Saturday's Storyteller: "Her blue pen fell out of her backpack with a clatter."
by Belinda Roddie
Her blue pen fell out of her backpack with a clatter, and before she could stoop down to pick it up, someone else had retrieved it. Nikki looked up to see Amanda smiling down at her, holding out the slightly chewed writing utensil. It amazed her that this gorgeous goliath of a girl could be so eye-catching in any outfit. Today, Amanda was in torn up denim jeans, a baggy T-shirt, and a leather jacket with a the local baseball team's logo on it. Her hair, free from its usual ponytail when she played soccer, was draped across her left shoulder.
"Thanks," Nikki murmured, taking the pen from Amanda and smiling nervously.
Amanda smiled back and began walking with her to the parking lot. It had been a couple of days since Nikki had coordinated the silly string and whipped cream prank against Connor, and although he had sworn ultimate vengeance against her, the worst he had done was scowl and send her the bird from across the quad at lunch and break times. Sticking her pen behind her ear and remembering to actually zip up her backpack this time, Nikki struggled to keep up with Amanda's long stride, her hooded sweatshirt feeling hot and stuffy against her heavier frame.
"Where are you off to?" Amanda asked as they approached Nikki's truck. It was a beaten up hand-me-down from her older brother. He had been able to buy a fancy corvette after graduating college, so she was left with the scraps.
Nikki shrugged. "Probably just home," she said. "I don't know if I'm going to the dance after all."
"Why not?"
"No one's asked me, and it's only a couple of days away."
Amanda drew her mouth into a thin line. "I was planning on going dress shopping myself," she said. "Wanna join me?"
"You have a date?"
"I might later."
Nikki wasn't sure why Amanda was being so dang cryptic. If she wanted to invite her to the dance, why not just ask? But of course, the urge to see Amanda in multiple dresses was enough to get her to say yes without even receiving an answer about Valentine's Day. Sure, what the Hell. She'd go shopping with her. She didn't really have to be home until about eight, when her father would finally have dinner ready.
Amanda had rode her bike to school, so Nikki got to drive her truck to the mall. She'd try to make stupid jokes about her choice of vehicle, even informing Amanda that she had named it, "Old Charlie." "Because he's not young, obviously," she added, which somehow made her classmate laugh. When hitting a pothole, Nikki then treated Old Charlie like a cantankerous horse. "Whoa, there, buddy! Easy! You'll get your oats later!" After a while, she did feel like the two were building a rapport, which was better than nothing. She'd have to wait and see after this dress spree.
The two of them entered the department store chatting about class and homework and whatever other tolerable conversation about school there was left. Amanda told Nikki all about the latest soccer tournament, and how they would've won if the other team hadn't very nearly assaulted their goalie. Shannon was that player's name, and she had almost seen her wrist broken during the game. The score, in the end, was five to four.
"Wouldn't the other team get in trouble for breaking the rules?" asked Nikki as they shuffled toward the fitting rooms, three dresses on each of them.
Amanda sighed. "That's the thing," she replied. "We couldn't prove they did anything wrong. Refs sometimes turn their heads, too, and act like nothing happened. It's a bit skeazy."
Nikki stared. "And people wonder why I'm not into sports."
"I play because it's fun," Amanda admitted, "but sometimes, I do wonder what the point is."
Nikki was ready to go into her own fitting room, but Amanda was, oddly enough, insistent that they share one of the larger ones. "You're not shy, are you?" she had asked, almost teasingly, and after all, the workers wouldn't bat an eye. They both filed into the, yes, spacious room, hanging up their dresses before Nikki started unzipping her hoodie.
"What's up?" Amanda asked when Nikki then hesitated to pull off her shirt. It was one thing to change in front of anyone; it was another to change in front of a crush.
"I dunno," Nikki whispered. "I mean, should we be doing this?"
"What's the problem?"
Nikki knew she'd have to deflect somehow. It already seemed like this was some sort of plan for Amanda to embarrass her or cause problems. Not that Nikki truly believed the girl to be capable of being cruel, but anxiety wasn't exactly rational.
"I'm not exactly, um..." She paused, knowing that her answer, though evasive, was still honest. "I'm not exactly confident about my body."
There was silence between them, then a short laugh from Amanda. "I never expected you to be like this," she said. "I always thought you were sort of, you know...fearless."
"Snarky," Nikki corrected her. "And that doesn't necessarily cancel out the demon of insecurity."
Amanda's eyebrows lifted somewhat. Before Nikki could say anything else, she was stripping down to a camisole and trying on the first dress she had picked. It was a shiny red color, a long gown, that exposed her shoulders. When she had pulled on the thing, Amanda looked at Nikki expectantly.
"What?"
She giggled. "I need you to zip me up."
Her fingers shaking, Nikki did just that. Amanda did look amazing in that dress. Now Nikki had to try one on, too. She turned her face to the wall as she pulled off her T-shirt and men's jeans, wiggling into a blue dress with a short skirt and straps. Amanda zipped her up, her hands lingering on Nikki's bare back a little longer than either probably anticipated.
"See, that wasn't so bad," Amanda teased. "Look at you!"
Nikki had to admit, she did look pretty good. She hadn't realized how well she wore her weight, and the dress only complimented her shape. She couldn't help twirling, which made her laugh and Amanda laugh. The two stood staring at each other, in their dresses, before Amanda stopped the quiet.
"See," she murmured, "now I get to look at who I'm going to dance with wearing her finest."
Before Nikki could reply, Amanda was kissing her. She tasted like cherries and, not surprisingly, wet grass.
