Destinee Week 41: Pretty Pretty Please

Destiny Cullen
Sunday


Picture 1

Picture 2


Destiny Cullen’s Choice: Picture 1


Title: Pretty Pretty Please
What does it mean to have a falling out?
Does it mean we were once in a bubble?
Are we free falling away from each other now?
Are you even aware of it?
Do you even care?

What does it mean to have your heart broken?
Does it mean you’re naive for letting someone have it?
Or were they just stupid for not reading the “breakable” sign?

You didn’t even flinch when you landed on your feet.
You didn’t even look up to see where I’d crash.
You didn’t try to help piece me back together.
Why would you? You’re the one that broke me apart.

You’re not even hurt.
You didn’t even cry.
You left me alone.
I’m left to die.

The funny thing is I still don’t hate you.
How can I when love still courses through my duct taped heart?
The funny thing is I’ll be alright.
I’ll get over you eventually just wait.

I don’t expect you to come back.
I don’t expect you to miss me.
I don’t expect much at all from you.
Just pretty please think of me.

Snapple Apple 450 Week 41: Written in the Stars

SnappleApple 450
Saturday


Picture 1

Picture 2


SnappleApple 450's Choice: Picture 2


Title: Written in the Stars, We Were Meant to be Together
Born out of the night sky, the damned offspring of a human and a demon, she was doomed to the fate of what the angels did to her kind. Destroy them. You couldn’t run or hide and you sure as hell couldn’t fight. At eighteen, all were given a choice by the demons. Join them or risk dying. Of course all of them took the demons offer of eternal damnation. Cyleste’s father didn’t abandon her like most demons did. He showed up every birthday with an offer. “Come live with me on your 18th birthday.” Of course her mom always refused to let him take her for reasons Cyleste didn’t know. She had no idea about her heritage or the decision awaiting her.

Cyleste had naturally white hair that everyone would compliment, saying she looked like an angel. Her eyes were a dark blue that looked like the night sky, which was where she got her name. She had an unnatural beauty that guys just fell over. By seventh grade her mom took her out of public school because she didn’t want Cyleste subjected to hormonal boys. Cyleste hated her for it, but she could never defy her mom’s wishes. At least until the right boy came along…
~*~
“Cyleste, what do you want for your birthday cake?” Her mom asked thoughtfully as she went over the grocery list.

“Angel food cake,” Cyleste smirked.

Her mom sighed and gave her a worn out look of years of stress. “Baby, please.” Her mom always had a thing against angels so Cyleste loved to push her buttons.

“I’m serious. I love Angel food cake. It’s so pure and light and sweet.”

“Unlike you,” Cory, her adopted brother, laughed from behind his Gameboy.

“Shut up, dweeb.” Cyleste glared, throwing a pillow at him.

“Guys!” Her mom snapped. “I’m not in the mood for your bickering.”

The two stuck their tongues out at each other and went back to what they were doing, Cyleste continuing to flip through her magazine mindlessly.

“You know what I want for my birthday?” she asked innocently.

Her mom had a look that said she was waiting for the punch line.

“I want a guy to kiss me,” Cyleste sighed, gripping the magazine to her chest. “I wish a guy would just kiss me!”

“Yuck!” Cory gagged in disgust as he ran out of the room.

Cyleste rolled her eyes as she went back to her dreamy thoughts. “I mean come on, I’m turning eighteen and still haven’t had my first kiss? Where’s the justice in that?”

Her mom sighed, rubbing her eyes. “Sweetie, you know how I feel about boyfriends.”

“Yeah, you don’t trust them,” She glared.

“You shouldn’t either. I don’t trust men because they all have a secret. Even your father had one, and some secrets are worse than others,” her eyes were dark with anger.

“Is that why he only comes once a year?” Cyleste asked.

Her mom smiled softly. “Yeah and I think this is the last year he’ll come.”

She cocked her head sideways and started to ask, but her mom shook her head and gave her that look of conversation over. Cyleste had seen that look most of her life when she’d ask about her dad. The older she got, the more curious she was about him. She was looking forward to seeing him in two days. She wanted to ask him all about his life. She was finally going to go live with him. Cyleste hadn’t told her mom yet, but once she packed her bags, she would let her know. She even debated on leaving a note, but that seemed too harsh.

“Can you run to the store for me, babe?”

Cyleste jumped up, eager to get out of the house. “Yeah, just give me the list.”

Her mom handed her a grocery list and the car keys. “Don’t talk to strangers.”

Cyleste rolled her eyes as she shoved the list in her back pocket. “Yeah, yeah, and don’t take candy from strangers. I’m not five, Mom.”

“No, you’re not….” Her mom seemed sad to be reminded of this.

“I’ll be home later. I might stop by Starbucks on the way.” Cyleste ran out, grabbing her bag and jacket.

~*~

At the store, Cyleste browsed the magazine selection while checking out. She heard a voice. “Can you believe Prince William is getting married?”

Quickly she looked up and saw a boy with dark black hair and black eyes to match with a cocky smile. She smiled back, flirtatiously. “Just think about all those girls crying over him.”

He chuckled, moving his hair out of his eyes. “I think there are more boys crying over him than girls.”

She laughed. “That’s probably true.”

“Your total is $36.66, ma’am,” the cashier said.

“Ooh, 666 are unlucky numbers,” the boy grinned.

Cyleste rolled her eyes as she handed the cashier a Milky Way to fix the number. “Happy?”

“Increasingly so.” He smirked.

She handed him the candy bar and hid her smile. He unwrapped it and took a bite. “So you don’t believe in all that superstition?”

“Never have. Although my mom is a little eccentric,” she grabbed her bags and started to walk out.

He followed without missing a beat. “You want a bite?”

She laughed. “I’m not supposed to take candy from strangers.”

He stopped chewing and swallowed before answering. “Technically it’s your candy, and it’s not like I could have poisoned it in the time you handed it to me and now.”

She shifted the bags to her other hand and took the candy from him, taking a small bite of it. He grinned wider. “See? Not poisoned.”

Cyleste chuckled as she chewed. “Well I haven’t died yet, but we’ll see.”

