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]

"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.

[instar]

"It's a very large number, you see."

[aeskhyne]

"Sure it is," he says. "But somebody's gonna come out on top."

[instar]

"Do you play the lottery, too?"

[aeskhyne]

He snorts. "No."

[instar]

"The competition is way fewer than seven billion, there, and the prize is better. At least, I'm pretty sure if you think the prize for a cynicism competition is going to be any good you automatically lose."

[aeskhyne]

Trouble giggles.

[instar]

"Why are you so prematurely cynical, anyhow?"

[aeskhyne]

"Figure it out," he suggests jokingly. "I'll give you a lottery ticket."

[instar]

"Hmm."

Bella makes an unreadable marking in her notebook, and then she puts it away again.

[aeskhyne]

Trouble laughs. He doesn't even look at the notebook. "What's that supposed to mean?"

[instar]

"I write lots of things down. So I don't forget them. If I'm trying to solve a puzzle I may as well collect my clues in an organized fashion."

[aeskhyne]

"I'm a puzzle now?"

[instar]

"Did you not just declare yourself one?"