Clickers

by J.F. Gonzalez

Rick, how about that cotton candy?” That flirtatious tone crept back into her voice. “You got it.” They set off walking down the pier toward Rox’s hamburgers, a greasepit burger stand that served everything that was bad for you. Janice got a pink swirl of cotton candy. Rick settled for a coke. They found a deserted table, wiped the settled rain off with some napkins and sat down. Small talk commenced shortly after their behinds met plastic. Rick answered not-too-personal questions about himself. He told her everything that had happened to him up till now; his brief past in Philly, his decision to move to a new location, the drive to Phillipsport, his accident, his encounter with Rusty and the Sheriff, the exploration of his house. At the mention of Melissa, Janice nodded, no hint of jealousy in her face. “Melissa’s a sweetie. Believe it or not, I used to babysit her.” Gee, she sure doesn’t look that old. Rick originally pegged her to be around twenty-five, give or take a few years. Missy couldn’t be more than twenty-one and if you count Bobby in as being around seven, Rick could definitely see that Janice was most likely around his own age. “When she dropped me off yesterday, Melissa mentioned that you and Jack Ripley are kindred spirits.” “She’s a sweet girl,” Janice said. “I don’t see her that much now. Sometimes I’ll stop by Shelby’s for a bite and we chat, but it’s been awhile.” “She drove me home from Shelby’s the other night,” Rick mentioned. He cut Melissa out of th...

Yuck