The Misadventures of Daria Pigwidgeon (6 page)

That sounds about right to me.

Feeling mortified that I’m about to be trapped in a car alone with him, I push away from the door. No sense freaking about it I guess. All it’ll do is making me crazier than I already am. The idea to memory block my door slamming from his mind sounds oh so good to me. Not that I’d do it. I wouldn’t. Honestly.

But I want to.

Life would be easier if I could use my gift without feeling bad about it. Except. I don’t want Chance, or any of his family to forget any part of me. For some reason, I want them to remember. I need them to remember, so I can be and feel normal. Not only that though. I’m done with being forgotten. I want my existence to matter.

Even if all anyone see’s is a blushing stammering girl.

She is going to stay.

I’m going to stay.

Smiling to myself, I walk over to my backpack that is stashed on a dresser in my room. It’s funny. I should come up with a personal mantra with all the pep talks I’m giving myself lately. And maybe I should. Put it on my fridge even. Just to remind myself that this is all a do-over, so I never forget. But then I think better of it, I’m sure no one does weird things like that. The goal here is to be normal. Not be any weirder.

That’s what I keep repeating, as I dress in the baggy short jeans and another too big t-shirt, and even more so as I knot my hair atop my head. Knowing I’m not going to be any more presentable than I already am, I head back towards the door. To downstairs. To Chance. I’m not surprised when a blush coats my cheeks before I even have the door fully open.

***

At the bottom of the stairs, I’m tempted to bolt back into my apartment and hide. It’s better than having to walk over to the boy that is casually leaning against the hood of his mustang. I don’t know what’s worse. The sly grin on said boy’s face or the speed I know that car will be able to go with me in it.

Both I’m sure.

Said boy, still grinning, straightens himself and goes about to casually standing in front of me. The movement causes me to take a half step back out of habit and I find myself craning my neck to stare up at him. All I want to do is look away. I just acted like the scared little rabbit again. It’s a habit I need to break out of. Some habits are hard to break though. I was like a broken colt pushed into submission all my life and now I’ve fled to the wild.

Some things take a while to get used to I guess. Like talking to pretty eyed boy’s for example. Who have no problem smiling at you while they wait for
you
to speak.

I clear my throat and avert my eyes.

He chuckles. “Didn’t mean to startle you rabbit.” He says softly.

I quickly glance up at him, “You didn’t.”

His sly little grin turns half mocking in a way that makes my insides mushy.

“I meant for earlier.” His grin widens and I blush not able to look away from him. “My coming to your door all unannounced like.”

Of course, silly me.

“Oh. Right. That. Sorry….for….you know. The door closing.” I stammer out with a blush so dark I’d be shocked if I wasn’t glowing like light bulb.

He chuckles again (something I think just might be my favorite sound) and turns away to face his car. I’m just glad to have his stare directed at something other than me. It’s never good to show up to a job interview with sweaty pits. Or at least I think anyway. Oh who am I kidding, I don’t know anything anymore.

“You know if I could count on one hand how many pretty girls closed a door in my face.” He looks over his shoulder at me and my heart stops. Did he just call me pretty?

He pauses for a second, then turns back around and says, “Well you know what I mean.”

Um, no. I do not.

But I want to. Are their many girls he makes so nervous that they slam doors in his face? If so, what is my competition? Who am I kidding; I’m no one’s competition, least of all not someone vying for Chance’s attention.

I grumble a response that sounds like an agreement, though I’m sure it sounds like a frog is stuck in my throat.

We stand in silence for a moment, and I wonder if I did something wrong. Not that I mind the view with him facing his car. Not in the slightest. I prefer the blue of his eyes though. Then he’s turning back to face me, like he heard my unspoken plea. I certainly hope not. That’d be so embarrassing.

He waves his arms to the general direction of the car and says, “You ready to scoot?”

“Huh?” I whisper.

He chuckles. I’m mortified.

“Are you ready to go check out the sub shop Ash was supposed to take you to?”

Now I’m certain he thinks there
is
something wrong me with. I think there is to. This isn’t going very well, maybe I shouldn’t go anywhere with him. Even if I want nothing more than to be trapped in a car with him, it’ll do nothing good for my burning cheeks.

