Spinel the Great Umbrella Thief

Chapter 3

Spinel sat up to blinding bright rays of sunlight shining through the windows. Groaning in discomfort she removed herself from her chambers and slipped into an all-black ensemble. She begrudgingly removed the phone from her pillowcase. There was an unread message but she wasn't about to read it. She didn't know how to text anyway. It wasn't her problem.

Pink Pearl didn't show up on Spinel's break that day. Whatever. She probably found someone else to bother. But still. Spinel found it hard to believe that she'd just back off after being so persistent with her. And so she waited but Pink Pearl never came. That one unread message was still waiting in her untouched inbox. She refused to read it. The days passed by and still Pink Pearl did not show up. She was probably just busy. It wasn't any of Spinel's business what that hooligan did with her free time. That's right. This was all a part of her scheme. Her scheme to lure Spinel into her life and attack once she let her guard down. But Spinel would not budge from her spot.

A week passed by and when Spinel still saw no sign of the pearl she started to feel anxious. She had gotten a bit used to her company, as much as she'd hate to admit it. It had been so long since anyone had stepped into her life willingly...Most of the time her menacing demeanor scared them off. But Pinky was different. She wasn't intimidated or put off by Spinel's rotten attitude or hardcore look. In fact she seemed intrigued with it. Spinel scowled at herself. Stupid, stupid, stupid. That stupid pearl was getting inside her head and messing with her thoughts. This wasn't what she wanted. She wanted to scare her off. She wanted her to stay out of her business. She wanted to be left alone. That's just the way things were meant to be. Those were the words that echoed in her head. She clung onto them so desperately. She was afraid of what would happen if she were to let them go. If only the words were true.

Spinel held the phone close to her chest, unable to collect her thoughts. Gathering her last remaining strength, she took a deep breath and read the message.

"Hello, Spinel! It's your friend, Pink Pearl! Feel free to drop a call, dear. Or we can just text for now. Whatever you're comfortable with :)"

Darn that Pinky. Darn her, darn her, daaaarnn heeeerr. The way she typed in that pretty pink text. The use of those unnecessary sugar-coated pet names. That goofy smiley. Spinel stared furiously at the text for five minutes straight before striking up the nerve to type a response. If she could just figure out how...she'd never used one of these things before.

Once she figured out how to use the typing pad, all Spinel could type was "Are you okay?"

The response was quicker than she expected. "Hello, dear! I'm fine. How are you?"

The sudden response startled Spinel and she accidentally pressed the call button, without knowing what it was.

The words "Dialing Pink Pearl" flashed across the screen. "Crap!" Spinel shouted. She didn't know how to end the call and before she knew it Pinky's voice was on the other line.

"Good evening, darling."

"P-pinky! You're alright."

"Hmm? Why wouldn't I be?" Pink Pearl questioned.

"Oh...uh, nothing. It's just you didn't come to visit me the past couple of days and I you know...got worried..."

"Did you miss me?"

"What? Psh, no. Did you miss me?"

"Maybe."

"Fine...I missed you...happy?" Spinel grumbled quietly.

Pink Pearl giggled on the other side.

"Are you laughing at me?"

"Not at all, sweetie. I just think you're cute."

Spinel immediately covered her face. She had the strange feeling Pinky could read her expressions through the phone. And Spinel was not about to let Pinky see her red as a tomato.

"...do you really mean that?"

"You know, Spinel darling. Ever since that night when you ran off with my umbrella, I've thought you were beautiful."

"...you're not bad yourself, Pinky..." Spinel whispered.

"What did you say?"

"Oh nothing...say, would you like to m-meet up? Not at my work but um at my place? Like um...a date?" once Spinel realized what she was saying she covered her mouth. What had she just done? It was over. She had finally snapped.

"Oh, darling! I'd love that!"

"R-really? It's a date then..." Spinel had finally surrendered. She'd fallen into Pink Pearl's trap hook, line, and sinker. And she wasn't even mad.

"What a fool I am," she chuckled to herself.