Chapter 29
Encounter with the Bimbo from the Black Lagoon
RECAP:
"I knew it," squealed a voice from right next to me. Great, trust her to ruin the moment. "You're trying to steal my Arty."
Holly's POV:
"Here we go again," I said rolling my eyes.
Artemis looked back and forth between Minerva and I. "You two know each other?"
"Unfortunately," I sighed. I'd give a metric ton of gold to notknow her.
Minerva didn't seem to like being ignored. She banged her fist on the table. Rude. Her private schools obviously did not teach her manners or common sense for that matter. "Thought you didn't know him?" she sneered at me in a way that was supposed to be intimidating. "You seem to know him pretty well."
"Excuse me?" No one could mistake what she was trying to say and it was making me angry.
"I suppose that anyone with five euroes can get to know you."
"Minerva," Artemis said aghast.
"Shh Arty," she said putting her finger to his lips and making me want to slap her. I was close to it when I remembered that I am a kind individual who does not use violence to solve her problems. "I'll get rid of her."
"Minerva, this is Holinda and she is my new friend." The way he said it made it clear that she wasn't supposed to bother me.
Obviously, she didn't get the hint. "You're friends with her?" she screeched in a tone of voice that I'm sure that only dogs could hear. I did get some satisfaction out of watching her face fall though.
"Yes, and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't insult her." I'm glad Arty stood up for me because if he hadn't I would have had to (in the words of Juliet) beat her down.
"Fine," she huffed, not wanting to anger Arty.
"Now apologize," he ordered sternly.
Minerva sighed, and glared at me. "I'm... sorry, Holinda. That was very rude of me." If looks could kill then I'd be dead.
"Now Holinda, what do you have to say?"
"Well, now that we're all friends, do you mind if I sit down?" All friends, really? Saying 'I'm sorry' does not heal all wounds and make you friends. I'm sure that she knows that and is just doing this to help herself. Artemis looked at me, giving me the choice to accept or reject her plea.
I decided to make Arty happy and be the bigger person, even though I really didn't want to. "Sure," I smiled.
"Wonderful," she said and turned to pull a chair up. She pushed her chair right between Arty and I. She 'accidentally' hit my knee with it. I was fuming, but remembered my anger management. Count to ten and take a deep breath. Surprisingly I managed to keep it under control.
She grabbed unto Artemis's arm. "Oh Arty, are you sure that you didn't want to dance with me?" Someone had obviously told her that purring was sexy. Unfortunately, it seemed like she believed that she could pull it off. Poor thing.
"Erm, no thank you," he said obviously horrifyed by the very idea. Though, one has to wonder was it the idea of dancing or the idea of dancing with her that bothered him.
"Aww, come on?" she begged.
"No means no," I muttered and she spun around to glare at me.
"And who asked you?" she demanded as if she had the right to say anything to me.
"No one needed to," I sneered. "Any idiot can tell that he doesn't like you."
"Oh, and I'm so sure that he likes you."
"He does."
"Ladies?" Arty said. "Perhaps-"
"Stay out of this," we said together, both in perfect harmony for once.
"But-," he began again. Some people never learn.
"No, this is between me and the wicked witch of the west," I told him. He laughed a bit at my nickname for her.
"And who do you think you are?" Minerva sneered. "You faux-wanna-be-goldilocks." Nice try, but I did notice that Arty wasn't laughing this time.
"My hair color is real. Unlike some bleached blond bimboes that I could mention." Okay, so my hair color is not technically 'real.' It's still not from a bottle, which is what she meant.
"Oh, please. Your hair color came from a bottle and mine was a gift from above," she preened. "Besides, who would want you? I mean just look at yourself."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" I demanded. This girl is seriously asking for a beating. I would definitely like oblige her, I don't fight children. Maybe if I keep repeating that to myself then it'll stop mee from wanting to slap her in her spoiled face.
"Look at how you're dressed. Super skanky," she laughed as if her outfit was the pinnacle of proper dress. Yeah right. "Probably bargain brand."
I was so angry that I could spit. Not because she called it 'bargain brand.' That doesn't bother me. What gets me is how she can call someone skanky. Someone needs to take a good long look into the mirror. "How I'm dressed?" I smirked. "If your shirt was any lower or your skirt any higher than you'd be arrested for public indecency. Maybe you already should have been."
Out of the corner of my eye I could see Artemis laughing and I guess she could too. "Oh please. The only thing 'indecent' around here is your face." Artemis laughed again. But this time it was at her and with me.
I clapped my hands in a slow, dramatic way. "Very good. You just made the most obvious and least funny joke ever," I cheered. "What's next. Are you going to call me ugly or talk about my 'mama'?"
Minerva looked angry. Her face was becoming an very unbecoming and blotchy red. And I must admit that I was enjoying every minute of it. "Whatever. It doesn't matter what you say," I shrug.