“I’m Leo, by the way.”

“I’m Cyleste,” she handed him the candy back.

“Celeste as in celestial?” he asked curiously.

“As in ‘divine heavenly being,’” she flirted.

He nodded in agreement. “Your parents named you well.”

She chuckled, starting to walk again. “I’m not sure it was my dad’s doing, but for my mom, it’s definitely plausible.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

She shrugged, starting to think she shouldn’t have said anything. “I wouldn’t know about my dad, but my mom really likes getting into that stuff.”

Leo laughed. “Well, I believe in that stuff. The good side verses the evil, demons and angels, and all that.”

Cyleste opened the trunk of her car and put the bags in. “So what side would you be on? The dark side?”

Leo hesitated on his answer. “Is it the hair that gives it away?” he finally responded.

She laughed. “Possibly.”

He smirked again. “So I guess you’re leaving now?”

She looked at her car and frowned. “Yeah, my mom’s expecting me home with the cake and ice cream.”

“Birthday?” He didn’t want her to leave yet.

She smiled, not wanting to leave either. “Mine. It’s in two days. I finally turn eighteen.”

He smiled. “Can I see you before then?”

Cyleste hesitated, warring with herself. “My mom doesn’t like boys…”

“How about tonight? Let’s say, seven?” He asked with a cocky grin, completely ignoring her.

She knew she should just walk away from him, but she was almost eighteen; it was ridiculous and about time she had some fun. “How about midnight?” she asked in return.

“Ah, sneaking out?” He smirked.

She squared her jaw in defense. “Maybe.”

Leo chuckled. “I’ll be quiet then.”

A devious smile crossed her face as she wrote her address on a piece of paper and handed it to him. Adventure was finally in reach and it was in the hands of the amazingly hot guy in front of her.

She waved as she backed out of the parking lot. He stood in the middle of the lane watching her leave till she was out of site. As expected, her mom was standing in the hallway waiting for her. “There weren’t that many things on the list.”

Cyleste rolled her eyes, in too good a mood to fight. “Yeah, I had trouble finding a good flavor of ice cream.”

“What’d you decide on?”

“Um…” Cyleste froze trying to remember. “I couldn’t decide so I went without.”

Her mom dropped her arms to her side after being placed angrily on her hips. “Well, you at least got the cake right? It’s not every day my daughter turns eighteen!” She squeezed Cyleste in a big hug before taken the groceries to the kitchen.

~*~

The clock flashed 11:59pm as Cyleste watched it nervously. Her mom had gone to bed over an hour ago and Cyleste prayed she was a heavy sleeper.

12:00am and her clock beeped to signal the hour change. Slowly she pulled the covers off her body, exposing the outfit she had on underneath. She grabbed her shoes and slid her window open silently. A beat-up black muscle car waited in the shadows of the big oak tree in the front yard. Cyleste’s heart jumped as adrenaline pumped through her veins. She stepped onto the roof and scaled the house till she got to the tree branches where it was an easy climb down. She tried not to focus on the sexy dark figure leaning against the hood of the car, watching her humorously.

The last branch was seven or eight feet above the ground and she jumped. A small thud echoed and she feared her mom would wake up. A few seconds of silence passed—not even a dog barked—and she finally smiled triumphantly.

Leo’s face was hard to see, but a smirk showed. “I didn’t think you’d actually sneak out. I was prepared to throw pebbles.”

Cyleste smiled, getting in the car. “I didn’t think I’d do it either so let’s go before I change my mind!”

Leo quietly shut her door and got in the driver’s seat, pulling away from her house.

“So what are your plans? It’s midnight, nothing will be open.”

“Nothing has to be open where we’re going.” He winked.

“Where are we go-“

“Shh,” he interrupted.

Cyleste laughed. “Okay fine. I mean I can’t believe I’m even in this car with a complete stranger I only met today…”

“You obviously found something you trust in me,” he commented with a grin.

“Or maybe it’s just the dark mysterious charm you used on me.”

“I’m not mysterious. I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”

She eyed his before thinking of her questions. “Where did you come from?”

“Dunno.”

“Where are your parents?”

“Don’t have any.”

“Why are you here?”

“For you.”

“I mean why are you in this town? I haven’t ever seen you before.”

He smirked and repeated, “For you.”

She thought harder. “What do you have planned for me?”

He hesitated. “The truth?”

She gave him a playful glare and he nodded, looking back at the road. “I’m here to destroy you.” He smirked.

She rolled her eyes. “Is your name even Leo?”

He stopped the car and turned it off as he chuckled. “I don’t know. People call me Leo. They nicknamed me after the stars.”

“Ironic, both our names are heaven-related,” she smiled.

He pulled her out of the car and she waited for her eyes to adjust to the lighting. They were in the desert outside her town; the craggy rocks were everywhere. Leo laid a blanket on the ground and held his hand out for her. She giggled taking it.

“Cyleste, might I say you look heavenly?”

“Only if you want me to laugh,” she chuckled.

“I love your laugh.” Leo smiled as he gently wiped her hair out of her face. “And you do look…” He didn’t finish his sentence before he kissed her. Cyleste wrapped her fingers into his hair as she kissed him back. “Beautiful,” he breathed.

She opened her eyes and looked into his dark gaze. Cyleste couldn’t see her reflection in his eyes, she tried to look harder but they seemed to go on forever. He blinked and looked up at the sky. A star shot across the sky and Leo sighed.

“You know what they say about shooting stars?”

Cyleste shook her head. “That they’re magical?”

He chuckled. “Shooting stars are fallen angels. Angels that turned bad.”

“So why do people make wishes on them?” She asked.

“The fallen angles can redeem themselves if they want to.” He chuckled, “they hear a wish and if they can make that wish come true, they’re given a chance back into heaven.”

“What fallen angel wouldn’t want to go back to heaven?” Cyleste scoffed.

Leo looked deep into her eyes again as if his gaze could pierce her very soul. “You have to think about why they fell in the first place. A lot of them fell in love with humans while others were tempted by demons to join the dark side.”

Cyleste leaned back to watch the stars. “What’s your excuse?”

