Pie out.
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It is spring. Finally. I can hardly believe it. Winter was so long and so cold, but finally it's warming up and soon all the snow will melt.
I drag myself up from bed at an ungodly hour and take a quick shower before hurrying to school. Not much actual learning happens in school anymore, but for some reason we still need to go there everyday. Well, at least I get to see my friends.
It's the first sunny day in months and we make the most of it, going out to the park with Leea and Nick after school. Nick doesn't stay very long though, telling us that he needs to go meet someone. He's been going off to meet with someone for a while now, but he refuses to tell us who it is. We don't pry, he'll tell us when he's ready.
"I do wonder though," Leea says after he's gone and we're sitting on the park bench, enjoying the warming rays of the sun. "I mean, why does he keep it a secret?"
"Maybe he's dating someone we know but doesn't want to tell us 'cause they're not ready yet," I suggest. Leea 'ooh's.
"A secret girlfriend!" she laughs.
"Or a secret boyfriend," I point out and Leea flushes.
"Or that," she admits. "Haven't really gotten gay vibes from him, but then again I don't get a lot of other vibes from him either..."
Nick is a very private person, and even though I've known him since elementary school, it wasn't until he started choir last year that I've gotten to know him better. Even still, there seems to be an awful lot of things in his life that he doesn't want to talk about....
"Who knows, it's not important now," I tell Leea, waving my hand. "Can we talk about something else?"
"Ooh, touchy subject?" she asks with a smile. I glare at her. "You have a secret boyfriend of your own, hm?"
"No!" I say, perhaps a bit too quickly. Leea purses her lips in a thoughtful expression. I sit still and wait as she looks me over.
"You have someone you'd want to be your secret boyfriend?" she asks, all sly and knowing. Damn her.
"I mean, I'm not entirely opposed to the idea of dating someone," I say, trying not to be too obvious. "But I don't really want to date anyone in secret."
"Mmmhmmm," Leea says and I feel like sinking though the bench straight into the earth. Enough of this, I decide and turn the tables.
"What about you, huh? You wouldn't happen to be dating anyone in secret, would you?" I say and I can see a faint blush rising on Leea's cheeks. Of course it could be the still slightly cold air. "I mean, surely you'd tell me, your best friend in the whole world?"
"I would, if I were," she says, a bit more defensively than she'd probably been aiming for. "But I'm not. So I haven't."
We have a stare down then, lasting probably a full minute. Somewhere in the trees a blackbird sings, and we can hear the river gushing somewhere further away. My lips twitch. She breaks into a smile.
We laugh for a moment and then she sighs.
"You know, I do have someone I kinda like," she admits. "But I'm not sure if... I don't know. And I'm only 18, maybe I'd be too young even if..."
"Oh, Leea, you didn't fall for an old person, did you?" I say, mock horrified and she slaps my arm with a laugh.
"No! 24 is hardly old, but I mean... six years? Is that too much?"
I consider this for a moment.
"I think it's more about the maturity of the people involved than about the actual ages. Assuming you're over 18 of course," I add and she sniggers. "You know, just make sure there's no power imbalance and that they don't take advantage of your wide eyed youth."
She smiles at me and then turns to look ahead.
"Yeah, I guess so."
I stare at her for a moment. 24, huh..?
There is a loud, clear voice from somewhere. Both Leea and I perk up immediately. We know that voice.
It sounds again, closer this time and soon we can hear the soft pitter-patter of tiny feet on ground and we turn around and suddenly there is a flaming ball in my face.
I laugh and Leea squeals and I try to pry Flame off but she is determined to keep a hold on me. Eventually I get her off my face, but she clings to my head, standing on my shoulder.
"Yo, long time no see," says Rachel who evidently had been escorting the elemental as she reaches the bench we no longer are sitting on. Leea punches her in the arm. Rachel doesn't even flinch.
"It's been four months!" she exclaims. "You were in Dublin for four months! I thought you said it'd be a few weeks, tops!"
"Eh, the NALMC nerds had other plans," Rachel says with a shrug. Leea is still fuming, but soon she smiles, because how could she not. Flame reminds us of her presence then with a lovely note and Leea turns all her attention to the little creature currently pulling off my beanie and trying to put it on. It's too big and slips off. I catch it before it hits the ground.
"Flame! You're as cute as ever!" Leea says happily and Flame decides she's had enough of me for now and hops into Leea's arms. She scratches her behind the ear.
"So you're back now," I say to Rachel who moves to stand next to me while Leea and Flame entertain themselves.
"Evidently," she says drily but she's smiling. I scratch my head and pull my hat back on.
"So, uh, can I take Flame back home?" I finally ask. She looks at me with a funny expression.
"I'm not her mother," she says. "If she wants to go with you she will."
"Right," I say, not sure if I'm more relieved or concerned about that. "Of course."
What is Flame doesn't want to come with me? What if she decides she's had enough of being treated as a cute pet or being crowded by humans? What if she goes back to the forest or wherever she came from and I'll never see her again?
Flame looks at me and sings a small tune, happy and excited. I let out a breath and smile.
Flame, Leea and I walk home together, the sunshine warm on our backs.
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P.S.
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