Before we can get too carried away, catcalls, whistles, and hollering come from the cells next to us, and I pull away. I wrap my arms around her more firmly to keep her from view, and Elizabeth throws her head back and laughs loudly.
“Well.” We turn, both surprised to see Hattie standing there, looking like Tom who finally caught Jerry. “This isexciting. Why are you starting fights in my stadium, big sister?”
“Who, me?” Birdie says playfully, unwrapping herself from me. “I didn’t start it.”
“No, that was me,” BAD says from down the way. I glance at him in confusion, my vision still slightly blurry. He shrugs with innocence I don’t think he possesses. “I like fighting, it’s fun.”
“Join an after-school club then,” Hattie retorts, looking pissed but making the guard let us out.
She gives Birdie a quick hug and says, “Get out of here before you start another riot.”
Chapter Twenty
“I’ll do a lot of things to help my friends. Even dress as a slutty cheerleading zombie.” – Molly
ELIZABETH
Watching from the other side of the table, where I’m planning our Halloween night for the hardware store, I see Derek and Rora in a heated debate.
“How about Robin Hood and Friar Tuck?” Derek asks, coloring on the page Rora asked him too. She quickly switches out his crayon for another and promptly colors where he was instructed to. His shoulders slump.
“Who’s free truck?”
Her little nose squishes up in confusion, and Derek bobs his head and says, “Okay, right. Not that. Ooh!” He looks at her with excitement. “How about Mario and Luigi?”
She gives him a look and places stubborn fists on her hips. “I’m a girl.”
Derek purses his lips and looks back at me, a hint of humor in his gaze, and I duck my head to keep from laughing. She’s recently found out she doesn’t like it when I laugh at some of her little comments.
“Fair.” He gives in, swiveling his head. “This is a tough one, girl. We need the perfect costumes for our night out.”
I smile, looking between the two of them. It’s been a couple of weeks since our date at the Cobras game, and we haven’t had a chance to revisit the kissing portion of our relationship, though I am dying for a chance to.
But every moment he can, Derek finds a way to help me out. He comes over and helps with dinner but always leaves before Rora goes to bed out of respect. He spent today helping me with the weekly reset, and all mine and Rora’s laundry is freshly washed and put away, her lunchbox is cleaned out and ready to be filled with the fresh food now stocking the fridge, and the apartment is in great shape.
“You guys could always go as princesses,” Hattie adds helpfully from where she was looking over something on her laptop, her legs propped up underneath her on the couch.
Rora gasps. “Yes!” She grabs Derek’s forearm, and I smile when he gives her his undivided attention. “I have an idea!”
Looking around the hardware store at all the decorations, I have a satisfied smirk on my face. Damn, I’m good. It looks like a legitimate haunted house.
Okay, it’s not quite that fancy, but for a quick walk through the store, it’s great. A zombie walks up to me, and I smile widely. “Ready for the night?”
Garrett nods his head. “I’m sure I’ll be sore by the end of it, but who can resist scaring people all night with no consequences?”
I pat his shoulder; he’s a decent guy. I think he has a real, deep love for Derek and hides it under a tough exterior. “Just don’t get punched.”
“I don’t know, I’d pay to see that.” A female zombie walks up, and I gasp. She’s wearing a cheerleader uniform, but it’s torn and dirty, matching the costume perfectly.
“Molly! Above and beyond,” I say, clasping my hands under my chin. “You guys are so great for helping Derek out like this. We would have dressed the parts, but Rora was insistent on our costumes, and we couldn’t break her heart.”
“Oh, we know,” Garrett supplies, smirking at me. “Derek’s been working on his costume all week, saying Rora would know if he got it wrong.”
I smile and turn when I hear her little giggle. She bounds toward me, doing a wobble walk in character, and says, “Hello, I’m Olaf. I like warm hugs.”
Laughing and clapping, I bend and say, “Nice to meet you, Olaf. You look adorable!”
“Thank you,” she replies in a deeper register, and Derek’s friends chuckle.
