Mr. Forgettable #Wattys2016

8

"I will never understand why I agreed to go to that stupid movie," concluded Larkin. "It was literally the most cliché thing I've ever spent my money to go see. My money! You should pay me for going to see it."

"Lark, it's not about the movie; it's about bonding over bad jokes and over-used movie lines while eating extremely buttery popcorn," explained Greta.

"You should still pay me," mumbled Larkin as the two girls walked out of the doors of the theatre.

On this particular Friday night, the streets of downtown Markusville were teeming with life. Throngs of people streamed down the sidewalks. Larkin reveled in the cohesiveness of it all. She adored watching the flickering neon lights flash in restaurant windows. The doors to little shops opened and closed, releasing more people out into the streets and sidewalks. Above it all, the stars blanketed the inky black night.

Larkin had been worrying about tonight. She was always on guard, ready to take down a criminal. Most of the time, Larkin didn't get much time to herself. Her duties topped everything else in life. Tonight had been quiet, so it appeared that Black Lightning had kept his word. She sighed, and let the muggy night air seep into her bones.

They began to walk down the street towards their homes. It was a sleepover night. Finally, the two girls arrived at a pocket park next to a shaved ice stand. Larkin thought the little patches of green space in the endlessly gray city were refreshing. Old-fashioned iron lampposts lit the little park, giving it a cozy feel.

Larkin and Greta sat down at a picnic table in the middle of the park. August-blooming flowers surrounded them.

"What are we going to do when we get back to your place?" inquired Larkin.

"Well," started Greta, tapping her fingers on the table, "it's been so long since we had a sleepover, so I think we should start with the basics. You know, movie, popcorn."

"Didn't we just do that?"

"Yeah, but I'm talking about a legitimately good movie. And popcorn that won't give you heart disease if you eat a large," Greta explained.

"Or we could..." Larkin trailed off. She had glanced over Greta's shoulder, looking into the shadows of the park. She could make out the outline of a person, standing against the wall of one of the buildings that surrounded the green space.

"Jacob?" she whispered.

Greta looked confused and turned around in her seat, searching the darkness. Larkin was sure the person was Jacob. After her eyes had gotten used to the darkness, she immediately recognized his brown hair and the way he slumped against the wall, as if he was trying to melt right into it. She saw his eyes widen when she whispered him name. He straightened his spine and jumped away from the darkness of the wall.

"It's him. I know it," Larkin insisted.

She kept her eyes trained on his rigid figure. The lower half of him was hidden behind an evergreen shrub. He called out to Larkin.

"She can't see me. It's no use," he declared. Jacob pushed his way through the bush until he was on the other side.

"Larkin, I don't see him. What exactly are you looking at?" questioned Greta as she peered over her shoulder in the general direction of Jacob.

Larkin believed him after that. "Oh. My eyes must have been playing tricks on me," she conceded.

"If Greta goes away, we can talk," Jacob insisted.

Larkin felt bad about it, but she really wanted to know what was happening. Why couldn't Greta see Jacob, who was so obviously standing on front of her?