Gamie watches Raymond's paws patter next to her as she rolls on the sidewalk, stopping for a second to look around at the empty park, only birds and bugs in their company.
"Let's go home, Raymond." She bends down, holding out her arm for the cat to climb onto, latching onto the back of her shoulder.
-
Gamie sighs, Raymond in her lap as she watches from a bench as two boys skate up and down, jumping along the ramps.
-
Her hair let down, green and brown dreads mixed together under the shade of trees around and above them.
She doesn't have her skates on, she's tired today. "Raymond, do you ever get bored of me?"
-
Eyes closed as music filters through her head, blocking out any thought or emotion that could cloud her.
Without music it's so quiet, so, so, unbearably quiet.
Raymond's chirp of a meow goes unheard as Gamie lets the lyrics lull her to sleep.
--
Excel's gaze wanders over the fresh tape, blank, clean, black against the light wood.
She stands up, knocking a wheel into a spin against her leg.
--
Gamie has her backpack this time, holding a polaroid camera and a book, things she won't use at the park, but it'll be fun. She has Raymond too, latched onto her shoulder again, he's not allowed off his leash yet.
There's a small box, hot in her hands—she holds it tightly, making sure it doesn't tip or fall open. There's no reason to ruin her lunch.
Gamie makes sure Raymond stays on her shoulder as they near a road.
-
The path opens to the familiar scenery, concrete snaking its way across the patchy green grass, leading to the slopes and ramps of a skate park.
She turns down a different path, not straying too far, though, only going to the small fountain nearby.
Gamie carefully lets Raymond down onto the edge of the fountain before setting down her box. With a quick motion her backpack is off and by her feet as she sits, fishing out a can of wet food for Raymond while she bites into her still hot pizza.
A moment of shock halts her chewing. A girl at the skatepark. Gamie’s attention is immediately drawn to her dark mint green hair, similar to Gamie’s own dyed dreads, sparking a bit of excitement. It's someone new, a person who she hasn't seen before, who could possibly be a friend, who… is ultimately eating dirt on her skateboard.
Gamie grabs one of her notebooks, something she likes writing and doodling in, and pretends to be focused on it as she watches the girl, stifling laughs whenever she trips over her board or kicks it flying out from under her. Gamie feels kinda bad but entertainment is entertainment.
Raymond pulls at his leash and harness, trying to catch leaves that swirl around in the wind. Taking a bite of pizza, Gamie scoots over a bit and loosens her grip on his leash.
Just as she's about to look away and focus back on Raymond and her pizza, the girl runs and jumps onto her board, seemingly having a surge of determination. She's on there for a long second, but her board wobbles and she falls forward, knocking her head on a wall and causing her to leap back and fall. She sits there for a moment before throwing her hands up with a loud groan and falling onto her back. She crosses her arms over her eyes.
Ouch, man, that must've hurt.
After a moment of rational thinking, Gamie collects her stuff, tightening her grip on Raymond's leash and checking her skates are tied safely as she stands, no wayward laces that could get caught in her wheels.
It doesn’t take long to get over to the fallen skater girl, a path near a few trees leading to the halfpipe and other skate related equipment. Cherry blossom petals catch in her dreads. Raymond jumps on her shoulder, batting at them.
As she draws near the edge of the skating slopes where the girl lay, Gamie takes off her bag and searches around in her mess of stuff before coming out with her handy first aid kit, one that she got for both herself and Raymond.
Coming round the safer slope that circles the rest of the ramps and steep drops, Gamie carefully skates closer. A soft hum, or maybe a drawn out groan, comes from the girl as she holds her head.
Um. Ok.
Before Gamie can build up the courage to speak she notices the purple pigtails tied high in the girl's hair, something that she hadn't been able to see from where she had been sitting a minute ago. They look pretty, and Gamie stares for longer, forgetting that she should be helping this girl, not admiring her colorful, pretty, hair, and, you know, the rest of her.
Damn—Uh…
Gamie can feel heat creep up to her face as the seconds pass by. She’s broken from her trance when Raymond jumps from her shoulder and wanders over to the—is she asleep? She's been laying down for a bit—oh, God—what if she passed out or something? It didn’t look like she hit her head that hard… but it could be possible!
