Page 73 of The Leaves In Autumn
He smiles. I kind of feel hot.
“Aargon! You’re up!”
He rises from the chaise and walks to the table.
“Here we go,” he says.
Removing the folded paper, he pauses and looks up. Uh oh.
“Barbra.”
The scene skips a beat. We aren’t supposed to pair up. Does it even apply to us? The question is on the other faces, but they’re as reluctant as I am to bring it up.
“I wouldn’t hate it if you miss and accidentally slap his nuts.”
Teddy’s enjoying messing with his dad, and Layla is sending telepathic sister support.
We line up and prepare for battle.Shake itout. I’m just going to relax, be normal. It’s always bad when you’re saying that to yourself.
“Ready?” he asks.
I hand him a water and take one for myself. “Be prepared for annihilation.”
We take our mouthfuls.
The family stops being weirdly silent. My peep stands up and emphatically points in Aargon’s direction.
“You be nice to my sister. She’s a delicate flower.”
“Huh!”
“I am serious! If you hurt a hair…”
“Arrhum?” I mumble.
He turns into my surprise backhanded tortilla swing. The connection is perfect! Ha! Wait! What! Water pours out of his mouth, but not because of laughter. From the corner of Aargon’s right eye a two inch cut oozes blood. He calmly touches the spot and looks at his hand.
“Oh! Oh my God!” I scream.
“Let me look,” Aurora says, untying Gaston’s loose white scarf and taking it from his neck.
“You didn’t have to stab me to win.”
Scarlett and Teddy move to his side and look over the war wound. The lullaby goes silent.
“I am sooo sorry! It was my ring.”
The heavy onyx piece shows proof of the crime. There’s blood in the silver setting. Aurora makes her appraisal, then holds the scarf against the wound.
“Scarlett, get me a clean washcloth. No. A cloth napkin would be better. Bring a few of them.”
Aargon gently moves his mother aside.
“I’ve got it. Think I need stitches?”
“It’s deep. There’s an Urgent Care about half a mile from here. You should go now.”
“If you let it heal naturally, you can have a pirate vibe.”
