"Venomous Pt 5 - Innocuous" Rosie/Carter, Princess Protection Program - G
Title: Venomous Part 5 - Innocuous
Fandom: Princess Protection Program
Pairing: Carter/Rosie
Rating: G
Words: ~2800
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, not intended for profit or offense. I own no rights to the subjects.
Summary: A snake bite has aggravated the already fragile relationship between tomboy Carter Mason and misplaced Princess Rosalinda Montoya. But the girls grow closer after a shared experience of the popularity hierarchy.
Chapter One of Venomous
Chapter Two - Pernicious
Chapter Three - Detrimental
Chapter Four - Anodyne
When Chelsea picks Rosie up at 9 am with a bright red Udderly Yogurt uniform shirt laying in the passenger seat, she tells Rosie to be ‘super psyched’ that the girl who usually works the opening shift got “sick” today. Rosie is unsure she wants to celebrate someone else’s misfortune with illness, but is grateful nonetheless for the opportunity to prove herself to Carter.
And Rosie fairs all right for the first few hours. It’s not so bad, swirling yogurt into sugar cones and paper cups. Rosie finds there’s an art to the perfect little “swirly”, as Chelsea called it, but soon the store gets busy. And loud. And people get upset with her, and she feels nervous so she keeps messing up on the swirly, and she’s all alone in the back with these big machines that spew yogurt and things are just not going as planned, at all. Carter and her friend Edwin show up eventually, but only after Rosie suffers a humiliating fall on half-frozen, multicolored sugary milk product. The cow hat with the bells wasn’t very becoming either, she thinks as an afterthought. Even though she’s not sure what went wrong, Rosie accepts the failure as her own with dignity, as she was taught.
But even as Rosie holds her head high, yogurt-coated strands of hair sticking to her cheeks and neck, she thinks there must be some sort of cosmic practical joke being played on her. Every attempt she makes to prove herself to Carter ends in messy misfortune.
~~\/~~
“Ok, stand still,“ Carter commands Rosie when they’re back on Mason property, Rosie standing stiff and slightly fearful at the edge of the dock as Carter aims the green water hose at her, Ed shuffling sheepishly off to the side with some towels.
Rosie lets out a high-pitched scream as Carter squeezes the trigger and a waterfall of cold fresh water begins to blast her free of yogurt. “Pretend you’re on fire, it’ll make it seem less cold!” Carter offers between giggles. She remembers having to suffer the same treatment from her dad, back when Chelsea had set up the same disastrous yogurt gig for Carter in Sophomore year. She should have known back then it was a trap; just like she should’ve warned Rosie last night to stay away from Chelsea ”I’m so very popular" Barnes.
When Carter relents finally, Ed is there in an instant, being helpfully obnoxious as he fumbles to throw towels on a now shivering Rosie and pat her down. Carter restrains him by the collar so that Rosie can dry herself, and has him help her roll up the hose instead.
As they make their way to the house, Carter can’t restrain herself from teasing, “So, Rosie, you ever had a hose down back in Costa Luna, or was this another American first for you?”
“Haha, what?” Ed asks with jovial curiosity. Carter’s eyes go impossibly wide as she realizes her mistake. Rosie is left speechless, so Carter tries to cover.
“Ah, haha, ya know… ‘cuz hose downs are universally funny… even in…foreign countries…where she lived… for awhile....” Carter realizes with slight chagrin that her covering methods are a bit rusty.
“Oh! Costa Luna, that island in the tropics, right? Must’ve been nice, it’s beautiful in the pictures. The monarchy puts the environment in high priority over there,” Ed scratches his chin thoughtfully,
“How do you know so much about Costa Luna?” Carter asks incredulously.
“What? I did a presentation on it for Culture Day in freshman year.”
Carter gives him a blank stare.
“Carter! I can’t believe you don’t remember, it was my proudest moment when I told Donny the exact coordinates of the island after he asked if it’s ’That place off the coast of who gives a crap!’ Ed exclaims in his best “I’m a big dumb jock type” voice.
Carter shares a well, what’re the odds? look with Rosie. “Oh, right. Sorry, buddy. Guess I was a bit preoccupied that year with building up a seething rage towards Chelsea and her minions. But, uh, hey, why don’t you go and get the laundry machine going? I’ll get Rosie some new clothes.”