Raymond sniffs her ear, making the girl squeak and shoot upright. Gamie's mind floods with relief. The girl stares at Raymond with a moment of horror that melts entirely when she takes in the cat, cute gray and white splashes on the small critter.
It’s only a second before the girl looks up at Gamie, gaze trailing up before meeting her eyes.
And—
Gamie’s face burns with a whole different kind of heat as she stares dumbfounded at the pretty girl with pretty hair and a pretty face.
She has a cute downturned shape of her eyes, with nice lashes that flutter when she blinks, soft green watching Gamie’s own caramel brown. And while Raymond is effortlessly rubbing his head on the girl's hands, Gamie can't even breathe while under this girl's attention.
She stares awkwardly, hoping the girl won't notice how much she’s panicking.
The girl speaks, pulling Gamie out of her head for a moment: “Um, hi?” Her voice doesn’t match her vibrant appearance, a nervous waver to her tone.
Remembering why she came here in the first place, Gamie goes to hold out the first aid kit. In the jumble that is her mind, she holds out the pizza box instead. After a moment of yelling at herself internally, she slips the kit into her outstretched hand. The pretty girl only looks away, biting her lip and beginning to fidget with her jacket sleeve.
Swallowing, Gamie parts her lips to speak, forcing words to form from her mouth. “Do you—do you, um, want pizza?”
And…? God fucking dammit, that sounds weird! Say more things, Gamie!
Raymond is now fully in the girl's lap, watching Gamie tiredly, unimpressed at her attempts to talk; Talk to this girl—“I—”—this beautiful, fucking gorgeous, pretty, colorful girl. “I saw you hit your head, and, um, fall… off your skateboard…”
Ahhh! Don't make her embarrassed! Damnnittt…
“..A lot.”
That doesn't help!
“I have a first aid kit as well, with bandaids and stuff… I don’t—I don't have to stay, though!” Gamie tugs on Raymonds leash. “I can”—she glances down at Raymond again, the cat stretching sleepily in her lap—“we can go.”
When Raymond doesn’t budge and the girl doesn’t speak, only looking at her with furrowed brows and pouting lips, Gamie crouches down, placing her pizza box and first aid kit on the floor next to her before leaning forward to grab the stubborn cat.
Only after Gamie’s hands are already wedged between Raymond and the girl’s legs does she realize how incredibly close she is.
Glancing up, her gaze locks with green.
Ah…So, so, close.
Everything seems to come to a stop, Gamie’s breath catches in her throat, her body locked in place and her gaze is impossible to break out of.
Oh…
Gamie slowly pulls Raymond to her stomach. “Oh.”
Wide eyes flick between Gamie’s, light skin washed with red. “Oh.” She echo’s.
Gamie jolts back, holding Raymond tightly against her. She feels hot, hot, hot.
“I–” Scrambling to her feet, losing her grip on balance– “I’ll be going–” Barely catching herself on a rail, fumbling with the cat in her arms. “–now!”
Click, tap, tap, shift, rrr, click.
Pulling herself up the ramp, cringing at each sound her skates made in the horrid silence–
Shift, tap, click, tap.
–knowing a pretty girl is watching this embarrassment…
Rrrrr, tap, click, click, shift.
Gamie couldn’t feel more pathetic!
Click, rrrrr, tap, rrr– “Mrrp.”
“Oh– sorry, Raymond!” In her effort to get to the top, Gamie hadn’t noticed her cat slipping out of the grip around his torso.
Letting him down gently, she handled her backpack, slipping the zipper shut and shrugging it onto her shoulders.
A moment passes… Raymonds tail swishing as he looks down at the girl, still sitting on the ground, looking up at the cat.
Gamie inches closer to the edge, peeking over it and catching sight of soft eyes.
Her face warms as the girl waves, a simple lift of the hand yet it makes Gamies heart soar and stutter in her chest.
Once again picking up the stubborn cat, Gamie lifts a hand and waves back. She’s a bit dumbfounded, still, and can’t even manage a smile before she’s backing out of view.
“B-bye..!” The soft voice from before carries to Gamies ears as she turns away, and only then, does a childish grin spread about her face.
“Bye!”