Bursting with Confidence (3 page)

Abigail lowered her left hand from
her cheek. She rushed to Haley with a giggling squeal while raising
her left hand. "Payback pinchy!"

Haley grabbed Abigail's left hand.
"Stop!"

Abigail raised her right hand and
she pinched Haley's right cheek. "Payback gotten!"

Abigail pulled her left hand from
Haley's grasp and she took a step away from her friend. "And I did
warn you about the stairs like two times. But you were like all
mesmerized by the bling in the hall. And plus I thought you were
like right behind me."

"I was but I was falling," Haley
said.

"Oh yeah," Abigail
giggled.

"Not funny Abbie."

"Yeah you're right totally not
funny and I'm so glad I like didn't pull out my cell and tape
it."

"What?"

"Nothing. I didn't say anything.
Come on. Let's meet Peter,"

Abigail moved forward and grabbed
Haley's arm.

"Okay," Haley said.

Abigail turned around and she
walked across the room.

Haley walked beside her.

The two young women walked away
from the staircase and they entered a large room.

The suite was impressively large
and the chamber was a deep shade of magenta. The room's massive
interior of was filled with an assortment of couches, chairs,
stools and tables.

A massive stone fireplace the color
of bleached bone lay embedded in the wall on the left side of the
room.

Two large carved dragons decorated
the left and right side of the huge hearth.

The stone creature's faces were
carved into menacing snarls.

A large painting of a dour faced
man with white hair hung on the wall directly above the fireplace.
The painted man was dressed in a dark suit.

A huge golden screen rested on the
floor a few paces in front of the ash-filled fireplace. The metal
barricade was decorated with the intricately carved figures fire
breathing dragons, iron clad knights, galloping horses and long
haired maidens.

Dozens of wooden crossbows, silver
hatchets, wooden spears, rusty metal axes and metal poles arms hung
from the walls of the room.

Several diamond-shaped mirrors
decorated the walls.

A row of four ceiling length
windows lay a few hundred yards across from the massive magenta
room’s entrance. The partitions were decorated with red velvet
curtains.

A little boy was resting lazily
atop a magenta colored chair that was located a few feet away from
the tall windows.

The boy was dressed in a pair of
dark blue loose fitting pajamas.

A pair of large black slippers
encased the boy's feet.

The shoes were too big for the
boy's small feet and the dark footwear dangled from his limbs
clumsily.

An intricate golden symbol
decorated the top portion of the black slippers.

Large liters of soda, bottles of
fruit juice, and boxes of cookies and shining foil bags of salty
snacks rested on the stone floor near the little boy's
chair.

Three large remote controls lay
stacked in a neat pile atop the magenta chair's left
armrest.

An IPad rested atop the chair's
right armrest.

The little boy cradled a large bag
of potato crisps atop his belly. He shoved handfuls of the snacks
inside his mouth while gazing at the large screen television that
hung from a stone wall across from him.

Large crumbs fell from his
crisp-filled fingers and landed atop his pajamas.

Several food particles landed on
the floor around him.

The little boy giggled wildly while
continuing to gaze at the TV.

The TV was large and hung suspended
from the wall a few feet away from the chair.

Three large coats of arms hung from
the wall. The trio of metal objects surrounded the television in a
graceful circle.

Four shining silver swords lay
embedded in the wall directly above the television
screen.

At the sound of Abigail and Haley's
approaching footsteps, the little boy looked up from the
television. He turned to the doorway and stared at
Abigail.

“
Peter," Abigail said cheerfully
"Look who came to visit us.”

Haley and Abigail stopped walking
near Peter.

Peter looked at Haley. He swallowed
a mouthful of potato crisps with a loud gulp. He snatched the bag
from his belly, threw the sack on the floor near him and sat up
quickly.

The three remote controls and the
IPad fell from the chair and the items landed on the floor with
loud clattering noises.

Hundreds of crumbs fell from his
pajamas and landed on the floor.

The little boy rubbed his head of
black curls while he grinned at Haley.

"Oh your IPad," Haley
gasped.

"Huh?" Peter asked lowering his
hand from his head while still looking at Haley.

"I think it might be broken," Haley
said.

"He doesn't care," Abigail
said.

Haley looked up from the IPad and
she turned to Abigail. "What?"

Abigail stared at the IPad with a
surly expression across her features. She folded her arms across
her chest before looking up at Peter. "Another one bites the dust.
That's the third one's he's totaled this month."

Peter ignored the fallen items. He
took a step towards Haley with a wide yet lopsided grin.

"Is this Haley?" Peter asked
cheerfully.

“
Oh I almost forget the
introduction," Abigail said."Peter this is my best friend Haley.
Haley, this is Peter.”

“
Pleased to meet you Peter,” Haley
said. "Is your IPad okay?"

“
Wow you’re pretty,” Peter
said.

“
Uh thank you,” Haley said
quietly.

“
Can we kiss?” Peter
asked.

“
Um no. But how’s about a
handshake?” Haley suggested.

Haley moved closer to Peter. She
thrust out her hand with a cheerful smile.

Peter moved to Haley
quickly.

“
I guess that’ll do. For now,”
Peter said.

Peter thrust out his hand. He
grabbed Haley’s hand and shook it enthusiastically.

“
Your hands are soft,” Peter
stated.

Haley pulled her hand from Peter’s
tight grasp quickly.