“Yea, all right,” Ed nods as he takes the used towels from a still quite silent Rosie.
Rosie grabs Carter’s arm and drags her, with a surprising amount of grace for such a motion, to Carter’s room. Spinning around fast and glaring at Carter, Rosie begins to speak in a voice so low that Carter feels a cold chill of fear slip down her spine.
“Carter, I understand that you are quite close to your friend Edwin, but I am very displeased with what just transpired. Has your father not expressed to you how critical it is that I remain in complete anonymity?”
Carter sighs and goes to her dresser so she can fish out some new clothes for Rosie. “Of course I know, I just... I don’t know. I lost it for a second. You looked so funny, like a wet dog, I couldn’t help it…”
Turning around to hand the royal “wet dog” a pink top and jeans, Carter catches the look on her face. “I meant like, a cute wet dog. With floppy ears and a droopy tail, and stuff…… Sorry.” Carter cringes.
“But hey, don’t sweat it, he still doesn’t know you’re the princess of Costa Luna, we’ll just say you lived there - “ Carter’s eyes go impossibly wide a second time as she spots the open crack in her doorway. Marching past Rosie, Carter swings open the door, revealing a slightly crouched Ed, poised with his hand in position to knock. Straightening up quickly and somehow almost tripping over his feet in the process, he stutters, “Uh-uh, the uh- laundry’s -uh- ready - whenever…”
Carter’s tone and volume is reminiscent of Rosie’s, just moments before, “… Ed…You heard that last part?”
“…maybe… probably not, I’ve got bad ears, ya know,” Ed laughs awkwardly and rubs his arm.
Carter looks back to Rosie apologetically. Turning back to Ed, she sighs heavily and leads them out into the kitchen, giving Rosie some privacy to change.
“All right, here’s the deal. My dad? He doesn’t just sell bait- He works for an international organization that rescues people from rough situations. Specifically, royal princesses.”
Ed’s eyes narrow attentively and he nods curtly in understanding, “So, like a secret agent?”
“Yea, exactly.”
“I knew it! He’s so tough and strong, I knew he had to have some sort of cool military training - and you’re an agent too? Is your house actually a secret headquarters, and the bait shop is where you get all your secret transmissions, and the boathouse is actually a cover for your helicopter pad?!”
“……What? No! Have you been secretly thinking about all these things?!”
“Er, no. Sorry. Continue,” Ed says quickly.
“Thank you,” Carter replies sarcastically. “Now, ‘Rosie’ (she uses air quotes around the pseudonym) is here because she needs protection in a place the bad guys won’t find her. She’s not my cousin, and she’s most definitely not from Iowa.”
“Yea, kinda picked up on that when she went all formal on her burger in the cafe,” Ed shrugs. Carter nods enthusiastically. She invades Ed’s personal space and gets a firm grip on his arm, causing him to bend uncomfortably at the knees, his face cringing but attentive to Carter’s next words, “You’re a part of the secret now, so you have to swear not to tell anyone. I’ll get in soooooo much trouble with dad, you have no idea.”
“Ahhh -ah, yea, of course, I’d never!” Ed pleads when Carter squeezes for emphasis. “And anyway, you know I rarely talk to anybody but you, Carter…” he shuffles shyly, causing Carter to let him go and smile softly at him. “Yea. I know I can trust you. Just… be careful with that camera of yours, kay?”
Ed smiles jovially as Rosie walks into the room. “Ah, I believe a proper introduction is in order, my fair lady,” He pronounces as he bows with a flourish to Rosie, for the second time since meeting her.
~~\/~~
When Ed leaves a little while later, Carter is left alone in the kitchen with Rosie, and maybe it’s the heat of the early afternoon, but Carter can’t help but notice how defined Rosie’s bare shoulders are in that pink top. She figures it’s probably from years of having to keep her back straight in front of important dignitaries and what not, but whatever, it’s like, sweltering, so Carter grabs two sodas and suggests a walk to the swing near the canoe rack, where the breeze is cooler as it flows over the lake.
Something clicks in Carter when she learns of Rosie’s earnest desire to do something important with her life. Carter has yearned to make a difference to the world outside of humble Lake Monroe, but the dream always seemed so far out of reach. And her environment isn’t exactly supportive of “big worldly yearnings.” Where Carter comes from, it’s dangerous to be the nail that sticks out; the hammer comes down at too high a cost. High school taught her that much, at least.
