That was Desi, an ex-hopeless romantic.
His name was Dave. On paper, he looked perfect. Dark hair, a slight bad boy flair, yet good enough to take home to meet Mom and Dad. He volunteered for three charities and played every sport he could. They didn’t talk much in high school. After graduation, though, and he was seeking her out.
“Hi, Desi, it’s Dave!”
“How did you get my number? :O”
“I have my ways.”
“Should I be creeped out?”
“No. Amazed.”
Desi stared at that sentence for a long time, a mix of the two. Because it did creep her out that he got her number without her permission. But the fact that he went out of his way to get it in the first place...that says so much! I just wish he’d have talked to me at school.
She frowned and typed in: “Why now? You’ve had six years to talk to me.”
“Our circles didn’t exactly mesh.”
“So?”
Whatever his response, it had to be a good one. He took a while to actually write it. “I admit I’m not the smartest guy. I didn’t realize how dumb it was to care about that until close to graduation. And then I chickened out. <(*^*)> bawk bawk!”
He got points for creativity.
“We should not encourage her,” Jerry said. “Shallow men are not worth pursuing.”
“Ex-shallow guy. He was a teenager. It’s part of the growing up process!” I insisted.
Brie made the following suggestion. “Let’s let her decide how she feels! If she likes him, we can get closer and decide for ourselves!”
Of course Desi wanted to be with him. She grinned as she read his message six times in a row and thought really hard about how to reply. The smitten girl that she was couldn’t come up with anything witty to say. Her heart was pitter-pattering, and her cheeks were so flushed it hurt.
“Okay, I’ll forgive you.”
“Great! Let’s go to a movie this weekend.”
“This weekend?” she asked.
“Yes!”
“Okay.”
“Oh. My. Gosh.” She gasped as she gazed down at her phone. “Did I just get asked out by Dave?” He’s so popular and hot! Why do I feel like I’m being pranked? Or hazed? Why did I say yes? How could I not say yes?
And she felt beautiful.
Like most teenagers, Desi was convinced she was too...insert insecurity here...and would never be good enough for anyone. The fact that Dave had an interest in her made anything possible.
Their date came and went. They held hands, shared popcorn, and he kissed her cheek. The whole way home she floated on a cloud, daydreaming about being the future Mrs. Dave. In the grand scheme of things, finding him at eighteen is lucky! I’m glad I didn’t date a bunch of bozos and waited for the right guy to ask me.
Things were good, though. Sort of.
“Does it bother you that we can’t get close enough to see his true intentions? It’s very strange, convenient even,” Jerry observed.
If I could have shrugged, I would have. “They’ve been doing a lot of active things. Once their dates settle down and they talk more, we’ll have plenty of time to get to know the true Dave. But I’m sure he’s great!”
Brie also shared in my excitement. “I thought this would be so much harder! We really lucked out. You know?”
“Why do I feel like something is off?” Jerry asked. “Please, don’t misunderstand. I want to believe in this guy as much as you both do, but something feels so wrong.”
“If I feel anything, it’s overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information I don’t know yet,” Brie said. “New is hard! So is change! Don’t let it intimidate you!”
Dave was a gentleman, so there was little to not like about him. Perfect on paper, but there had to be flaws because everyone had flaws. No way could they be horrible enough to be a deal breaker, though. Right? He was only eighteen!
I blame myself for that terrible assumption.
Red flag number one came when the two of them were making-out for the first time on the couch in the basement of Desi’s childhood home. They’d been going on dates for close to two months by then. Summer was coming to an end, and college would soon begin. Hormones were at an all-time high, and knowing they’d be separated soon made their need to act on said hormones so much more important!
With Dave in such close proximity, we could indeed look into the depths of his soul. The fact that he kissed Desi with his eyes open made it all the more easier. But why were his eyes open? Who did that?
When it came to soul gazing, we can each do it individually and get a glimpse. Or, we can band together and work as one to strengthen our magic. We braided ourselves together, and if anyone could see us, we’d appear as some bizarre three-headed snake with scales of blue, red, and green. The room was dark enough for Dave to not notice us. Positioned just right, we passed for a dramatic hair clip. Years of practice had made us expert hiders.
Flashes of events passed before us, like a television changing channels. Finally, our magic settled on what we needed to see. Two weeks before graduation. Dave and his buddies.
“NAH, I’M NOT GOING up north this summer. I’m going to work on sewing the last of my wild oats before college. That’s when it’s time to start settling down, you know?” Dave explained as he smoked a joint. I wouldn’t judge him for that. I was determined to stay optimistic. That wild oats comment, though...
His friend laughed. “Wild oats? What does that even mean?”
“Like, seed. You spread out the seed.” Dave waved a hand in front of him. “Basically, all of those girls from school who are dying to get their hands on me. It’s the perfect time to get some experience. They’ll thank me for it. Besides, they’re the kind of girls who are worth trying out. Like, okay looking. Nothing special.”
“But still cute enough to mess around with!” His friend offered up a hand for a high five.
Dave didn’t take it. “We’ll see how far I get. Can’t say I’m excited to touch some of them. Desi? Yikes, man.”
“You’re with the demona? Gonna make her moan-AH!”
MY STOMACH CHURNED itself into a knot. I had to pull away. So disgusting!
“That...that...slime! That villain!” Brie released herself from the bond. I didn’t know she’d already begun exacting her revenge until Dave groaned—and not in a good way.
I also didn’t notice anything off or out of the ordinary until I realized his skin had gone pale. A sickly sort of color that soon shifted into an unnatural grey. Like concrete. His movements had gone from fluid to rigid as he lost control and range in his body. That was when Desi knew something was amiss.
“Dave?” She frowned and then screamed as he began to choke for air. “Dave!”
We all watched in either horror or glee as Dave began to turn into stone.
Jerry was on Team Glee, for the record, I was horrified.
So I did what I needed to. I bit down on Brie—hard. She shrieked so loudly even the humans could hear it. Desi put her hands over her ears, her eyes never leaving Dave. The spell broke, and he started to return to flesh. He gasped for air, taking in deep breaths, probably just happy he could actually do it again.