Putz12 Plus One

TWELVE | PUTZ

A knock assaulted his alone time. He got up from the bed, scratching his chin and opened the door. "What the squit is it now?!" He peered up. The tall blue-headed figure stood with a friendly smile. "Go away."

"I would like to talk to you."

"Go. Away. You deaf or somethin'?"

Jedd stood, tall as he could be with his head lifted up in self-respect. Unwavering.

"Wow, surprising. Since you got them big ears."

Jedd's foot stopped the door from shutting. He held an ice pack, some juice and crackers.

"What, is that your peace offering, you think I'm gonna accept that and just live here, in the middle of FUCKING nowhere?!" Cod. He wanted to tell him he had a life, was sooo important back home, but he could never know. If she meant what she said about keeping the secret, he was safe with just two knowing what species he was.

"I do not know your name."

"K, and I don't know you. So why--"

"I am Jedd. I am the leader of Sector Five. I--"

"I don't care. I said go away. I'll leave your stupid, stupid place tomorrow. But I'm hungry, and I'm not leaving on an empty stomach." He looked at the crackers. "You can take that poisoned squit with you. Go on now."

"Young man, I would like you to know that without your name, you break a treaty of trust."

"I never signed--"

"An unspoken and unwritten contract. You made it here when you first stepped here, to our land."

"Yeah? Well I'm leaving, me and my... friend?" He stopped to think. "And we're not taking squit from losers like you! You can stay here and cry alone in your wittle hideouts and try to bribe us with libraries, stupid food, stupid dance parties for all I care. I'm not staying!"

"That's fine, but we don't know if you're connected to anyone with The Order. And we--"

"Didn't you say there was no way I'd be from them? You make no sense! You're not getting my name, now FUCK off."

Jedd said nothing and tossed the things on his dresser.

"Jesus! Fuckin' take a hint!" He yelled, slamming the door as soon as Jedd left.

"Hi."

Hi? I just caught you red-handed. With my things. And all you can muster up is a puny hi?

"Hi." Iza repeated. And just what were you doing with my stuff? With that thought came the answer, like Sera read her mind:

"I hope it's not too intrusive," Iza placed her finger on her chin, wondering what brilliant excuse she could possibly come up with to convince her she wasn't doing anything bad. "I didn't want to ask you any more about your fashion sense. It felt rude and judgmental, guess I got carried away. I just wanted to make sure you had enough clothes."

"You looked through my bag. Without asking. I'm pretty sure that's the rudest of the two options." Iza's friendly demeanor faded away as she fixated her eyes, squinting in her direction.

"I did, yes. I knew it was wrong. And I'm sorry. I just didn't know how to ask you."

The gun. She had to have seen the gun. Squit. And now Iza couldn't ask her, because if she didn't know, then she would. Or she would at least suspect something. Now she didn't know what she knew. Iza slowly walked to reach for her bag, hoping in the most visceral part of her that she didn't go too far. That she just saw a pile of towels and called it a day. She couldn't open it there, in front of her -- she had to do it in her room. She flung the bag over her shoulder and head uphill where her room was.