But Rosie, a princess… she was raised to do amazing things and meet amazing people and eat amazing entrees. She was born into high class, and yet has such an unpretentious perspective about things. Carter was infinitely impressed with how Rosie handled the whole yogurt fiasco; even though personally she’ll be thinking about revenge on Chelsea and Brooke for the next week and a half.
But Carter doesn’t want to think about any of that stuff now, because when Rosie laughs, Carter laughs too, so much so that she almost spills her soda when she leans on Rosie’s shoulder on the swing. Carter doubts she’ll ever be old enough to not find belching funny.
As she sobers, Rosie’s locket glints in the sun and catches Carter’s eye, so she reaches over and cups it, flicking it open with her thumb to gaze at Rosie’s mother and father, the Queen and King of Costa Luna.
“What’s it like with royal parents? Are they gone a lot? Go on trips and make speeches and hold meetings?”
Rosie looks down at her parents’ smiling faces and hums. “Yes, there are times when they could be very busy. They wouldn’t be doing their job if they weren’t kept aware of what was happening in the country, how the people were living, if they were happy or had grievances… but we are very close. Although I had many tutors and staff at my disposal, Mother and Father always made time to be with me, teach me lessons that would help me in life.”
Carter smiles softly, “Yea… I guess me and dad are like that too. He was gone a lot on missions and whatever, but he’d always have a life lesson or a story to tell when he was around…”
“How long has your father been with the Princess Protection Program?”
“Dad used to be military, that’s where he did most of his training, until he was selected by PPP when I was four or five. He was one of their best agents though, so he got promoted real quick, and got sent away a lot more.” Carter’s eyes go unfocused as she continues, in a softer voice, “Eventually, mom couldn’t take it anymore - said she couldn’t raise this family by herself… and I got in a lot of trouble at school when I was younger, so I guess… maybe…” Carter shakes her head and drops Rosie’s locket. “Anyway, she left. So like, whatever,” Carter finishes abruptly and takes a swig of soda.
Rosie is skilled enough in personal communication to know that Carter doesn’t want an apology. So instead she puts her hand on Carter’s shoulder lightly and says, “Thank you for telling me about her.”
Carter raises her eyebrows as she looks back at Rosie over her shoulder, but just shrugs silently, taking another sip of soda. Rosie follows her example, then changes the subject of discussion.
“Your friend Edwin. He seems like a very nice boy.”
Carter lets out a hard laugh, but a genuine smile comes to her lips, “Yea, he’s kind of a dweeb, but he’s a good guy. He’s been a really good friend, ever since I shoved Steven Gautreaux in the playground for spitting on him. Even though he’s two years older than me, he kinda follows my lead. Dad calls us ‘misfits that fit together’.”
“You two seem very close.”
Rosie’s tone suggests nothing assuming, but Carter goes ahead and remarks, “Just so we’re clear, Ed’s just a friend. He’s just - “ Carter can’t contain the laugh that interrupts her sentence, “- just not my type.”
“Ah, I see. Then, boys like Donny fit into your preferred ‘type’?”
Carter balks and almost spills what’s left of her soda. “Let’s uh… let’s just not talk about boys anymore, kay?”
Rosie finds the blush that creeps onto Carter’s face endearing. “As you wish.”
Carter clears her throat loudly and kicks hard against the ground to get the swing to move again. It takes a while for her cheeks to lose their reddish hue, especially since Rosie won’t stop looking at her. But luckily she is saved when she hears the crunch of the gravel from the driveway, signifying that Mason is back from his trip to the super market.
“C’mon, dad’s home. Let’s see if he still remembers what a spaghetti dinner looks like - last time we tried it, he came home with Japanese ramen noodles,” Carter jokes as she jumps off the swing. Rosie slips off gracefully and flattens out her jeans before walking alongside her.
“Pasta is a very easy meal to make, I am confident it will not be a problem; especially considering that you will be helping him, as my new cooking protégé,” Rosie smiles winningly.
“Err, we’ll see about that,” Carter fires back with a quirked grin. “I’ll tell ya this much; I refuse to wear one of those flowery aprons.”
