Page 27 of Hopelessly Teavoted
Vickie:oh shit, I’m sorry. What happened?
Azrael:not a current student, thankfully. A college kid. He graduated three years ago so there are quite a few kids who knew him, and we just want to be ready to help.
Vickie:That’s so awful, Az. I’m sorry.
Azrael:I’m just glad they have a training for it. I think we’re also going to get lessons on preventing overdoses.
Azrael:Tell me something happy, though. Distract me for a moment?
Vickie:Can do. Remember the time Mrs. Kingfisher in the front office actually clutched a pearl necklace when your parents got you for early dismissal? I thought that was just an expression.
Azrael:Yeah, well, she was pretty uptight.
Vickie:Probably didn’t help that your dad thwacked your mom’s ass on the way in.
Azrael:I imagine not.
Vickie:Or that your mom did likewise on the way out.
Azrael:The horrors, really.
Vickie:I’m glad I knew them, Az.
Azrael:Me too. Their memories really are a blessing.
Azrael:Hey Vickie?
Vickie:Yeah?
Azrael:Thanks. For the saltshakers, and for talking me through this.
Vickie:That’s what friends do. Let me know about Wednesday.
He didn’t want to end it there, but he also didn’t want to bother her at work, so he opted to feed Emily Lickinson, who was meowing plaintively at his ankles. He needed coffee, and then he needed to check his email.
CHAPTER 8Victoria
She tried not to take it personally that Azrael was taking a tour of their old high school instead of hanging out on her day off, but it did mean that she had finally tackled organizing and cleaning the apartment for a few hours, and then catching up on laundry.
Around noon, her phone buzzed, and she was glad no one was around to see how widely she grinned when it was him.
Azrael:Mrs. Kingfisher still works here.
Azrael:She was in charge of getting me a parking pass and staff badges.
Azrael:I was just sad not to have anybody’s ass to smack
Vickie:All you had to do was ask
Vickie:Kidding
She wasn’t, not entirely, but it was too easy to fall back into this, to pretend that what had happened in college hadn’t happened, and that they were still friends with potential the way they had once been.
They were still friends, though.
Azrael:That’s OK, probably best not to anger the person in charge of helping me if I lose my badge
Azrael:Which I don’t plan on doing. I’m still terrified of her.
