“Swinging.”She pushed off, timing her swing to go with mine. She leaned forward to wave at someone on my other side. I didn’t have to look to know who it was; I could hear the chains as heapproached.
“Can you push me?”I asked Dennis, kicking my legs up so the momentum once again carried me.
“No.”He leaned against the adjacentpole and crossed his arms.
“Who’s that?”Mikaila asked quietly.
I shot him a warning look, silently telling him not to freak her out. He kept staring without a word. Like a challenge to threaten him and see what happens.
“My friend Dennis.”I hit him affectionately but really hard, trying to make him stop acting creepy.
“He looks like he’d go to school with my dolls too,”she said, examining him with a tilted head.“When I grow up, I wanna have a boyfriend like Dennis.”
“Hear that, Vixen?”He smirked as his eyes fell onme.“She wants a boyfriend like yours.”
“He’s not my boyfriend. He just follows me around.”
“You’re funny.”She laughed and started swinging again.
“Hah. Yeah,‘cause that’s a joke.”I laughed along and kicked my legs out to swing since he wouldn’t help.
“Where’re you guys going?”Mikaila kicked her legs out, too, mimicking my every move.
“To get food,”I said.
“Can I come? I can tell my big sister I’ll be back.”She dragged her feet along the squishy floor until her swing came to a stop, already anticipating a yes.
“Nah, you shouldn’t,”Dennis spoke up from my other side.“Maybe next time.”
“Aw. Okay.”
“We’ll hang out soon, okay?”I held outa pinky.
“Okay!”She perked up, intertwiningour pinkies to make a promise.
“And don’t forget, no more midnight walks.”I stood and brushed the seat of my skirt. “See you later?”
“Okay!Bye!”She waved as Dennis and I walked away.
“So are you turning into a kid person, or what?”he asked once we were out of earshot.
“Not at all. I just like that one.”I glanced over my shoulder to see her on the slide now, laughing and playing with other kids. “Are we doing the same as usual, then? A jogger or something in the park?”
“Same as usual.” He started toward the jogging trail, then backtracked when I didn’t follow. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m scared to drink again. What if I kill someone?”I was playing with my hands and staring at the ground, then at the air behind him, then at a leaf in the grass.
“You won’t. I won’t let anything happen this time. Even if someone deserves it.”
“Are you sure?”I finally looked into his nearly black eyes. I didn’t wanna do this anymore. My mind was racing with the thought that Tuesday night might happen all over again.
“Positive. I won’t let anything happen.”
“Promise?”I held outmy pinky.
“Not doing that.” He waved a disgusted hand at my outstretched finger. And then his eyes averted, trailing someone far past normal human range.
My gaze followed and landed on the same target. It was amazing how much a vampire could see.“Should I go get that one?”I asked, watching the man walk with earphones in.
