Mock a Mile in My Shoes

Chapter 6

Sportacus unwrapped the candy bar with fidgety fingers. His nose wouldn't stop twitching once he caught the scent of the chocolate. It didn't help to have Ziggy sitting so close to him on the front stoop of his house, watching his every move.

"That's one of my favorites," Ziggy said, "the Choco-Chewy-Cocoa-Crunch Bar! I've got one too, we can eat them together."

"That's nice," Sportacus mumbled, inwardly wincing. It wasn't good to encourage Ziggy to eat so many sweets. His own mouth wasn't exactly watering. If anything it had gone a bit dry. It was only one piece, he told himself, just to see if it worked. He would make it up to both of them later.

Seeing Sportacus' hesitation Ziggy went ahead and took his first bite as though to show him how it was done. He made an indulgent sound through his chews and rubbed his belly. "Mm, is that good. Just what I needed after that scary game..."

Now or never. Sportacus slid the bar in past his teeth and bit down gingerly until it broke apart. He chewed it up fast.

The rich flavor flooded his mouth. His breath caught and his heart skipped a beat. Sportacus swallowed and the melted morsel left an electrifying trail down his throat. Every taste bud sang across his tongue. It pooled in his belly and warmth seeped throughout the rest of his body. A second passed. There were no ill effects. Only good, good... how could it be so good?

He took another bite. A rush of saliva brought a whole new life to the complex flavor profile in the chocolate. His pulse quickened and his fingers tingled, but it was nothing compared to the faint buzzing in his head. It buoyed up his brain, dissolving his headache in a giddy glow.

He'd eaten the entire bar before he realized it. Sportacus licked his lips. "Do you... have any more?"

Ziggy giggled. "Here, you can have the rest of mine." Sportacus didn't mind the bite already taken out of the top. He managed not to yank it out of Ziggy's proffering hand and peeled the wrapper off before slotting the whole thing in his mouth.

"Mm..." Sportacus closed his eyes and breathed out something between a growl and a groan, unaware he'd made a sound. The thick smooth chocolate was interspersed with cocoa nibs that crunched between his molars in bittersweet bursts, only to be soothed and sweetened again with pockets of hearty fudge. The muscles in his face fidgeted madly, cheeks drawing tight in an involuntary smile.

Sportacus could never enjoy a candy to completion thanks to his sugar meltdowns. He never knew it could be like this. No wonder Ziggy had such a hard time giving up the stuff, and Robbie was such a sugar fiend. It was downright addictive. He caught himself licking his fingers and stopped, but oh, it was so hard to stop when he wanted so much more.

"I've got some taffy here too," Ziggy said, holding out the box. "I know you like it as much as I do, Robbie. Have as much as you want."

Sportacus bit his lip. The chocolate still coated the inside of his mouth in a velvety layer. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the colorful saltwater taffy. His stomach rumbled in an insistent way. How would it be, to eat a piece of taffy from start to finish? He clenched his fists only for them to spasm open so he could grab some of the sticky sweets.

Between the two of them they polished off the whole box in a matter of minutes. Sportacus sat with a storm of conflicting feelings churning inside him, satiety being the strongest.

"Ziggy," Sportacus managed to say around his mouthful of taffy, "what game were you talking about?"

"Oh," Ziggy grunted, stretching a bright blue wad between his teeth, "I was playing with Sportacus before."