Chapter 9-02
1058 Words
Chapter 9-02
Joel's eyes widened before he scowled, taking away my skittles. "You can't do that, Asa. You have to pay first."
"But you were taking too long finding cookies and I wanted them," I whined before shooting a glance to the front of the small store where the shopkeeper was watching us strangely. We were the only ones in the shop beside her so I didn't care.
"Well, now you don't get them at all. I'm going to pay for them and take them home but you're not allowed to eat them."
"Why, Joel?" I whined, stamping my foot a little, reaching for the skittles only to have them pulled out of reach. "You're being mean."
"No," Joel breathed, glancing around, "You're being a naughty boy."
"Asa is always a good boy," I insisted. "Give him skittles."
"If Asa wants to throw tantrums," Joel warned, eyeing my foot as it stamped again, "Then he can be put in time out just like Vinnie was."
I blinked then rolled my eyes. "I won't fit in your pocket, dummy."
"Watch how you talk to me, Little boy," Joel warned lowly. He had stepped closer to me, causing me to glance up at him with a tiny whimper. "Or you will be punished."
I stared at him wide-eyed, unsure of what to do. I swallowed hard, nodding. "Sowwy," I muttered.
Joel nodded, satisfied. "Good. Now we're going to go and pay for the cookies and the skittles and you're going to apologize to Deidre for opening them, okay?"
"But I just said sorry," I complained. "Why do I gotta do it two times?"
"Because before you pay for it, it's stealing. This isn't up for discussion. Come on. Now."
The lady watched us approach in mild confusion. She reminded me of how grandmothers were supposed to look; grey hair scraped back into a bun and little oval spectacles that she had to peer down into.
"Is everything all right, Joel?" she asked. I pouted unhappily. Joel may not have been my Daddy but I still considered him mine. I didn't want to share him. I didn't even want anybody else to know his name.
"Yeah, fine," he replied with a small chuckle, placing his things on the counter. "My friend is just a little grumpy. Late night. He accidentally opened these before he paid."
He shot me an expectant look. "I'm sorry," I muttered. "I just thought that they would taste nice and forgot that I had to pay. They did taste nice though."
She smiled a bemused smile. She didn't look angry but she didn't look all too sure of the situation. She glanced at Joel, who shrugged nonchalantly.
"It's okay," she said at last. "Just be more careful next time."
"Was that so hard?" Joel asked as we left. A tiny carrier bag swung from his hand as we walked down the street, the late afternoon air bitter with a sharp chill.
"Yes," I sulked, eyeing the bag, trying to figure out how to get Joel to cave and let me have them.
He laughed, ruffled my hair but continued to walk. Would crying work? Maybe screaming.
After the way that he was in the shop, something told me that he wouldn't put up with screaming. I sighed in frustration, walking closer to him, head-butting his arm.
"I'm weally sorry, Jolly," I said to him. "I just wanted to make my mouth happy. I didn't mean to be naughty."
"Hmm," was Joel's reply.
I wasn't allowed my skittles when we got back but I refrained from wailing about it. Not because I was over it, but because he sat me at the table and made me a cup of tea and still let me have two Maryland cookies.
I dunked them happily, sucking the tea out of them before biting them. Joel sat beside me quietly, studying me as he waited for me to finish.
"I spoke to my brother this morning."
"Did you ask him?" I asked in excitement, choking on my tea. Droplets splattered across the tabletop.
Joel grimaced at the mess before he looked at me funnily. "You... you were serious? You wanted me to ask my brother if he had the same amount of fingers on each hand as you?"
I nodded. "Quinn knew a boy with an extra toe once. Not everybody has to be the same, Joel."
"I didn't ask him that."
"Will you ask him next time?"
"Sure," said Joel, rolling his eyes. "But I spoke to him about... about being Little. I explained the situation and he gave me some advice. A nice awkward conversation to start the day. Anyway, he said that if you ever needed anybody to talk to, you were welcome to his number."
"That's nice of him," I respond. "He sounds like a cool boy."
"He is. Well, he was. I don't really know him too well anymore."
"I'm sorry I was bad in the shop."
Joel's lips pursed up before he nodded, accepting my apology. "It's okay. Just be warned though, Asa, if you embarrass me out in public again, I will punish you."
"What will you do?"
"Time outs, maybe."
I snickered. I wasn't sure it would be very effective. Nicky still put me in time out when I got too bouncy and it didn't always work. "What if I don't care?"
Joel's eyes narrowed. "Then I will... I will s***k you."
My eyes widened. "No you wouldn't," I said, calling his bluff.
"I most certainly would," Joel said without faltering. "If you want to be a troublesome Little boy then I will treat you like one."
The idea should have scared me; instead, I was mildly aroused by it.
"Can I have Vinnie back now," I dismissed him. I really didn't think he would s***k me, even if I did push him. He was too nice and put up with too much of my demands to be that strict.
"I gave him back to you."
"I puts him in your hood," I told him, slipping off my seat and making my way around to the back of Joel's jacket. "Oh no..."
"What?" Joel asked.
Panic welled up in my chest and tears immediately prickled my eyes. My head whipped frantically across the floor, searching but seeing nothing.
"He's not there, Joel. He's gone."
- Writer
