I just couldn't help it; today there was a spring in my step, and I was smiling like an idiot. It may or may not have had something to do with the beautiful girl I knew I was going to see in approximately one hour. Racetrack approached me cautiously, hands held up in a defensive stance.
"Skitts, what's up with you? You're all diff'rent. It ain't natural." I sighed. It was just like Racetrack to razz me when I was actually in a good mood- for once.
"Nunya." Racetrack raised his eyebrows. Clearly he didn't understand.
"Nunya… what?" I smirked at him from underneath the brim of my hat.
"Nunya business." He scowled at me, moving back over towards Jack and slapping Mush for laughing.
"Hey, good one Skittery. Didja hear that, fellas? Race comes up to Skitts and says…" I tuned him out at this point. I mean, I didn't really know why he bothered. Everyone had heard anyway. But Kid Blink was hanging on his every word, as usual, so no harm done.
I stepped up to the window, feeling bold. Today was gonna be my day, I was sure of it.
"Twenty papes, Weasel." Weasel grimaced, but he was always grimacing, so I didn't let it get to me. I heard Racetrack come up behind me and try to finagle the price with Weasel, promising to bet on a specific horse at the tracks for him if his papes would be free. Weasel took him up on the offer, the gullible idiot.
"Seriously Skitts, what's gotten into you?" I looked over at Mush. He was a pretty good-natured fellow. The way he attached himself to Kid Blink was a little annoying, but the guy was trustworthy.
"Um… there's this girl…" Mush grinned widely, as did his one-eyed compatriot.
"Is that right? What's her name Skittery?" This time it was the blonde that spoke. I hesitated, but decided it was better to tell them now, rather than have them bug me about it forever.
"Madeleine. Madeleine Carter." The three eyes they had between them widened considerably.
"Jesus, Skitts. When you dream, you dream big." That, of course, was Kid Blink, tactful as ever. Mush elbowed him, and he mumbled a quick apology.
"S'fine Blink. I wouldn't believe me neither. But it's true." I walked away with my papes, blissfully unaware that those two idiots were following me. Once I reached my usual selling spot, I plunked down in the shade. Truly, I wasn't in a hurry to sell any papes. I heard soft footsteps behind me, and smiled a little to myself.
"Just couldn't stay away, could ya?" Then I heard it. The soft, tinkling laughter that made all the razzing and the rude comments from the guys worthwhile. I turned, and there she was.
"Hey there, Miss." She smiled. God help me, I loved that smile.
"How's the headline today?" I frowned. I couldn't lie to her.
"It's… well, it's crap. Trolley Strike Drags on for Third Week." I recited. She furrowed her brow, and then smiled suddenly.
"All right then. I'll take—" she looked to see my papes, and then, "twenty papers." I must have jumped visibly, because she snickered at me.
"Seriously Miss, you don't want—"
"I heard my father say something once. The customer is always right. I'm the customer, and I'd like twenty newspapers. And, at a penny per newspaper, that makes the total twenty cents." She reached into a beaded coin purse and pulled out the money, just handing it over to me like it was nothing. Twenty cents!
She just about snatched the papes away from me and I mean, hey, I wasn't going to argue. Then she did something uncharacteristically bold, even for her. She kissed me on the cheek. I looked at her, and I must've looked real stupid cause she did that adorable snickering thing again. She then pointed subtly.
"Consider it a tip. Have fun explaining that to your friends." I looked to where she was indicating, and saw Mush and Kid Blink staring back at me dumbly. Madeleine waved at them, then kissed me again and walked away. The guys ran over as soon as she'd left.
"Skitts! You—and she—you two—" Mush stammered. Kid Blink was a bit more coherent, but no less amusing.
"Holy shit! Skittery! Madeleine Carter? Holy shit!" At this point, I noticed that between them they had about six papes left.
"Hey, guys, y'want lunch? Tibby's. I'll buy?" I held out the day's earnings for them to see. Eyes wide, they both stared at me and nodded.
"So… she still pays you? She's your friggin' girl! Damn, Skitts. She must really like you. Dat's a pretty sweet deal." I smiled. I'd been admiring Madeleine from afar for about a month, but I'd never thought that anything would come of it.
As I sat in Tibby's, ignoring Blink and Mush's endless chatter, my usual pessimistic tendencies started to kick in, and I'm ashamed to say that I panicked. I realized that it would be stupid of me to read into this event that she had any amount of real affection for me. She was just trying to help a street urchin afford food. Nothing more. And... she had kissed me. But it must have been because she had seen Blink and Mush across the street and decided to have some fun at my expense. It must have been that reason, and absolutely nothing else. My angsty inner monologue was cut short when Blink's elbow made contact with my head.
"Holy crap, Skittery! Look, there's a fire!" Blink was pointing exuberantly across the street… towards the Carter townhouse. It was aflame.
Shit.