Saturday afternoon-- streets of Fandom, post-Cafe Fina

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Maureen was furious, teary, wet, and oh yes, furious. "C'mon, Esme. Stupid Anakin Banana-head. I hope you drive in a ditch!" She yelled after the golfcart. "I hope you get a flat tire! I hope you get DETENTION!"

Still fuming and clutching her bunny, she started off down the street. Stupid boy.

Comments

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

Jarod was walking around town, hands in pockets when he heard the yelling and ran in that direction.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Maureen was tired and angry, and she sat down on a curb to figure out where to go next. The book store? The park? She wasn't going back to school yet, no way!

Pouting, she took Esme out of her carryall and fed her a carrot. "Stupid boys." Marty and Bananakin. They were *all* stupid.

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

Jarod crouched down in front of the little girl. "Hi. Are you lost?" He scritched Esme behind the ears. "My friend has a bunny just like yours. You're very lucky."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Maureen didn't even think about it, just flung her arms around Jarod. "Jarrroood! Anakin was mean to me!"

She was mean to him first, but that didn't matter.

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

Jarod found himself getting hugged. "How do you know my name? And who was mean to you?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Jarod." Maureen rolled her eyes, pulled away and stamped her foot. "Anakin Bananakin was mean to me, he threw a french fry at me, so I threw strawberries at him, so he threw salad at me, so I threw milk on him, so he threw water on me, and," she took a huge breath, "Esme hid under the table 'cause she was scared and the mean butler made me pay for lunch and I called you before and you didn't call back!"

She quivered her lip at him. But mostly, she was still mad.

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

"That sounds..." he grinned, "like a very hard day. Wait, Esme?" He studied her. "Parker? Is that you?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Who else would I be?" she demanded. "Stupid Anakin pulled all the dishes off the table! Show-off." Maureen looked sad. "I'm still hungry. And I hardly got to eat anything." She picked up Esme and cuddled her. "Can we go get ice cream?"

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

Jarod was having a very difficult time processing that his girlfriend was currently younger than he'd ever seen her. He straightened and reached for her hand. "Why do you have a sandwich and some carrots first, then we'll see about ice cream?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Maureen took his hand, kind of worn out from two tantrums already today, ohmigosh. "Okay. And some strawberries for Esme? She loves them." She leaned against Jarod as they turned down the street. "Peanut butter."

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

"One peanut butter sandwich and carrots coming up," he said, as they walked down the street, "and strawberries for Esme."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Yayyyy." Maureen nodded and then smiled up at Jarod. "You are much smarter and prettier than Anakin. You're almost not like a boy at all!"

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

"Er....thank you, Parker. I think that's very nice of you." He looked around the area. "Isn't there an adult watching you? How did you get into town by yourself?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"I told you. Me an' Rory and Angela an' Zero and Anakin went to lunch. Anakin drove the golf cart." She frowned, then said, "It made Esme carsick. He drove way fast. Then I said I wouldn't go back with him and he left. Poo-doo head."

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

"Don't say poo-doo head," Jarod said, automatically. He didn't know what it meant, but it didn't sound complimentary. "Poor Parker. We'll walk back up to the school after you eat and you can take a nap, okay?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"I'm a big girl. I don't need a nap." Maureen pouted, then yawned, clutching his hand tighter. "I'm four and a half now. Almost five!"

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

"Such a big girl. Want me to carry Esme for you?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Thank-you-Jarod." Maureen would object that Esme's her bunny, she'll carry her, but she's tired, so she hands Esme over. "I didn't have Detention today. I ran away. They didn't make me be in Time-Out. Rory found me and told on me but she wasn't looking and I ran away away. Wasn't that smart?"

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

Jarod actually wasn't sure. "It sounds very rebellious of you. Why did you have Detention...nevermind."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Dumb lottery. Dumb Dean Zordan." Parker power-pouted at him. "We played Ring-Around-the-Rosy with his tube. Because he's a Head Guy."

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

"Okay..." Honestly, compared to the mini-Parker at his side, that sounds fairly normal. "And why did you run away? I'm sure people are worried about you."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Because I didn't want to get De-ten-shun. And, me and Zero were hungry. It was time for lunch." It had made sense at the time. "And I'm okay. They shoud know that. Why would they worry?"

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

"Because you're...little," Jarod said, shouldering Esme's bag, "and little people need more care because they're more special. They need lots of people to look after them."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Maureen isn't sure she believes that, but she doesn't want so say that to Jarod. "If you say so. We can get sandwiches and ice cream at Rory's stepdaddy's diner. And maybe carrots for Esme too. And cake for you for being nice to me."

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

"Ice cream or cake," he corrected, leading her to the diner, "too much sugar isn't good for little people."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Awwwww...."

[jarodpretends.livejournal.com]

He chuckled. "Call a cop."