Chapter 202


    I think I just found my new purpose in life. To make this girl smile, even once. Just for me.


    “You’reme. I think you maybe just need to go find a girl who may actually be interested. This one


    isn’t.” She picks up the spoon and licks the batter in a really juvenile way, not sexy at all, not even


    trying to be, and I grimace with her. I know how bad it tastes; I should have forewarned her not to put it


    in her mouth.


    “I’m not someone who gives up. I will ask you every time I see you...You will cave one of those times.” I


    shift to getfy, d she hasn’t insisted I still leave. I kind of like it here and I feel like I might actually


    be getting somewhere with her.


    C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    “Find me the elusivest unicorn and I’ll think about it.” She sighs heavily, and that same ghost of a


    smile peaks out at me, like she figures she is being clever, and I will never work it out. I find myself


    willing her to let it loose, watching that mouth a little too closely and I have to remind myself that she is


    only fourteen.... so I need to back the fuck off.


    This isn’t right. She is a kid, Arry.


    “Is that a challenge?” I focus on what she said, wondering what the hell she is on about, but the t-shirt


    is maybe a clue. Some sparkly white horned, magical looking horse. She obviously has a serious


    addiction to Unicorns, which is good to know. Maybe a subtle way in and she seems to think her


    challenge will rescue her from my invitations.


    If I can figure it out, then she might rethink a pizza date...


    Not a date, date ... a tonic hanging out ydate sort of thing. Kid, remember.


    Too young, too scarred. Just friends. That’s all I want from her.


    “Sorry about that, mia Bambinos... family like to talk. I hope you were getting acquainted with Arry, my


    golden child. Such a good boy for his mamma.” My mother pinches my cheek as she swans past and


    blows a kiss at me. She loves to embarrass her kids at every opportunity, and I roll my eyes while


    allowing her affections. It’s futile to ever stop my mother from showing love, she can be scarily hostile


    and hold you down for a kiss if you fight it.


    I catch Sophie giggling at it though, that elusive smile brightening her whole face and it’s better than I


    expected. It’s a perfect smile. Lightens her entire soul, brings out her eyes, her tiny dimples, and makes


    her nose scrunch up daintily with her childlikeugh. She really is crazily pretty, even for a kid who


    looks way older than she should. I smile straight back impulsively with the infectiousness of it.


    Okay, so maybe I am a little bit enamored with her...who wouldn’t be? She’s alluring, and when she


    smiles......Pure sunshine.


    “Sophie was turning me down t. Seems this one isn’t interested in pizza dates.” I point out to my


    mom, trying to stop staring at her with a goofy grin. I want Sophie to know that it’s innocent, my offer to


    hangout. That I am not some weird hormonal guy angling for more.


    “I should think not.” My mom ps my arm hard and I literally gawp at her in shock. So hard it almost


    echoes around the kitchen.


    What the f.... Mamma. Protective much? Jesus Christ, that stung.


    Even for my p happy mother, that was a semi abusive p. Maybe I should ring her own hotline and


    report her for child abuse.


    “What the hell was that for?” I rub my arm and re at her with zero amusement. She never spanked


    me much as a child, sure as hell won’t be tolerating a spanking at neen.


    “Because I know you! She is not on your radar...ever. Leave her alone and … Sophie dear...” She turns


    to Sophie with a warm smile and the girl nods at her while I shake my head behind my mom’s back in


    utter bewilderment.


    Completely misread all my intentions. I thought my mom knew me better than that. Well, maybe not the


    first thoughts when I walked in here... but the ones I have now. I want to be her friend, to protect her


    from assholes in this neighborhood, nothing more.


    “You have my permission to p him in the man parts, if he ever tries to proposition you again.” She is


    utterly serious, and that death tone makes me want to re right at her.


    ssy, mom. Real ssy.


    “That’s not what I was doing...Jeeze, give a guy a break. I was trying to be nice. It was in no way a


    loaded invite.” I shrug but move fast when I see aggressive mother hen moving my way with speed. I


    know better than to fire up crazy Mamma Carrero on a maternal stand.


    Time to go!


    My mom is pping me with dish cloth, and I get the hint she thinks I am trying to angle her sweet kid


    into something vulgar. That is never going to happen. I have way more sense and I can tell this girl is a


    hand’s off, forever, type of a deal. It’s not even like that. I genuinely like her, a lot, and sex is not even


    where my head is going with this one. She is a fucking child, for god’s sake.


