Welcome to Wednesday Briefs! It's flash fiction, so this story will be presented in 1000(ish)-word chapters. I hope you enjoy it, and check out the many other flashers, whose links are below. You can also check out the Wednesday Briefs Blog for more info and to sign up for email notifications.
Thanks for reading!
Thanks for reading!
THE BOYS OF BELSMEADE
Chapter Five
"You openly challenged Blake Becker?" Robbie yelled. He stormed around the dorm room, trying to make sense of his friends' announcement. "Blake Becker, as in the son of the chief of the Belanni Clan, challenged by you, the son of the chief of the Ambrogis. Do you realize the problems this'll cause between the clans?"
"There already is a rift between the clans."
"No," Rob shot back. "Right now there's a hair-line fracture between the clans. You challenging Blake could open up the Grand fucking Canyon between the clans! Oh my God, Aramis. Eliot's a human, for Christ's sake. His family's not even vetted within the school. You have zero chance with the council."
"Then I'll leave the clan," Aramis replied stubbornly.
Robbie dropped into a chair and sighed. "You're tripping. You realize what that would mean, right? Your father would never tolerate that. He'd kick you out, man. The Clack's not worth it. Don't you see that? He's nothing."
Aramis shook his head. "You don't understand, Rob. He's everything to me. Look." He turned his head and lifted the hair behind his ear. The other boy leaned in closely to look, and then staggered back in amazement. A thick lock of Aramis' gold-blond hair was now dark brown.
"Oh my God," Rob breathed. He sat next to Aramis on the bed and said, "Dude, you're fucked."
"There already is a rift between the clans."
"No," Rob shot back. "Right now there's a hair-line fracture between the clans. You challenging Blake could open up the Grand fucking Canyon between the clans! Oh my God, Aramis. Eliot's a human, for Christ's sake. His family's not even vetted within the school. You have zero chance with the council."
"Then I'll leave the clan," Aramis replied stubbornly.
Robbie dropped into a chair and sighed. "You're tripping. You realize what that would mean, right? Your father would never tolerate that. He'd kick you out, man. The Clack's not worth it. Don't you see that? He's nothing."
Aramis shook his head. "You don't understand, Rob. He's everything to me. Look." He turned his head and lifted the hair behind his ear. The other boy leaned in closely to look, and then staggered back in amazement. A thick lock of Aramis' gold-blond hair was now dark brown.
"Oh my God," Rob breathed. He sat next to Aramis on the bed and said, "Dude, you're fucked."
********************
The first week of my Italian class flew by. The course-load was challenging, but not overwhelming, and every day Aramis met me for coffee and introduced me to students and faculty. I began to feel like a real part of Belsmeade… until I went back to high school after my coffee break with Aramis. That's when reality set back in and I realized that I'd never truly be one of them. I'd never really fit in with Aramis' friends.
On Friday afternoons, my friends and many other Clacks would congregate in the book store next to the high school. There was a great coffee bar nestled inside the shop, that served an amazing raspberry Danish, so I was a loyal patron. After my first week at Belsmeade, I ordered a latté and plopped down in a well-worn arm chair. My friend Kyla sat on a sofa opposite me with Travis next to her, shoving a scone into his mouth.
"So give us the scoop," Kyla demanded. "What was it like? Are the guys all really hot?"
I rolled my eyes. "Of course not all of them," I replied with a laugh. "Just because they're rich beyond imagining doesn't make them all supermodels."
Travis swallowed hard and added, "But a hundred grand in the bank definitely makes an ugly-ass man a hell of a lot more attractive."
I laughed, but was nervous inside. I hadn't told them about Aramis yet. "Actually, guys, there's one guy that—"
The bell over the front door rang and Kyla and Travis' gazes fixed on something behind me. I turned around to see what they were staring at and I gulped. Aramis was standing there, smiling.
"Hey, Eliot," he said in his deep, smooth voice. "Glad I found you."
"Aramis," I replied in a daze.
When I didn't add anything else, Travis hopped up and beamed at the newcomer. "I'm Travis. And you are?"
"Aramis Ambrogi. A friend of Eliot's from Belsmeade."
Kyla and Travis both wilted like dry daisies and I scowled at them. "These are my friends Kyla and—"
"Travis," Aramis offered. "Nice to meet you. I'm sorry to bother you, but could I have a private word, Eliot?"
I looked at him in astonishment. "Um… sure. I'll be back guys."
We walked outside and I followed Aramis around the corner. When we were out of view of everyone else, he turned to face me and stared. I stared back until he spoke. "How are you?"
"Pardon?"
He took a step closer. "How are you?"
