Tennis Court

Part 5

 12 Years Later...

"Thank you, come again. Who's next?"

A line of people were stretched around the local Barnes & Noble, waiting on Alger King to sign their books, clutched tightly in their hands. Many of them were girls, pretty women with pedicrued nails and curled hair, twirling a strand as they approached him. Others were boys that stepped up, blushing, as if they were approaching the bench in court. Alger would have been embarassed, too, if he'd been caught getting a sci-fi action involving erotica signed by the male author.

"God, we're running out!" Tina cried, stacking another three by Alger's side. The cover was decorated in blue font and stars.

Alger chuckled as a young girl stepped up. "Who do I make it out to?" He asked, taking the book from her gently.

She smiled. "Adeline."

"Ah!" Alger said, signing in swooping, cursive letters: "My dear Adeline, how the stars in your eyes glisten like the galaxy." - Alger King (A famous line from the book). "Like one of the main character's many love interests!"

She nodded. "I did my hair like hers. Can you tell?"

It was orange, curly, half-shaved and a bit of a mess. But, it was beautiful and glowing like Adeline's.

"Yes. And I love it. You should try out for the role. I just sold the rights."

She gasped. "You think so?"

He nodded, genuinely, handing the book back to her. "Absolutely. Have a good one, Adeline."

They gave each other a two-fingered salute and said: "For future, present, and past, fight on!" Which, of course, was the slogan of the protagonists in his novel 'Quardrent X', a sci-fi action novel involving erotica, fast cars, and lots of explosions. It was perfect.

"At ease, soldier," Alger said, dismissing her.

Near tears, the overwhelmed fangirl named Adeline stepped outside the bookstore, nearly screaming with excitement.

"God, these girls will kill me," Alger said with a laugh."Nah," Tina said, slapping him on the back. "They love you too much for that."

He chuckled. "I doubt that."

A hand stretched out, handing him the book with pale fingers. He took it without looking up, asking, "Who do I make it out to?"

She cleared her throat. "I'd prefer Bubbles, but Esther works, too."

He paused, looking up very, very slowly, as if she were a deer and if he made any sudden movements she might dash away. But, it was her, there, standing in a ray of afternoon sunlight with a glass Coke in her hand, a smile on her face. He would not expect to see her smiling like that. Her roots were showing, the hair around her face was blonde and curly, fake blue exstentions clipped into the back of her hair. She had on very short shorts that were blue under her favorite pink sweater that hung off one shoulder, exposing pink-red-edged roses. He could see the vines creeping down her fingers. There was another tattoo, on her wrist, and he had to read it upside down. Alger. On the other one: King.