Riku

Crap.

I'm holding her hand.

She's blushing. Why is she blushing?

I'm holding her hand.

But I barely know her.

I smile nervously- but try not to look nervous- and say, "You're, uh… You're welcome."

She smiles back, equally as nervous.

We stay like that for a second. Then I realize what I'm doing-again- and I pull my hand away swiftly.

That was kinda rude, Riku.

"So, uh…"I clear my throat. Scratch at the back of my head.

I feel retarded.

I kinda panic.

Find something to talk about… No more gay babies…

"Palm trees, right?"

Wow. Just wow.

Shayla just starts laughing. "Interesting topic, there."

I laugh too.

Didn't know what else to say.

Why must I see this girl when I'm tired?

I seem like a retard.

"Well. Palm trees certainly are very nice, if that's what you mean," she says.

Uh…Yeah.

"Yup. Nailed it. Exactly what I was going for."

Ugh. I need a vacation.

"How was work?" I ask. Try not to sound stupid. Work is a normal topic. A sane topic.

One that doesn't make me sound stupid.

"Good. Boring. I got to stay inside the theatre most of the time and listen to the same constellation video over and over. Then afterwards I got to clean some telescopes. How'd you fare?"

I shrug.

"Oh, you know. Driving around. Naming the pizza boxes. Jamming out to the fuzzy radio music in the crappy delivery car. The usual."

"Sounds fun." She says honestly it appears.

"It's a blast."

Haven't heard that phrase in a while.

Blast. Where'd they come up with that, anyway?

Kairi said it the other day. She was talking to Sora about facials.

No. Bad Riku. Kairi is no man's land. I'm not allowed to think about her anymore.

Let's think about Shayla.

"What are you thinking about?" Shayla asks, tilting her head to the side a little.

"The word 'blast' and facials."

Really Riku?

Aren't you smart. Go ahead and tell her.

Sound like a retard. See if I care.

Fine then. Give in to her little eye trick.

I think she's doing it on purpose. Staring at me with those almost-purple eyes like that. Like she's trying to hypnotize me or something. It's weird. And my spine is all tingley.

Now. Should I tell her to stop?

Naw. I kinda like it.

No. Bad Riku. Stop that. She's a stranger.