Little Miss Babysitter

-- 33 --

I dedicate this chapter to you all. I reached 1,000,000 reads on March 17th, 2014. Thank you.

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The wind howled in my ears, the melancholy melody whistling through the trees. A light rain padded my cheeks, each drop fading as quickly as it had come. It was a strange day to visit the graveyard. But I figured, what better time? There won't be one. One thing that has taken me longer than forever to figure out is that there will always be a reason not to do something. I just have to want it bad enough to not care.

"Hey, Pear." I sat down with a huff and gazed up at the clouded sky. Perry sat by my side, his face a stony mess of words and dates. "Nice day, huh?"

I chuckled.

"School's out. It let out last Friday." I bobbed my head side-to-side. "I have nothing to do anymore, 'sept for going to the Rider's. Our efforts were wasted, by the way. Nate's gone.

"But I have a hypothesis." I shrank into my sweater and cracked a mischevious sneer. I had thought it over time and time again, but I still remained stuck on how I was going to carry out my plans. "See, Nate joined this club. I'll spare you the details, but I know where they're gonna be next. A place called Riverside, and I'm going. I'm going, I'm going. I'm going to find him and knock some sense into that pea brain of his."

Perry remained silent.

I glanced over at his tombstone. "Your middle name is Kansas? That's weird, Pear."

My jokes turned sour and I grimaced at the sky. The rain had stopped.

"I'll get him back. I promise." I stood. "You didn't die in vain. I'll make sure of it. Bye, Perry."

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 "You're serious."

"Just do it!"

"I'm not very comfortable with this."

"Taya, I didn't ask if you were comfortable with this. I asked you to do this."

Taya crinkled the skin around her eyebrows, turning them up in the middle. She began to pace the room, her pig-covered socks making her slide on the wood panels of my bedroom floor.

"Since when did 'Crazy Taya' get harnessed? I was under the impression that you'd be all for it." I sighed, keeping an amused eye on her. "I guess I'll have to find someone else to help me, then."

"No, no, no! I'll do it!" She screeched, her whines turning into grumbles. "Better me than anyone else. At least you know this witness 'didn't see anything'."

Before I could respond, she peeled off the plastic backing and slapped the tattoo along my collarbone. Taking a damp sponge, she lapped it along my chest for a good two minutes, and ever so gingerly, she took the soggy paper with two fingers and carefully plucked it off.

"Great." She blew her bangs out of her face and flopped onto the bed. "Now I'm an accomplice. What the heck is that for, anyway?"

"The club where Nate is staying has a very... reserved VIP list." I lied through my teeth, apparently convincingly, for she made a face of disgust and buried her face in the fluff of my pillow. I glanced down at the sleeping dragon, impressed with the color payoff. Taya must have had a steady hand, for I can't see any imperfections with it.

Well, at least now I'm committed. There was only one tattoo like that that came in the pack, and I don't want to have to drive out again.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I slipped it out all too quick to avoid any pestering questions.

"Hell-"

"You think you're so cool, asshole?!"

Stop. Who was speaking?