Tongue in Cheek

one | b i k e

CARTER KANE GREY has probably never slept, much less simply close his eyes for half a second. Or so Magnolia thinks as she intently stares out her window, and across to the slate grey house in front of her own.

To be quite frank, she was sort of, kind of, maybe, just a little, stalking him.

You see, there's only been a few, rare moments when she's seen him in the clear - and that was simply out of pure luck. He either was never at home, or when he was, it was with friends. So she never really did get the chance to run on over there and force his hand into speaking to her.

He didn't strike her fancy, no, not at all; but his pure existence intrigued her, with his rough outline and always tired eyes. There was something different about him, and Magnolia ever so badly wanted to find out what it was.

If you couldn't tell already, Magnolia K Blackwood had absolutely no idea of personal space.

She even resorted to asking her mother about his family (and that secretly entailed Carter, she simply couldn't raise awareness about a boy). She asked frequently too, and every time her mother would always say something along the lines of, "Oh, they're always running around town. And that boy of theirs? He sure is a mystery, quiet too."

It never did give her much clues, so she'd huff a little puff and try and solve it herself. Which never really prevailed, once again, the teenage boy was simply never around.

But it was now that she finally settled down and was going to stick to it, unlike all those failed New Year's diets. So, as she stares, she tries and foil up a fool-proof plan. This way, not even she could mess it up.

"Ah, you bellend¹," she mutters in disdain, glowering at the window of Carter's room. "Come out already!"

To no avail did her words take, causing her lips to tug and drop to the floor. Magnolia, spitefully, raised a certain finger towards the unwillful home.

What could possibly get this kid to come out? Magnolia grumbles internally, a breath of air escapes her lips in annoyance. Maybe a classic Juliet and Romeo reenactment outside his window might pluck a chord. Or cheesily tossing rocks at his window.

Magnolia washes away these ideas from her mind, squeezing her eyes shut as she frantically searched for a new plan.

There was truly only one way to solve this dilemma, and that was?

His friends.

The only problem was that Magnolia had no clue when they'd arrive and more importantly than that was introducing herself. However, due to her incessant stalking - or as she preferably calls it, "intense research"- she knew that every single Friday, they'd come over. And guess what? Today's Friday.

Magnolia grins, letting the problem of pesky time slip away as she hobbles out of her chaotic home, waddling through the garage as she rummages through the mess it was and began digging out her bike. It didn't take long until she was riding around the neighbourhood, scouring the streets in a totally not creepy fashion.

(Mind you, she hasn't used her bike in two years.)

As she wobbly rolled around, her knees ached - though an esteemed dancer, she found riding around on her bike made her have the endurance of a five year old. And as time passed - it did so slowly - she began to feel disarray, exhausted, and impatient. After all, she always thought patience was a glorified sin. But that was just her.

Finally, with the outweighing reality of him not showing up weighing down on her shoulders, she looped back around the neighbourhood to get home. Or that were her intentions, anyway. Magnolia began to round the corner, house in sight, when in the middle of the road were her exact targets, and yours truly, Carter.