Bubble

My body tensed every time the little blob of pink was snapped. Charlene, her spunky blonde pigtails bouncing just above her purple uniform, seemed oblivious. She just kept yammering on about how Josh was the greatest boyfriend in the world. I kept offering noncommittal "mmm-hmm's" as I watched her mouth open and close, her tongue pushing and plodding the blob from one corner to the next. Mostly, I wished she'd shut her mouth.

"Stacey? Hello! Earth to Stacey?" she called. The little blob was stuffed between her teeth and cheek so she could snap her fingers in my face. "Are you listening to me?" Her face was filled with incredulity; one eyebrow arched higher then the other, her head tipped, her lips still smacking, and her hands out as if weighing the heft of good and evil.

"I'm sorry? What? I mean, I'm sorry I'm just a little distracted right now. SAT's being this weekend and all. You were talking about Josh, right?"

"Well, yeah...." Charlene chewed on her gum again. "So, what do you think I should do? Josh is the quarterback and I am the head cheerleader so I think people kind of expect us to, but....." she trailed off, expecting me to fill in the blanks and provide some guidance.

I could still see her jaw moving up and down. Suddenly, she pursed her lips and I watched as a small stream of pink poked out and then expanded. It grew less opaque as it ballooned in size and hid Charlene's pretty face. Without thinking, I picked up my fork and stabbed it into the thin wall. POP! The bubble deflated rapidly, blasting itself back onto Charlene's face.

"What the hell!" she yelled, covered in sticky pink goo. As she began peeling and scraping it off her face, I bust out laughing. Tension slipped through my fingertips and I finally found myself ready to pay attention to her problems.

*** Daily Writing Practice ***