The Rift Between Pages

Money-Money-Bling-Bling

              Valentine sat down on the opposing end of the table, facing Linda. They were locked in an eerie staring competition as Linda poured herself a cup of tea. The smooth stream of chai falling into her cup ended somewhat abruptly, the clinking of Linda's tea cup shaking Valentine from their glare into Linda's large blue eyes. "So then, what about the book?" Linda smirked almost too widely, her thin lips smeared with dark red lipstick. Valentine considered their words carefully, as they always did. A twist in their stomach weighed down their actions, but they chose to ignore it. "I was wondering, why are you buying it? Like, why is it important to you?" Linda chuckled, examining Valentine's features meticulously while responding, "Well, it's not that big a deal to me per say," Linda paused to sip her tea, smacking down a crumbly madeleine cookie in a disgusting manner. "But my husband, Doctor Scott, finds ancient artifacts quite interesting indeed. He bought it with intent to study it in a way. Though I'm sure your little teenaged brain couldn't comprehend that big sentence, huh?" Linda pursed her lips sympathetically, but Valentine was stuck on 'Doctor Scott'. Does she call her husband Doctor Scott? "Well anyway, I should go pick up Doctor Scott, say, do you happen to go to East Louisiana High?" A shock ran through Valentine's veins, and they cleared their throat before continuing, "Yes, yes I do. Why do you ask?" Valentine eyed the cookies suspiciously, thinking about what she could've baked them with. "Well, my dear Cassie will be attending soon! He isn't the best at making friends, so I've been looking for someone for him. His father's an Archeologist, so we move around a bunch for his work." She summed up. Valentine brushed their hands against the seams of their jeans. Who's Cassie? Linda's son? Or...daughter? "How about you two go have fun? Cassie's been aching to go out lately. What did you say your name was?"  Valentine hesitated before saying, "Valentine. And no, you-uh-didn't ask me." Linda took a sip of her tea—scratch that, she downed that tea as fast as possible, and stood to walk to the stairs. "Cassie! We have a visitor!" She dragged out her last word in a sing-song fashion, turning back to Valentine to initiate conversation. "Valentine! That's...unique! Where's it from?" Valentine awkwardly shifted on the seat, replying with their voice higher pitched, unknown to them though. "Well, I was born on February 14." Linda placed a hand on her chest, her eyebrows furrowing and her everlasting smile pursing again. "Aww, that's so—Cassie I said we have company!—that's so cute! Did your mom or your dad name you?" Valentine blinked, and the silence was loud before they spoke, "Have you ever talked to my Mamá?" Linda shook her head, responding again. "No, but I'm sure she's wonderful!" The sound of a door creaking open and shut slowly, and thuds of footsteps running down the stairs interrupted our conversation. 

              "Coming!" A boy with dull blonde hair and blue-green eyes bounded down the stairs and landed next to Linda, who took the opportunity to bring the back of her hand against his face. He reeled back, exclaiming a loud, "Ow!" Linda pointed a demanding finger at him, her other hand residing on her hip. "What did we say about slamming our doors?" He mumbled something in return, his hand resting on his face where she'd slapped him. "Now then, Cassie this is Valentine, Valentine this is Cassie. Cassie, she goes to your school!" The boy, Cassie apparently, locked eyed with Valentine, before looking back up at Linda. "...ok? What about them?" Linda side-eyed him harshly, before looking back at Valentine and speaking with urgency, "Valentine is going to go to your school! I think that starting this friendship off early would be nice! So then, how about you two hit up the Ice Cream shop on the corner? I heard it's cheap!" Valentine stood from the couch, heading for the door without looking back. "Not hungry?" Linda asked, motioning towards the untouched madeleine cookies and teacup. "Not really. I'll bring my car back around; it'll only be a second." Linda waved, and Valentine closed the door behind them. They went around the back side of their house, opening the door and stretching their arm through the door, retrieving the key to their car. They drove the car up to Linda's house, parking in the driveway and pressing a button on their left side to unlock all of the car doors. The passenger-side entrance opened with a click, and the boy climbed into the vehicle. The door shut after that, and the doors locked. The passenger pulled his seatbelt over himself and buckled it, turning to face Valentine, who was already watching him. "Be honest, do you want me to just drop you off at a park nearby?" He waved the thought away with his hand. "It's alright. My mom has a tracker on my phone anyway. Also, she's paying for us, so..." He dragged out his last word playfully, pulling a roll of cash from his pocket, which was a bit ironic. "What did you say your name was again?" Valentine questioned, backing out from the driveway "It's Cassius Cassh, please just call me Cassius. It's absolutely infuriating when Mom calls me 'Cassie'. Especially in front of people." Valentine chuckled at the name, keeping her eyes on the road but commented, "Cassius is a cool name and all, but that last name is certainly selling it. Can I call you money-money-bling-bling?" He covered his mouth to try and prevent the overwhelming urge to burst out in laughter, though it did next to nothing as he broke down in laughter. He blinked away tears after a few seconds, uttering shakily back, "Money-money...bling-bling?" Valentine shrugged, letting a few laughs escape their mouth as well. "Why not cherish the opportunities while you have 'em?" He nodded, even though he knew they couldn't see him. 

              "Well we can talk about that in a second; we're here."