~~\/~~
“Can you feel that, Rosie?”
The princess leans her head back, her eyes looking to the wooden ceiling of Carter’s bedroom as she sighs quietly, “Yes, Carter.”
Carter’s finger is trailing lightly around Rosie’s wound, eliciting goosebumps from her soft touch. Rosie sits relaxed, leaning on her hands as she holds her injured leg out a bit to aid Carter’s inspection. It’s obvious that she’s very tired, especially after all that happened today. Carter’s still got some homework to do, but she’ll insist that Rosie goes to bed early, for school tomorrow.
“And over here?” Carter pokes just above the wound, where the skin is still inflamed and red.
“Yes...” Rosie breathes wearily.
“And… what about that?”
Rosie scrunches her face up in a way that Carter could only describe as adorable - if Carter were the type of girl to describe things with that word. “No… I can’t feel -“
Rosie is met with a clever smirk on Carter’s face, her fingers wiggling several inches away from Rosie’s leg. “That’s good, since I didn’t touch you,” the tomboy chuckles and flicks Rosie’s kneecap with her finger. Carter then pops the cap on the ointment again and squeezes out a small amount onto her finger, focusing intently on rubbing it onto Rosie’s skin. Rosie again finds herself studying the way Carter cares for her wound, knowledgeable and efficient, and it puts Rosie at ease.
“You are quite a medic, Carter Mason. You are calm and brave in the face of grim injuries.”
“Uh, thanks, but this is hardly grim. It’s more like… icky,” Carter laughs lamely as she caps the tube of ointment and reaches for a new rolled up bandage.
“That may be true, but I still find you to be confident and astute.” Carter’s face burns and she fumbles with the bandage, dropping it and watching as it rolls under the bed. Carter moves down to the floor to grab it, but Rosie leans forward to help her, and when Carter sits back up, she knocks her head right into Rosie’s chin.
“Ahssht!” Carter hisses as she reaches up to rub her head, before giggling softly, “I guess you can scratch off graceful from your list of ‘adjectives that describe Carter’.”
Rosie laughs genuinely while rubbing her chin. Carter finishes her job and leans back on her hands, and the girls share a smile that brightens the dim of Carter’s room.
~ Chapter 6 -
Fandom: Princess Protection Program
Pairing: Carter/Rosie
Rating: G
Words: ~2800
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, not intended for profit or offense. I own no rights to the subjects.
Summary: A snake bite has aggravated the already fragile relationship between tomboy Carter Mason and misplaced Princess Rosalinda Montoya. But the girls grow closer after a shared experience of the popularity hierarchy.
Chapter One of Venomous
Chapter Two - Pernicious
Chapter Three - Detrimental
Chapter Four - Anodyne
When Chelsea picks Rosie up at 9 am with a bright red Udderly Yogurt uniform shirt laying in the passenger seat, she tells Rosie to be ‘super psyched’ that the girl who usually works the opening shift got “sick” today. Rosie is unsure she wants to celebrate someone else’s misfortune with illness, but is grateful nonetheless for the opportunity to prove herself to Carter.
And Rosie fairs all right for the first few hours. It’s not so bad, swirling yogurt into sugar cones and paper cups. Rosie finds there’s an art to the perfect little “swirly”, as Chelsea called it, but soon the store gets busy. And loud. And people get upset with her, and she feels nervous so she keeps messing up on the swirly, and she’s all alone in the back with these big machines that spew yogurt and things are just not going as planned, at all. Carter and her friend Edwin show up eventually, but only after Rosie suffers a humiliating fall on half-frozen, multicolored sugary milk product. The cow hat with the bells wasn’t very becoming either, she thinks as an afterthought. Even though she’s not sure what went wrong, Rosie accepts the failure as her own with dignity, as she was taught.
But even as Rosie holds her head high, yogurt-coated strands of hair sticking to her cheeks and neck, she thinks there must be some sort of cosmic practical joke being played on her. Every attempt she makes to prove herself to Carter ends in messy misfortune.
~~\/~~
“Ok, stand still,“ Carter commands Rosie when they’re back on Mason property, Rosie standing stiff and slightly fearful at the edge of the dock as Carter aims the green water hose at her, Ed shuffling sheepishly off to the side with some towels.
