beginning to write!
First. THE END
Charlie climbed out the window.
“What are you doing out here?” he said.
“It’s not so cold,” Ivy said, playing with the unlit cigarette between her fingers.
Charlie pulled his silver skull-and-crossbones Zippo out, flicking it open smoothly, with a hey-baby sort of look on his face, saying, “Need a light?”
She smiled. “You’re an idiot,” she said.
He sat down next to her on the fire escape, stretching back into an ironically cool lean. “Yeah, people tell me that.”
“This is why I love you.”
They decided that, even on chillier summer evenings, the fire escape was the only proper place to play Scrabble. The sun was a timer, to ensure speedy game play, and they didn’t need an ashtray with the whole town stretched out below to catch their cast-offs. This choice of locale introduced a necessary caveat: the rule was agreed upon that the player who let slip a wooden letter would forfeit fifty points to the player without such an offense; if both players committed said transgression, there would be a penalty of fifty points per letter, and no bonus points would be awarded.
This was how Ivy transcribed the rule, in a felt-tip penned addendum to the Official Scrabble Rule Book.
Ivy crossed her legs, shifting her position on the grated platform. “We could use some pillows.”
“Stop stalling, V. You just want to get me into the apartment so you can look at my letters.”
Ivy pouted. “You are a very bad host.”
“You, my love,” he replied, slowly moving closer to her, “are a very naughty guest.” As his lips approached her ear, she covered up her letters.
He went back to his place across the board, shaking his head.
Suddenly Ivy was all grin. “Thought that would work, didn’t you. Not today, my friend, not today!”
“It worked pretty well yesterday,” he said.
“Not today!”
Charlie smiled, still shaking his head. Then his face turned, and he stared straight into the board, straight down through the air below at the ground, and his eyebrows crumpled.
“Ha!” Ivy yelled, and Charlie looked down to see the new letters on the board.
RESOLVE.
Charlie climbed out the window.
“What are you doing out here?” he said.
“It’s not so cold,” Ivy said, playing with the unlit cigarette between her fingers.
Charlie pulled his silver skull-and-crossbones Zippo out, flicking it open smoothly, with a hey-baby sort of look on his face, saying, “Need a light?”
She smiled. “You’re an idiot,” she said.
He sat down next to her on the fire escape, stretching back into an ironically cool lean. “Yeah, people tell me that.”
“This is why I love you.”
They decided that, even on chillier summer evenings, the fire escape was the only proper place to play Scrabble. The sun was a timer, to ensure speedy game play, and they didn’t need an ashtray with the whole town stretched out below to catch their cast-offs. This choice of locale introduced a necessary caveat: the rule was agreed upon that the player who let slip a wooden letter would forfeit fifty points to the player without such an offense; if both players committed said transgression, there would be a penalty of fifty points per letter, and no bonus points would be awarded.
This was how Ivy transcribed the rule, in a felt-tip penned addendum to the Official Scrabble Rule Book.
Ivy crossed her legs, shifting her position on the grated platform. “We could use some pillows.”
“Stop stalling, V. You just want to get me into the apartment so you can look at my letters.”
Ivy pouted. “You are a very bad host.”
“You, my love,” he replied, slowly moving closer to her, “are a very naughty guest.” As his lips approached her ear, she covered up her letters.
He went back to his place across the board, shaking his head.
Suddenly Ivy was all grin. “Thought that would work, didn’t you. Not today, my friend, not today!”
“It worked pretty well yesterday,” he said.
“Not today!”
Charlie smiled, still shaking his head. Then his face turned, and he stared straight into the board, straight down through the air below at the ground, and his eyebrows crumpled.
“Ha!” Ivy yelled, and Charlie looked down to see the new letters on the board.
RESOLVE.