The Clash, Book One

Chapter 37: One Little Tear, Part D

Hyperion Heights, Present Day

Lucy hummed as she waited near Nick's office. When she saw him walk out, she ran over to him.

"Hey, Nick!" she greeted with a smile.

"Oh, uh, hey, Lucy," he nervously replied, rubbing the back of his head.

Lucy furrowed her eyebrows before she tilted her head and asked, "Didn't my mom tell you I was coming after school?"

"Yeah...yeah, she did," Nick told her, rubbing the back of his head once more.

A silence then ensued that hinged on awkward, with Lucy giving Nick a curious look while he shuffled on his feet.

The dark-haired girl then broke it: "So, are we gonna go get ice cream?"

Nick looked down at her before he took a breath and answered, "Yeah, Lucy, we are. Let's go," attempting a smile.

Lucy regarded him curiously for a moment before she smiled and nodded in response. The two of them then began walking along the sidewalk toward the ice cream parlor.

Lucy then piped up: "I think I'll have moose tracks. It's my favorite. And my mom's."

Nick only hummed in response, his focus on the walk in front of him as opposed to the ten-year-old at his side.

Lucy couldn't help but sigh in response. She then tried again, "Do you have a favorite ice cream?"

"Uh, well," Nick began, pausing before he continued, "I don't know that I do."

The dark-haired girl rolled her eyes before she pointed out, "Everyone has a favorite ice cream, Nick."

With a shrug, he then told her, "I guess I just don't, Lucy."

"Okay," she replied, and she couldn't help but slump her shoulders and sigh.

Upon noticing this, Nick attempted to strike up a conversation: "So, Lucy, that book your mom mentioned. It's full of fairy tales, right?"

"Yep, it is," she answered with a bright smile. She paused before she continued, "I read it, like, all the time."

With a light chuckle, Nick then surmised, "So, I guess that makes, uh, Henry, a pretty good writer."

"Oh, he's the best," Lucy confirmed, smiling brightly once more.

Her smile turned slightly mischievous as an idea struck her. She then told him, "My favorite story is Cinderella. Do you have a favorite story, Nick?"

"Uh, well," he began, his nervousness taking over once more. He took a quick breath before he answered her: "I probably haven't read any stories like that since I was a kid, so I'm not sure I could tell you a favorite."

Lucy remained undeterred as she pressed on: "How about when you were a kid, then? What did you like?"

She paused to think for a few moments before she started listing: "Maybe the story of Snow White? Or Peter Pan? Oh! Or Jack and the Beanstalk?"

Nick only looked at her curiously as he commented, "I don't think those stories have anything in common, Lucy."

"More than you think," the dark-haired girl muttered. She then maintained, "You at least have to like Jack and the Beanstalk."

Nick ran his fingers through his hair before he tried to indulge her: "Doesn't he trade a cow for magic beans?"

With a smile, Lucy responded, "Yep! And then a beanstalk grows from the magic beans, and Jack slays the giant at the top."