Lake Catherine, Maine: Thursday evening
Since talking to Isabel earlier in the day, Parker had:
1) Gone into town and bought herself better mens' clothing. Thank God for credit cards that just said "M.Parker" on them.
2) Attempted to get drunk at noon at the only bar in town, just before realizing that the same was not true of her driver's license and photo. Damnit.
3) Flirted with the waitresses at the diner, finding it criminally easy to scam extra pie out of them. As well as eat a helluva a lot more. Ahhhhhh. Now she was back at Ben's on the stairs of the porch, considering how else to test-drive this new ride, eating another apple.
Jarod was walking up the path. Parker felt the overwhelming urge to stand up and punch him in the jaw. Funny how she could still want to punch him out for getting a girlfriend with no warning, while in this current body the idea of kissing Jarod only provoked a mild sort of curiosity and no desire. Usually the urge to kill him had fed into the urge to kiss him.
"Hello," Jarod said, nodding at Parker as he climbed the steps.
"Hey." Ooo. Monosyllables. Let's try them out. Parker took another bite of the apple, and glared at Jarod, who paused on the top step, looking curious.
"Do I know you?"
"Let me think. You've never seen me before in your life? I'm going with no."
Jarod blinked, eyes narrowing as he rocked back on one heel. "I'm Jarod. And you're...?"
"Bored already." Parker took another bite of her apple, then gave Jarod a hard smile after finishing it. "Just here for the weekend."
"Oh." Jarod shook his head, expression troubled. Parker fought the urge to trip him. "Did I do something to you?"
"To me? I thought we already cleared this up. You don't know me." Truer words never spoken.
"Ah." Jarod's jaw came up, and he glared at Parker. "You're a friend of Parker's."
Parker settled for a smirk at that.
"I didn't know she'd invited anyone... else. Up here." Jarod's jaw worked for a moment, then he gave Parker a tight smile. "I'll stay out of your way if you stay out of mine."
"Then I'll be staying out of your way if you stay away from Parker." Going. To. Hell. But still funny.
Jarod's fingers clenched, and Parker watched cheerfully, thinking, Oh yeah. Give me an excuse. Just try it, buddy. Muahahahaha. Then, to her disappointment and a sliver of relief, Jarod stepped back, shaking his head. "I don't know what she told you about me. But she's one of my best friends." His throat worked a moment. "Just don't hurt her. She's been through a lot."
Parker resisted the urge to bean him with the apple core, and got to her feet, finding that yeah, they were exactly the same height now. "If you think I'd have a chance to do that, you really don't know her at all. Do you?"
Jarod took another step forward, looming like he was about to break out more threats, and Parker faked a yawn, said, "Right. Places to go, things to do, women to amuse." She smirked at him, looming right back. Ha. Take that, Mr. I'm-the-Tallest. "See ya."
She loped off the porch, pitching the core into the bushes, and then broke into a jog, heading around the lake.
The jury was out on whether she'd explain any of this to him tomorrow or not.
[open for any phone calls, texts, or IM's as Parker goes for a run.]
1) Gone into town and bought herself better mens' clothing. Thank God for credit cards that just said "M.Parker" on them.
2) Attempted to get drunk at noon at the only bar in town, just before realizing that the same was not true of her driver's license and photo. Damnit.
3) Flirted with the waitresses at the diner, finding it criminally easy to scam extra pie out of them. As well as eat a helluva a lot more. Ahhhhhh. Now she was back at Ben's on the stairs of the porch, considering how else to test-drive this new ride, eating another apple.
Jarod was walking up the path. Parker felt the overwhelming urge to stand up and punch him in the jaw. Funny how she could still want to punch him out for getting a girlfriend with no warning, while in this current body the idea of kissing Jarod only provoked a mild sort of curiosity and no desire. Usually the urge to kill him had fed into the urge to kiss him.
"Hello," Jarod said, nodding at Parker as he climbed the steps.
"Hey." Ooo. Monosyllables. Let's try them out. Parker took another bite of the apple, and glared at Jarod, who paused on the top step, looking curious.
"Do I know you?"
"Let me think. You've never seen me before in your life? I'm going with no."
Jarod blinked, eyes narrowing as he rocked back on one heel. "I'm Jarod. And you're...?"
"Bored already." Parker took another bite of her apple, then gave Jarod a hard smile after finishing it. "Just here for the weekend."
"Oh." Jarod shook his head, expression troubled. Parker fought the urge to trip him. "Did I do something to you?"
"To me? I thought we already cleared this up. You don't know me." Truer words never spoken.
"Ah." Jarod's jaw came up, and he glared at Parker. "You're a friend of Parker's."
Parker settled for a smirk at that.
"I didn't know she'd invited anyone... else. Up here." Jarod's jaw worked for a moment, then he gave Parker a tight smile. "I'll stay out of your way if you stay out of mine."
"Then I'll be staying out of your way if you stay away from Parker." Going. To. Hell. But still funny.
Jarod's fingers clenched, and Parker watched cheerfully, thinking, Oh yeah. Give me an excuse. Just try it, buddy. Muahahahaha. Then, to her disappointment and a sliver of relief, Jarod stepped back, shaking his head. "I don't know what she told you about me. But she's one of my best friends." His throat worked a moment. "Just don't hurt her. She's been through a lot."
Parker resisted the urge to bean him with the apple core, and got to her feet, finding that yeah, they were exactly the same height now. "If you think I'd have a chance to do that, you really don't know her at all. Do you?"
Jarod took another step forward, looming like he was about to break out more threats, and Parker faked a yawn, said, "Right. Places to go, things to do, women to amuse." She smirked at him, looming right back. Ha. Take that, Mr. I'm-the-Tallest. "See ya."
She loped off the porch, pitching the core into the bushes, and then broke into a jog, heading around the lake.
The jury was out on whether she'd explain any of this to him tomorrow or not.
[open for any phone calls, texts, or IM's as Parker goes for a run.]