Copper Pennies

CHAPTER 8: COPPER

WILL

"What are you looking at?" Park Girl's freckled cheeks are bulging with pie as she stares at me with narrowed eyes. After we made it to the diner, her adrenaline had worn off and she was back to being snarky and suspicious. So now we're sitting at a diner bar counter while I watch her devour her pie like a starved animal.

"Oh, nothing." I grin at her, and her eyes narrow even more. She judges me for a few more seconds before turning back to her slice of blackberry pie. 

As funny as it is to watch her eat her pie with laser-focus, it makes me wonder when the last time she had real food. I feel a prickle of concern, but I know better than to voice it. "So, Park Girl, you ready to talk yet?"

She gives me a suspicious look out of the corner of her eye as she takes another bite. "What do you want to know?

"Everything."

"What do you want to know specifically?"

I sigh, wrapping my hands around the coffee mug in front of me on the wooden table. "How about your name, for starters?"

She swallows another bite and turns to look at me, brows furrowing in suspicion. She pretends to contemplate me for a moment. "Chrissy. But you're not getting a last na-"

"Try again. I thought I told you that lying doesn't work on me," I say, quirking an eyebrow. Why won't she just tell me her name?

She blinks up at me in surprise. She opens her mouth as if to argue, but decides better of it. Setting her fork down on her plate, she tilts her head, scrunching her nose and making the thin white scar she has between her eyes crease. "You said that yesterday, but it isn't true. Lying works on everybody. It just depends on how good the liar is."

"Doesn't work on me."

"Prove it."

I shrug, turning to face my coffee. "Okay, but that means that you have to tell me things for me to decide whether you're lying or not."

She studies me for a few moments. "Fine."

I look over at her, surprised. "Really?"

She shrugs.

"Okay, good," I grin, rubbing my hands together. "Let's start simple. Where are you from?"

"Dortry. It's about a four hour drive from here. That's where I lived until about four years ago."

"What's your favorite food?"

"These amazing donuts sold in a shop right outside my old house."

"Liar."

She huffs in irritation. "Pomegranates." I try to hide my grin, but to no avail. She scoffs at me and turns back to face the rest of her pie, picking up her fork. "Next question."

"When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?"

"A ballerina. I had a good friend that took ballet lessons. I went to a few of her concerts in elementary school and-"

"Try again."

Park Girl doesn't look at me. She sticks another forkful of pie in her mouth.

"Whatever. I wanted to be a waitress. Boring, I know. Next question."

"Nope, you're still lying, cricket, " I say smugly. Her face turns red, and I know I'm irritating her. Which only makes me want to do it more.

"Thutothfry," she mumbles, not looking at me.