Page 10 of Little Paper Games
No answer.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
I tried again.
No answer.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
KNO—
“What!?” Kenna finally shouted through the door.
“You have a package,” I answered, my voice deadpanned. I did not want to deal with her today.
“How would you know?” she smarted off. Why did she fucking have to do that?
“Because I had to sign for it,” I answered as kindly as I could. My tone was not nice, but it was the best I could manage when she was being a shrew.
“Why did you sign for my package?!” she shrieked from the other side of the door. I swear, that decibel she hit when she got stressed or panicked set all my nerves on edge faster than anything else on this earth.
“Because the delivery driver asked me to!” I shouted back. “Can you please open the door?”
“No! What if you’re sick!?” she all but shrieked at me.
“Seriously, use your head, Kenna. We’ve both been quarantined in this lockdown for just shy of four weeks. We aren’t sick. I’m safe. As long as we don’t leave the house, we are fine,” I answered. I swear I was getting a headache just from having to talk to her.
“You should have told him to deliver it here!” she screeched.
“I did!” I yelled right back. “Do you want your box or not?”
“Fine. But don’t open it!” She frantically opened the locks, one after another.
“What is in this box that you don’t want me to know about?” I teased. I couldn’t help it. It was too easy to rile her up. It was more fun than reorganizing another closet right now, so why not?
“None of your beeswax!” she
hollered, throwing the door open and rushing for the box.
“Beeswax? Who still says that? What are you? Five?” I laughed. She grabbed at the box, trying to pick it up, but losing her grip quickly, the box landing square on her foot.
“Dammit!”
“Cool off, Red. Let me help you,” I offered, reaching down for the box, but she slapped my hands out of the way.
“I don’t need your help, Jude!” The way her eyes narrowed had me even further ticked off. She was so damn difficult all the time.
“Fine, then, you figure it out. Lock up when you are done. See if I care!” I stormed away, leaving her there with the heavy box to move through the doorway. It wasn’t my problem. I made my way back to the living room, turning on the stereo to my current favorite workout playlist and dancing it out. Yes, I, Jude Lincoln, danced it out in the middle of my living room floor. Don’t judge. Sometimes it’s the best solution to sheer aggravation.
And there was nothing in this world more aggravating than one McKenna Clarke.
Chapter 6
KENNA
Isat there, out of breath, after trying to get the weighty box up to my bedroom. I still couldn’t believe that Janie had sent it to me. She had been my best friend since… well, since forever. We had bonded in elementary school over a mutual dislike for Jude.
We had been talking a lot lately, with the lockdown and all. She’d first called when she heard the rumor that I’d finally let Craig go and that I was back on the single market. She’d immediately tried to get me on dating sites. But honestly, what was the point?