Rosie lets out a high-pitched scream as Carter squeezes the trigger and a waterfall of cold fresh water begins to blast her free of yogurt. “Pretend you’re on fire, it’ll make it seem less cold!” Carter offers between giggles. She remembers having to suffer the same treatment from her dad, back when Chelsea had set up the same disastrous yogurt gig for Carter in Sophomore year. She should have known back then it was a trap; just like she should’ve warned Rosie last night to stay away from Chelsea ”I’m so very popular" Barnes.
When Carter relents finally, Ed is there in an instant, being helpfully obnoxious as he fumbles to throw towels on a now shivering Rosie and pat her down. Carter restrains him by the collar so that Rosie can dry herself, and has him help her roll up the hose instead.
As they make their way to the house, Carter can’t restrain herself from teasing, “So, Rosie, you ever had a hose down back in Costa Luna, or was this another American first for you?”
“Haha, what?” Ed asks with jovial curiosity. Carter’s eyes go impossibly wide as she realizes her mistake. Rosie is left speechless, so Carter tries to cover.
“Ah, haha, ya know… ‘cuz hose downs are universally funny… even in…foreign countries…where she lived… for awhile....” Carter realizes with slight chagrin that her covering methods are a bit rusty.
“Oh! Costa Luna, that island in the tropics, right? Must’ve been nice, it’s beautiful in the pictures. The monarchy puts the environment in high priority over there,” Ed scratches his chin thoughtfully,
“How do you know so much about Costa Luna?” Carter asks incredulously.
“What? I did a presentation on it for Culture Day in freshman year.”
Carter gives him a blank stare.
“Carter! I can’t believe you don’t remember, it was my proudest moment when I told Donny the exact coordinates of the island after he asked if it’s ’That place off the coast of who gives a crap!’ Ed exclaims in his best “I’m a big dumb jock type” voice.
Carter shares a well, what’re the odds? look with Rosie. “Oh, right. Sorry, buddy. Guess I was a bit preoccupied that year with building up a seething rage towards Chelsea and her minions. But, uh, hey, why don’t you go and get the laundry machine going? I’ll get Rosie some new clothes.”
“Yea, all right,” Ed nods as he takes the used towels from a still quite silent Rosie.
Rosie grabs Carter’s arm and drags her, with a surprising amount of grace for such a motion, to Carter’s room. Spinning around fast and glaring at Carter, Rosie begins to speak in a voice so low that Carter feels a cold chill of fear slip down her spine.
“Carter, I understand that you are quite close to your friend Edwin, but I am very displeased with what just transpired. Has your father not expressed to you how critical it is that I remain in complete anonymity?”
Carter sighs and goes to her dresser so she can fish out some new clothes for Rosie. “Of course I know, I just... I don’t know. I lost it for a second. You looked so funny, like a wet dog, I couldn’t help it…”
Turning around to hand the royal “wet dog” a pink top and jeans, Carter catches the look on her face. “I meant like, a cute wet dog. With floppy ears and a droopy tail, and stuff…… Sorry.” Carter cringes.
“But hey, don’t sweat it, he still doesn’t know you’re the princess of Costa Luna, we’ll just say you lived there - “ Carter’s eyes go impossibly wide a second time as she spots the open crack in her doorway. Marching past Rosie, Carter swings open the door, revealing a slightly crouched Ed, poised with his hand in position to knock. Straightening up quickly and somehow almost tripping over his feet in the process, he stutters, “Uh-uh, the uh- laundry’s -uh- ready - whenever…”
Carter’s tone and volume is reminiscent of Rosie’s, just moments before, “… Ed…You heard that last part?”
“…maybe… probably not, I’ve got bad ears, ya know,” Ed laughs awkwardly and rubs his arm.
Carter looks back to Rosie apologetically. Turning back to Ed, she sighs heavily and leads them out into the kitchen, giving Rosie some privacy to change.
“All right, here’s the deal. My dad? He doesn’t just sell bait- He works for an international organization that rescues people from rough situations. Specifically, royal princesses.”
Ed’s eyes narrow attentively and he nods curtly in understanding, “So, like a secret agent?”
“Yea, exactly.”
“I knew it! He’s so tough and strong, I knew he had to have some sort of cool military training - and you’re an agent too? Is your house actually a secret headquarters, and the bait shop is where you get all your secret transmissions, and the boathouse is actually a cover for your helicopter pad?!”
