Behind the Curious Mind of Ferris Bloom - Chapters Six and Seven

Chapter Six

Ferris

"Yeah, with butter, please," Linzee says to the man at the register. He nods, grabs a large tub, fills it with popcorn, pours butter over, then hands it to Linzee. She digs in her pocket and slaps a bill in his hand. I'm guessing it's the exact amount she's supposed to give him, because he doesn't give change back.

"Thanks," Linzee mumbles, then walks toward us.

Just as I was about to reach for the popcorn, she shoves it to Kit and hisses, "Don't even think about it. You ate the last tub. At least try to share with the rest of us."

I roll my eyes, then stare at our tickets. "Aisle three, to the right hall, correct?" I ask.

"Yeah," Kit sighs.

As we begin to walk towards aisle three, Prune screams, "I call Dibs on sitting next to Ferris!"

"Please, be my guest," Linzee says.

Prune smiles at me. I begin to laugh a little, noticing some lettuce stuck to her braces.

Kit notices, too, because she begins to laugh as well.

Prune giggles, obviously not knowing what's going on, but wanting to join the rest of us.

"What's so funny?" Linzee growls, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Nothing," I say, then hold the aisle door open, "Ladies first."

"Thanks." Kit enters before us.

"Ooh! Thank you," Prune squeals as she enters second.

I wait for Linzee to go in, but she just stands there.

"What are you waiting for?" I ask.

"You said ladies first, right Ferris?" Linzee says, gesturing me to the door.

"So you're calling yourself a man," I chuckle.

Linzee looks away, embarrassed, then goes in. I guess I won.

Of course, I enter last.

"Ferris! Ferris, over here! Hey! Over here!" I hear Prune scream from the top steps of the theater.

"Shh!" I hear someone spray.

I walk up the steps, then sit in between Prune and Kit, with Linzee on the other side. "What movie are we watching again?" I ask curiously.

"Oink," Kit mutters, obviously not enjoying herself.

"Don't be so cranky," I say, then playfully poke her shoulder.

She laughs a little, then pokes me back.

"Ooh! I wanna play!" Prune giggles, then she pokes my arm so hard that I feel her claw dig deep in my skin. I should have worn a long-sleeve today.

"Ow!" I whisper-scream, then rub my arm, "Do me a favor and have your mom cut your nails, for Pete's sake! What are you, Edward Scissorhands?"

Prune seems slightly offended. "Sorry," she whispers.

"Just watch," Kit mumbles, "You're gonna make her cry."

We both watch her in silence, but surprisingly, she doesn't cry. She doesn't even give one little sniffle. Her face is completely blank, motionless. Unreadable.

"Huh," Kit huffs, "I guess she's too shy to cry in front of you."

"Or maybe she grew up," I say. Kit shrugs.

The lights begin to dim.

"The movie's starting!" Prune cheers loudly.

"Be quiet!" I hear a woman yell.

Kit and I snicker. I think Linzee already fell asleep through the previews, because she's extremely quieter than usual. Prune has her eyes focused on the movie.

"I now see why you hate your cousin so much," I whisper, smiling.

It's too dark to see Kit's face, but I have a feeling, she's smiling as well. "Exactly. But I can't see why you hate your sister so much. She's kinda funny and entertaining."

"I simply hate her because she started hating me first," I say, but then frown. "No, I take back what I said. 'Hate' is a very strong word. I'm gonna go along with dislike."

The faint glow of the movie's large screen lets me see the deep purple of Kit's hair. She notices me staring at her.

"What is it?" She asks quietly, looking rather nervous.

"Your hair," I murmur, "Don't dye it anymore."

"Why?"

"I miss its natural color. A deep brown."

"You liked it?"

"Yeah. It reminds me of those mud cakes we used to make when we barely started to hang out."

Kit pulls her eyebrows together, a bit confused.

"It's a good thing of course," I laugh quietly, "It brings back memories when we were little."

Kit now smiles, but then she becomes serious again. "Ferris, can I ask you something?"

I nod. "Of course you can."

"How did we become friends in the first place?"

"Well..." I think for a moment, then grin. "You used to sit in front of me. My dad bought me brand new scissors. They were so sharp! I knew I had to try them out. So, then I noticed that you had incredibly long hair, so when you weren't looking, I took several strands and began to snip them."

"Oh yeah," Kit whispers, then laughs, "I didn't really care."

"Exactly," I say, "You didn't care. Any other girl would've yelled at me or ran about and snitched, but I noticed that you were different. So, that made me want to talk and hang out with you more, and then we did. That's how we became friends."

"That's amazing," Kit whispers, "That you still remember how we met and how we started hanging out and stuff."

I feel Prune carefully tap my shoulder, obviously not wanting to piss me off, like she did earlier. "Can you pass the popcorn, please?" She asks, suddenly acting like a human being.

"Um, sure." Kit hands me the popcorn, then I hold it out to Prune. She takes it, then begins to stuff her hand inside the tub and munch.

"Ferris," Kit murmurs.

