I shoved her shoulder playfully and it was like hitting bricks. Wincing, I shook my hand out. “It wasnice. They played live music.”
“Banjo or violin?”
“Sophie, stop!” I laughed. “He’s a baseball player, not a country bumpkin.”
She stopped and turned me to face her. “Sweetie, he’s from Missouri. What do they even do there besides farming and lawnmower racing?”
I doubled over holding my stomach, her serious face cracking me up. “Gods, I love you, Sophie. How do you even know they race lawnmowers? Nope, nevermind. Will you please let me finish my story?”
“Fine, fine.” She rolled her nearly black eyes at me and grinned. “I’ll save the rest of the insults for after.”
“So you already know it was date number three,” I began. “I was nervous because, well, you know how my third dates go whenever they do happen.”
She stuck out her arm and turned her thumb down, making a raspberry with her tongue. My friend was very eloquent, but also regrettably correct.
“Exactly. So, we were sitting there, then people in the back started screaming, and people near the kitchen doors started screaming. Everyone was jumping on their tables, freaking out as this—thishordeof rats just invaded and spread out all over the dining area, jumping on people, climbing the tablecloths. People panicked and started running for the doors and there was just general chaos. Quit laughing!”
I stopped next to Sophie, who was leaning against a column for support as she cackled hysterically. Glancing down at my combat boots, I wondered how hard I’d have to kick her before she felt it through those buns of steel. Then again, I’d probably damage my boots before I damaged her.
“Are you done yet?” I crossed my arms over my chest, pressing my lips together against a smile. Sophie had a way of pulling one out of me even when I was upset.
Finally, she exhaled audibly and wiped her eyes. “Sorry about that.”
“Pfft. No, you’re not.” I turned and started walking. Her sneakers scuffed on the sidewalk as she caught up. “I don’t even know where the rats came from. I wasn’t even thinking about rats!”
Sophie threw an arm around my neck, reminding me she was a couple inches taller than my five-and-a-half feet. “Maybe some part of your subconscious was projecting. You know, like maybe rats abandoning the sinking ship that was your relationship?”
I wrinkled my nose and glared at her, but there was no heat behind it. It didn’t sound right, but then again, I wasn’t the one majoring in psychology anymore like she was. Now I was the drama geek, but it wasn’t quite as fulfilling as I’d hoped. My only passion seemed to revolve around Religious Studies, if only to learn more about myself and my family, and my options for a good job were extremely limited with that as a major.
“I can’t blame him for the reaction, though. Apparently, country boy is utterly terrified of rats. Who knew?”
“Doesn’t stop you from being pissed about it, though, does it?” Sophie leaned her head against mine, the gesture absurdly comforting.
Well, she wasn’t wrong. Regardless of his intentions, I’d only wanted a normal date, a normal relationship with a normal guy without my powers going haywire. For some reason, dating always seemed to bring them out uncontrollably. Although, every once in a while, it didn’t feel like it was me. Like the rats, it felt like an outside force creating the chaos.
Maybe I really did have a curse on me.
“I know what you’re thinking, Lexi, and you’re not cursed.” Sophie looped her arm through mine again as we crossed the green. “If there is some kind of magical hoodoo going on around your dating life, it’s probably protecting you from some monumental douche bags. Or maybe even from people who wouldn’t take your witchy heritage so well.” She pressed her fingertips to her chest and threw her head back. “Not everyone is cool like me. You should be grateful it’s protecting you from heartache before you get too attached.”
“That’s just it, though, Sophie.” I looked up and met her eyes, my jaw tight. “I’m pissed the universe won’t even let me take the chance on my own. I just want to be normal, and normal girls go on dates and have their hearts broken and heal and try again.” I threw my arms in the air, aggravated. “Fuck the universe and fuck this protection bullshit and fuck my magical self-sabotage.”
Sophie held her hands up in surrender, eyes wide. “Whoa, calm down, tiger. You look like you could use a punching bag.” She bounced on her toes, taking on a boxer’s stance. “Why don’t you come to the gym with me? I’ve got a session this evening that could use a sparring partner.”
She said the last part in the sing-song voice she normally reserved for tempting me to do something fun. Which it did sound like, but I had other priorities at the moment.
“Much as I would love to, I had something else in mind.”
“Ooh, what are you thinking?” She clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture. “Please tell me it’s something fun. Not ‘Lexi’ fun, but ‘Sophie’ fun.”
I stopped us in front of a jobboard[8]on one of the buildings and Sophie growled. “I’m thinking of getting a part-time job. My class load isn’t as full as I’d been expecting, and I’m afraid nothing good will come of me sitting around at home. Too much free time to think and brood, and brooding makes lines in my forehead.”
“We all know how much you hate lines in your forehead,” Sophie joked, rolling her eyes. “You’d more likely end up making enough junk food to kill an entire horse farm. I already know we’ll be stopping by the store before we head home. The apartment complex is going to smell like a bakery for at least the next two weeks.”
I laughed because it was true. My powers were too uncontrollable and unpredictable most of the time, so rather than trying to get back at guys who dumped me and accidentally getting someone hurt or killed, I baked. A lot. Which was also uncontrollable and unpredictable, but in a much more delicious way.
Sophie threw her head back and groaned. “Ugh, I’m jealous of the way you can put it all away and not gain a frickin’ pound. One cream cheese bagel this morning and I can feel the jiggle in my ass.”
That was one happy side effect of my heritage. I’d always shrugged it off, but I didn’t need to work out regularly to keep my figure. Usually, I would join Sophie for a morning jog to wake up, and then we walked to the campus from our apartment, but that was almost all I did. Being half-witch, half demigoddess, I preferred to save the chubby for the cherubs.