He laughed. “What?”

She propped her head up on her hands and smiled. “What’s your excuse for falling?”

Leo didn’t correct her or laugh at her for saying it. “I suppose both… I fell in love with a demon’s daughter once.”

She didn’t show any emotion as she thought about it.

“Can I ask a question now?” he asked in all manner of seriousness. “What makes you think I’m a fallen angel? I thought you didn’t believe in that stuff.”

Cyleste smiled, looking back at the stars. “You didn’t deny it.”

He chuckled, realizing she’d tricked him.

“So tell me about the demon’s daughter.” She felt a pang of jealousy for her having Leo’s heart.

Leo sighed, placing his hands behind his head as he went back to stargazing. “It’s kind of an ancient story that starts way back when demons discovered they could create strong offspring by sleeping with humans. It’s the Angel of Death’s job to destroy the offspring before their eighteenth birthday. Billions of years this went on, but never once have I had a problem with it.”

Cyleste giggled.

“What’s so funny?” Leo was telling her all his secrets and she laughed as if it’s completely normal.

“You’re the Angel of Death?”

“I’m one of many. At least I was,” he faded. “Then I got assigned to a demon’s offspring to get rid of her before her eighteenth birthday, nothing out of the ordinary…but I saw her and,” he exhaled.

Cyleste sat up and watched him.

“She didn’t even know I existed, but I was in love with her. I was supposed to kill her before she turned eighteen, but her birthday drew closer and closer and they found out about my feelings for her.”

“So you became a shooting star,” Cyleste whispered.

He nodded.

“And what happened to the girl you fell for?”

He looked over at her. “I got to talk to her for the first time in the grocery store,” he smiled, wiping her hair out of her eyes. “And she gave me a Milky Way.”

Cyleste was frozen with pure shock. “I don’t think I like this story anymore,” her voice trembled.

Leo sat up. “Cyleste,” he tried to touch her but she recoiled.

“What happens to the demon’s daughter?” She stood up, stumbling backwards away from Leo. “What happens? Do they—do they send another Angel of Death to destroy her?”

Leo stood up and caught her. “Cyleste, you gotta believe me, I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

She pulled away. “What can you do? You’re a fucking fallen angel!”

He wrapped his arms tightly around her so she couldn’t break free. “Not anymore! I granted a girl’s wish, I have a chance back into heaven.”

“Oh and what wish is that?” She was struggling.

“You wished a guy would kiss you,” he breathed in her ear.

Cyleste pushed with all her strength and he released her. She had tears streaming down her face and fire in her eyes. “Now I wish I never had.” She wiped her eyes and took off running, Leo didn’t follow her.

After an hour of wandering through the dark, Cyleste heard footsteps. Quickly she turned around and started to walk backwards, searching in the dark for the person making the noise. She couldn’t see anything; the moon had gone behind the clouds.

“Cyleste” She heard a whisper in the wind.

Panic started to bubble in her chest as she strained to see in the dark. Finally a dark figure came out of the shadows and she recognized him.

“Dad!” She ran into his arms immediately, gripping tightly to his shirt.

He wrapped his arms protectively around her, hugging her back. “My darling Cyleste, I was afraid I’d be too late.”

She wiped her eyes and looked up at his face. His brow was creased with worry, but he hadn’t aged in the entire time she had known him. Now she knew why. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. “I want to go with him.”

He lifted her face, holding onto her chin with his gloved hand. “Do you know what you’re saying? I didn’t think your mother would tell you…”

Cyleste bit her lip to stop her crying. “No, the Angel of Death that came to destroy me told me.”

His brow knitted together in confusion, but he didn’t have time to think. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

She nodded, not trusting her voice to keep the secret of how scared she was. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and she felt herself evaporated into the night with her father. Cyleste didn’t want to look back at Earth. Her mom was right. Boys had secrets, some worse than others, but she fell for one anyway.

~*~

Cyleste had now joined the dark side. That sounded so ominous and awesome to her, but she knew the level of seriousness of the matter. She was still young though, merely eighteen. Most demons had been alive for more than she could wrap her head around. They didn’t expect her to get the hang of the new life just yet. She definitely knew what her favorite part of the whole thing was. Her large black feathery wings. Even she had to admit, she looked damn good.

“Cyleste?” Her father walked into the room with a boy behind him. “Someone came a long way to see you…” He had a smile on his face as he walked away, leaving them alone.

Her eyes grew wide as she took him in. His black hair, his dark black eyes, his cocky grin, and his new black wings. “Leo? I don’t…understand.”

“I told you I loved the demon’s daughter. I’d do anything to be with her…”

“But I thought you were an angel again. Wish granted and all that.” She couldn’t ignore the emotion swelling in her chest.

He grinned wider. “I honestly think I’m the first angel to have fallen twice in the history of ever.”

Cyleste wanted to run into his arms and never let him go, but she tried to hold onto her dignity. “Let’s start over. I’m Cyleste.”

He nodded happily at being given a second chance. “I’m Leo.”

Burntcore Week 41: Welcome to America

Burntcore
Thursday


Picture 1

Picture 2


Burntcore's Choice: Picture 1


Title: Welcome to America
I hated working here. This hotel was full of self-important businesspeople and ignorant tourists. If it wasn’t for the college credit I got towards my food sciences degree, I would have quit in a heartbeat. So I put up with people who only saw the superficial and were too busy to see outside of their own little microcosm.

The problem?

They assumed that I didn’t understand English, when I understood and spoke probably it better than they did.

Why did they make this assumption?

Because everyone that worked at the hotel café, including myself, were of Japanese descent.

I was a first generation American. My parents came over from Okinawa when they were teens and just happened to grow up in the same neighborhood. They were homesick for Japan and their old friends when they met. They stuck like glue and were inseparable. Eventually they got used to living in the United States and actually had fun showing the other kids their culture and food. By the time my parents graduated high school, there was a whole school full of kids who loved sushi. The girls especially loved the kimonos and would gush over how beautiful the hand-woven and hand-painted garments were.