"Yeah?" I whisper. But, she doesn't say anything. She's staring at me.

I decide not to say anything back. Is she challenging a staring contest?

I stare as well, staying as serious as I can, trying not to blink. But, I notice that Kit blinks.

"A-ha. You lost," I say. But she's leaning.

Leaning? Why is she leaning?

I stay perfectly still. I think I now know what she's trying to do.

Her hand grasps my neck, then she pulls me close. She immediately presses her lips against mine.

Kit, my best friend, is kissing me. I honestly didn't expect this, but if she wants to kiss me, I don't mind. We did know each other for quite a while, after all.

She tilts her head a little, as I carefully move my mouth on hers. Should I pull away? Because I seriously need to back up and breathe. I feel like I'm suffocating.

But I don't want to disappoint Kit. She seems to be enjoying this, because I now feel her smiling against my lips. It feels weird, yet so right. What am I feeling right now? I seriously don't know.

I breathe a little, but then manage to lean and kiss her again. For now, I'm deciding that I like this. My head is spinning of confusion. Damn, what's going on?

Suddenly, Kit pulls away. She's still smiling. But I'm not. All I am thinking about is how she kissed me like that, like if it's a normal thing we do every day. The thought scares me a little.

I'm not satisfied, yet I am. "Thanks," is all I say, then I turn my attention to the movie, feeling stupid, awkward, and confused.

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Chapter Seven

Is Ferris mad at me?

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Kitty

"Thanks," he says quietly, then stares at the screen ahead of him, probably lost in thought.

I instantly regret what I did. Is he mad at me? Did he think I was a suckish kisser? What happened?

I look away as well, gently biting down on my lip, craving the sweet taste of his.

It was nothing like I imagined. It was amazing. I never knew I'd have the guts to kiss him. But, now I did, and I extremely regret it.

"Why did you kiss my brother?" Linzee whispers beside me.

I gasp, then glance at her. "You were awake this entire time?" I say, "I thought you were sleeping!"

"Nope, I was eavesdropping on the conversation you guys were having. It was rather interesting," Linzee says, not sounding the least bit sorry.

"How old are you again?" I mumble.

"Fourteen," Linzee replies casually.

"What mature, fourteen year old girl in this entire planet secretly listens to her brother's conversation?" I ask, feeling a bit angry.

"It's called eavesdropping, Kitty," Linzee says, "And who said I was 'mature'? But I'm no freak either. Not like your cousin."

"So," I pull my eyebrows together, "You saw what happened."

"Chyea," Linzee chuckles, "And it grossed me out. It must have been horrible, you know, kissing Ferris like that."

"No," I say, disagreeing, "It was actually pretty nice."

"Sure, if you say so," Linzee murmurs, grinning. She seems amused. "But I don't think Ferris enjoyed it too much. I mean, look at the guy."

We both spy on him. He's slouching, his hands covering his face, as Prune whispers to him, talking about the history of mint gum or something.

"What did I do wrong?" I whisper, turning back to Linzee.

"You kissed him," she says, giving a slight eye-roll, "That's gonna ruin your friendship with him."

I widen my eyes. "You think?"

"Oh, honey, I know." Linzee smirks as she pats my shoulder, "That's why I'm taking it slow with the guy I like. I'm sure he's into me. He doesn't show it, obviously, because he doesn't wanna ruin our friendship either. I'm the prettiest girl in all my classes."

"Uh, what's the guy's name?" I ask.

"Puh-lease! I'm never telling you. I once did the stupid mistake of telling my brother, then - bam! He's been blackmailing me ever since. What if you team up with him and you both suddenly go against me?" Linzee whisper-hisses, obviously being paranoid, "I have to expect the unexpected. Who made up that quote, anyway? Jackie Chan?"

"Look, that's not the point," I mumble, "What if Ferris never talks to me again? I mean, look! He's now ignoring me. I bet when we walk right outta this theater, he won't even say bye to me. He'll just walk straight back home and not look once behind his shoulder."

"If he doesn't, then I'll force him to say bye," Linzee promises, "Because I'm a great friend like that."

"No offense, but you're a bit conceited," I say, "But you're pretty funny."

"Conceited? No, I'm fantabulous and you know it," Linzee says. There's an awkward silence. Suddenly, she begins to giggle quietly.

"I'm just kidding, okay?" She says, "Don't worry. Everything is gonna be fine. My brother can be such a retard, I know, but he'd never ignore anyone right off the bat like that. You're the only friend he has."

I slightly smile, feeling myself calm down. "You're sure?"

"Yeah," Linzee nods, "So don't sweat it, okay?"

"Okay," I whisper, feeling relieved.

I then turn to Ferris, and lightly touch his arm. "You're alright?"

He nods, but doesn't make eye contact with me.

"Are you mad at me?" I ask, so quietly that I couldn't even hear myself. Maybe it's the loud sound of my heart thumping like a drum.

Amazingly, Ferris heard me, because he shakes his head.

"No," he answers.

But I have a feeling that he's lying.