Animal Nature

Chapter 15

The next day at lunch Shy watched David pull out a package of deli meat. He rolled each slice of roast beef into a tube and crammed it into his mouth. He finished eating in minutes.

"Are you on the Atkins Diet or something?" Shy asked.

"What do you mean?"

"How come you're only eating meat? How come you didn't make a sandwich or something?"

David shrugged.

Shy opened her container of tofu. "I mean, you can't just live on meat. You need other vitamins and stuff."

"I'm fine."

"Okay."

"So you wanna stop by the costume shop on the way home?"

"You're walking me home?"

"Yeah. Why? Do you have to work at the shelter today?"

"No. Some of the cheerleaders are doing community service today. The last thing I want is to spend a few hours after school with Brittany and Brianna Bowden."

"Why not? They're hot."

David stared hungrily at the table where the cheerleaders sat. The two sisters, one a senior and one a junior, both blonde, both abnormally tan for a New England October.

"Knock it off, David."

"What?"

Was she imagining that rim of drool around his mouth?

"You used to hate those cheerleaders. You thought they were so fake."

"No, you used to hate them. Actually, I was talking to Brianna today in English class—"

"Brianna's in AP English?"

"Yeah. So anyway, I found out she's a vegetarian and if her cheerleading didn't conflict with the animal rights club, she would've joined."

"Yeah, right."

David shrugged. "You're as pretty as they are, you just don't know it."

"Give me a break."

"Sure. You have a great body. You have great skin."

Shy felt her face get hot. "I have great skin? What kind of a complement is that?"

"I'd take you over those girls any day," David said, and turned those warm brown eyes on her. Every muscle in her body went slack and she felt that goofy smile on her face. "See? You're so beautiful when you smile." He kissed her, not a peck, either. She closed her eyes and heard someone walking past say, "Get a room!"

Even walking across the street from the school to the shopping center, David couldn't keep his hands and lips off of her. He held her hand and showered her with small kisses whenever there was a gap in conversation. "David, stop!" she hissed as they passed the crossing guard.

"What? Don't you like it when I kiss you?"

"Yes, but... I don't know. I mean, are you my boyfriend now or what?"

"Yeah, of course," David said. He lifted her hand to his lips, then put his arm around her shoulder and kissed it. Unable to see, Shy stumbled on the curb. The kids behind them laughed.

David steadied her and attempted to pick up where he left off, but Shy pushed him away. "I guess I mean, this is going too fast."

"Too fast?"

"Yeah. Last week I'd never been kissed, and now you want to make out with me every spare minute we're together."

"Sorry," David said stiffly, dropping her hand. "I didn't know that was a problem."

They walked the rest of the way to the little costume shop wedged between the pizza place and the hair salon in silence. The little bell rang as David opened the door. He didn't hold it open for Shy, who was right behind him.

"David, I didn't mean I don't like you," Shy whispered.

The inside of the costume shop was quiet, and the store clerk, a doughy woman with curly brown hair, glanced up at her.

David didn't respond. He browsed through a rack of costumes.

Shy stood awkwardly at the next rack over. She fingered a pink feather boa. "I could be a flapper, and you could be one of those nineteen-thirties gangsters," said Shy, moving to the rack beside David and pulling out a pinstriped suit.

"Two different decades." David moved further into the store and, with his back to her, looked at the costumes on the wall rack.

Shy let the pinstriped fabric slide through her fingers. She walked over to him and put her hand on his back. "I like when you kiss me," she said.

"Good for you," he said, and moved to another section of the store.

Her eyes misted up behind her glasses. Nothing she could say or do would stop David from being mad at her. Half-heartedly she picked through the costumes, seeing only cheap fabric and whorish get-ups.

"This is perfect," David exclaimed from the other side of the store. He held up a red cape, smiling like he'd never been angry. "You can be Little Red Riding Hood, and I'll be the big, bad wolf."