Needless to say, my parents instilled in me a great respect for Japanese culture. While English was still the first language I was officially taught, I had also learned Japanese from an early age. On any given day in my household, you could hear Japanese and English being spoken, sometimes during the same conversation. My parents tried to speak English as much as they could, but some things didn’t always translate well, especially when they were upset.

Which was how I found myself here at this café with people talking to me like I was a migrant worker who couldn’t speak English.

It was funny actually. People would talk about me right in front of my face, or talk about personal things that I really had no desire to know, assuming that I didn’t understand. These were usually the same people that spoke very slowly to me or just pointed to pictures of what they wanted.

Apparently no one ever told them about assumptions.

The worst was when this real uppity woman in a Chanel suit from last season came waltzing up to my counter. If her nose was any higher, she’d drown when it rained. She took one look at me and commented to her friend about lousy foreigners taking all the jobs from poor Americans. I gritted my teeth and decided to mess with her a little. Her friend had the grace to look embarrassed.

I put on the most hock-eyed, fake Japanese accent I could and asked for her order.

“Oh res, ma’am, what rou like?”

If my mother ever saw me talk this way to anyone, she would’ve boxed my ears and started yelling in Japanese at me. I cringed inwardly and tried to focus on my acting.

The pretentious woman sighed and muttered something about ‘the help’ not being able to speak English.

“I want a large café mocha,” the woman said loudly and slowly.

I nodded my head stupidly and said “Rou want large crafe mochra? Hai?”

“Yes, you simpleton. I want a large café mocha,” she snapped.

I nodded and smiled at her while she continued to complain about my inability to speak proper English. After making her drink, I decided that I had played the game long enough.

I held her cup out to her, plastered the most fake smile I could, and looked her right in the eye.

“Here is your café mocha, ma’am. Thank you for visiting the Metro Café. I hope you enjoy your stay here in San Francisco.”

Her jaw hit the floor and her cheeks filled with color. “You speak English,” she whispered as she took her drink. The woman’s friend looked back and forth between the two of us looking decidedly uncomfortable.

“I would hope so. I was born here in California after all.”

Her eyes narrowed as she recalled my put-on accent. “Then what was with the fake Japanese accent?”

I cocked my head at her before responding, letting her really think about that before I answered. “You don’t think I didn’t hear your little comment about people like me taking jobs from Americans? You assumed based on how I looked that I wasn’t an American and couldn’t speak English. Shame on you.”

The woman’s face paled as she stumbled away, momentarily humiliated from her bigotry.

Maybe this job wasn’t so bad after all.

Kimmydonn Week 41: Donovan

Kimmydon
Wednesday


Picture 1

Picture 2


Kimmydon's Choice: Picture 1


Title: Donovan
Straight back, sun shining on red-brown curls, his head just reached the branch he examined. I rocked Sarah as I watched him. It seemed ages since I’d seen Donovan, but he was at my wedding just a year ago. He didn’t often come to the lake and I spent a lot of my maternal leave here, enjoying the lake and fresh air. Sarah was enjoying it to, wriggling on her back in the grass when I wasn’t holding her.

“What ya looking for?” I called loudly. The tree he hung onto was yards down the shore.

He turned, green eyes finding me and brightening. “Hey, Beth. Checking for a mark I left here.” His voice was half lost in the wind and the chop of the lake. He descended from his perch and strode toward me. “This is Sarah?” he asked, looking at the cherub in my arms.

Her blue eyes were closed in sleep, but she was very pink, tiny fingers wrapped tightly around one of mine. Nodding, my hair brushed her cheek, making her face scrunch up and lip quiver.

“She’s adorable.” He ran a gentle hand down Sarah’s cheek and the other hand popped out of her blankets to seize it. His she popped into her mouth, eyes opening a crack as her tiny mouth tried to tease milk from the digit. “Um... good luck there, kid.” His voice was light and nearly laughing.

I chuckled too, pulling her hand away from her mouth. She quieted and stilled again, asleep once more.
“What were you looking for?” I asked again, gesturing to the tree.

Donovan shrugged, ducking his head a little. “Remember the summer after you graduated?” he asked.
I tried to recall. Every summer was spent with days at the lake, if not full weeks. I tried to find a job after graduation, but had zero luck, instead, fishing with Uncle Terry most often. Jamie had gotten a job, her first of several in the service industry, so she wasn’t with us. It hadn’t been a warm summer, lots of rain.

“Yeah, I remember some.”

“Do you remember a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes?” My eyes narrowed, this wasn’t some strange connection to Sarah, was it? No, she was dead by then. I was seeing ghosts everywhere now.

“Nope,” I admitted.

“Well, her name was Cheryl and we used to meet at that tree, then run somewhere dry,” he said with grin.

“Ah, I see. You hoping to find her?”

He nodded sheepishly. “I leave notes there, my number. I keep hoping she’ll come back and see it. Give me a call. She... I miss her.”

He was so pink at this point I almost didn’t want to know what they’d done together eight or ten years ago. It must have been good.

“I’ll keep an eye out. If I see any blondes hanging around, I’ll make sure they know to call you.”

He laughed. “Thanks, Beth. You’re out here all the time, are you?”

I nodded. “This summer anyway. Have to go back to work come winter. I’m not really looking forward to that.” I kissed Sarah’s head and wished I could walk in the woods with her forever.

“Well, take care of yourself. I should head in. I didn’t bring anything out with me to eat.” He started to pass me to the front of the cabins where the cars were parked.

“Why don’t you come in, Don? Peter will be coming for supper after work. I can make for you, too.” I opened the door of my parents’ cabin with one hand.

“Thanks, Beth. I’d like that. Can I hold her?” he asked as soon as we were inside, and I passed the sleeping baby across, noticing how easily he held her.

“I remember when Jesse was this small,” he mused, smiling. “Thanks again. For supper and watching out.”

“Anytime, Don.”

Snapple Apple 450 Week 40: I Wanna Do Bad Things With You

SnappleApple 450
Saturday


Picture 1

Picture 2


SnappleApple 450's Choice: both


Title: I Wanna Do Bad Things With You
The summer breeze felt good against my skin. I was under the shade of the porch roof so the sun couldn’t beat down on me. I was so glad for summer, the last summer of my childhood. I had finally graduated high school, thank god. Most of my friends were taking trips before they had to go to college, others were panicking with going to college, and some weren’t even going to college. Me? I was enjoying the summer breeze on my porch swing.

