Cookie dough
1115 Words
"So the depressed girl met the new boy and he took her to dinner after class?" Ravi asked, going over my dream one more time to make sure I told him right.
"Yes, kinda, except he didn't take her to dinner. All I saw was her outside by the bins, dead." I mumbled, and Ravi's eyes went wide.
"Okay, so, uh, who's going to check first?" Ravi stuttered, and I smiled a small smile at him.
"Rock, paper, scissors?" I asked, but he scowled at me.
"Ain't no way on earth, even if Cha Eun-woo begged me to, even if he offered to screw me here and now, there ain’t no way I’m going first!" he said, crossing his arms as we walked out the school entrance.
"Okay, so together on three. Two..." I started to say, feeling anxious as I gripped Ravi's hand, squeezing it tightly.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Ravi screamed, and I jumped back before moving forward to see what was behind the bin.
"Ugh, you asshole!" I said, noticing nothing as I glared at him and hit his arm.
"No, Lux, look!" he mumbled, pulling me closer. My gaze followed his to the police tape and white plastic sheets on the ground. In the middle of the taped-off square was a grey body bag.
"We should really go home," I said, my voice trembling.
"Okay," Ravi said hesitantly, eventually giving in.
"What the hell are you two doing back here? Can’t you see the tape that says 'no trespassing'?" Headmaster Rolland snapped as Ravi and I froze in shock.
"Sorry, we didn’t know," I mumbled.
"Well, you two had best get home. It’s getting dark," Mr. Rolland said. I nodded, and Ravi grabbed my hand, quickly steering me toward his car.
"Oh, f**k, f**k, f**k! How’d you know something would happen, you little witch!" Ravi said, glaring at me suspiciously.
"It’s not like that, Ravi. We don’t even know what happened yet. It could just be some stupid coincidence. My dreams aren’t real," I said, shrugging as I got into the car.
"Fine, we won’t talk about it anymore," Ravi mumbled. I nodded, not because I agreed, but because if my dreams were right—if I had predicted someone’s death—I didn’t know how I’d cope.
My mind ticked over like an everlasting clock as Ravi drove us home in tense silence.
"I’m going to drop you off, then I’m staying with James tonight," Ravi said, breaking the quiet. I scowled at him.
"You have got to be kidding me, Ravi. A girl could’ve been murdered, and you’re okay with leaving me alone? What about your conscience?" I asked, pulling at metaphorical strings.
"My conscience says it’s fine, so yeah!" he said, smirking and sticking his tongue out playfully.
"Please don’t pull this crap when we move out!" I hissed as he chuckled.
"Chill, Lux. It’s one night. You’ll be fine. Dad’s due back at eleven anyway," Ravi said, as if that made a difference.
"Fine," I huffed, sinking deeper into the seat.
"I hate you," I mumbled as Ravi abruptly stopped the car.
"Would you calm down and quit being dramatic? I’m a phone call away. Just chill," Ravi said. I nodded reluctantly.
"I guess you’re kind of right," I mumbled as he laughed.
"You know I’m right. I’m always right," Ravi said smugly, starting the car again.
"Yeah, always right," I muttered sarcastically.
"Okay, get out!" Ravi said abruptly as he pulled up outside the house. I turned and glared at him.
"You aren’t even going to walk me to the door to make sure I’m safe? Such a gentleman!" I said as he rolled his eyes. I unbuckled my seatbelt and got out.
"Bye!" he called, speeding off.
"Well, bye, I guess," I muttered to no one as the leaves blew up from the movement of his car.
Rain began to pour as I walked up to the front door, shivering. I unlocked it, but just as I was about to step inside, a hand touched my shoulder. I jumped, dropping my keys.
"Get off!" I screeched, spinning around, half-expecting to see my brother. Instead, I sighed in relief.
"You. Ash," I said, almost as if reminding myself he was real.
"I wanted to thank you for yesterday," Ash said in a calm, soft voice. I nodded, still catching my breath.
"And you couldn’t have done it earlier, when the weather was less Hitchcock?" I mumbled as he chuckled. Rain dripped from his light blonde hair, tracing his sharp features.
"I did. No one was home," he said as I nodded.
"Right. Sorry, I’m just a little jumpy," I admitted, unlocking the door. "Come in."
Ash nodded and stepped inside, shuffling his shoes on the mat to wipe off the dirt.
"You seem nervous. Are you okay?" he asked. I nodded, though my hands trembled.
"I will be. Do you… want some fruit tea?" I asked, trying to steady my voice.
"No regular tea?" Ash asked. I shook my head.
"I don’t like it. Only fruit tea," I said as he smiled.
"Fruit tea it is," he said, sitting at the table.
"So, what brings you by?" I stammered, struggling to string a coherent sentence together.
"Do you always have a stutter like this? When you were patching me up, I didn’t notice," Ash said.
"No. It’s… come back recently. Someone from my past has resurfaced, and so has the stutter," I murmured.
"Who—who’d want to haunt you?" he asked. I hesitated, handing him the tea.
"Just someone who was supposed to protect me but failed," I said quietly.
"Your father?" he asked. I laughed bitterly.
"No. He didn’t stick around long enough. Honestly, it was a favor. You can’t miss what you never had," I said.
Ash nodded, studying me. "You didn’t deserve whatever it was that happened to you."
I chuckled. "How would you know? I could be a terrible person."
"I’d be able to tell," Ash said confidently. "I have a knack for spotting shitty people, and you’re not one of them."
I smirked, rolling out cookie dough. "You sure? I could be prepping to bake you at 180 degrees, like that fairy tale with the kids and the candy house."
His eyes widened briefly before he relaxed as I laughed. "I’m kidding. I’m making cookies. Want some?"
Ash nodded, his expression softening. "So how come you’ve healed so fast?" I asked. He hesitated before answering.
"Just nature. Sometimes you have to step out of yourself to heal," he said vaguely. I let it drop, sensing he didn’t want to elaborate.
"Right," I mumbled, feeling like I’d only scratched the surface of Ash’s story.
- Writer
