Diane Young [Camp NaNoWriMo July 2014]

Diane Young [7]

7

The next morning, I woke up feeling a little bit down. It was later than usual, about ten am, which told me that something had disrupted my sleeping schedule more than usual. I immediately went to shower and then ate some fruit loops to cheer myself up.

When that didn't work, I fished out a packet of graham crackers and checked if there were strawberries in the fridge. There were none, nor was there any sign of strawberry milkshake. In a rash decision, I decided to go outside and buy some from the grocery. Maybe I'd pop into a Starbucks and buy something strawberry related too.

As I donned my jeans jacket and picket up some sunglasses, I started to feel bad about blowing up on Elijah yesterday afternoon. But he had no right to tell me that I was acting like an 'angst ridden teenager' when I was grieving and obviously couldn't get my feelings in check.

It was sunny outside, and I was glad I brought sunglasses instead of shielding my face from the sunlight and probably bumping into someone. The grocery was really busy, but I managed to get in and buy strawberries within half an hour. I decided not to get something from Starbucks and instead went home to make a strawberry smoothie myself.

Once I got home however, I was surprised to see Elijah West walking towards my door, holding Duke (who was covered in some strange material). He also had a bag slung over his left shoulder and sunglasses on even though we were inside.

"Ah! Diane Young! I was wondering if the three of us could spend the day together!" He said, smiling once he saw me. I looked at him, then at Duke (he was wearing a dress, I'm sure of it) then back at him.

"What's in the bag?" I asked.

"Some bugs for Dukey to eat."

I put my key in the lock and opened the door. He made a step inside, but I pushed him back by the chest.

"No, you can't come in." I said. Elijah looked shocked.

"What?! Why ever not?"

"Firstly, give me Duke." He gave me Duke and I put him in my hair. It was very weird, having a chameleon in your hair. He latched on with his legs and I could feel him pulling on the roots ever so slightly. "Now give me his food."

Elijah gave me Duke's food and I closed the door in his face.

"What? Diane Young what are you playing at?" He yelled through the door.

I pulled Duke out of my hair and started petting him. He was a brownish yellow colour, which told me that he was either changing to the colour of my hair (which was, a light brownish yellow) or he woke up like that.

Maybe Duke was secretly Beyoncé.

"Hello Dukey!" I said and he made a noise. His dress was a lovely blue colour and he looked absolutely ravishing.

"What are you doing with my chameleon?!" I heard Elijah yell once again.

"Elijah, go away." I said. He made an offended sound.

"First of all, my name is Elijah West! And I can't go! You stole my baby!"

"You're acting as if I'm going to cook him alive and eat him. Relax, I have his bugs and he has his dress. Dukerella is okay."

I heard Elijah groan and stamp his foot. "Diane Young, I am not playing, give me my chameleon."

Instead of replying, I took a Duke and myself to the kitchen, so he could eat his bugs and I could have some strawberries and crackers.

I had Duke for most of the day. After shouting at me through the door and demanding for his chameleon back, Elijah left with a really loud sigh and stamping footsteps. Duke wasn't even mad. We sat at the kitchen table before migrating to my room to watch some television.

I could say Duke was completely chilled, considering he sat on my shoulder all day and licked my ear (it's a very weird sensation), but I could never tell. He didn't even react when I gave him bugs or made him watch The Fox and The Hound.

It was about seven thirty when my mom came home. She knocked on my door and came in soon after, holding a tub of strawberry ice cream and two spoons. I frowned - where had this strawberry ice cream been when I had been searching earlier?

"What's that on your shoulder, Stasia?" She asked, suspiciously.

"Huh? Oh, this is Duke. He's a chameleon."

As if response, Duke made his weird gurgling/croaking/ bleating sound. Mom cleared her throat.

"Does he belong to the boy outside?"

"There's a boy outside?"

She nodded. "He says he's been sitting outside since twelve, waiting for 'his child' to return back to him."

"Oh. Well then."

She waved the spoons around, bringing my attention back to the strawberry ice cream. "Well, I got some ice cream out of the freezer, thinking that you, he and his child would want to eat it."

"Thanks, Ma." I said. She put it down on the side table by the door and left with a slight smile I couldn't return.

A few moments after she left, I wondered if I should share the ice cream with Elijah. He had been sitting outside with nothing for the whole day, maybe he had been punished enough. I picked up Duke and put him in his dress, avoiding attacks of his tongue, then put on my sneakers and opened the front door.

Sure enough, Elijah was sitting on the floor with his legs folded and his phone out. He had earphones in and was quite concentrated on whatever he was reading on it.

"Elijah West." I said. He looked up, mouth agape.

"Ah! Have you come to return my baby?" He said, taking out the earphones from his ears.

I revealed the ice cream from behind my back and then the two spoons. Duke crawled from my shoulders to my hair and settled there comfortably.

"I've come to make a truce." I declared, then sat down next to him on the ground. He beamed as I handed him the spoon.

He opened the ice cream and I asked him if he had sat here all day. He confirmed this and said he had only left for approximately ten minutes to get something to humour him. There was a book behind him.

"I think I should apologise, but I'm not sure what for." Elijah said. "Sorry, anyway?"

I shook my head. "Even though you were wrong, you were right too. Don't apologise."

"So are we okay, then? Because I don't want to sit outside your apartment without my chameleon ever again."

"We're fine. But just don't sass me, okay?"

He snorted. "There's a low chance of that that will happen. Just like there's a low chance of you ever smiling a real smile in my presence."

I ate some more ice cream. "I smile sometimes."

"Not properly, and not around me. The last time you did, was..." He looked up at the ceiling. "The time about my hat. And even then it was strange."

"Oh."

"Indeed."

So we reached over 100 votes?? that's mental, it's only been like eight days

Thank you guys so much.