Page 6 of Crybaby
How dare the world put that look onJason’sface when he’d still been a teenager trying to figure out his worth?
Sasha looked at him for a long time, Jason staring fiercely back, before breaking out into a small but glowing smile.
“Okay. I’m trust you.”
“Damn right, you should trust me,” Jason grumbled, dizzily relieved at Sasha’s acceptance of Jason’s words.
“Toast, yes? To friends, and Russian food, and vodka, and brave year.”
“To friends, and Russian food, and vodka, and continuing to be brave.”
Sasha smiled and clinked their glasses and drank to the new year.
**********
“Did you really volunteer to buy Mitchy’s birthday present? He’s like…a massive pain in the ass,” Jason grumbled as he and Sasha stepped into the mall, one of the places that still seemed to delight Sasha even after all these years.
“He not crazy. He just worry a lot.”
“He was convinced he had lead poisoning the other day from chewing a pencil. Pencils don’t even have lead anymore.”
“He like a hundred years old. He worry.”
“He went to the hospital, Sasha. He didn’t even have symptoms.”
“So? Mind your own business.”
“Um, excuse me, it very much was my business because all his drama always happens in the middle of a big project.”
Sasha ignored him.
Jason shook his head sadly. “I can’t believe you’re on his side.”
“There is no side. You make side. Shut up and help me choose.”
“Maybe we should get him a lead-detection kit.”
“I said shut up.”
“You said to help!”
“Yes. You not helping, you shut up.”
“This is harassment.”
“Youare harassment.”
Jason ended up trailing after Sasha through gift shops and clothing stores, being as unhelpful as possible. By the one-hour mark, he’d dragged Sasha into sniping back until they were barely paying attention to the shopping, both trying not to laugh as they tormented each other.
“Urgh, let’s just get him a tie or something. That always works,” Jason said, definitely not whining.
“Tie is boring.”
“So what? He’s our co-worker. Nobody cares.”
“Youdon’t care.”
“Exactly. And I’m bored. Ooh, let’s go into the party store. Maybe we can find him a wand to make himself disappear the next time we have a big pitch, no need for fake hospital trips.”