People worry too much about the future. My best friend, Meg, was such a drama queen when it came to school. She was kicking herself for not getting an A on some test she took in Biology back in 9th grade. Who does that? Regretting the past only makes the future a dismal place. And then my other friend, George, already has a five year plan for his future and just so you know, nowhere in those five years is a plan to party. It’s college for God’s sake! Lighten up!

Not to say anything bad about people that are prepared, but half the fun is finding out. I have no freaking clue what I want to be when I grow up. As far as I’m concerned, I’m still a kid and therefore I can still choose to be a fairy. Not that I ever would, I was never into girly-girly two-shoes or whatever that term was. My answer was and never had been consistent from my kindergarten teacher’s question to my aunt from Toronto’s at Christmas. “What do you want to me when you grow up?”

Kindegarten: “I want to be a princess and kill dragons with my sword!”

3rd Grade: “I want to be a cowgirl and take out all the cowboys with my whip!”

7th Grade: “I think I’ll be a rogue astronaut so I can take over Pluto as my own planet and banish all boys or turn them into my slaves.”

8th Grade: “I’ll marry a rich old dude so I can have his money. Then I won’t have to work!”

9th Grade: “I don’t want to work for any company that’s run by men.”

10th Grade: “Maybe I’ll be a writer so I can legally kill off guys and get away with it.”

11th Grade: “I decided being a bum has its benefits. No one cares where you sit or what you say and they don’t ask you to shower.”

12th Grade: “Who the fuck cares?”

And then, at graduation, my parents asked me with smiles on their faces and hope in their hearts. They’d seen me through my innocence, my rebellion, and through my “don’t care” attitude.

“So now what are your plans, sweetie?”

I remember staring at them for the longest time, their smiles slowly diminishing with each passing second. Then I shrugged and simply said, “I dunno,” and walked off. They haven’t really asked me about it since the graduation party, but don’t think I haven’t noticed the looks across the dinner table. I know they’re probably freaking out, thinking I’ll never move out and be a life-long bum living in their basement. That’s a nice thought. No rent, free food, always clean clothes. But who wants to live with their parents all their lives?

I thought about the house across the street where Dewey Browinski lived. He was 38 and “taking care of his mom” allegedly; looked to me like she was still taking care of him. Talk about loserville.

So that was my take on the whole situation of life. I don’t have a solid plan. I don’t regret a single thing I did in the past and I sure as hell don’t think about the future problems I’ll have. That’s why I can lay so still on my front porch swing, kicking my legs over the edge lazily and care-free. I have no worries and no worries have me. That doesn’t make much sense, but that’s how care-free I am.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you move even once this entire time.”

I screamed, falling off the swing and hitting the ground. “Nick, you asshole! Get off my property!” I yelled angrily as I rubbed my bruised ribs.

He tossed his head back and laughed, his brown hair blowing in his bright green eyes. “That’s what I get for coming to see you? I could be in—“

It suddenly dawned on me right before he said it. “Oh my god, you’re supposed to be in New York!” I ran up and hugged him. He spun me around in his arms making me lightheaded and dizzy. He placed me back on the ground and I wobbled a bit before regaining my balance.

“Yeah, I changed my mind,” he shrugged.

I raised an eyebrow. “Changed your mind? It’s taken you two weeks to tell me you changed your mind?!”

He laughed. “No, I went to New York and had a blast, but then I decided I missed my hometown too much and wasn’t ready to leave off to some foreign city.”

“New York isn’t foreign. It’s in the same country we’re in moron,” I teased him.

He rolled his eyes. “It’s foreign to me.”

“Did you bring me back a souvenir?” I grinned.

He smirked. “Do I get a welcome home present?”

“Yeah me not calling the cops about a suspicious pervert in my yard watching me daydream,” I said sarcastically.

“I like watching you daydream,” he smiled.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his lips briefly. “Welcome home, Nick.”

He made a content sound like the sound I make when I dipped my finger in a freshly opened Nutella jar. I was his Nutella jar. “As a matter of fact, I did bring back a souvenir.” He pulled back and reached into his backpack.

I laughed when I saw the t-shirt. “New York only likes you as a friend?”

He chuckled. “You know how I get jealous.”

I nodded, hugging him again. “That is probably the sexiest thing about you.”

He shook his head and laughed. “I knew you made me jealous on purpose!”

I pressed my lips to his to shut him up, he got the message and quickly kissed me back. He placed his hands on my thighs as I wrapped my legs around his waist. “I missed you so much,” I said between breaths. He chuckled against my lips. “How about we go somewhere so I can show you how much I missed you?”

I pulled back and hopped down, grabbing his hand. “My parents won’t be home till five so we’ve got time.”

He stopped me and yanked me back into his arms. “Is your mind always on sex?” He asked condescendingly.

“Oh, like yours wasn’t?” I teased.

A smirk pulled at his lips. “I was just asking if yours was too.” He ran for the house with me in tow.
As soon as we were in the safety and out of the public’s eye, clothes came off. Well, I’m pretty sure his jacket was lost on the way in, but most of the clothes were inside. I giggled as he trailed kisses along my neck. He picked me up again and walked to the couch, our lips never breaking contact. I never liked the couch, there’s no room. I think that’s why he liked it so much though, no room for me to flip him over. His eyes were hungry as he finished taking off my clothes. I twisted my fingers into his hair and kissed him again. He broke away for a split second to take his clothes off and was back on me again.

“So you missed me in New York?” I asked breathlessly.

He pushed himself deep inside me making me gasp. “So very much,” his voice was gruff.

We continued to make love until we were both exhausted and gasping for air. Our bodies pressed against each other, sweaty and naked. He finally let me on top and I lay against his chest. He kissed me again and smiled. “Oh yeah it was totally worth it coming back early.”

I laughed softly. “Now that you’re back, I guess I have to cancel my other date.”