This week's prompt was provided by Arden Kilzer.
Her blue pen fell out of her backpack with a clatter, and before she could stoop down to pick it up, someone else had retrieved it. Nikki looked up to see Amanda smiling down at her, holding out the slightly chewed writing utensil. It amazed her that this gorgeous goliath of a girl could be so eye-catching in any outfit. Today, Amanda was in torn up denim jeans, a baggy T-shirt, and a leather jacket with a the local baseball team's logo on it. Her hair, free from its usual ponytail when she played soccer, was draped across her left shoulder.
"Thanks," Nikki murmured, taking the pen from Amanda and smiling nervously.
Amanda smiled back and began walking with her to the parking lot. It had been a couple of days since Nikki had coordinated the silly string and whipped cream prank against Connor, and although he had sworn ultimate vengeance against her, the worst he had done was scowl and send her the bird from across the quad at lunch and break times. Sticking her pen behind her ear and remembering to actually zip up her backpack this time, Nikki struggled to keep up with Amanda's long stride, her hooded sweatshirt feeling hot and stuffy against her heavier frame.
"Where are you off to?" Amanda asked as they approached Nikki's truck. It was a beaten up hand-me-down from her older brother. He had been able to buy a fancy corvette after graduating college, so she was left with the scraps.
Nikki shrugged. "Probably just home," she said. "I don't know if I'm going to the dance after all."
"Why not?"
"No one's asked me, and it's only a couple of days away."
Amanda drew her mouth into a thin line. "I was planning on going dress shopping myself," she said. "Wanna join me?"
"You have a date?"
"I might later."
Nikki wasn't sure why Amanda was being so dang cryptic. If she wanted to invite her to the dance, why not just ask? But of course, the urge to see Amanda in multiple dresses was enough to get her to say yes without even receiving an answer about Valentine's Day. Sure, what the Hell. She'd go shopping with her. She didn't really have to be home until about eight, when her father would finally have dinner ready.
Amanda had rode her bike to school, so Nikki got to drive her truck to the mall. She'd try to make stupid jokes about her choice of vehicle, even informing Amanda that she had named it, "Old Charlie." "Because he's not young, obviously," she added, which somehow made her classmate laugh. When hitting a pothole, Nikki then treated Old Charlie like a cantankerous horse. "Whoa, there, buddy! Easy! You'll get your oats later!" After a while, she did feel like the two were building a rapport, which was better than nothing. She'd have to wait and see after this dress spree.
The two of them entered the department store chatting about class and homework and whatever other tolerable conversation about school there was left. Amanda told Nikki all about the latest soccer tournament, and how they would've won if the other team hadn't very nearly assaulted their goalie. Shannon was that player's name, and she had almost seen her wrist broken during the game. The score, in the end, was five to four.
"Wouldn't the other team get in trouble for breaking the rules?" asked Nikki as they shuffled toward the fitting rooms, three dresses on each of them.
Amanda sighed. "That's the thing," she replied. "We couldn't prove they did anything wrong. Refs sometimes turn their heads, too, and act like nothing happened. It's a bit skeazy."
Nikki stared. "And people wonder why I'm not into sports."
"I play because it's fun," Amanda admitted, "but sometimes, I do wonder what the point is."
Nikki was ready to go into her own fitting room, but Amanda was, oddly enough, insistent that they share one of the larger ones. "You're not shy, are you?" she had asked, almost teasingly, and after all, the workers wouldn't bat an eye. They both filed into the, yes, spacious room, hanging up their dresses before Nikki started unzipping her hoodie.
"What's up?" Amanda asked when Nikki then hesitated to pull off her shirt. It was one thing to change in front of anyone; it was another to change in front of a crush.
"I dunno," Nikki whispered. "I mean, should we be doing this?"
"What's the problem?"
Nikki knew she'd have to deflect somehow. It already seemed like this was some sort of plan for Amanda to embarrass her or cause problems. Not that Nikki truly believed the girl to be capable of being cruel, but anxiety wasn't exactly rational.
"I'm not exactly, um..." She paused, knowing that her answer, though evasive, was still honest. "I'm not exactly confident about my body."
There was silence between them, then a short laugh from Amanda. "I never expected you to be like this," she said. "I always thought you were sort of, you know...fearless."
"Snarky," Nikki corrected her. "And that doesn't necessarily cancel out the demon of insecurity."
Amanda's eyebrows lifted somewhat. Before Nikki could say anything else, she was stripping down to a camisole and trying on the first dress she had picked. It was a shiny red color, a long gown, that exposed her shoulders. When she had pulled on the thing, Amanda looked at Nikki expectantly.
"What?"
She giggled. "I need you to zip me up."
Her fingers shaking, Nikki did just that. Amanda did look amazing in that dress. Now Nikki had to try one on, too. She turned her face to the wall as she pulled off her T-shirt and men's jeans, wiggling into a blue dress with a short skirt and straps. Amanda zipped her up, her hands lingering on Nikki's bare back a little longer than either probably anticipated.
"See, that wasn't so bad," Amanda teased. "Look at you!"
Nikki had to admit, she did look pretty good. She hadn't realized how well she wore her weight, and the dress only complimented her shape. She couldn't help twirling, which made her laugh and Amanda laugh. The two stood staring at each other, in their dresses, before Amanda stopped the quiet.
"See," she murmured, "now I get to look at who I'm going to dance with wearing her finest."
Before Nikki could reply, Amanda was kissing her. She tasted like cherries and, not surprisingly, wet grass.
This week's prompt was provided by Arden Kilzer.
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