Duality

Chapter 2- Elrich Pier

I pushed off of the bench and faced her, the setting sun to my back.

"C'mon, the new Star Trek starts in ten minutes," I said, reaching out my hand. She grabbed it and pulled herself up, bits of french fries and napkin wads tumbling to the ground.

"I call five," she chirped, smirking and skipping ahead of me down the boardwalk.

"No fair! We're not even in the theater yet!" I called as I sprinted after her.

She twirled around, arms wide, making her windbreaker catch the harsh breeze off the ocean like a sail, and walked backwards. "No way, as soon as the movie is mentioned the game starts."

I furrowed my brow, stepping in stride with her on the right and shoving my hands in my pockets. "Fine, then I call... Six. Summer's close, so there's going to be more previews than normal."

She turned back around and gave me a sideways look, grinning.

"What?" I asked. She laughed, looking down and shaking her head.

"Mmm, nothing... I just can't wait to get a hold of your popcorn, is all."

"Hey, who says I'm getting popcorn this time? I may, perhaps, grab some snowcaps this time..." I beamed at her, the retiring sun making her stray auburn hair light up like a halo around her face. She stopped short, a playful oh-no-you-didn't smile on her face.

"Snowcaps? Nuh-uh, no way, Sawyer. I guessed five previews, and there's going to be five previews; and I'm going to get five dollars from you if you get snowcaps instead of popcorn."

"Five dollars?! We don't bet money here! If you get five previews right, (which you won't), then you get snowcaps if that's what I get, whether you like 'em or not."

She shoved my shoulder playfully, laugh lines digging deep as she grinned. I laughed too, head down, my lips pulled taught over my teeth. I looked at her, freckled skin flushed, auburn hair going every which way under her baseball cap, her long eyelashes casting shadows down the slopes of her sun-kissed cheeks. Blythe had a softer beauty, one that didn't hit you head on. You had to spend real time with her to be able to see it. I was glad I had the privilege of being aquainted with it, especially on nights like tonight.

I tried to picture her in one of our school's small yellow and black cheerleading uniforms. She would certainly be no Delilah Fredericks, the hottest cheerleader on the team and, not-so-coincidentally, my three month girlfriend. How on earth would those two get along? What would Blythe want shimmying in front of the whole student body for when she can be on the courtside shouting to fake left? She looked back at me and her smile faded a little.

"What?"

I looked back down at the splintering wood of the boardwalk, changing my expression and just noticing how scuffed up my tennis shoes really were. "Oh, nothing... Maybe I will get popcorn... But with extra butter."

She wrinkled her nose. "Blech! I hate that stuff. It makes the roof of my mouth all fuzzy," she said, sticking out her tongue. I chuckled at her expression.

"Alright, fine. I don't know why I'm doing all this for you, considering I'm going to win." I swung my arm around her shoulder and she wrapped hers around my waist. Thank God Delilah wasn't here.

"Are not."

"Are to."

"Are not."

"Are to."

"Are not, infinity!"

"Hoho! Well, well, well, you force me to go to... Are to- googleplex!"

We both laughed at the childish games that we've been playing since the second grade and slowly walked into the setting sun of Elrich Pier.

~~~