*
"And so then, I was like, 'They think we're nothin'! Are we nothin'?' and then they was all..." Jack trailed off as he caught the bored expression on Laces face. "You don't care, do you?" he asked, sounding apologetic.
"Huh?" Laces asked, snapping back to attention. She twirled a piece of her curly hair in her finger and continued, "No, I mean yes, of course I care. Keep going," she urged him.
"No, I don't want to make you fall asleep," he placed a hand on hers.
"You won't," she giggled and smiled at him.
"You want to know something even more interesting than that?" Jack asked her, leaning close.
"Yeah," she grinned. "I do,"
"I really like you,"
"Yeah?" she questioned. "Like how much?"
"Like...I'd walk the world over for just one blade of grass if you ask me to," Jack said with a lopsided grin.
"That much, huh," Laces could hardly contain her smile. "That's good, because I like you too,"
That seemed to be all Jack was waiting to hear. He pulled her into a kiss and backed against the wall, trying to take in as much as he could get.
Laces pulled away after a few seconds, a mischievous look on her face. "You know," she started. "We're alone here, and I have my own room upstairs,"
Jack nodded, and laughing she led him upstairs and into the concealment of her room.
*
Spot slammed the door to the Lodging House extra loud and glared at the creaky staircase. He could hear his friends upstairs, probably playing poker and having fun, like he would have been doing if he hadn't been stuck with that stupid dinner and that stupid girl.
He stomped upstairs and into the bunkroom, glowering at everybody, just waiting for them to ask.
Twitch, his best friend (if you used the term lightly) was the first one to dare to ask. "Well? How'd it go?" he asked cautiously.
"HORRIBLE!" he shouted. "I got stuck with the most absolutely awful girl! Some stupid witch named Maniac! I hate-"
"Wait," Twitch interrupted. "Maniac Magee?"
"Yeah, her. She was so-"
"I love that girl!" Twitch interrupted again. "She's so funny! Man, it's great you got to go with her. Did ya tell her I said hi?"
"HOW COULD I?! I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW YOU KNEW HER!" Spot shouted. "AND I HATE HER!" he added, slamming his fist into one of the bunks in anger.
Twitch shook his head. "That's too bad, man, she's a real firecracker, if ya know what I mean!" he laughed to himself.
Spot stopped fuming and turned to Twitch. "No, no I don't know what you mean!" he shouted.
"I mean, she's real different than most girls." Twitch started out carefully. "Did you know that her dad killed the rest of her family, but she escaped? But she just ran out of that house, in Maine, and ran and ran until she ended up here. And it only took her two days!" he whistled, and then in a low voice, ignoring the disbelieving look on Spots face, "They say, she never sleeps. That she just goes running every night until the crack of dawn, and then goes and sells. Isn't that crazy?"
"It's bullshit, is what it is," Spot said, not sounding so sure himself.
"No man, I heard it from a girl who lives with her," Twitch said. "And you know what else? She can't turn down any dare, ever. I wish I could be stuck selling with her. But from what I heard, she's not ever really devoted to actually selling. She'll sell a few papes and then just give away the rest. She's real neat, man," he shook his head, and seemed to be lost in thought.
"You know, the real weird thing is, nobody's sure," one of the boys, Josh, finally said. "Nobody really knows anything...except for what they say," he shook his head and looked down at his hand of cards. "The only thing I know for sure, is that she's about the most mysterious person I've ever met. You can talk to her for a million hours and all you'll ever get out of it is maybe a hug, if you're lucky. I think she's afraid of people, even though the could get any guy she wanted to,"
"You're both about as crazy as she is," Spot finally spat out. "She couldn't get anyone with half a brain, or two eyes that worked!" he angrily started off to his room, but a sing-song word or two from Twitch stopped him.
"Bet you couldn't," He said, staring down at his book. The bunkroom went quiet, and those who hadn't already been listening started to.
"Bet I couldn't what?" Spot asked, glaring at everyone watching him. Twitch was on dangerous ground, and they all knew it.
"Get her. Bet you couldn't thrill that girl if your life depended on it. Bet she hates you, that's why you're so angry. Bet you were expecting someone you could just take home and do it with whenever you want, instead you got the greatest girl you could ever meet and you screwed it up, didn't you?"
"No, I didn't like her from the beginning. And she is not all that she's cracked up to be, let me tell ya," he snapped.
"I'll bet you a week's worth of papes that you couldn't get Mani to even touch you," Twitch said loudly.
"That's all?" Spot smirked.
"Yeah, you gotta sell with her, be with her for two weeks. Like yer supposed to,"
Spot shook a finger accusingly at Twitch. "That's stupid. If I want to sell with her, It'll be because I like her, not you want me to," and with that, he went into his room and slammed the door furiously.
"You know he'll do it," Josh muttered to Twitch when Spot had gone.
"Oh I know," he said with a nod.
Spot set his things down and caught a glimpse of his own reflection in the mirror. "I could do that if I really wanted to," he snarled, taking off his shirt and climbing into his bed, trying to stay warm underneath the cold sheets.
He tried to put the thought of Maniac out of his mind as he concentrated on falling asleep, but the image of her, and all that he had heard about her sunk in his mind, even long after he had fallen asleep.
