The Girl that Hades called Persephone

-12-

~Persephone~

We caught up to Kevin at Dave's truck. We drove to the nearest fast food place. Debbie and Dave were still making out with each other while Kevin and I quietly ate our meal. He even offered to pay for my meal, which I always accepted because . . . I was still a college student.

"Hey, Steffi, can you go to the bathroom with me?"

This was normal girl request right? "Um, sure?"

I followed her to the women's room. When the door was closed, she wasted no time asking, "Can you do me the biggest favor?"

"Sure," I shrugged.

"So, the campus is just two blocks over, can you and Kevin walk back?"

I narrowed my eyes. "You're not going to give us a ride home?" I asked her, crossing my arms.

"Steffi, Dave and I really want to go back his apartment, and it's out of our way."

"You just said the dorm was just two blocks away, why can't you just drop us off really quickly? I am not having a great time," I told her.

"Steffi, come on, you were holding Kevin's hand. He can walk you home."

"Are you serious?" I asked her. "What kind of a friend are you?"

Debbie's mouth hung open. I was boiling mad. How could she not see how selfish she was? It was literally two blocks, a minute drive at the most. I didn't wait for Debbie to answer, I just walked out of the bathroom.

"Wait, Steffi," she said, calling after me. I didn't care, I just walked out of the fast food place, and started walking towards the dorm. I didn't have to beg for a ride home, I didn't have to be forced into this awful date.

Maybe she wasn't a good friend after all or a good roommate. Maybe I should go ask to switch roommate first thing Monday morning, that way I didn't have to see her.

"Hey, Steffi, wait up," I heard someone say. I turned around, and Kevin was running after me.

I just crossed my arms and kept walking. "You don't have to walk me home."

He did anyway. "Well, that's my fair to you. I'm sorry about the fight. Debbie just told me."

"And she's still going to not give me a ride home."

He shrugged. "Walk is nice."

"I guess," I agreed, still very much raw and red. "I mean, how selfish do you have to be to not give someone a ride. Your friend Dave isn't that great either. Why couldn't he give you a ride home either? They just want to go make out or whatever. They could wait just a little later. I'm so tired of it here."

"Hey, it's okay," Kevin said. I looked up to him. Something was different about him, almost like he had just changed his face.

"I'm sorry about this," I told him.

He shrugged. "I'm not. I get to walk a pretty girl home," he said.

I blushed. I didn't think he thought I was anywhere pretty. We walked farther along, getting close to the campus. Even though it was night time, the streets were very well lit.

"Hey, Steffi, I had a great time so far," he said. "I really did."

I loosen up my shoulders and unfolded my arms. "Yeah, it wasn't that bad."

"Movie sucked."

I laughed. "It did."

"Next time, we will do something better. How about just the two of us?" he asked.

I stopped in my tracks. "Um, Kevin . . . I'm not really looking for something right now."

He didn't flinch when I rejected him. He stood in front of me. He felt taller than before. And his face had changed again. I felt like I was going crazy. Surely it really didn't change again. I was just seeing things. His hair was black now.

Or maybe it was the trick of the light.

"You really are a pretty one, aren't you," he said, moving the hair out of my face. "I wonder what your soul tastes like."

"What?"

Before I knew it, I felt something slimy touching my legs. When I looked down, I saw a tail, connecting to Kevin. When I looked back up at his face, it had changed. I started to scream, but he put a hand over my mouth.

His hand was longer, sharper than before.

"Don't scream little flower," he said. "I like a quiet dinner."

He showed sharp teeth, and I scream more under his hand. He was getting closer to me, his teeth almost around my hand, ready to take a bite. I was dreaming. I had to be.

"Hey!" someone yelled. "Get your hands off of her!"

We both turned to the voice. It was Hades!