“……What? No! Have you been secretly thinking about all these things?!”
“Er, no. Sorry. Continue,” Ed says quickly.
“Thank you,” Carter replies sarcastically. “Now, ‘Rosie’ (she uses air quotes around the pseudonym) is here because she needs protection in a place the bad guys won’t find her. She’s not my cousin, and she’s most definitely not from Iowa.”
“Yea, kinda picked up on that when she went all formal on her burger in the cafe,” Ed shrugs. Carter nods enthusiastically. She invades Ed’s personal space and gets a firm grip on his arm, causing him to bend uncomfortably at the knees, his face cringing but attentive to Carter’s next words, “You’re a part of the secret now, so you have to swear not to tell anyone. I’ll get in soooooo much trouble with dad, you have no idea.”
“Ahhh -ah, yea, of course, I’d never!” Ed pleads when Carter squeezes for emphasis. “And anyway, you know I rarely talk to anybody but you, Carter…” he shuffles shyly, causing Carter to let him go and smile softly at him. “Yea. I know I can trust you. Just… be careful with that camera of yours, kay?”
Ed smiles jovially as Rosie walks into the room. “Ah, I believe a proper introduction is in order, my fair lady,” He pronounces as he bows with a flourish to Rosie, for the second time since meeting her.
~~\/~~
When Ed leaves a little while later, Carter is left alone in the kitchen with Rosie, and maybe it’s the heat of the early afternoon, but Carter can’t help but notice how defined Rosie’s bare shoulders are in that pink top. She figures it’s probably from years of having to keep her back straight in front of important dignitaries and what not, but whatever, it’s like, sweltering, so Carter grabs two sodas and suggests a walk to the swing near the canoe rack, where the breeze is cooler as it flows over the lake.
Something clicks in Carter when she learns of Rosie’s earnest desire to do something important with her life. Carter has yearned to make a difference to the world outside of humble Lake Monroe, but the dream always seemed so far out of reach. And her environment isn’t exactly supportive of “big worldly yearnings.” Where Carter comes from, it’s dangerous to be the nail that sticks out; the hammer comes down at too high a cost. High school taught her that much, at least.
But Rosie, a princess… she was raised to do amazing things and meet amazing people and eat amazing entrees. She was born into high class, and yet has such an unpretentious perspective about things. Carter was infinitely impressed with how Rosie handled the whole yogurt fiasco; even though personally she’ll be thinking about revenge on Chelsea and Brooke for the next week and a half.
But Carter doesn’t want to think about any of that stuff now, because when Rosie laughs, Carter laughs too, so much so that she almost spills her soda when she leans on Rosie’s shoulder on the swing. Carter doubts she’ll ever be old enough to not find belching funny.
As she sobers, Rosie’s locket glints in the sun and catches Carter’s eye, so she reaches over and cups it, flicking it open with her thumb to gaze at Rosie’s mother and father, the Queen and King of Costa Luna.
“What’s it like with royal parents? Are they gone a lot? Go on trips and make speeches and hold meetings?”
Rosie looks down at her parents’ smiling faces and hums. “Yes, there are times when they could be very busy. They wouldn’t be doing their job if they weren’t kept aware of what was happening in the country, how the people were living, if they were happy or had grievances… but we are very close. Although I had many tutors and staff at my disposal, Mother and Father always made time to be with me, teach me lessons that would help me in life.”
Carter smiles softly, “Yea… I guess me and dad are like that too. He was gone a lot on missions and whatever, but he’d always have a life lesson or a story to tell when he was around…”
“How long has your father been with the Princess Protection Program?”
“Dad used to be military, that’s where he did most of his training, until he was selected by PPP when I was four or five. He was one of their best agents though, so he got promoted real quick, and got sent away a lot more.” Carter’s eyes go unfocused as she continues, in a softer voice, “Eventually, mom couldn’t take it anymore - said she couldn’t raise this family by herself… and I got in a lot of trouble at school when I was younger, so I guess… maybe…” Carter shakes her head and drops Rosie’s locket. “Anyway, she left. So like, whatever,” Carter finishes abruptly and takes a swig of soda.
