short story inspired by Misty
“I can’t imagine ever being a turtle, can you? The wind whipped Darcy’s brilliant red curls around her face in a fiery halo as she turned to face Anna, who only giggled. “You my friend, are a total geek,”
“No!” Darcy insisted, “I like to be in control of my own destiny, choose my own fate,”
“What does that have to do with being a turtle?” Anna asked, shifting her increasingly heavy messenger bag to her other shoulder. The morning air was crisp, and small puffs of fog hovered around the girls’ mouths after each word, a cartoon sound bubble to accompany their speech.
“Turtles follow the same path their whole lives, over and over again,” answered Darcy through perfectly red lips. A group of freshman boys passed them and began to whistle and generally make fools out of themselves in hopes Darcy would notice. She did not, and continued on her rant about turtles. “The only way that they can ever mate is if their chosen path happens to cross another turtles chosen path of the opposite sex. Did you know turtle eggs albumen is white and contains a different protein than bird eggs…” Anna began to tune out the ramble. While Darcy was a self-proclaimed nerd, she still was the knockout of the dorm building and one of the prettiest girls on campus. Anna had gotten used to having boys stop them as they walked to classes or the dining hall, ignore her, and ask for Darcy’s number. Through their four years of friendship Anna had come to terms with her lack of men, and while Darcy loyally insisted that Anna had a very girl-next-door vibe going for her, none of the boys had seemed to find this appealing when the girl next door roomed with a redhead vixen. Darcy’s tangent about the ideal temperature for turtle hatchings was interrupted as the girls ran into a line of orange traffic cones. “Awww, man! I forgot about the construction,” Darcy whined.
Anna glanced at her watch and yelped. “Geez! we’re never going to get there on time. Dr. Gateas is going to be so mad,”
“Not if I can help it,” Darcy approached an older man in a construction hat, and putting on her most flirtatious look began to plead with him earnestly. “Excuse me sir, we’re going to be so late without this shortcut! I don’t even think I know another way to class. This is how we always walk. And our professor locks the door when he begins lecture. Please. Please let us through!” Anna arranged her face into her most pathetic puppy dog look she knew to back Darcy up.
The construction worker remained unimpressed. “Find another way. This is blocked off for two weeks. Good bye,” he finished firmly.
The two girls turned away and glanced at each other, then broke into a run towards their class. “This way!” Darcy directed Anna down a narrow pathway lined with tall shrubbery. “I made out with Blake back here a few times after class,” she panted. Anna was slightly more athletic than Darcy and passed her when she saw the science building ahead. “We’re going to make it!” she craned her head backwards to shout at Darcy then ran full force into someone.
“Oomph!”
“I’m so sorry! Are you alright?” a deep voice full of concern asked, and a hand reached down to help Anna up. As the figure came into focus, Anna saw he was tall with dark curly hair. The glasses perched on his nose were askew from the impact, giving him a slightly goofy appearance.
“Oh yes, I’m fine,” Anna gasped out, unsure if her heart was pounding because of the sprint to class or the close proximity to the handsome stranger. At her words, he smiled and dimples popped out on either side.
“Anna, we’ve…got to get… to class,” Darcy had finally caught up and stood gasping for breath with her hands on her knees. Anna braced herself for the inevitable shift in focus from herself to Darcy, but the boy only glanced over then locked eyes with her again. Anna realized she still hadn’t let go of his hand and awkwardly slid herself out of his grip but was unable to break her eyes away from his face.
“Anna!” Darcy insisted.
“I’ll be there in a second,” Anna weakly replied.
“Fine, I’m outie,” Darcy paused for a second to see if Anna was coming, then walked away into the building.
“I’m Jamie,” the boy introduced himself, “Are you sure you’re alright? That was quite a tackle,”
Anna goggled at him, unable to find anything clever or intelligent to say. “Anna,” she finally managed to choke out, offering her hand.
“Anna,” Jamie repeated, his eyes twinkling. “Have you had class here all year? I always leave this way and I’ve never seen you before,”
Anna, having finally recovered her power of coherent speech replied “Oh, we usually take the shortcut by Harrison but they’re repaving the sidewalk,”
“Right,” Jamie picked up her bag and handed it to her.
“Oh! But…I’m late. I’m so sorry, I really have to go,” Anna apologetically began walking backwards towards her class.
“Maybe I’ll see you walking this way again then?” Jamie took a step towards her.
“Oh yes! Defiantly! You know….because of the construction,” Anna stuttered, then turned and fled towards class, hearing Jamie’s laughter follow her to the door. She barely made it in the room before her professor shut the door, and slid into the seat Darcy had saved for her.
“You’re right,” she whispered as the lights dimmed for the power point to start up. “About what?” Darcy asked back quietly.