So I say, “You don’t have to take me you know. If you just point me in the right direction, I can walk.” Then I glance away and whisper, “It’s nothing I haven’t done before.”

And it’s true, having to rely on nothing and no one but myself most of my life. I did walk to the airport for goodness sake, and if able I probably would’ve walked here from Rochester just to save a few bucks. Not that I tell him any of this. Nor will I ever.

“That’s not going to happen, rabbit. I already sold my rights to you for the day. So I’m yours. Use me.”

My eyes go large as he does a dramatic bow, with his arms stretched out and practically sweeps the floor. He lingers in the pose long enough to make me snicker. If only he knew what saying that statement meant to a demon. Or what it means to a girl with a serious crush on him. Because I can think of some good ways to use, no, I won’t go there. Never mind.

When he doesn’t move, I wonder if he’s going to. Then he lifts his head enough to peer up at me through a curtain of his thick hair. His eyes glimmer. I swoon.

“I’m not moving from this position until you agree. Unless you want to cause me bodily harm, please say yes.”

Snorting out a quiet laugh, I feel the cobwebs covering my spirit lifting. No way do I want to cause him bodily harm. Not when there are other things to do, alright stopping myself before I go there again.

I smile.

“All right, fine. You win. You can be mine.”

If it’s possible my eyes go even bigger and a blush rushes through my body. Laughing, he rises back into a standing position. I look everywhere but him. What is wrong with me? He’s mine? Kill me now. Where’s my family when you need them?

Thankfully he makes his way to his car and I get a brief reprieve. He gets hallway in before leaning over the door though and stares at me with that sly grin I can’t avoid. Then I realize I’m not moving. Not getting into the car I agreed to let him drive me in. Instead I’m standing here staring. Again. Like a loon.

He calls out, “Your chariot awaits rabbit.”

Shaking my head to clear the fog, I climb in beside him. I’m only just buckling myself in when he already has it started and backing outside. In a speed that sends me forward a little searching out for my invisible break peddle. Then we’re turning onto the road, and I get pushed back into the seat again. Not even a second down the road and I’m already feeling the proximity to him. Not that he notices, his eyes are all for the road.

Still feeling it, I shiver.

Glancing at me, Chance mistakes my shiver for being cold and goes right to cranking up the heat. I get blasted in the face with cold air before he turns it down muttering an apology. Honestly, I didn’t even feel the cold. He’s sort of making me run a little warm.

Noticing that he’s wearing something warmer than me, I know he can’t be chilly in the least. And the fact that he put the heat on, makes me swoon all the more. But I can’t let him sweat to death. I’m not a sadist. Those demon qualities are reserved for my other family members.

“You can turn that off if you want. I’m not really that cold.” I tell him.

I cringe right away, yelling at myself for implying anything. That he turned it on for me in the first place for example. But his eyes flick to me with a smile. Then he removes a hand from the steering wheel. Reaching across me, he snags my knotted hands from my lap.

He moved so fast, I didn’t even have the opportunity to feel my hackles rise in worry of being touched. A different tingle courses through my hands from his though. A good kind that I’ve never felt before, one I could get used to. He lifts my hands up in front of the heater vent, and glances at me out of the corner of his eye. At least I think he does. My eyes are all for his hands grasping mine.

“I know your cold rabbit. Your hands are like ice.” He says as he gives my hands a gentle squeeze, before relinquishing them onto the vent.

I keep my hands ever so still, like it’s a matter of life and death if I were to move them. And in a way it kind of is. For my nerves at least. My gaze shifts to him and I’m in awe. Never in my life have I met someone like him. I don’t know if he’s always this way or it’s because of me, but I don’t really care. I could hang onto this feeling forever.

“I did see you shiver just so you know and I’m not one to ignore the little things.” He tells me sternly when his hands are both back on the steering wheel.

His words snap me out of my hazy wonder and I snatch my hands back into my lap.

Face flaming, I shrug nonchalantly before I say, “I’m fine. If you’re warm enough, you can turn it off.”

When all else fails, anger and resentment always prevails. Or in my case, a good way to cover your embarrassment. I have the feeling it’ll be used a lot.

