writingcamp + My Crazy Love / Mi Loco Amor

Weirdo

ST: Gold Blooded - Wrongchilde

—Anyway, I didn´t know you liked reading that much—Mizuki says, while we head down the street to the library. Mizuki promised she´d go with me to turn back some books, but I was planning on going to Dairy Land and Hackways, the town´s cinema, after that. I shake my head.

—I don´t.

—Then what kind of books did you borrow?—I blushed. I didn´t expect Mizuki to ask—Wait, is that something perv-? Like p0rn or something? I didn´t know you watched p**n!

—It´s a book, not a movie. How could it be p0rn?

—Ah, erotic literature then?

—No.

—Then what?

—Just exercises books.

—Maths?

—Yeah, I´ve been having trouble and you know I have a red alarm already. If I don´t get better grades, I´m gonna take summer camp next vacation.

—You could ask me to help you—Mizuki says, proudly. I nod, smiling. It seems that she bought my little lie. I do have two exercises books but those have nothing to do with maths or erotic literature. They are about something quite different, something that I´d rather keep hidden for the time being.

As we come in to the library and say hi to the librarian, Mizuki sighs and points at the stairs to the second floor.  

—You may not be interested in erotic literature, but I did like Fifty Shades of Gray movie, so I´m gonna find out what that Anastasia enjoys so much in the Red Room.

—Do you have a library card?

—Could you lend me yours?

—Sure thing—Mizuki smiles and runs upstairs. I´m relieved that she didn´t stay to see my books tittles and worry.  

—Hi, sweetheart—the old lady who owns the library says when taking my books—Were the books of any help?

—Yeah, a lot. Thank you—I answer, smiling awkwardly.

—I know this is not my business, but I have to ask. Your mother is a psychiatric, isn´t she?—I nod—Does she know?

—No, miss. I wouldn´t want her to worry. She already has a lot in her mind and doesn´t need to take care of her grown up child.

—I don´t think this is a matter of being a child or an adult. It doesn´t have to do with your capability of handle it, either.

I nod, but I don´t agree. I´m just too weak. My brain is too weak to protect itself from the things that others suffer daily. Losing someone didn´t happen just to me. People die everyday and there´s always someone been left. There are worst cases, like being in a war, suffering hunger and so. I don´t have real reasons to feel this anxious all the time. I´m just... too weak. There´s even a part in me that is convinced that I´m just exaggerating. Maybe I like to suffer and act like I had OCD, when I´m totally healthy. I haven´t been diagnosed after all and my mother, who is the expert, hasn´t notice anything.

—I´m gonna be okay—I say to the old lady who seems to worry for such an stranger like me. I came here for the first time when I started borrowing these kind of books. I don´t even read books that much—I promise.

The old lady nods. Of course, I cannot promise something that I don´t know, but we should seal the limit between us as the strangers we are.

—I found it!—Mizuki announces at the edge of the stairs—And I found gold! I found The 120 Days of Sodom by Marquis of Sade. This is the best day of my life. Thank you for taking me here, Mor!

—Strange tittle. What is it about?

Mizuki smiles.

—It´s about love. Tons and tons of love.

—Eww. I hate romance.

Mizuki laughs out loud.

***

While my strawberry and cheese ice cream is being prepared, I swallow hard reading Mizuki´s books.

—Is this what happens when people... do it?

Mizuki nods.

—That´s what happens when you want to it interesting.

—I think I want to throw up and cry at the same time.

—What?! Are you nine years old? You´re sixteen... the age in which our savagest desires flourish, in which we know the sweet and inner  matter of the most intricate love—I frown, looking at my friend.

—Love? People are tortured and killed!

—Okay, that´s extreme, but before of that, it is quite enjoyable, though I think it remains banned in some countries—I open my eyes widely—I´m lying! Well, I´m not... but it´s not banned in the US anymore. I´s even declared a classic.

—Well, here you have your ice creams. Strawberry and cheese for the cute one and chocomint for the pretty one—the boy with a green shirt of Dairy Land says.

—This will be on me—Mizuki says fishing into her crossbody bag. I can notice the boy is watching her with enthusiastic eyes. I don´t consider myself as someone sensitive in this matter, but he´s so blushed it´s atually obvious. I stand on my toes helped by the sideboard and cover his eyes with my hands.

—Don´t you ever see her or she will torture you and then kill you!

—What are you doing?!—Mizuki asks, her cheeks all red. She handles the money to the boy, ignoring the stealthy hands touching and rushes.

—Hey, your ice creams!—the boy shouts. I try not to laugh when I turn back and take our ice creams. Mizuki tries to hide herself behind a trash cane. I peer over and smile.

—What happened yo you? I was just kidding. Come, we have to go to the movies.

—No, no, I can´t go. I couldn´t go anywhere now that I´ve being exposed.

—Why not?

—I need to stay where I belong here at the trash cane.

—What? I´m sure he didn´t understand what I said.

