Page 7 of Of Poison & Pumpkins
“I’m taking Goose to meet his children,” she snaps over her shoulder.
On her way out, when the door’s pumpkin bell rings, I finally let my arms drop.
“Oh my god! That’s the girl you pined after! Your chemistry partner, right? The same one who refused to sign your yearbook?” Zanther flashes me a sarcastic thumbs up out of the corner of my eye, but I keep my focus on Rynn until she’s out of sight.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Blasphemy!!” Zanther lunges over the orange pillows by the pumpkin-shaped beanbag and rams his head into my stomach like a bull. “Admit you love her.”
I groan and kick his leg out, toppling him to his knees. His forehead is inches from slamming into the corner of the pumpkin coffee table, but he catches himself and jabs an elbow into my side. Another explosive grunt blasts out of me. I wrap him in a chokehold, and accidentally knock over giant pumpkin candlesticks in the tussle.
“Surrender, you terrible Prince of Pumpkins!” Zanther yells.
“Only if you name your firstborn after me.”
“Already did!” Zanther shouts.
“What?!” I shout, and Zee laughs harder than he has all day. “You should see your face right now.”
“You asshat.” I throw a pumpkin stuffie at him. “You’d be a worse Poppa than Goosie.”
“Don’t you ever mention that sacrilegious beast in my presence again.”
Panting, I flatten out my clothes, then help Zanther to his feet. The pumpkin on the wall ticks to ten. Time flies when you’re bickering and wrestling.
Outside the window, the Ceremony committee is arranging the chairs by the fountain. A few people have gathered, drinks in hand. Interesting. My hometown never allowed alcohol during the monthly ritual, which had made it easier to hide my addiction from my friends. But I don’t want to linger on my past.
I grin at the thought of Rynn pacing a pathway into her carpet at home as she considers how to one-up me. There’s no chance in Abyss she’ll wear red tonight, so I’ll have to guess whether it’ll be black or white.
“Well, that was fun, but I’m gonna go to Shoanna’s Bar,” Zanther says, not knowing my weakness for the bottle.
“Wait, I need a favor.”
“Anything, bro.” He smiles, rubbing his arm where I punched him earlier.
“Switch shirts with me, asshole.”
He raises one brow. “You’re asking if I’d give the shirt off my back for?—”
“Shut up and strip, bro.”
CHAPTER THREE
Rynn
I can’t believe Elias demanded that I wear red tonight. Who does he think he is that he can order me around?
“Ugh, stay up, will you?” I groan at the spaghetti straps that keep slipping off my shoulder. This is the last night I’ll ever wear this dress; it’s getting thrown straight into the trash.
The tall mirror in my bedroom reflects the ghost that likes to visit sometimes. I ignore her and check out the white dress that flatters my curves, miraculously accentuating my average boobs. I’m surprised it still fits even years after I had stolen it from my sister. In truth, it’s been collecting dust in the back of my closet, hidden behind a long row of black.
My messy braids spill over the dress’s front and back, covering many of my tattoos, so I tie them together in a low ponytail at the base of my neck. I’m only wearing this hideous outfit to make a point to Elias. I’m not even sure why taking a stand matters so much, but whatever game he’s playing, I plan to win.
From the drawer, I grab black leggings to cover my eczema, but rub corticosteroid cream on before pulling them over my legs. I hate drawing attention to my skin condition and try to ignore the itchy sensation when in public.
“Why did he ask me out?” I ask Goosie, my new partner in crime. “We don’t know each other anymore.”
It’s not like I’d ever say yes, even to please my past fantasy, because Elias has turned out to be arrogant and intrusive instead of the sweet guy I used to fawn over. Once upon a time, Elias would sacrifice what he wanted for the sake of others. Since he stole my main marketing idea for his shop, I can’t in good faith expect him to meet my standards of a decent human anymore.
