In Your Pucking Dreams, Captain

His Wand

Kendra’s PoV

Simon poked at my shoulder blade. “Twenty-four hours.” His green eyes bored into mine. “That’s how long you’ve got.”

Then he brushed past me and swung his legs over his Harley. He zoomed off, probably past the speed limit. I rubbed the base of my neck, feeling some of the tension wear off.

Theft is taking an object rightfully belonging to someone else. It doesn’t make it true. For example, your ex-boyfriend, with the right kind of connections to the authorities could pull the rug from under you.

“Shoot.”

I headed off to the bus stop and rushed home, climbing the stairs two at a time, until I crashed into my room. Fine. I didn't want the stupid pendant anyway. I hauled out the box labeled ‘Me and Simon’ whose name I’d crossed out with a blue sharpie.

The neatly folded white and black Polar Bears jersey was the first thing I saw as I opened it. I huffed at the WARRINGTON name printed across the top.

I yanked it out, staring at the memorabilia, photo albums and scrapbooks I’d documented during our three years together, and cringing at my sweet naive innocence, I shuffled through them, but that pendant didn't show up.

“Where is it?” I whispered, rushing to my dresser.

Ten minutes later, I’d overturned my room.

Clothes and shoes spilled everywhere. That pendant shouldn’t be hard to miss. But it wasn’t here at all.

I picked my phone and face-timed Edith, heart pounding.

The answer dial chimed and Edith’s face zoomed onto the screen.

“Hey girl,” she drawled, seeming to be in bed.

Skipping the pleasantries, I asked, “Edith, do you remember that pendant Simon got for me?”

Edith groaned loudly. “Yeah, you should throw it in a well or even Lake Michigan.”

“That’s not an option anymore.”

“Oh…Oh no. He asked for it, didn’t he?” she cried upon catching the frown on my face. “Honestly, why are men like this? So frigging cruel…”

I sat on the floor, taking a lotus position. “Well, I can’t find it. This is the last thing I should be worried about right now.”

Edith covered her lips. “Did you check your closet?”

I circled my phone around me. “Even my shoe boxes.”

“When was the last time you laid eyes on it?” My friend asked.

I tapped my lips. “Senior year…basically around the time when Pavi got robbed on her way home. I freaked out and hid it.”

“Oh yeah, poor thing,” Edith mumbled. “But did you like, keep it in the box or something? Retrace your steps.”

Edith’s majoring in Forensic Science; talking to her didn’t make things better.

“It was definitely in the box. I kept it in my drawers…oh but like in spring Dad and I had to repaint my room, I did a whole make over, he wanted the wall teal to match everything in the house. I said it had to be pink, I always had pink, then he told me to grow up…”

I realized I’d drifted off course. Pain struck my gut, and Edith turned red. “Sorry,” I said.

“No it’s okay,” Edith wiped a tear. “You can always talk to me Kendra.”

I laid on the floor with a sigh. “I know, you and Mel should be out drinking or studying together, not hovering over me.”

On the other side, Edith rolled onto her stomach, giving me a friendly sympathetic look. “But Ken, we won’t be apart forever, I promise, I’ll come home for Christmas and we’ll hang out just like old times.”

I smirked. “Sounds like a plan.”

Hopefully, Dad could wake up before then and I could forget this nightmare ever happened.

She searched my face. “It’s not just the pendant, is it?”

I shook my head.

“Is it your lover?” She cooed.

I squeezed the bridge of my nose, picturing Noah's face. Lover was the last word I'd use to describe that guy. “Gross, I'm gonna puke.”

But she was laughing her head off. “Face it Kendra, he's cast a spell on you with his wand.” Her voice dropped low. “Hey, my roommate’s out, so…”

I narrowed my eyes, wondering where this was going.

“How big is his ‘wand’?”

“We’re not having this conversation!” I yelled.

I can't believe she's calling it that. And ‘it’ was indescribable. My belly tingled. Just how far would we have gone if Warden hadn't interrupted.

Edith pointed at the screen. “Shut up, we are.”

I groaned, seeing my cheeks turn pink in the video. “Look, we haven’t exactly gone all the way.”

Edith made a tiny squeak. “What? Is he crazy?”

“And right after, he said he wanted us to keep at it,” I twirled my finger around a lock of my dark hair. “Like I'm going to answer his juvenile mating call. I'm telling you, he's a tall glass of frat boy cliché.”

“Wait, you mean like he wants a f**k buddy?”

Maybe a puck. I corrected silently in my head.

“What a jerk,” I muttered. “And probably

wants his turn and so he can move on.”

“I want his social media handle.”

“Why?”

“Duh, so I can analyze his lifestyle.”

“Dude, you’re not even a detective yet.”

Edith would be disappointed. Noah was a magnet for women, from what I’ve seen.

“I can multitask, you donkey,” she replied. “I know you so well Kendra, and you don't do casual hook ups.”

“Exactly.”

“And times have changed, but hear me out,” said Edith. “It might not be a bad thing. I mean, you don’t even want a relationship with this guy.”

“Because I just got out of one, yes.”

“Think about it, this guy could have anyone, the Templeton female crowd is a literal cesspool of goddesses, and half of them are already millionaires by the time they graduate. Why would he go for the crusty Janitor? And before you kill me, janitorial services keep this planet alive.”

I glared at her, quickly dissipating at the last sentence.

Hot damn. Edith had a solid point.

About Noah, I mean.