Ritual Awakening – Chapter 2, part 3

It was another day of filler passing for news in the Wall Street Journal.  How sad that nothing of note was going on in the financial world except for the government buying back junk cars from people.  Apparently, the economic world was a small one these days.

Then again, the world was a smaller place than it used to be, Nick Erickson mused while taking a sip of his iced tea.  Even still, it was really saying something when his school paper had more substance than the rags so many relied on for their news.  Maybe he should…

“Omigosh!  Nick!  I am so glad I found you because I’m going to die!”

Used to the theatrics, Nick was slow to pull his gaze from the paper to the chair across the table Dora was turning around to straddle.  She leaned forward against the chair’s back and grabbed a few fries off his plate.  After she’d eaten them, “You don’t mind?”

“No.  I’m not that hungry.”

“Great.”  She reached over and took his cheeseburger off the plate and took a giant bite.  After a moment, “Omigosh.  You don’t even know how starving I am right now.”

“Why are you going to die this time?”

“Because I’ve got this English paper due Monday and I don’t even know what the dude in the poem is talking about.  You have so got to help me or I’ll bomb out on it and die.”

He tried not to roll his eyes.  “What poem are you working with?”

“I dunno.  It’s pointless.  Some guy is whining about how his dreams are on the floor and people are walking all over them or whatever.”

Nick rubbed his temple.  “Are you trying to describe ‘Tread softly because you tread on my dreams’?”

“That is so totally it!  See?  You have to help me.”  She pouted her lips.  “Please, please please, please?”

He glanced at his watch.  “We could work on it tonight, I guess.”

“Nope.  No good.  I’ve almost gotta dash if I’m gonna make it to Theater practice on time.”

“Dor…it’s nearly eight.”

“You sound like my dad.  I had an Honor Society meeting and then a Student Council meeting.  I got them to push the rehearsal back for me.”  She appeared thoughtful while chewing the last bite of his burger.  “How about tomorrow before the football game?”

“As long as we’re done before pre-game starts then that works for me.”

“Ugh.  I can’t believe you haven’t found someone else to cover the school’s crappy football team for the paper yet.”

He grimaced.  “Thanks for finishing off my dinner, Dor.”

“Whatever.  You know what?  It’s your fault I had to work through lunch anyway.”

“Oh, really.”  He leaned back and folded his arms over his chest.  “Please enlighten me.”

“Alrighty.”  Her hazel eyes flashed in defiance.  “If you’d run for Student Council Vice President like I asked you to then I wouldn’t be stuck with a moron working under me.  Because of her, I’ve had to do almost everything for the darn Fall Festival Fundraiser.”

“Say that five times fast.”

“I am so not amused Nick Erickson.  I’m being serious right now.”  She shook her head violently and a few blonde strands came loose from her messy ponytail.  “You’re a loser.  I’m glad I dumped you.”

“Um…We were never going out.”

“Oh, we so were.  Don’t make me call Celeste.”  She whipped out her cell phone.  “You know she’ll totally back me up on it, your cousin or not.”

There was no point in trying to reason with her when she was like this so he changed topics.  “Look, we both know even if I’d wanted to be your VP, I wouldn’t have won.  The two top spots went to the two hot blondes on the ticket, just like I predicted before the election.”

“Omigosh.  Please tell me that you did not just call Bitsy a hot blonde.  She is repulsive.”

Dora began making gagging sounds until she actually began to choke.  Nick slid his glass across the table for her before the entire staff of the Café ended up rushing to her aid.  Once she’d taken several gulps and an exaggerated inhalation of breath, she grinned.  “You saved me life.”

“Yeah, I’m great like that.”

“Well, you will be if you’ll take back that horrifying comment about my mini-me wannabe president.”  She narrowed her eyes.  “Do you know she still hasn’t finished the schedule for the Festival yet?  I mean, she even got an extra two days to work on it since she was out sick.  I swear, you’d think she was shacked up with some guy or something instead of home sneezing or whatever.” She glared down at the beeping coming from her phone.  “Shoot.  Gotta dash.  I’ll find you after last period.” She finished the last of his tea.  “Night, Nicky-poo.”

Nick watched her hurried exit that resulted in a chair knocked over and two drinks spilled.  How she was able to dance across a stage without breaking her back was a mystery to him.  Then again, it was a wonder she could manage all of her extracurricular activities and still maintain a GPA that had her in the running for Valedictorian next year.

But there was something a little off about her behavior tonight.  If it was possible, she seemed even more driven than he’d seen in a long time.  The hasty condition of her shiny blonde hair said it all.  Maybe something had been said at the conference she just attended to light a new fire under her.  Whatever it was, this Festival was going to be all he heard about until it was behind them.

Maybe he should give in now and help her with it before she turned up the harassment factor.  Even if he had to put in some late nights to keep her from having a meltdown, it wasn’t as though his parents would say anything about it.  Come to think of it, they probably wouldn’t even notice with as often as they’d been coming and going in the middle of the night.

What was that about anyway?  Between his parents, Dora, the attack on Monica at the game a few weeks ago…The whole town was going straight to Hell.

Absently, he lifted his glass to his lips and frowned when the ice clanked together and no liquid emerged.  He set it back on the table and ran his hand through his deep brown hair in frustration.  Then again, the less time spent with his annoying best friend, the better.  Especially if she was determined to bring up that whole debacle that happened between them a few years ago.

No, Nick had no intention of going down that road again.  Ever.

Continue Reading…

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Check out my trilogy of poems that’s currently in contention for publication.  Stop by, check ‘em out – and if you REALLY want to help me out – VOTE for my collection and pass the link onto your friends! – J. Nicole