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❛ just stop ❜
DOROTHY'S ANXIOUSLY JUMPS WHILE SHE stares at the time on the oven.
8:55
She sighs and thinks to herself.
she's coming any minute now
And that's what happened. A knock at the door and Dorothy runs quickly with rush and a hint of anger. Opening the front door she blurts, "Where the hell were you Dawn—"
There stood a confused Ricky with his one backpack strap on his shoulder. "Uh—"
"I'm so sorry, Dawn was supposed to come... Well obviously, she didn't." Dorothy sighs closing the door. Her backpack swung onto both her shoulders and her hands gripping them anxiously.
"She ditched you?"
"She might've just forgot because she has—"
"She ditched you." He repeats more sternly.
The small girls lets out a deeper sigh of realization. "Yeah, she ditched me." Her pace increases.
"Why so fast?" Ricky says trying to keep up.
"Well homeroom starts at 9:30. The walk is usually 20 minutes meaning we get to school at around 9:15. And that means I might not have enough to return then find a new book for the day." She rambles all in one breath then gasping afterwards.
"Calm down," he says laying a hand on her shoulders, "but why didn't you leave at your normal. Alone?"
That word felt like a dagger. "I-I have this very bad fear of being alone in public places,"
"But you stayed at the swings for like two hours the other day."
A small smile grows and forces her to look off to the side. "Well, that was different. I- I was waiting for you."
For a second he glances at her with a smile. "Oh speaking of me." He scrambles through his backpack and pulls out a familiar book. He hands it to her. "It was a little, boring in places, not enough action, but I got through it."
"You actually read it?" She takes it from him. Looks through the pages. "And perfect condition." She smiles finding zero rips, marks, or creases.
"I knew you'd beat my ass if I didn't give it back as so." He smiles.
"I would've, but no need for that."
"Wait can I see it for a sec." Dorothy nods handing it to him.
His hands grasp it and he stops in his tracks. "Ricky! We have to get to school!" She continues at the fast pace.
On purpose, Ricky drops the book on the concrete sidewalk. "Oops" he says with a cheeky smile.