Rosie is skilled enough in personal communication to know that Carter doesn’t want an apology. So instead she puts her hand on Carter’s shoulder lightly and says, “Thank you for telling me about her.”
Carter raises her eyebrows as she looks back at Rosie over her shoulder, but just shrugs silently, taking another sip of soda. Rosie follows her example, then changes the subject of discussion.
“Your friend Edwin. He seems like a very nice boy.”
Carter lets out a hard laugh, but a genuine smile comes to her lips, “Yea, he’s kind of a dweeb, but he’s a good guy. He’s been a really good friend, ever since I shoved Steven Gautreaux in the playground for spitting on him. Even though he’s two years older than me, he kinda follows my lead. Dad calls us ‘misfits that fit together’.”
“You two seem very close.”
Rosie’s tone suggests nothing assuming, but Carter goes ahead and remarks, “Just so we’re clear, Ed’s just a friend. He’s just - “ Carter can’t contain the laugh that interrupts her sentence, “- just not my type.”
“Ah, I see. Then, boys like Donny fit into your preferred ‘type’?”
Carter balks and almost spills what’s left of her soda. “Let’s uh… let’s just not talk about boys anymore, kay?”
Rosie finds the blush that creeps onto Carter’s face endearing. “As you wish.”
Carter clears her throat loudly and kicks hard against the ground to get the swing to move again. It takes a while for her cheeks to lose their reddish hue, especially since Rosie won’t stop looking at her. But luckily she is saved when she hears the crunch of the gravel from the driveway, signifying that Mason is back from his trip to the super market.
“C’mon, dad’s home. Let’s see if he still remembers what a spaghetti dinner looks like - last time we tried it, he came home with Japanese ramen noodles,” Carter jokes as she jumps off the swing. Rosie slips off gracefully and flattens out her jeans before walking alongside her.
“Pasta is a very easy meal to make, I am confident it will not be a problem; especially considering that you will be helping him, as my new cooking protégé,” Rosie smiles winningly.
“Err, we’ll see about that,” Carter fires back with a quirked grin. “I’ll tell ya this much; I refuse to wear one of those flowery aprons.”
~~\/~~
“Can you feel that, Rosie?”
The princess leans her head back, her eyes looking to the wooden ceiling of Carter’s bedroom as she sighs quietly, “Yes, Carter.”
Carter’s finger is trailing lightly around Rosie’s wound, eliciting goosebumps from her soft touch. Rosie sits relaxed, leaning on her hands as she holds her injured leg out a bit to aid Carter’s inspection. It’s obvious that she’s very tired, especially after all that happened today. Carter’s still got some homework to do, but she’ll insist that Rosie goes to bed early, for school tomorrow.
“And over here?” Carter pokes just above the wound, where the skin is still inflamed and red.
“Yes...” Rosie breathes wearily.
“And… what about that?”
Rosie scrunches her face up in a way that Carter could only describe as adorable - if Carter were the type of girl to describe things with that word. “No… I can’t feel -“
Rosie is met with a clever smirk on Carter’s face, her fingers wiggling several inches away from Rosie’s leg. “That’s good, since I didn’t touch you,” the tomboy chuckles and flicks Rosie’s kneecap with her finger. Carter then pops the cap on the ointment again and squeezes out a small amount onto her finger, focusing intently on rubbing it onto Rosie’s skin. Rosie again finds herself studying the way Carter cares for her wound, knowledgeable and efficient, and it puts Rosie at ease.
“You are quite a medic, Carter Mason. You are calm and brave in the face of grim injuries.”
“Uh, thanks, but this is hardly grim. It’s more like… icky,” Carter laughs lamely as she caps the tube of ointment and reaches for a new rolled up bandage.
“That may be true, but I still find you to be confident and astute.” Carter’s face burns and she fumbles with the bandage, dropping it and watching as it rolls under the bed. Carter moves down to the floor to grab it, but Rosie leans forward to help her, and when Carter sits back up, she knocks her head right into Rosie’s chin.
“Ahssht!” Carter hisses as she reaches up to rub her head, before giggling softly, “I guess you can scratch off graceful from your list of ‘adjectives that describe Carter’.”
Rosie laughs genuinely while rubbing her chin. Carter finishes her job and leans back on her hands, and the girls share a smile that brightens the dim of Carter’s room.
~ Chapter 6 -