He nodded with a cocky grin. “I think you should unless they have something better to offer.”

I thought about for a minute and laughed. “At least they’d buy me a shirt in my right size.”

Nick rolled his eyes and kissed me again. We closed our eyes and lay in silence and happiness. Most kids my age were freaking over school. I wasn’t even worried about what happened when my parents get home. We’d be fully dressed by then, don’t worry, but now that Nick was back, my summer had just got better.

Burntcore Week 40: Left Behind

Burntcore
Thursday


Picture 1

Picture 2


Burntcore's Choice: Picture 1


Title: Left Behind

Today is supposed to be a happy day, a day of remembrance and honor. Today is Memorial Day. All across the country, communities are honoring their men and women who served in the armed forces - for the sacrifice of their time, their energy, their youth, and even their lives. Parades are being held, people are cheering, all is right with the world. Everyone feels a little more American, a little more patriotic.

Except for me.

I can’t celebrate. I can’t feel patriotic. I used to; I want to, but I can’t. I can’t join in the festivities that honor our government and our armed forces when my own sacrifice isn’t even acknowledged, isn’t mentioned. There is no honor as far I am concerned. What honor was there when you are forgotten?

My older brother and I grew up believing in our country and what democracy stood for. We were just kids during the first Gulf war, but old enough to know what was going on. Even before 9/11, my brother enlisted into the military. He wanted to make a difference. Never was that needed more than after the towers fell and we as a country cried and gasped in horror.

When my brother was shipped out to the Middle East, I thought it was going to help settle a war-torn country, to bring peace and safety to the innocent people there. I didn’t worry about him too much, he was a part of the US military might, after all. He had the best training possible and he was a good man.

He came back much the same, but the time spent in Iraq had changed him. He was more careful, quieter, older. I had hoped he’d be able to stay home and maybe be discharged, but he said there was still work to do. I was proud of my brother and the good he was doing for the world, for people he didn’t know and had never met.

Another deployment. I stood with my sister-in-law, her belly barely swollen with their first child, as we watched Tom depart with the rest of his company for Afghanistan. I was still proud. I worried more now, things in Afghanistan didn’t look good--things were wilder, more dangerous. Now, Tom had a family of his own, he had something at home to be concerned about. Debbie tried not to let her anxiety show, but her grip on my hand was painfully tight as she watched her husband leave. I agreed to stay with her at their house on base for awhile. She said she needed help with the baby coming. I think she didn’t want to be alone. I didn’t want to be either.

It was four months later, with Debbie quite visibly pregnant, that things changed. Up to that point, we had heard from Tom periodically while he was overseas. Debbie and I clutched one another’s arms as we watched the evening news describe a particularly bloody battle in eastern Afghanistan. Tom was foremost in our thoughts that night. We didn’t know exactly where Tom was, just that he was somewhere in there. Due to the nature of his orders, he was not allowed to reveal his location. Our thoughts were buoyed with hope that he wasn’t there, that he was somewhere else in that vast desert of a country.

Those thoughts were dashed a week later when a uniformed man came to Debbie’s door. His face was drawn and haggard. I opened the door full of dread, already knowing what this visit must mean. I was very glad I was the one that opened the door and not my very pregnant sister-in-law.

The officer identified himself and asked for Debbie. I told him that she was resting but he could talk to me; that I didn’t want to disturb her as the last months of her pregnancy were hard on her. He took the hint and we sat down in the living room, as far from Debbie’s bedroom as possible.

“What do you mean, missing?” I demanded, furious tears streaking down my face. “How can a US soldier go missing in the 21st century?”

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, I don’t know all the details,” the officer replied in a conciliatory manner.

“Well, who does know the details? What am I supposed to tell Debbie? What is she going to tell the child that is growing inside of her that her father is missing? That the US government lost one of their soldiers?” I questioned, whispering harshly.

I stood up and paced the room in my anger. It was bad enough to know that my brother was probably dead, but to find out that they couldn’t find him? That was just not acceptable.

“Ma’am, I am truly very sorry.”

I whirled on the poor messenger, my eyes narrowing. “Sorry doesn’t bring me any answers does it? It doesn’t find my brother, does it?”

The man hung his head as he stood slowly. “No, ma’am, it doesn’t. But it doesn’t mean I can’t be sorry and empathize for you. You aren’t the only one who has lost someone today.”

His last sentence struck me cold. I was projecting my anger and frustration at the wrong person. My shoulders sagged.

“I...I apologize for yelling at you. You are only the messenger... and you are correct. I am not the only one hurting right now. We saw the news the other night about what happened. I guess now we know.”

The officer looked down at me with sympathy and patted my arm. It was awkward, but he was trying. He pulled out a business card from his pocket and handed it to me.

“You can call this number to get any additional information available . However, we will let you know anything as soon as we can.”

I took the card from him numbly. We walked slowly to the front door, grief weighing down my steps. Before he left, I turned and asked him one final question.

“Is there any hope of finding him?”

The officer looked pained but answered me honestly. “I don’t know, ma’am. The rules aren’t the same over there. We are fighting a different kind of enemy.”

I nodded and opened the door for him. He quietly took his leave of the house to the waiting car in our driveway. I stood by the door and watched through the glass as the car backed out into the street and headed down the road. My head whirled as I tried to think of the least painful way to tell my sister-in-law that my brother was probably dead.

That conversation wasn’t an easy one. There was no way to butter it up or make it any more than what it was. In case the stress was too much for her, I had my cell phone ready to call 911. It turned out I had good cause.that. Debbie collapsed when I told her. She managed to not land on her stomach but the stress put her and the baby in jeopardy. My nephew was born a few hours later, small but healthy. Debbie came out of it okay as well, if but only physically. Emotionally and mentally, she had withdrawn into herself... where she would remain for some time.

The months went on, and still, no word about Tom. In the beginning, I called every day to try to get more information. Then it became every other day, to every few days, to now where I called just once a week. Never anything new, just apologies and sympathies. Some people had even advised Debbie to declare him dead. Neither one of us were ready for that, yet. We weren’t giving up.

