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Chapter 1: Brink of Insanity

Chapter 1: Brink of Insanity

It started in the month of January 2014...

"Just give it to me," I demand in frustration at his decline to at least bargain for it.

"No!" the kid shouts directly into my face.

"Please!" I try to reason with him, my temper about to get the best of me. I only have so much patience...

"No!" he repeats in the same tone and pitch as if he's enjoying the banter, whereas I'm not.

"How much do you want for it?" I question, willing to bribe the conniving child for it.

"How much you got?" he asks me, his interest spiked at the mention of money.

I think I just found what makes this kid tick. I may just speak his language yet.

"Only got one dollar on me," I lie, taking my chances. I have nothing on me.

"Still no," he answers in ease, stringing me along for the ride. He's exploiting my weakness.

"That's it!" I crouch down to his level and try to grab the bubblegum ice cream out of his short stubby arms. "You've clearly had too much anyways!"

"Aqueela! What the hell are you doing?" a familiar voice calls out to me as if to reprimand me.

I groan at the sound and ignore her as I turn back to the midget before me. "Listen, kid, if I make a trade will you give it to me then?" I ask politely, trying to get into his good books. It might just be too late for that. I've blown all my shots to hell.

When he stubbornly shakes his head at me, all the little of my self-control flies out the window. I grit my teeth together and leap forward to attack but a sudden tight grip on my wrist tugs me back, keeping me set in place.

I spin around to see who it is that is proving to be an obstacle in my path of destruction. When my eyes meet her blue-green ones, I sink my head in submission and turn away in shame. "Why hello there, Bells," I mumble sheepishly, "how nice of you to finally join us. Maybe you can help me kill Pork Chop over here?" I huff in defeat as the boy snickers, finding all of this to be in his full entertainment.

Bells gasps at my rudeness and turns to the little boy apologetically, still holding me tightly in place. "Forgive my friend, she's an idiot."

"I noticed," the boy grins evilly, smirking at me before taking a long lick of his ice cream, clearly antagonizing me.

"Can you please be so kind as to tell me where you got that ice cream?" Bells asks him.

I scoff to myself, "Been there, done that." I've already spent an hour trying to find out where he bought it. The kid is headstrong and persistent in not telling me.

"Niceness will get you far in life," Bells insists whilst I openly disagree with her. If you're nice, people walk all over you and use you as their personal doormat. Again, been there, done that.

"Whatever you say," I fake a yawn as I squirm in her grip, trying to break free, but she's stronger than she looks -- or maybe I'm just weaker than I look.

My first attempt was asking the kid where he bought that magnificent bubblegum ice cream but he blatantly refused to tell me. Thus, I tried to get my hands on his ice cream. I would have succeeded had Bell not been meddling in my business like the pesky kid she is.