the graceless

[instar]

Bella sits out, this year as every year, from gym class. It's just asking for a lawsuit. She does stretches and crunches and push-ups in the corner.

Comments

[instar]

Sandwich.

[pandion]

Andi looks her over, then tells Trouble, "She's okay."

[aeskhyne]

He smiles. "Good."

[pandion]

"I would totally hand Bella a genie if I had one," Andi adds loyally.

[aeskhyne]

"Bet you would," Trouble agrees.

[instar]

The twins eat their lunches.

[aeskhyne]

Trouble eats his, which appears to have been brought from home.

[pandion]

"Trade you my fruit cocktail cup thing for your kiwi."

[aeskhyne]

"Sure," says Trouble. He hands her the kiwi.

[pandion]

Andi completes the trade and consumes the kiwi. Nom!

[aeskhyne]

Trouble consumes the fruit cocktail cup thing. Everyone is happy!

[instar]

Eventually lunch ends. Off go the girls.

Bella sits out of gym as usual; today she has little weights she's holding while she does her crunches.

[aeskhyne]

"Hi," says Trouble. "Sorry I made you mad at lunch."

[instar]

"It's not a big deal. If you ever find a bottled genie give me another shot at earning your approval for genie-use, yeah? It's moot otherwise."

[aeskhyne]

He shrugs. "Sure thing."

[instar]

The bell rings; Bella shelves the weights and folds up the mat.



"My dad used to like that I wanted to do something important. Never patronized me about it. Lately he seems to think it's about time I outgrew it, or something. Like it was only ever cute and now I'm too old to be cute."

[aeskhyne]

"Aww, I'm sorry," says Trouble. "I didn't know. That really sucks."

[instar]

"Yeah. Renée is still normal about it and we live with her most of the time," shrugs Bella.

[aeskhyne]

"I think it's nice that you want to do something important," he says. "Like it's nice that you get along with your sister."

[instar]

"You just aren't convinced I know the difference between curing cancer and military dictatorship, or something."

[aeskhyne]

"It's not always that easy."

[instar]

"Do you have an example in mind or are you just cynical beyond your years?"

[aeskhyne]

"I am so fucking cynical, you don't even know," says Trouble. "I could win world fucking championships of cynical."

[instar]

"You are probably not cynical enough if you think you could beat seven billion people at cynicism."

[aeskhyne]

He laughs.