"Arty's my boyfriend," she said as I fought the urge to laugh. "You need to leace. He doesn't want you here."
"Fine," I huffed. "Why don't we just ask him who he wants to stay." Unfortunately, I said it before I had thought it through. If he knew it was me then he'd pick me with no hesitation. As it stood, he knew Minerva a lot better than he knew me. He was going to pick her. Or maybe he'd surprise us both. Somehow I doubt it. Artemis tends to be a bit predictable.
"Fine, let's." she said with the look of a cat who had just gotten hold of a particularly fat mouse.
"Well?" She asked turning on him.
"Hmm?" he muttered nervously. He had heard and was probably using the time to make the desicsion or distract us. Probably the latter. He always knows what he's going to do. "What?"
"Which one of us do you want to stay?" I demanded.
"And who do you want to go?" Minerva asked glaring at me. Gee, I wonder who she wants to go.
"I suppose one of you really must leave to keep the peace." We eyed each other and nodded. There was sure to be a rough-and-tumble-bar-drag-out-catfight if one of us didn't leave ASAP.
"So, who do you want to stay?" Minerva asked again.
"Minerva," Artemis said and I felt my heart fall out of my chest and my breath catch. I knew he would pick her. She was his friend, and Holinda was just a 'for the moment girl'. I started to push my chair back, but he spoke again. "I am sorry, but I want to get to know Holinda better."
"W-what are you saying?"
"I'm saying that it's you that I want to go. I'm asking you to leave."
"For her?" she demanded, shooting me an evil look.
"You gave me an ultimatum and I made the best choice from the ones that I was given. I do apologize."
"Fine," she mumbled to Arty before turning to me. "I'm leaving, but you just remember that he's my boyfriend." Is she really that blinded by obsession? After all of this, was she still deluded? Only she could be that... blind and ignorant.
"Doesn't look like it," I smirked as she stood up.
"You'd better watch your back," she hissed. "Arty cant' protect you forever."
"Don't need him to." Arty's amazing but I can definitely protect myself. Ten seconds to take her down. Then five to fix my hair. "I can take care of myself. Can you say the same?"
"Oooh, whatever," she huffed as she stood up, knocked the chair over, and stomped off.
"Well that was..." Artemis began, but couldn't finish. Wow, our little...encounter was too much for Arty. He couldn't even think of a word to describe it.
"Strange, pointless, one stupid girl," I suggested to fill in the blank.
"D. all of the above."
I couldn't help but laugh. We used that same saying from a few thousand years ago. Little did he know that it wasn't from tests like humans used it, but it was for ordering lunch quickly. You'd just say that you wanted d. all of the above. "You sure know how to pick 'em," I teased. "Quite the girlfriend, you have there."
Artemis shuddered at the thought. "I don't 'pick 'em' as you said. And she is not my girlfriend."
"Then what is she? And why does she thing that you belong to and/or with her?"
"Well this may sound cliche but she is just my friend. We have known each other for a while, and she has always liked me."
"And how do you feel for her?" I asked, trying not to let my vital interest seep through.
He blushed a bit. He didn't seem able to speak, so I bent down to pick up the chair that she had knocked down. Unfortunately, he beat me again and pulled the chair back up.
We were still squatting on the ground, looking into each other's eyes. "We need to stop meeting like this," I said lost in his eyes.
Artemis smirked his signature smirk. "I don't know. It's not so bad, is it?"
"No," I giggled. "I guess not."
"Need help getting up?" He asked holding his hand out for me.
"I can do it myself," I informed him,but took his hand anyway.
"Yes and just because you can doesn't mean that you have to." Sometimes, it really does.
"Thank you, Mr. Philosophical," I remarked sarcastically and he inclined his head in a way that said 'you're welcome'. Smug.
"So, what should we do for the rest of the night?" I asked him.
"It depends," he shrugged in a very un-Artemis like way.
"On what?"
"How you answer the next thing that I am about to say."
"Which is?" I asked annoyed at the verbal back and forth.
"Dance with me."
*End of Chapter*
A/n:
Woo-hoo! Another chapter down. Thank God it's a snow day!
Oh and, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to each person who has reviewed this story since my last update:
Anonymous22
a faithful reader
Assassins Stole My Pants
Orangesky3
Lameguest
and to all the others who reviewed and were all ready mentioned. I love you guys. The next chapter will be the HollindaxMinerva showdown in Artemis's POV. I hope to update this story soon. Keep reading and I'll keep writing. Oh and remember to review. Flames are welcome. They're what keep me warm and toasty at night. ;)
Remember: Reviews = happy camper. Happy camper = quicker updates. Quicker updates = you reading more. It's a cycle. Keep it going!
Yours truly, madly, and deeply,
Einstinette