And now, Memorial Day two years later, a parade, balloons, confetti, men and women in uniform walking proudly. What you don’t see are the kids without mothers and fathers, mothers or fathers that are deployed, missing, or dead. I stand with Debbie and little Tom and try to be proud and try to be happy, but it brings too many feelings, too many thoughts. I love my country and I am proud of our military, but I am angry, so very angry. My sister-in-law is in a similar state, except she is incredibly sad. She knew that this was possible when she married a military man, but never thought it would actually happen to her. For her son, she tries not to be sad all the time, but it is difficult for her sometimes. Sometimes like today.

I watch as a bunch of balloons broke free from a float and drift upwards until they are caught by some power lines along the road. Somehow, they don’t burst. They remind me of my brother, lost and adrift, in a dangerous place, and all alone. I choke back a sob as little Tom sees the balloons and tries to reach for them, his tiny hands uplifted and straining.

“Momma,” his small voice cries out.

Debbie looks at her son in her arms, almost a mirror image of her husband, with affection.

“Yes, baby?”

“The balloons, Momma. They lost.”

“Yes, they are,” she replied sadly.

“How they get home?”

“Hopefully they’ll find a way.”

Kimmydon Week 40: Afternoon Delight

Kimmydon
Wednesday


Picture 1

Picture 2


Kimmydon's Choice: both


Title: Afternoon Delight
I opened the door quietly, just in case someone was home. No one should be; I was cutting class. The day was simply too beautiful to spend inside, but I wanted to change into something less... civilized before I went down to the pond to fish a while.

Mom would have a fit if she knew any of it. She’d be livid that I was fishing, dressed like a boy with my hair in a hat. She was trying so hard to break me of all the habits I’d picked up from my father and brothers. She’d wanted a little girl so long that she was disappointed her only girl preferred chasing frogs and throwing footballs to picking flowers and having tea.

I couldn’t help it. I did pick flowers, and rocks and mushrooms too. I loved to be outside, that was all. And fishing was a great thing to do while listening to birds, watching the clouds, breathing the fresh air...

Someone was home. I stopped in the entryway seeing my brother’s beaten up old converse shoes on the sill. The youngest of my brothers, the only one still home. Jason was a good student, unlike Jimmy and Leon, who had left home to work on oil rigs. I couldn’t quite imagine him skipping class. He wasn’t alone either. A pair of shoes that might fit my feet sat on the floor, ones with a slight heel - girl shoes. Jason hadn’t said anything about a girlfriend. Tiptoeing, I passed the kitchen into the hall.

I heard them before peeking through the crack in the door. The sounds they made were unknown to me. Happy sounds, certainly, but heavy, breath coming in pants and gasps. I had to pass Jason’s door to get to my room, and it wasn’t shut. Peering in, I froze. He wore only his shorts, and she was down to just panties. They were twined together, legs and arms tangled around one another, kissing. Her fingers clutched his hair while their lips met between groans and moans. His hands were around her waist, fingers slipping into those polka dot panties.

I shouldn’t watch this. I should change and run to the water hole, but I was entranced. I had only kissed one boy in my fourteen years. Mitchell was cute, but it had been a dare, not a real kiss, nothing like that. My friends, the ones much less tomboy-ish than me, had all been kissed several times, but I was certain even they had never...

Jason kicked off the shorts that the girl had pushed down. “Damn, Carla,” he murmured into her neck. So that was her name. I’d seen naked men many times. With four in the house and one bathroom, it was nearly impossible not to run into one of my brother’s standing and peeing. I’d never seen a penis look like that though. Not limp and down-curved, but thick and upright, larger than I had realized it could get. I gasped, and covered my mouth quickly. Of course, I wasn’t heard among Carla’s gasps and moans. They were going to have sex. I knew the mechanics, but watching it was something else.

“Oh my God!” Carla gasped, pulling her arms across her chest and rolling away from the door. Shit, she’d seen me.

“Sorry! Sorry! I’m gone!” I yelled as I turned and ran for my room. I pulled off my pretty shirt with lace at the collar and nice corduroy slacks, pulling out worn and torn jeans and t-shirt. I hadn’t gotten them on though and was standing in my underwear when Jason tapped on the door. He had his shorts on again, but nothing else.

“What are you doing at home?” he asked, not really angry, just miffed. I was glad for that. I loved my brothers. As much fun as it was to tease and play-wrestle, I didn’t want any of them angry with me.

“Too nice for school.” My head popped through the t-shirt, which dropped past my hips.

“You’re getting bigger,” he commented, eyes widening a little. I wore a training bra now, my breasts finally coming in, and I had hips, unlike him. He had always been stick straight.

“Yeah,” I mumbled, not sure what he was getting at. I sat on the edge of the bed to pull on my pants. “I really didn’t mean for you to see me, and I didn’t mean to watch either... I just couldn’t...” I looked at my hands on my thighs, then shook my head and stood, pulling the denim the rest of the way.

“No harm, no foul. You aren’t going to tell Mom and Dad, are you?” he asked, looking sheepish.

I snorted. “As if, and admit I was skipping class?” I pulled my hair through the back of my ball cap. “I am telling them you have a girlfriend, if you don’t do it first.” I stuck my tongue out at him and he chuckled.

“I will. Thanks, Nina.” He looked over his shoulder. “Damn.” He turned and hurried down the hall, but I heard the door closing. Carla had made a run for it.

I was right behind Jason as he punched the door-frame. “I’m really sorry,” I said again, peeking from under the brim of my cap.

He sighed. “Unlucky today. She’ll forgive us, I hope.” He leaned his back against the jamb and punched my arm. I jabbed him back in the ribs. “I’m going to shower. I might meet you at the hole,” he said pushing off and heading for the bathroom.

“Cool.” I smiled, glad he wasn’t mad at me. Stopping at the shed, I grabbed my pole and tackle box.

Leaning against a poplar, I listened to a robin whistling somewhere nearby. My line dragged in the water, but I wasn’t using any real bait. Catching a fish wasn’t the point today.

