ODDS

CHAPTER II

Baker freezes immediately. Is she smiling at me? he wonders. He's not really used to people smiling at him, but he smiles back. It feels sort of funny. Her smile grows a little bigger, and she lifts a hand to wiggle her fingers. She then gestures to his t-shirt, and he glances down by reflex. In white block letters it reads-
IF LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS, KEEP THEM.
BECAUSE, HEY. FREE LEMONS.
He laughs a little at himself, and she gives him a thumbs up. She then motions for him to come over, so he shoos the cat in his lap away and gets to his feet.
As Baker makes his way through the crowds of people, he can't help thinking that he's never seen anything quite like this girl before. Her face is haloed by a mass of wild bronze curls, capped by a backwards-turned snapback. Her dark brown eyes hold more mischief than he thought possible. She pats the ground next to her in an invitational gesture, so he sits. Baker isn't sure what he's supposed to say next, so he stares at her battered orange Chuck Taylors instead.
"I have to ask you something." the girl says, turning to face him and twisting her hair in one hand. Her eyelashes are a few shades lighter than her eyes.
"Um, yeah?" Baker says clumsily.
"What's with the beanie? Are you a hipster or something?"
Baker can't help it- he bursts out laughing. He likes it when people are up-front with him. "No," he says between chuckles. "I am not a hipster." She laughs a little too, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "What about you? What's with the snapback?"
"I, personally, am a lesbian. I am entitled to my snapback. What's your excuse?"
"I..." Baker's hand flies to his beanie. "I'm a dude lesbian!" he blurts without thinking. The mystery girl cracks up as he stumbles to clarify his statement. She has a huge, hiccupy laugh that fits her appearance exactly. "I mean- I'm a guy- I'm the dude equivalent of- I don't like girls!" he cries in frustration. A few partygoers turn and look at him in confusion, because his face is bright red and the girl is nearly in tears.
Drying her eyes, she turns to his with a hand outstretched. "I'm Andie, and I think you and I are gonna be friends."
He takes it. "I'm Baker, and I think you're right."
<><><>
"Andieee!" Emily shrieks, stumbling into her room several hours later, clearly partied out. "I'm, like, soo tired." She cocks her head, confused. "What are you dooing?"
Andie lifts her head, irritated. Her snapback is lying on the floor a few feet away, which means- she reaches up to pat her head and groans. She'd fallen asleep on the floor in Emily's room earlier, and now her curls were flattened on one side and puffed out on the other.
"I was sleeping." she says, groggily.
Emily looks confused. "On the floor?"
"Well, yeah. I wasn't gonna sleep in your bed. I ain't no goldilocks."
Emily giggles.  Then her eyes drop to Andie's left hand, where ten digits and a name are scrawled in black Sharpie marker.
Xxx-xxx-xxxx
Baker :)
"Ooh, you hit it off with someone?" Emily sits on the plush carpet next to Andie's leg and grabs her scribbled-on hand.
Andie snatches it back.  "Ha, no.  Like you would ever invite cute gay girls to your parties."
"I don't know any cute gay girls.  Besides yourself."  Emily squints at the numbers on Andie's palm.  "Baker?  Like, my cousin Baker?  When'd you talk to him?"
"Uh, all night tonight?  He's cool."
Emily wrinkles her nose.  "I don't know if cool's the right word for it.  My uncle says he spends a lot of time in the woods."
"So?" Andie retrieves her snapback and puts in on.  "The woods are cool."
"Oh my God, you two are so alike." Emily decides.  "The bromance is so real."
"Bromance?" Andie scoffs.  "You're such a spaz."
"Oh, look who's talking."
"Go to hell." snaps Andie.  "God, my head hurts.  What is that music you were playing?"
Emily goes blank.  "I think Ames was DJing, but-"
"Oh, big shocker.  That's some Top 40 BS right there."
"Oh, can it. What's your problem with him, anyway?"
"No, no. No problems here, I'm chill." Andie objects. Emily rolls her eyes.
"Lies. In all the fifteen years I have known you, never once have you been 'chill.'"
"Oh, be quiet."
<><><>
Baker's exhausted.
As he flopped onto his pullout couch, his brother's enormous Newfoundland Dallie leaps onto him with reckless abandon. Baker groans- the dog has to weigh at least as much as he does, probably more. Baker's suddenly aware of a buzzing in his right pocket. He pulls out his phone and squints at the screen, then smiles.

From: Unknown Caller
December 21
3:22 A.M

Hey Baker, it's Andie.

a/n is anyone actually reading this
no
cool
so autocorrect just corrected 'cool' to 'zoology' ok

cheers,
Katt