“Ari, have you ever had a boyfriend?” Miranda asked one morning at breakfast.
Ariel choked on her milk, “what?”
“A boyfriend, you know, some of the opposite sex that you’re in a romantic relationship with?”
“I know what a boyfriend is Mira.” She paused. “Why’d you ask?”
“Just wondering.”
Ariel stayed silent.
“It’s just that there’s this guy in my class, and he’s really cute. He’s…” Miranda sighed. “He’s absolute dreamy.”
Ariel tried to stop herself from gagging. She didn’t succeed.
Miranda shot Ariel an annoyed look.
“Mira, do you like him?”
“Like him?” Miranda looked perplexed.
“Yes… Are you… attracted to him?” Seeing Miranda’s still perplexed look, she continued, “Do you feel… different when he’s around? Butterflies in your stomach, feeling warm, acting unusual? Hm… feeling nervous?”
“Well… Yeah. I guess.” Miranda said a bit dejectedly, “but it doesn’t matter, it’s not as if he’s interested in me.”
“How do you know that?”
“He’s… him. He’s popular, smart, sporty, and absolutely dreamy, there are lots of girls that are constantly around him. I bet he doesn’t even know I’m alive.”
“Hey, don’t say that. You’re an amazing girl yourself Mira. How many 16 year old girls do you know has a black belt at Tae Kwon Do? How many can apply make up in less than a minute… in a moving car? How many can already do second year university math? How many can put together a fabulous outfit for less than 20 bucks?”
“Of course it sounds amazing when you say it. You’re going to be a lawyer, so of course you know how to twist everything to sound good. Besides, you’re a genius. Though why are you doing a commerce degree? You have a degree in political sciences, why don’t you just apply to law school right now?”
“It’s less conspicuous. There aren’t that many 19 year olds in law school.” Ariel grinned goofily. “Just go for Mr. Dreamy. You never know unless you try. Just don’t try to impress him with your Tae Kwon Do skills. You might end up knocking him unconscious, which normally sends them running in the other direction.”
“You’re hilarious Ari. You’re so funny I forgot to laugh. And about the whole 19 years old part, aren’t you a ‘disguised’ as 23 year old this time?”
“So? Anyways, just tell him, ok? And let’s go. I’m late for accounting class with the Wicked Witch of the West.”
“You don’t make any sense Ari.”
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“Hello?” Ariel said cautiously into the phone.
“Hey kiddo.” Replied Ge.
Ariel smiled, “Hey grandpa.”
“You wound me.” Ge sniffed into the phone.
“Yeah, yeah.” Ariel rolled her eyes dramatically, then realized Ge can’t see her. “How is everything?”
Ge knew she meant James. “Everything is fine. He doesn’t know where you are, but he does have someone out looking for you. According to my sources, he’s in Edmonton right now, and hasn’t a clue that you’re where you are.”
Ariel sighed and relaxed, “thanks.”
“No problem, I’ll get one of my guys to give him a false tip that you’re in Halifax, that should get him off your trail for a while.”
“Thanks Ge.”
“So when are you coming home?”
“Home?” Ariel asked cynically.
“Yes Ariel, home.”
“You know as well as I do that I don’t consider that place home.”
Ge sighed, “Why do we have this argument every time we have a conversation? It’s been a year and a half Ariel. You’re 19, almost 20, he can’t do anything to you anymore.”
“What about Mira? She 15. If I go back, James gets custody of her. I can’t let that happen.”
“Come on Ariel. You can only hide for so long, sooner or later, he’s going to find you, he’s got connections every where. And then you have to pack up, move, and the cycle starts all over again.”
“I know Ge. I’m not going back. Not until Mira turns 18, and even then, I’m not going back. Like you said, he’s got connections everywhere; the only way to remain out of his grasp is to be invisible.”
“I don’t understand why you keep running away from him, I know he’s strict, but-“
Ariel cut him off. “I can’t tell you why Ge, but trust me, there is a very good reason, and if you were me, you would make exactly the same choices I have. Just trust me.”
There was a long silence, “You’re so annoyingly stubborn.”
“And that’s why you love me.” Ariel joked.
Ge sighed, “Just try to stay out of trouble, ok? I don’t want to hack the police department’s computer again.”
“That was not my fault! That guy was hitting on me, so I hit him.”
“He was a police officer.”
“He was at least 30 years old and he had a wedding ring on. I was 17. Creepy pedophile.”
“He arrested you.”
“And you bailed me out. It’s good to know the leader of the mafia.”
“I am not the leader of the mafia!”
“Fine, the leader of the Canadian mafia.”
“It’s not a mafia.”
“Fine, fine, ‘The Secret Investigation Service’.”
“I should have never told you that.”
“I knew anyways.”
“How.”
“I’m a genius.”
“And extremely modest.”
“Very.” Ariel said angelically.
“You’re insufferable.” Ge complained.
“If I’m insufferable, that makes you the friend of the insufferable, which is quite sad.”
“I have no time to quibble with you.” Ge said in a snotty voice, “I have more important things to do.”
“Sure, sure. I gotta go anyways. Talk to you later.”
“See you. Stay safe.”
“I always do.”
“Not.”
“I resent that.”
Ge’s laughter was the last thing she heard before the phone disconnected.