Once again, that peculiar feeling of fuzziness clouded my head. Aramis reached up to carress my face and I leaned into his touch. His fingers smoothed over my cheek and around the curve of my ear. With gentle pressure, he turned my head and I felt his breath on my neck. All too quickly, however, he pulled away. My vision came back into focus and I saw Aramis gawking at something behind my ear.
"Aramis? What are you looking at?"
With trembling fingers, he gently tugged on a lock of my hair. A brief touch of his lips on my cheek made me shudder. I closed my eyes and reveled in the contact. Twisting the strands around his finger, he put his mouth to my ear and whispered, "This."
"What is it?" I asked, but got no reply. I opened my eyes and Aramis was gone. I hurried around to the front of the building, but he was nowhere to be seen.
I rubbed the spot on my head that had fascinated him so much and went back into the book shop in a daze. Ignoring the questions from my friends, I headed to the restroom. After locking the door, I turned to the mirror and angled my head to look behind my ear. I gasped when I saw that the hair Aramis had touched—hair that had always been my usual dark brown—was now a bright, golden blond.
"What the hell?" I breathed.
On Friday afternoons, my friends and many other Clacks would congregate in the book store next to the high school. There was a great coffee bar nestled inside the shop, that served an amazing raspberry Danish, so I was a loyal patron. After my first week at Belsmeade, I ordered a latté and plopped down in a well-worn arm chair. My friend Kyla sat on a sofa opposite me with Travis next to her, shoving a scone into his mouth.
"So give us the scoop," Kyla demanded. "What was it like? Are the guys all really hot?"
I rolled my eyes. "Of course not all of them," I replied with a laugh. "Just because they're rich beyond imagining doesn't make them all supermodels."
Travis swallowed hard and added, "But a hundred grand in the bank definitely makes an ugly-ass man a hell of a lot more attractive."
I laughed, but was nervous inside. I hadn't told them about Aramis yet. "Actually, guys, there's one guy that—"
The bell over the front door rang and Kyla and Travis' gazes fixed on something behind me. I turned around to see what they were staring at and I gulped. Aramis was standing there, smiling.
"Hey, Eliot," he said in his deep, smooth voice. "Glad I found you."
"Aramis," I replied in a daze.
When I didn't add anything else, Travis hopped up and beamed at the newcomer. "I'm Travis. And you are?"
"Aramis Ambrogi. A friend of Eliot's from Belsmeade."
Kyla and Travis both wilted like dry daisies and I scowled at them. "These are my friends Kyla and—"
"Travis," Aramis offered. "Nice to meet you. I'm sorry to bother you, but could I have a private word, Eliot?"
I looked at him in astonishment. "Um… sure. I'll be back guys."
We walked outside and I followed Aramis around the corner. When we were out of view of everyone else, he turned to face me and stared. I stared back until he spoke. "How are you?"
"Pardon?"
He took a step closer. "How are you?"
Once again, that peculiar feeling of fuzziness clouded my head. Aramis reached up to carress my face and I leaned into his touch. His fingers smoothed over my cheek and around the curve of my ear. With gentle pressure, he turned my head and I felt his breath on my neck. All too quickly, however, he pulled away. My vision came back into focus and I saw Aramis gawking at something behind my ear.
"Aramis? What are you looking at?"
With trembling fingers, he gently tugged on a lock of my hair. A brief touch of his lips on my cheek made me shudder. I closed my eyes and reveled in the contact. Twisting the strands around his finger, he put his mouth to my ear and whispered, "This."
"What is it?" I asked, but got no reply. I opened my eyes and Aramis was gone. I hurried around to the front of the building, but he was nowhere to be seen.
I rubbed the spot on my head that had fascinated him so much and went back into the book shop in a daze. Ignoring the questions from my friends, I headed to the restroom. After locking the door, I turned to the mirror and angled my head to look behind my ear. I gasped when I saw that the hair Aramis had touched—hair that had always been my usual dark brown—was now a bright, golden blond.
"What the hell?" I breathed.
****************************************
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Love the update!!
ReplyDeleteWed Briefs will someday kill me. It's inevitable. The news story will read:
"Local man dies.
"Neighbors say odd noises were coming from a local home, and as they approached, the resident could be seen red-faced and clawing at the window as if to escape. The door was unlocked.
"He was heard moaning over and over 'that's it?? Ohmygodohmygodohmygod, that's it!! Nooooooo!' Just before his head exploded. Investigators found his phone nearby, apparently online and open to a blog entry titled 'Wednesday Briefs.'"
LMAO
Scottie
LMAO! That's how I feel about the other briefers' stories! I'm glad you like the story. It's hard to keep it under 1000 words, because I want to give more to the readers, but I can't. It's frustrating for me too. :)
Delete