His laughter surprises me. “Don’t get a lot of people doing nice things for you huh?”

His words are light, like he’s just joking around. Or like he’s trying to playfully convince me to just let him be nice to me. But they sink deep inside, because no, I don’t. Get a lot of people doing nice things for me, not since I met him and his parents at least.

Demons aren’t known for their niceness. And if the last sixteen years are any indication, I’m not privy to it. I can tell the exact moment Chance picks up on the mood shift in the air around me. Or maybe it’s my silent tension. I have the urge to explain that I’m not so strange and people do nice things for me all the time. But the words fade before reaching my lips. What’s the point? I’ll only sound like I’m covering up for something. That would be worse.

So I stay silent, slowly slipping from cloud nine. And back into my constant trapped bubble of despair.

“So…Ash made a great show of proving herself to your new bestie, huh?” Chance says clearly trying to change the subject.

It’s obvious he’s trying to make me smile. Or maybe it’s me wishing him to be trying. But none the less, I do. Because, bestie? It sounds so funny coming from him. And really, who says that in reference to me? I stay silent, but the trapped feeling recedes.

He continues like nothing was weird, “Just a word of advice, once she gets her claws into you. Watch out. She’s quite fierce with her bestie status. Even if she sometimes stands you up and forces her brother on you.”

I smile. All right, now he’s just talking to hear his own voice.

He catches my smile and returns it. “Not that I was forced. But you know what I mean.”

Before I can comment, that no, I don’t know what you mean. Chance is pulling into a parking lot to a restaurant. Looks like we’re here. The ride couldn’t have been more than a couple of minutes. I really could have walked. And yet, he wanted to drive me anyway.

It’s funny. I didn’t even want to get into the car with him. Knowing my frayed nerves would give away my weirdness. But now? I could sit beside him in here all day. Goes to show how much I really know myself. Who knew, a demon with a crush.

Even if said demon has a soul.

I guess it does more than give me a conscious after all.

All crushing aside, I can’t help feeling a little disappointed when Chance parks the car and turns it off. So what do I do? Enjoy the moment we have before getting out? No. I ruin it by opening my mouth. And speaking. I think I had something going with playing mute.

The floodgates have been opened unfortunately.

“You don’t have to come in or wait or anything.” I hastily say, avoiding eyes that are boring into mine “Thanks for the ride, but I can walk home.”

See what I mean by ruining it?

Talk about using anger and resentment as a defense mechanism. I’m already turned away and easing the door open, when a light touch sparks something inside me. It starts from my back, where his hand is, to everywhere in a rush. My hackles rise slightly, in preparation for striking out against the touch. I inwardly cringe. Outwardly, it looks like I’m flinching.

Chance pulls his hand back, probably thinking I flinched from his touch. In a way I did. I’m just glad he didn’t get zapped. I like him too much to hurt him. I do wish he was still touching me though.

“Rabbit.” He says in an odd voice that sends chills down my spine. Then clears his throat, stops, and continues. “I’m going in with you.”

Over my shoulder I say, “You don’t have to. I can manage.”

I just can’t stop can I?

“I have no doubt about that. But. There is someone I want to introduce you to. If that’s all right?”

Pivoting in the seat, I turn to get a better look at him. He’s smiling that sly grin at me again. Except I can tell this one holds something close to annoyance. Not real annoyance I’m sure. But more like, he’s getting tired trying to convince me to be normal.

You and me both, buddy.

“Oh.” I reply not sounding very genius at the moment. “That’s fine I guess.”

Nodding, he says, “Good, because Ash is inside. And I’m sure she’ll want a progress report of my skilled duties.”

He flashes me another grin and gets out of the car. I’m left sitting here thinking what the heck a progress report is. Hopefully it’s not what it sounds like. It was bad enough living through the last couple of minutes with him. I can’t imagine giving a play-by-play to his sister.

Can you say awkward?

I can.

Awkward.

I climb out of the car hoping he’s already inside so I can get myself all collected. Only, I step out to find Chance waiting for me. He has his hands sheepishly dug into the pockets of his jeans. For all the world looking like a kid in elementary school - except he clearly isn’t - what with all of the lean muscled height of him.