In my head, I saw Jason again, only this time, it wasn’t him and Carla, it was me and Mitchell. I felt my face hot, thinking about being kissed like that, being naked with a boy, an engorged penis. I nearly jumped out my skin when I heard a twig snap nearby.

“Holy crap, Nina. Something bugging you?” Jason asked, sitting beside me and casting his line. “That’s a stupid question,” he muttered.

I hunched a little. There had never been anything I had trouble talking about with my brothers. That was how I had learned the mechanics of sex in the first place. Now I was uncomfortable. The longer we sat without talking, the more I relaxed. Finally, I asked about something safer, applications for university.

“Yeah, I haven’t decided yet, but I’ve applied for sciences at the U of A. I can pick a major or switch faculties easily from there.” He shrugged. “What about you? Any closer to knowing what you’re going to be when you grow up?”

I snorted. “I’m not going to grow up. What’s the point of that?” I grinned and saw it reflected on his face.

“Going to find some sugardaddy to look after you?” he asked, laughing.

I stuck my tongue out at him. “No,” I moaned, dragging the single syllable out. “I’m going to...” I searched for an answer, “be a hermit. I’ll build a shed in the middle of nowhere and hunt for my food.”

He laughed harder. “I watched you when you shot that deer. You’d never make it.”

I scowled, knowing he was right. Dad and Uncle Joe had let me come along with the boys hunting. They were using bows and arrows, so there was little chance I’d hurt anyone but myself. It was a complete fluke that I’d hit the deer. I mean, I’d seen it and aimed, same as Jason and Leon, but my arrow had been the one to hit the back of the leg and lame the animal. It ran far before we managed to find it and shoot it again, full of fear and pain.

“Okay, not a hermit. I’ll think of something.”

“Something to give Mom grey hair, no doubt,” he said with a snort of his own. “You know you don’t have to do boy things with us.” It wasn’t the first time it had been pointed out to me. “You can be a girl anytime you want to.”

I sat a little straighter and took a deep breath. I watched his eyes fly to my chest for a minute. Exactly what I wanted. “I am a girl,” I twitched my line, making it skip along the water. “A girl who likes to fish and hike. I’m sure there are boys who like girls like that.” I didn’t quite look at him.

He chuckled. “There are, and you’ll snag one.” He flicked the brim of my cap and I grinned at him again. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Carla,” he said quietly. “We... She...” He stumbled for a while before I shook my head.

“I don’t care,” I said happily. “You’re happy? That’s all that matters. If you’re just going to jump her and run, though, I am SO telling Dad on you.” I glared at him. Leon had done that. It had been Jason who busted him, finding a condom in the car. I never learned what Dad had said to Leon that night, only that he had been grey-faced and quiet for the next week. He could have any number of girls now, but I was sure he didn’t.

Jason looked scared. He probably didn’t know what Dad had said either, but he’d seen the result. “I’m not!” he shouted, jumping to his own defense. “We’re just... new.”

I furrowed my brow. “Really? You do that... new?” I didn’t really know how to ask. “Don’t you have to... I don’t know, go on a few dates or something?”

He shook his head. “Not always. It’s hard to explain, Nina. Sometimes, the moment gets away on you.” He turned red in the face and I looked back to the water, twitching my line again. “I mean, when she started touching me... I would do anything to keep her from stopping.” He looked to me and must have seen the lack of comprehension on my face. “Um... how about, like running downhill.” I nodded once, following that. “You can fight it, and step heavy, or you can let your feet go and...”

I smiled, thinking about gravity pulling my down a hill. It felt so much better than the jerky walking to try to go slow. Nodding, I twitched my line again. “I think I get it.” His jaw dropped. “I don’t really get it, obviously,” I said, shaking my head and rolling my eyes. I continued twitching my line, a little irritated. Did he really think I’d...

“Have you had sex, Jason?” I asked, suddenly very curious.

His line sunk low and he began coughing. “What?”

“Have you already had sex?” I asked, taking advantage of the return to my comfort zone. “I mean, it’s pretty obvious you were about to with Carla. Would that have been your first time?”

He was bright red, and I didn’t think it was from coughing. “Yes. I’ve... gotten to second before. Do you know-”

“Yes,” I cut him off. “Touching.” I shook my head.

“Um, yeah. I’ve done that with girls before.” He wasn’t comfortable anymore. Suddenly he broke the awkward silence with a heated, “Please tell me you haven’t...”

I punched him, hard. “No. I’ve been kissed exactly once, on a dare. I think the boys still see me as a pal,” I admitted, slightly sullenly.

He nodded. “That’s the problem with being a tomboy. It’s a benefit, too,” he added with a grin. “Once they do notice, you’ll have your pick. They’ll all know you, and know you’re cool.”

I grinned, too. “Soon,” I said, flicking the line again. “I caught a boy watching me walk to class the other day.” It was Preston. I’m pretty he looked at anything with hips, which I definitely had now. I only wished Mom’s thighs hadn’t come with them. I missed my skinny legs.

“Who?” Jason nearly growled. I laughed at him. He would be the only one left to ‘defend my honour’ when the time came, and apparently he planned to take his job seriously. I was still laughing when my rod nearly pulled out of my hands.

“Shit, I’ve got something.” I started pulling and reeling, Jason encouraging me and leaning over the shore of the creek. He began laughing. That couldn’t be good.

I pulled back one last time and an old shoe came out, nearly hitting Jason in the nose. Frowning at him and the shoe, I untangled my hook.

“We better get home. Mom’ll have supper on soon.” Jason reeled in his line and put his rod on his shoulder, taking my hand.

“Are you mad at me at all?” I asked as we walked.

He chuckled. “No. I’m kinda glad actually. I really should introduce her Mom and Dad first.” He looked at his feet, the same beaten up old Converse. “I’m not sure I’m ready.”

“Looked like you enjoyed running down the hill,” I teased with a grin.

“Shut up, you,” he said, glaring at me. “Running down isn’t always the best idea, as you know.”

I hung my head slightly, abashed. I’d nearly broken my leg running down a wooded slope, tripping on a root. I had face-planted and flipped once, leading to the small scar on my jaw. “It was still awesome,” I told him.

He sighed. “Yes, it was.”