They wandered along the flagstones silently for a few moments, admiring the roses and peonies. Slowly, oh so slowly, Jackie`s hunched shoulders relaxed below her ears. She stood a little straighter, and once again there was some color and warmth in her complexion.
“There`s something I have to tell you,” Jackie began. They sat down on a twining cast iron bench, a pair of sparrows chattering and pecking around them curiously. “It`s about Aeron,” she continued.
Alyss laughed and pushed her back, labeling him as someone of no consequence nor influence on her life. She ribbed her friend for her overly cautious nature.
Jackie pouted. “I am serious,” she returned. More laughter. “Super duper serious,” she emphasized. “Look,” she said, “He`s no good.” She cut of the beginnings of a protest with a yelled “No!” Seeing continued signs of mutiny she explained, “I know you already know that. I` mean, you aren`t stupid. This is just worse than all that stuff at school. He`s powerful, in ways you can`t really understand.”
Alyssa seemed surprisingly unruffled. “I already guessed he was either the head of a gang, for the school or the whole area even. I`d also believe it if he was the son of a mafia boss,” she continued thoughtfully.
Jackie couldn`t help it. She burst out giggling as the picture of Aeron in a moody pose against some abandoned alley wall seemed so ridiculous to her. “Not a gang or the mafia, you goose,” she said with a grin.
She quickly sobered as the mental vision turned grey, his moody pose outlined in fire. “He`s even worse,” she whispered. Her hands fluttered and worried at the hem of her shirt. “Much worse than those any little human gangs. He has such a terrible temper, and more power than anyone else in our world.” she whispered, lost in her own ruminations.
Her friend laughed, the carefree sound breaking up the tense atmosphere. “Look, are you feeling all right?,” she asked between silenced giggles. “I mean, where`s the s`mores and campfire to match all these ghost stories?” Jackie got the ghost of a grin as well.
“Don`t worry,” she continued, “I know the difference between a friend and a slimy little slug. I`d even be willing to step on him if he were small enough!,” she joked.
“All right, all right. You win,” Jackie was smiling too by this point. “Just remember what I was saying about that nasty little temper of his!”
Alyss waved the warning off. “Go on with you,” she laughed.
Eventually they decided that dire conversations actually did warrant a trip to pick up some cones. The two girls walked along the boulevard with arms linked, ice cream dripping down their chins. Darien came backing out of the nearby music shop, hand gripped on a new pack of guitar picks and steel strings when he caught sight of the two of them. He stopped, casually moving closer. “I see bright eyes and blushing cheeks,” he observed. “Something exciting must be happening.” The girls squirmed under the scrutiny. “Something about a ‘him?’,” he asked, ready to hear juicy gossip. They glanced at each other for a moment with secretive eyes. “You can`t just leave a fellow hanging like that kind of hinting,” he exclaimed indignantly.
“Well, we’ve had icecream now. I’d consider that pretty exciting,” his sister teased.
He gave her puppy dog eyes. “I know it’s not just that. You guys must be holding out on me. Come on, you`ve gotta tell me. I need to know what kind of guy has the guts to move in on my sister,” he said. He added thoughtfully, “And I suppose I`d defend my sister`s friend as well,” he grinned. “Come on, tell me, I`ve got to know which guy I get to kill,” he teased with a charming smile. That set his sister off into another fit of giggles. Jackie, oddly enough, looked at him stony faced, however.
“Oh, just talking about that Aeron,” his sister responded breezily. Alyss was dismissive, oblivious to the tense set of their bodies and their darkling glances. “I guess he`s a boy, but he`s not really much of one, is he?,” she asked impishly.
Her brother and friend exchanged dark looks with each other. Smiling, Darien tapped her on the shoulder. “Hey, Alyss, you mind grabbing me an icecream too? I mean, you guys both have treats, so I feel a little left out,” he dimpled at her.
She stuck her tongue out at him. “If you feel so bad, why don’t you get it yourself,” she asked. He looked down at his toes, going theatrically bashful. “Well, you know,” he said, “I just don’t know how to deal with these vegan stores. They’ve got all these weirdos in them,” he grinned.
She smacked him on the bicep. “Weirdos? I’ll have you know we are perfectly normal! Besides, I just got some sorbet from Brusters, no hippies or bleeding hearts involved at all.”
“Well, that can’t be true, can it?” When he saw her confusion, he added impishly, “I happen to know one weirdo bleeding heart who goes to normal ice cream stands so they must all have been invaded by now. Besides, those vegans must be super rude, because my sister is one and she’s so mean