“
Uh thanks," Haley said."So uh,
what are you watching Peter?”

"Guess," Peter said.

Haley turned away from Peter and
she looked at the television.

“
Imprisoned International," Haley
said tentatively. "Um, I used to watch this show.”

"My other favorite show just
ended," Peter said.

Haley turned away from the TV. She
looked at Peter with a smile and said, "Oh what's your other
favorite show?"

"Murder Detective International. Do
you watch that show?" Peter asked.

"Um sometimes," Haley
responded.

"Do you like it?" Peter
inquired.

"Yeah it's okay. I guess," Haley
replied.

"Haley, do you believe in magic?"
Peter asked.

"Uh I don't really know. I haven't
really seen any. And lots of stuff can be explained by science so,"
Haley said.

"Is that why you like to watch
Forensic Historian? Cause I watch that show too," Peter said
quickly.

"Uh how do you know that I watch
that show?" Haley asked.

"I told him," Abigail said with a
shrug.

"Oh," Haley said.

"I watch The Forensic Historian,
The Historic Detectives and Surgery in the Ancient World too,"
Peter said. "You like all of those shows?"

"Um I watch all of them but I don't
really watch them all the time," Haley said.

"I like science shows. I watch
Blast It and Build it and Blast that Building too like
you."

"Uh, did Abigail tell you I like
those shows?"

"Naw, I read it in her texts to
you."

"What!" Abigail
squealed.

"And I don’t think the shows you
like are boring at all," Peter continued. "I think they're all cool
like you."

"Oh well I like some other shows
too," Haley said.

"And I don't think that science
can't explain everything," Peter said."There's loads of stuff
experiments can't measure or explain. Like love."

"Um," Haley said.

Peter moved closer to
Haley.

"What do you think?" Peter
asked.

"Oh brother," Abigail said with a
roll of her eyes.

"Love is a mystery I guess but uh,"
Haley stammered.

"If you saw some magic would you
believe it?" Peter asked.

"Um I guess. I don't really know,"
Haley replied with a shrug.

"There's magic all around us you
know," Peter said.

"Peter that's enough," Abigail
said. "Its late and time for you to go to bed. So, pick up your
IPad and go to bed."

"No Abbie," Peter said. "I'm not
going to bed. I’m not three anymore and you can't make me. Besides,
it's too early and Dad's getting me the new IPad 2 tomorrow so I
don't care about that one."

"Ugh," Abigail huffed.

"Haley," Peter said. "Would you
like to watch Imprisoned International with me? They're doing a
marathon."

"Uh Peter. You don't watch to watch
cartoons or anything like that?” Haley asked.

Peter clapped his hands together
with a grin. He took a few steps back with a cheerful grin in
Haley's direction.

“
Be right back,” Peter
stated.

Peter turned away from Haley. He
clapped his hands while walking from the interior of the room with
a cheerful whistle.

“
Uh,” Haley said turning to
Abigail and looking at her friend with an expression of
disbelief.

“
I told you that kid was weird,”
Abigail said.

“
How old is he?” Haley
asked.

“
Ten going on
thirty," Abigail replied. "You know, I think it's all of those racy
television shows and movies that they show on cable that’s making
these kids go all
reproductive
wonky
at an early
age.”

Abigail moved to the magenta chair.
She fell to her knees and snatched up the bags of crisps, cookie
boxes, juice bottles and liters of soda that lay on the
floor.

“
Reproductive wonky?” Haley asked
with a laugh.

"Yeah, I mean all of this talk
about kissing and things. I mean. When we were ten we had to catch
a boy, body slam him and hold him down if we wanted to kiss him,"
Abigail said.

Abigail rose to her feet. She held
the treats clumsily in her hands and moved to a small circular
table of glass near her. She placed the items onto the table before
snatching a small cookie from one of the dented boxes. She turned
to Haley with a smile.

“
But then again to him we’re the
unattainable older woman,” Abigail said before shoving the cookie
inside her mouth with a loud chomp.

“
We are not. Why are we even
talking about this?” Haley asked.

"Cause its funny," Abigail said
snatching another cookie from the box.

Haley turned away from Abigail. She
glanced around the room and focused her sight on a nearby couch.
She moved to the sofa and fell atop the soft object with a
huff.

"Its not funny," Haley sighed
looking at the TV.

“
You’re right. Let’s talk about
something else,” Abigail said.

Abigail moved away from the table.
She paused in front of the chaise and snatched up the fallen IPad
and three remote controls. She held the remotes in her left hand
and clutched the IPad in her right hand. She raised her thumb
slightly and tapped at the machine's screen.

The monitor flashed to
life.

"I’m surprised the screen isn't
toast," Abigail said."Its still working."

"That's good," Haley
said.

Abigail walked to the snack-filled
table and she placed the IPad onto the counter. She lowered two of
the remote controls onto the snack-filled table before she walked
away from the object. She moved across the room and stopped in
front of the couch.

Abigail grinned at Haley before
turning around, aiming the remote at the TV and falling onto the
couch beside her friend with a musical hum.

The sound of loud rock music poured
from the TV.

"Where are my snacks?" Haley
asked.

"We'll do the snack thing later.
You have got to see the Larsen's kitchen. They've got two fridges
and one of them will like make you fat just by looking at the
shelves in it. Cakes, pies, schnitzel you name it they've got
it."