Fraternizing with the Enemy

20 // The Girl Who Cried Death

I wasn't even sure if I still had both my kidneys, and my liver was probably crying if it hadn't made a quick getaway last night.

"Thank you," I mumbled begrudgingly, ripping open the package. "Now leave."

"C'mon, I also brought some Gatorade and some movies. You owe me anyway for throwing up on me. Your punishment is hanging out with me." I could hear the smile in his voice, without even looking at him.

Why he was smiling, well, I had given up trying to explain his stupidity. And whatever, it was mostly on the grass anyway. I owed him nothing.

When I peeked out from my blanket fortress, I was immediately assaulted by the blinding light that poured in through the window, as offending as it was bright. Instinct wanted me to duck back into the comforts of darkness, but I forced myself not to. My eyes squinted, narrowing at the silhouette of Reese that waved at me.

"Good morning sleeping beauty!" he beamed.

I didn't even blink. "I think I'm in hell."

Reese snorted, shaking his head as he met my blank stare. "I've never seen such a sad little Stella before, it's cute," he mused, lifting to his feet and crossing the room with a coy smirk digging into his cheek.

"Wonder how cute I'll be when I cut off all your limbs and force feed them to you through all your orifices."

This only earned a laugh from Reese, who was now toying with my DVD player. I was not pleased, usually my graphic words didn't lose their potency this early on, but Reese was already deflecting them with ease, and this made me bristle. I had a reputation to uphold.

Later, though, when I didn't feel on the brink of death.

"That sounds fun and all," he played along, "But I also brought the first two Fast and Furious movies, so maybe we should do that instead. Not that your ideas aren't great. My ideas are just better. Like usual." When he finally pushed the disc in, Reese turned to face me with a cheeky grin, beaming.

I glared at him while nibbling on my cracker, my eyes and head finally adjusting to the dim light of the afternoon. My body was still protesting being awake and essentially alive, but I loved lemon-lime Gatorade and I was pretty sure the crackers were calling for me with angelic voices, so I didn't throw them at his face.

For now. I made no promises for fully awake Stella.

"Whatever, it was your supposed great ideas that got me here in the first place. Let's go drink a field, he said! It will be fun, he said!" I threw my arms up in the air, a frown twisted on my face. "How are you here, anyway? Who let you in? Why are you in my house?"

I eyed him suspiciously, the weirdness of the situation beginning to dawn on me as regular brain function returned. "Are you proving that this is actually hell and you are actually Satan?"

Reese invited himself onto my bed, falling into the blankets next to me and resting his palms behind his neck with ease. "I admit nothing. But I do kind of feel bad for plastering you with vodka last night, so I thought crackers and car chases might help."

"And that would be your official prescription, Dr. Powers?" I drawled, still nibbling on the crackers.

He cocked a brow at me, a sly grin slipping on his face. "Do you want to play doctor, Sandavol? Because we can play that game."

"Gross!" I pulled a face and haphazardly grabbed for a pillow to throw at him. "Do you want me to throw up on you again?"

When I thumped him with the pillow, he winced slightly, an unintelligable complaint falling from his lips.