“I can’t imagine ever being a turtle.”
a/n: sorry this is possibly the most random thing ever, but sometimes I get an idea in my head that I have to put down on paper.
“No!” Darcy insisted, “I like to be in control of my own destiny, choose my own fate,”
“What does that have to do with being a turtle?” Anna asked, shifting her increasingly heavy messenger bag to her other shoulder. The morning air was crisp, and small puffs of fog hovered around the girls’ mouths after each word, a cartoon sound bubble to accompany their speech.
“Turtles follow the same path their whole lives, over and over again,” answered Darcy through perfectly red lips. A group of freshman boys passed them and began to whistle and generally make fools out of themselves in hopes Darcy would notice. She did not, and continued on her rant about turtles. “The only way that they can ever mate is if their chosen path happens to cross another turtles chosen path of the opposite sex. Did you know turtle eggs albumen is white and contains a different protein than bird eggs…” Anna began to tune out the ramble. While Darcy was a self-proclaimed nerd, she still was the knockout of the dorm building and one of the prettiest girls on campus. Anna had gotten used to having boys stop them as they walked to classes or the dining hall, ignore her, and ask for Darcy’s number. Through their four years of friendship Anna had come to terms with her lack of men, and while Darcy loyally insisted that Anna had a very girl-next-door vibe going for her, none of the boys had seemed to find this appealing when the girl next door roomed with a redhead vixen. Darcy’s tangent about the ideal temperature for turtle hatchings was interrupted as the girls ran into a line of orange traffic cones. “Awww, man! I forgot about the construction,” Darcy whined.
Anna glanced at her watch and yelped. “Geez! we’re never going to get there on time. Dr. Gateas is going to be so mad,”
“Not if I can help it,” Darcy approached an older man in a construction hat, and putting on her most flirtatious look began to plead with him earnestly. “Excuse me sir, we’re going to be so late without this shortcut! I don’t even think I know another way to class. This is how we always walk. And our professor locks the door when he begins lecture. Please. Please let us through!” Anna arranged her face into her most pathetic puppy dog look she knew to back Darcy up.
The construction worker remained unimpressed. “Find another way. This is blocked off for two weeks. Good bye,” he finished firmly.
The two girls turned away and glanced at each other, then broke into a run towards their class. “This way!” Darcy directed Anna down a narrow pathway lined with tall shrubbery. “I made out with Blake back here a few times after class,” she panted. Anna was slightly more athletic than Darcy and passed her when she saw the science building ahead. “We’re going to make it!” she craned her head backwards to shout at Darcy then ran full force into someone.
“Oomph!”
“I’m so sorry! Are you alright?” a deep voice full of concern asked, and a hand reached down to help Anna up. As the figure came into focus, Anna saw he was tall with dark curly hair. The glasses perched on his nose were askew from the impact, giving him a slightly goofy appearance.
“Oh yes, I’m fine,” Anna gasped out, unsure if her heart was pounding because of the sprint to class or the close proximity to the handsome stranger. At her words, he smiled and dimples popped out on either side.
“Anna, we’ve…got to get… to class,” Darcy had finally caught up and stood gasping for breath with her hands on her knees. Anna braced herself for the inevitable shift in focus from herself to Darcy, but the boy only glanced over then locked eyes with her again. Anna realized she still hadn’t let go of his hand and awkwardly slid herself out of his grip but was unable to break her eyes away from his face.
“Anna!” Darcy insisted.
“I’ll be there in a second,” Anna weakly replied.
“Fine, I’m outie,” Darcy paused for a second to see if Anna was coming, then walked away into the building.
“I’m Jamie,” the boy introduced himself, “Are you sure you’re alright? That was quite a tackle,”
Anna goggled at him, unable to find anything clever or intelligent to say. “Anna,” she finally managed to choke out, offering her hand.
“Anna,” Jamie repeated, his eyes twinkling. “Have you had class here all year? I always leave this way and I’ve never seen you before,”
Anna, having finally recovered her power of coherent speech replied “Oh, we usually take the shortcut by Harrison but they’re repaving the sidewalk,”
“Right,” Jamie picked up her bag and handed it to her.
“Oh! But…I’m late. I’m so sorry, I really have to go,” Anna apologetically began walking backwards towards her class.
“Maybe I’ll see you walking this way again then?” Jamie took a step towards her.
“Oh yes! Defiantly! You know….because of the construction,” Anna stuttered, then turned and fled towards class, hearing Jamie’s laughter follow her to the door. She barely made it in the room before her professor shut the door, and slid into the seat Darcy had saved for her.
“You’re right,” she whispered as the lights dimmed for the power point to start up. “About what?” Darcy asked back quietly.
“I can’t imagine ever being a turtle.”
a/n: sorry this is possibly the most random thing ever, but sometimes I get an idea in my head that I have to put down on paper.