—No, it wasn´t you, it was me. I was so into the marquis stuff that didn´t notice that Wane was there, and he surely heard us talking about that s****l, nasty book!

—Oh, now it is nasty but not romantic?

—Just kill me already, Morgan!—Mizuki says, fastening the neck of my shirt. I try to jump back but she is so close I think I´ll be swollen by her anxiety.

—Stop it! I won´t kill my best friend, I´m gonna keep her for good—I say, pulling her up the street. She tries to resist, but I hug her.

—Why won´t you kill me? I deserve to die!

—´Cause I´m not that nasty—I tease her. Mizuki whimpers but doesn´t stop.

When we finally reach the last block to Hackaways cinema, Mizuki seems all fine again. She points out at a*****e at the next corner.

—We still have some time. Wanna grab some chocolates?—I nod. While Mizuki is not watching I do my job. “Life long, smile up. Life long, smile up. Life long, smile up. Life long, smile up”, I think. Three times, I´m ready. Mizuki shows back at the exact moment—Hey, aren´t you coming in?

I nod and follow her in. I see a nice sandwich at the packaged food rack and run towards it. My phone sounds with a bubble explosion, letting me know that I´ve received a message. It is Thomas. I smile.

How its it going?

So far so good. We haven´t gone into the cinema.

Nice, let me know when you´re out.

Yeap.

I nod and put my phone back inside my bag. I love the way Thomas want me to tell him what I´m doing, it sometimes feel like he was my boyfriend, and I really enjoy it, though he might not know what it means for me. Then I go to heat up my sandwich. While I wait for the microwave ove to end, I can see through its reflecting mirror that the door opens behind a messy, black-haired boy with almond-shaped, hazelnut eyes and slightly browned skin. I can see that he has dark circles under his eyes and he´s wearing a strange outfit: a white, blue-dotted gown and paired lose pants. He´s even using crocs. I open my mouth widely, he seems like a patient but he´s walking like nothing, wearing a blue hoodie in a attempt to hide it all. The cashier notices, too. I look around searching for Mizuki, but she is nowhere close. She might go to the beverage rack.  

—Excuse me, where are the toys?

—Toys?

—Yeah, like chocolate eggs with a surprise toy, those kind of red hammers with hanging candies and stuff like that. I want them for a girl.

—We don´t have that kind of... stuff.

—What? What kind of convenience store has no toys? Children still play with them, you know?

—We didn´t have that demand actually.

—Then that old chocolate, strawberry pudding you sold in this small town. Do you still have them? Chipichops?

—We have some there—the casher says pointing at the rack at my right.

—Hell, yes. I come here just for it a lot when I was a kid—The boy fished out all of the  cups of  pudding rapidly, they are so many that he can barely fit them in his arms. Finally, he looks directly at me.

—Twenty cups! You have the twentieth!—he tells me. I rush to take the cup behind my back.

—You have a lot already. This is mine—The boy shrieks and then smiles cunningly. He prepares as he is about to flirt with me.

—Wouldn´t you give it to me for a kid?

—A girl?—I asked, remembering what he just said.

—A nine-year-old. She´s badly ill—Damn, my lionheart. I immediately nod and hand him my only cup of pudding. He smiles and take it—Thank you.

—No worries. I´ll help you carry them. Where do you live?—The boy lifts his eyebrows as we head to the cash register desk.

—Downtown.

—Downtown? It is more than half an hour from here. Why would you come at this convinience store in the middle of a little town?

—I just said why. They sell Chipichops here. There´s any in downtown.  

—Morgan, don´t you dare to touch that guy!—I can hear through the eco of the store. Mizuki is pointing right at me—Guy, don´t you get closer to her or she´ll torture you and kill you. Have you heard about The 120 Days of Sodom?

While I´m feeling my own face heating up, I can hear the slight laughter of the boy next to me.

—Stop it, you...—Before I can feel my real rage, the glass door shuts open behind a man in a blue, cross-neck gown. He´s a doctor!

—How dare you to come here?!—he asks to the guy.

—Oh, God.

—You did escape after what you say? You know how worried we were at the hospital? We thought...

—I told you I was coming. You thought what?—The man´s face trembles, but he tries to control himself and step towards the boy. He´s gathering all the cups of pudding back into his arms and handing a credit card to the cashier, like everthing´s normal. The cashier is in awe, though he keeps doing his stuff automatically.  

—Just come with me!

—I won´t. I´m no child. I got all this pudding for my precious daughter.

—Daughter?!—Mizuki and I shout.

—You´re our age, how can you have a daughter?—I asked, trying to catch him—Give my chocolate pudding back, liar!

—You gave it willingly!

—Pe...!—the man´s says one second before the guy ducks under his arms and runs out of the store.

—You all are crazy! I never lied and it isn´t my fault that you didn´t believe in me—he says before shutting the door close.

I can see his shape hurrying through a crowd of children that will make it difficult for the doctor to catch him up. Still, he starts  running.

—Wait!

—Oh, my goodness—Mizuki mumbles—What a weirdo acting like a fugitive!