If It Were Me

There's Always Room For a First and Last

        “I can NOT believe you! Guys like you are the reason why I haven’t started dating… yet!”

        “Don’t blame me for your tragic love life. If you weren’t so straight edge—“ 

        “Why?! Because I care for my health?!” Grant ran an exasperated hand through his thick hair like always, trying to mask the tugging at the corners of his lips. The sun filtered in through the tinted window, leaving a slash of gold over the bridge of his nose.

        “Marijuana has not been proven to cause any serious medical conditions, Seaver dearest,” Grant said tauntingly. He pulled into my drive way, the neighbors kids next door stopping at the sound of us. I slugged him with my still sore hand. The knuckles began to throb again.

        “I just, I can’t believe that they would openly sell that stuff! I mean, don’t they care about customer loyalty?” I groaned, my head dully thunking against the window. The driver beside me bit his lip, his emerald eyes twinkling.

        “And would you please stop doing that? Just laugh freely for Christ’s sake,” I added, deflated. Grant’s cheeky grin dissipated into his familiar stoic cool. I instantly regretted telling him to stop, but was too prideful to say sorry. Great, now I’m the jackass.

        The russet-haired boy hopped out of the car, slinging the paper bag of goodies from Fuzziwig’s Candy Factory over his shoulder. Looking at the bag sent a delirious grin across my face. Before I could choke it down, a giggle passed through my lips.

“Would you stop laughing about it, already?” Grant grumbled darkly as I got out of the car.

“That’s like asking a baby not to grab car keys or a dog not to bark.”

“Some dogs are mutes, you know,” Grant retorted lightly. I kept smiling as Grant walked to the front door, reminiscing over the moment we entered into Fuzziwigs.

“Grant, I don’t think there is going to be anybody here for me,” I said as we stepped into the motley candy store. Grant said nothing, his eyes wondering hungrily over the counters. Instead, he marched forward, like a soldier on a mission.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m obviously going to make a candy robot and take over the world. What do you think I’m doing?” Grant said smartly, grabbing one of the plastic baggies. He strolled through for a minute, grabbing random ones before stopping at a particularly large lollipop.

“I want it.” I looked over my shoulder, away from the beanie baby collection.

“What?”

“Do you think they would notice if I shoved this into my crotch?” Grant asked, fingering the lollipop. Grant glanced at me from the corners of his beautiful eyes and laughed at my expression.

“Relax, I’m only kidding,” he said before placing it back on the counter. I nodded, but I had a feeling he really wasn’t kidding. I grabbed the lollipop, trying to see what was so great about giant candy.

“Are you going to buy that or not?” Red soaked the white of my cheeks as I hastily pushed the lollipops away. The display teetered as I tried to put it back into those god awful tiny holes that held them. Jesus, how did they do this? Flustered, I angrily jabbed the lollipop into the hole and of course, with my luck, the display tore clean in two.

“Damnit!”

“Is everything okay over there?” My back turned, I smiled over my shoulder.

“Yes!”