Flash Fiction Friday - October 23 2009

[Natalia]

My turn to start this! Post this week's Flash Fiction Friday stories
here!

[Natalia]

Worst Case Scenario


"What's the worst that could happen?" she asked, in her best I'm-being-
reassuring voice. It sounded vaguely familiar, like Mom's, before the
stroke.

I paced around the room another time for good measure before
answering, "He tells me he's put fast-acting poison in my coffee and
I'll be dead before I can stand up?"

She pursed her lips. "Don't drink the coffee."

"He could put it in lemonade, too."

"For Heaven's sake, Marcia," she said, "you don't have to list every
possible drink they sell at the cafe that could be poisoned. All I'm
saying is don't do anything you're not comfortable with."

I blinked back tears. "I'm not comfortable with this. With any of
this."

In one smooth motion, Pamela left her chair and was immediately beside
me, shrink-wrapping me with her arms.

"I know, baby sister, I know," she murmured into my hair. "Do you want
me to go with you? I could, you know. Or I could go instead of you."

"I haven't been your baby sister for a couple dozen years now," I
said, "and no, I have to do this alone."

I tried in vain to disentangle myself from her all-encompassing arms.
She always turned into such an octopus when she hugged. She hugged
like her hug was the only thing keeping the hug-ee from being
swallowed up by the earth. I'd say her hugs brought out my
claustrophobia, but that would be a slight exaggeration.

Pamela squeezed me even tighter before finally releasing me. "You'll
always be my baby sister. Even when you're as old as dirt. Hey,
remember when Pluto was a planet?"

I awarded her a a subtle upward tugging of my lips that only she could
have caught and she grinned triumphantly back at me in response.

"Okay. Here I go. Moving. Anytime now. See you after the Last Great
Meet-up. Bye-bye." But my feet didn't obey my words and I looked at
Pamela helplessly. "Well....this is me going..."

"Careful, don't get whiplash..." Pamela shot me one of her infamous
looks, again reminding me of pre-stroke Mom. I may have been the one
to resemble Mom the most when it came to looks, but Pamela had
definitely inherited her mannerisms and intonations. I never told her
this, though, in case it made her stop.

"Right. I can do this," I said, "I'll just go. Tell him in the end,
love just wasn't enough. Tell him it was fun. Tell him I'll always
remember him. Not tell him what he has to change because there's no
point. Give him back his jacket and that random orange sock. And then
get the hell out of Dodge before I pull a Niagara Falls."

She smiled wryly at me and handed me my own coat. With one last
lingering look into the mirror, I strode semi-confidently to the door.

"Hey, kid?"

I turned around, eyebrow raised.

She paused, poker-faced. "Don't drink the lemonade."

[AlleyCat34]

Ok, I seriously need a life. This is probably the most random thing I
have written in a VERY long time. Probably shouldnt have written when
my head full of Trek and nothing else. *sigh* Enjoy my randomness!

Title: Room Service
WC: 406




“Room Service.” I said looking across the table at Deanna and Annika.

“What?” Annika asked looking up from the data pad she was reading and
tucking a length of blond hair behind her ear.

I just nodded and said nothing.

“What in the hell are you talking about?” Deanna’s eyes narrowed as
she tried to figure out if I was serious or not.

“I want to be pampered.” I said a little louder. People in Ten
Forward, looked up from what they were doing at the sound of my voice.

“We all want to be pampered, honey, but that aint the way that it
works.” Deanna chewed the end of her straw.

“Seriously Kasidy, what are you on today?” Annika asked and then
without waiting for a reply she turned back to her data pad and Deanna
flipped her curly black hair over her shoulder and leaned in to get a
better look at the screen.

“I want a staff to cater to our every whim!” I said standing up
raising my hands up and turning around.

“Oh my god Kasidy what are you doing?” they almost spoke in perfect
unison, Deanna almost knocking her soda over.

“I want to be embarrassed by the size of our room.” I said spinning
around in a circle.

Neither Annika nor Deanna said anything they just looked at each
other.

“I want a balcony, with a view that would make you want to break down
and cry from the sheer beauty of it all.”

Everyone in the room had stopped what they were doing and were now
watching me. My friends just sat there looking like they would like to
crawl under the table.

“And I don't want to spend one moment of our –“

“Kasidy!” Annika hissed, embarrassment clear on her face.

“- suffering from anything except guilt about our complete self-
indulgence.”

“Sit down for crying out loud! Everyone’s starring at us!” Deanna’s
eyes wide as she grabbed my arm pulling me back down towards my chair.

I flopped back down into my chair and didn’t say anything.

“What were you doing? Are you crazy?” Annika, who wasn’t a person who
dealt well with embarrassment, was clearly having an issue with the
situation.

“I was just trying to figure out what he saw in her.” I said smiling.

“What are you talking about?”

“Never mind.” I said. “So anyways where are we headed again Risa or
Casperia Prime?”