"And so then, I was like, 'They think we're nothin'! Are we nothin'?' and then they was all..." Jack trailed off as he caught the bored expression on Laces face. "You don't care, do you?" he asked, sounding apologetic.
"Huh?" Laces asked, snapping back to attention. She twirled a piece of her curly hair in her finger and continued, "No, I mean yes, of course I care. Keep going," she urged him.
"No, I don't want to make you fall asleep," he placed a hand on hers.
"You won't," she giggled and smiled at him.
"You want to know something even more interesting than that?" Jack asked her, leaning close.
"Yeah," she grinned. "I do,"
"I really like you,"
"Yeah?" she questioned. "Like how much?"
"Like...I'd walk the world over for just one blade of grass if you ask me to," Jack said with a lopsided grin.
"That much, huh," Laces could hardly contain her smile. "That's good, because I like you too,"
That seemed to be all Jack was waiting to hear. He pulled her into a kiss and backed against the wall, trying to take in as much as he could get.
Laces pulled away after a few seconds, a mischievous look on her face. "You know," she started. "We're alone here, and I have my own room upstairs,"
Jack nodded, and laughing she led him upstairs and into the concealment of her room.
*
Spot slammed the door to the Lodging House extra loud and glared at the creaky staircase. He could hear his friends upstairs, probably playing poker and having fun, like he would have been doing if he hadn't been stuck with that stupid dinner and that stupid girl.
He stomped upstairs and into the bunkroom, glowering at everybody, just waiting for them to ask.
Twitch, his best friend (if you used the term lightly) was the first one to dare to ask. "Well? How'd it go?" he asked cautiously.
"HORRIBLE!" he shouted. "I got stuck with the most absolutely awful girl! Some stupid witch named Maniac! I hate-"
"Wait," Twitch interrupted. "Maniac Magee?"
"Yeah, her. She was so-"
"I love that girl!" Twitch interrupted again. "She's so funny! Man, it's great you got to go with her. Did ya tell her I said hi?"
"HOW COULD I?! I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW YOU KNEW HER!" Spot shouted. "AND I HATE HER!" he added, slamming his fist into one of the bunks in anger.
Twitch shook his head. "That's too bad, man, she's a real firecracker, if ya know what I mean!" he laughed to himself.
Spot stopped fuming and turned to Twitch. "No, no I don't know what you mean!" he shouted.
"I mean, she's real different than most girls." Twitch started out carefully. "Did you know that her dad killed the rest of her family, but she escaped? But she just ran out of that house, in Maine, and ran and ran until she ended up here. And it only took her two days!" he whistled, and then in a low voice, ignoring the disbelieving look on Spots face, "They say, she never sleeps. That she just goes running every night until the crack of dawn, and then goes and sells. Isn't that crazy?"
"It's bullshit, is what it is," Spot said, not sounding so sure himself.
"No man, I heard it from a girl who lives with her," Twitch said. "And you know what else? She can't turn down any dare, ever. I wish I could be stuck selling with her. But from what I heard, she's not ever really devoted to actually selling. She'll sell a few papes and then just give away the rest. She's real neat, man," he shook his head, and seemed to be lost in thought.
"You know, the real weird thing is, nobody's sure," one of the boys, Josh, finally said. "Nobody really knows anything...except for what they say," he shook his head and looked down at his hand of cards. "The only thing I know for sure, is that she's about the most mysterious person I've ever met. You can talk to her for a million hours and all you'll ever get out of it is maybe a hug, if you're lucky. I think she's afraid of people, even though the could get any guy she wanted to,"
"You're both about as crazy as she is," Spot finally spat out. "She couldn't get anyone with half a brain, or two eyes that worked!" he angrily started off to his room, but a sing-song word or two from Twitch stopped him.
"Bet you couldn't," He said, staring down at his book. The bunkroom went quiet, and those who hadn't already been listening started to.
"Bet I couldn't what?" Spot asked, glaring at everyone watching him. Twitch was on dangerous ground, and they all knew it.
"Get her. Bet you couldn't thrill that girl if your life depended on it. Bet she hates you, that's why you're so angry. Bet you were expecting someone you could just take home and do it with whenever you want, instead you got the greatest girl you could ever meet and you screwed it up, didn't you?"
"No, I didn't like her from the beginning. And she is not all that she's cracked up to be, let me tell ya," he snapped.
"I'll bet you a week's worth of papes that you couldn't get Mani to even touch you," Twitch said loudly.
"That's all?" Spot smirked.
"Yeah, you gotta sell with her, be with her for two weeks. Like yer supposed to,"
Spot shook a finger accusingly at Twitch. "That's stupid. If I want to sell with her, It'll be because I like her, not you want me to," and with that, he went into his room and slammed the door furiously.
"You know he'll do it," Josh muttered to Twitch when Spot had gone.
"Oh I know," he said with a nod.
Spot set his things down and caught a glimpse of his own reflection in the mirror. "I could do that if I really wanted to," he snarled, taking off his shirt and climbing into his bed, trying to stay warm underneath the cold sheets.
He tried to put the thought of Maniac out of his mind as he concentrated on falling asleep, but the image of her, and all that he had heard about her sunk in his mind, even long after he had fallen asleep.