𝙐𝙇𝙏𝙍𝘼𝙑𝙄𝙊𝙇𝙀𝙏 - 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙤𝙣

III

CHAPTER THREE
THE SILVER CAT

( episode 2: the mall rats cont. )

Henderson had better hoped he had an insanely good reasoning for putting Violet in this stint.

Rounding the corner to the peachy blue hue of Scoops Ahoy, Violet can already hear the bickering of boys from beyond the plastic pot plants. Her steps were quick; pedantic and stiff. Leaving the store closed without explanation was one thing to Violet. Letting it leave her eye-line from across the mall was another.

'.... No, no way. Hotter than Phoebe Cates? No.'

'Mhmm. Brilliant too,' she hears Dustin agree. 'And she doesn't even care that my real pearls are coming in. She says the kissing is better without teeth.'

Neither of them look up from their conversation of a melted lump of strawberry sundae between them. The store temperature starts to saturate her sheer stockings and bare arms, nimbly folded over her chest.

Dustin swivels around, face lighting up with delight. 'Harper,' he says. He pats on the empty space beside him. 'Thank you for joining us.'

Steve looks up at her in surprise. His hair, rarely free from its uniform cap, flails and curls in abstract waves atop his head. It was a little lighter to Violet. Or maybe it had grown a inch. He scoots aside so she can plop down into the booth. 'Henderson got a girl at his nerd camp,' he says to her in amazement.

'I know,' Violet says. 'She's got wings, supposedly...'

Dustin smiles whimsically. 'She is an angel.'

'... And safeguards piles of gold in a cave from all the wizards when the sun goes down.'

Dustin's smile drops. Steve conceals a giant grin behind the back of his hand, whereas Violet makes no attempt to hide her own.

'She's real,' he snaps. 'Assholes.'

Steve shifts an arm behind the booth. Violet shrugs the denim on from around her waist, buttoning it up. 'Look, I did just hear you suggest that she was hotter than—'