzling, unique... he's everything that I don't know how to be.
Ike's younger than me, but he's so much taller. Whereas, I'm scrawny and pale, he's wholesome and tan with a faint dusting of freckles that run across the bridge of his nose. He looks directly at you when he speaks, and he's not shy at all. His eyes are really interesting, all dark with long lashes. If Ike was Goth he wouldn't even need eyeliner. But Ike could never be Goth, because his smile is too freaking big. It's all toothy and boyish, and it makes you feel less depressed when you look at it. Yeah, Ike could never be Goth, because he shines too bright. Bright enough to chase away the shadows that I conceal deep within.
As he gets closer to me he gives me this big cocky grin, and flips his board into the air and onto the metal railing that is directly in front of me. He lipslides past and lands a few feet away.
"Fucking show off!" I call out to him, but my heart is beating so fast, and I have this weird achy craving in the center of my chest, but I'm used to it now, because it happens whenever he's around.
He skates slowly back and stops in front of me, still grinning happily.
"Sorry, I'm late." He stares into my eyes and apologizes. "My mom was being a pain."
"That's okay, I just got here." I lie and look down at my boots awkwardly, so he can't see my eyes. If he sees into my eyes, he'll know that I'm lying, and he might figure out some other things too. Things that it's better he doesn't know.
I pull the tootsie roll pops out of the bag and hold them up.
"Which one do you want?" I ask, secretly hoping that he won't take the raspberry.
"Raspberry's your favorite, right?" He asks, and I nod, surprised that he knows that about me.
"It's my favorite too." He says with a smirk, plucks the raspberry sucker out of my hand, and pulls off the wrapper.
"Agh!" I groan, guess I'll have to settle for the orange after all.
"Let's share." Ike offers and pops the lollypop into my mouth, than he throws an arm around my shoulder and starts leading me away.
I pull the sucker out of my mouth, so that I can ask, "Where are we going today?"
"Well, first we're going to the mall." He informs me, while pulling the sucker from my hands and placing it between his lips.
"I freaking hate the mall" I grumble, and pluck the sucker back from him and return it to my mouth.
"I know, but, we need to get some cooler clothes."
Shit, I guess he isn't too nice to say it after all. Somehow this makes me feel really disappointed. I stop in my tracks.
"Oh crap, Firkle," He stops too and looks down at me seriously, "I didn't mean that kind of cooler. I mean like cooler, as in it's too fucking hot for that outfit. We're going to use Token's pool, and you can't swim in jeans."
His arm is still around my shoulder, and I keep sucking on the lolly, and it's hard to look him in the eye, so I look down at my clothing... my not so cool clothing...
Suddenly his hand is on my chin, lifting it up so he can stare into my eyes... he sees it? Yeah, it's rather hard to miss.
"Sorry," He whispers, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a clean white cloth... how many eleven year olds carry around handkerchiefs in this day and age, in America? My guess would be just one.
"I didn't mean to make you cry." He tells me, as he wipes away my tears, as well as quite a bit of my makeup. I pull out the sucker and I place it back in his mouth. He sucks on it for a moment, still staring at my face, and making me uncomfortable, because I'm certain that what he's seeing isn't very pretty.
"You don't need makeup to be beautiful." He sighs in a voice so low that I would have missed it had I not been watching his lips closely, because they are moving slowly towards me...
It's quick, just a gentle slide against my lips, but that counts as a kiss, right?
"You stopped smoking?" He asks, and I nod shyly.
He noticed, so for today, perhaps, I don't want to die.
Token's wouldn't be my first choice of places to hang out, but as long as I'm with him, I guess anyplace is fine.
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End of first chapter.
If you enjoy this new chapter and want the story to continue, please leave feedback and let me know that you are interested. I love to write, but I'm trying to limit my fan fiction writing to a few hours a day, and I want to put my effort on the story where it will be most appreciated. I don't need you to shower me in praise, I just need to know that you are out there, and what about the story is working for you, so I know I'm heading in the right direction! I don't mind constructive criticism either, because that is helpful in letting me know when something isn't working, just be gentle. ; )