    “Out, out... it’s girl time and you are not invited.” She’s pushing me, and I go, reluctantly. Hating that I


    am about to lose those blue eyes and pretty face but determined that this is not a one-off meeting. I will


    see her again and I have a full smile to get out of her too.


    “I’m going, besides...I have a challenge to work out.” I throw Sophie a wink, maybe it’s a dumb move


    but it’s organic and I do it before I catch the sense not to. She eyes me up warily, mask back in ce,


    really not sure how to take me but I don’t dete this time. I feel strangely hopeful that her and I will


    meet again. If I have anything to do with it, we will anyway.


    My mind is made up in that second... Fuck a shower, and food. I am on a hunt to find that elusive


    unicorn and maybe a chance at seeing her again on a more regr basis. Something tells me that this


    girl is going to matter in my future, especially if she is going to be living across the street for the next


    god knows how many years.


    ***


    I sit through the movie bored to tears, but intent on the answer with my pen poised on the post-it note,


    so I can turn this shit off. I have no clue if this is what she meant, but it wasn’t hard to find with a little


    help from google.


    Thest Unicorn - someme cartoon from the eighties. I was lucky to find a shop in town that had one,


    and I couldn’t resist the hanging disy of fluffy toys nearby at the checkout when I went to pay for it. A


    pink haired fluffy white Unicorn nowys on top of the sleeve, to go with her movie. A stuffed toy for a


    kid, which seemed appropriate. A little wee to the neighborhood mascot if she really is into them.


    The cashier offered to gift wrap and I thought ‘sure’, seeing how much she likes sparkly shit if her t-shirt


    was anything to go by. I opted for the silver bag and paper to match and figured it would be nicer to


    give her them this way. Watching the woman make swift work of both and trying not to over analyze if I


    was being weird and overly pushy in this.


    I have a tendency to dissect all my decisions, and I don’t want her to feel like I am some relentless


    creep. I never intended to unwrap the DVD, but I really wanted to surprise her with the answer, beyond


    just finding the movie...and now like an idiot I am suffering over an hour of unicorns turning to humans,


    to find they have all been hiding in the fucking sea... wait! ... sea?...


    Yesssssss. I found your Unicorn, Sophabelle.


    I write it down, grinning wildly and stick it to the DVD case. Hauling the disc from my yer and put it


    all back together, re-wrapping and pushing it back in the bag with the other package. I grin at my


    genius,pletely glowing with the victory that was too easy. She will need to do better than this if she


    wants to issue a challenge. I thrive on them.


    I only wasted a couple of hours on this, well maybe an entire day, but I had no other ns anyway that


    were all that important. I can’t help the sense of tion, the definite raised mood from this little


    endeavor, or my own smugness. I am trying not to overthink my reaction to her, but something tells me


    that Sophie and I have a story that is only beginning, and I want to see where this goes. She’s like a


    bright spark in my dark tunnel of lifetely.


    I pick up the bag to go and spy my stack of cards on the desk in my room, stopping to write her a note


    quickly. I want to reassure her, just in case she does find this weird. I am still not quite convinced I


    should be giving her gifts and writing her notes.


    If not pizza, then maybe a milkshake, anytime you might be bored. No strings attached, no crowds, and


    no promises to be friends. We can sit atplete opposite tables.


    Enjoy your unicorns.


    Sophabelle. x A


    I read it twice, checking it’s not pushy or ‘Lame’, as she put it. That it’s clear that I expect nothing in


    return for this, don’t want anything at all. I just want to see her smile next time I see her, nothing else. A


    little bit of that pretty expression will make my day. I get that she has reason to keep me at arm’s


    length, that this is not going to be easy to get her to rx with me, but my gut is telling me that she is


    definitely worth the effort.


    I turn it over and scrawl a quick unicorn doodle on the reverse side, I have no idea why. I guess I want


    her tough when she opens it, even though I won’t see it.... it’s not exactly my best work, but it does


    the job. I slide it in, so it faces out and will be the first thing she sees and push it into the bag. The


    thought of that cute giggle is in my head and I smile when I pick the bag up to cradle in my arm as I


    grab my jacket and cell.


    My head on tropical blue eyes, honey blonde hair and sassy smirks. I need to go head to her parent’s


    house and leave it there for her, for when she goes home. Then I guess, I should actually go meet the


    friends who have been texting me for thest few hours and get that pizza. I’m starving, and my


    stomach is about to start digesting itself if I don’t put some real food in it. I have a hangover to cure. I


    also have a Le to reunite with as she is back in town and I want the lowdown on her new baby


    sister.