//------------------------------// // 02. Freeze Your Brain // Story: We Killed the Dinosaurs // by Distaff Pope //------------------------------// “You going to be coming here a lot, kid? Because it’s kind of weird just having someone hang out at a Snack Shack,” the shopkeeper said. I tried not to hear him over the sound of me sucking down cherry-flavored slush for that not-quite cough syrup taste. “It’s a free country, isn’t it?” I said, standing next to the slushie dispenser, a.k.a. The only thing in the store worth a damn. “Maybe, but it’s my store, and I say no loitering. Especially from weird, punk kids.” He stayed behind the counter, body language not giving that much of a shit. He just wanted something to complain about, and I fit the bill. “If I’m buying food, isn’t it just me being a customer?” I took another hit of frozen cherry right between the frontal lobes, missing the first half of his response, but catching the end. He paused at that, turning the concept over a few times before giving in. “If I catch you harassing the customers, I’m calling the cops. Got it?” I waved him off, both of our heads turning to jingling store bells as she walked in. “Regular or BQ, Rose?” Starlight asked, shouting out to an idling car. “BQ!” Rose’s voice cut through the air like a cheese grater. Starlight turned to fully enter the shop and froze as our eyes met. “I didn’t expect to see you here,” she said, almost hiding her blush. Adorable. “My friends, not me, thought you might go to jail for that stunt you pulled in the caf.” “Just suspended for a few days, given a warning, a ‘this is not how we do things in Westercolt–” I did my best to sound like the principal, who was old enough to be on a first name basis with dinosaurs. “–And I’ll be back at school on Monday.” With all the badass cred I’d need to make my brief stay here bearable. “And how are your parents going to react?” Starlight asked, cool completely regained as she walked over to the corn nuts. “Do they know they’ve raised a juvenile delinquent?” I swirled the straw around in the drink. “Dad's too busy with work to find out, and Mom doesn’t care about much of anything.” “Oh?” Starlight leaned against one of the shelves, carefully not to knock over the rows of Bugles. “Is she where you get your ‘too cool for school’ attitude from?” “I like to think so, but it’s mostly because she’s been dead for nine years years.” Gave me one last wave goodbye, and then gone in a puff of smoke. Just how it goes. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” she said, hands going over her mouth in performative grief. Not really caring my mom died and more just caring she might have screwed up her chances with me. I mean, she didn’t, but she didn’t know that. “It’s whatever. Let me buy you a drink, break the ice. Do you want cherry or lime slushie?” I grabbed a medium for her. Good starting size. With experience, she could probably put away a large in less than ten minutes, but right now? ICU. “I think a Big Gulp’s the customary drink for when you embarrass yourself in front of… I don’t even know your name.” She walked up closer, still giving me a few feet, closer to the soda machine than the slushie one. That would change. “Well, I’ll end the suspense. Sunset Shimmer.” I stuck my hand out and half-curtsied as she took it. She giggled. “And slushie is the house specialty, so will that be cherry or lime?” “What if I want the blue one or the yellow one?” She pointed at the half of the options I neglected. “You don’t want your first slushie to be as mainstream as lemonade, and the blue’s extra cold. You’ve gotta build up a tolerance. But, if you want to try to show off how cool you are, you could try it. And if you really wanted to be badass…” I trailed off, dangling the bait and setting the cup down on the counter. “If I wanted to be badass, I’d what?” she stepped closer and closer, less than a foot between us. She grabbed the edges of my duster with both hands, popping the collar. “Suicide.” I tilted my head at the machine. “Mix up all four drinks and down it as fast as you can. Props if you can finish it in five minutes, but I’m guessing you won’t make it a third of the way before you tap out.” Starlight picked up the cup I’d set out for her and pressed it into my hand. “Hit me.” I poured. Red, green, yellow, and blue layering on top of each other, mingling in the margins and blobbing into a dark black mass, bit by bit. “But blue is the best flavor. Cherry tastes like Drano, but it’s got this weird, compelling aftertaste that just won’t leave you, lime is sour as hell, and lemonade’s unexpectedly sweet. But blue? Once you build up to it, it’s the one.” “And this toxic, black sludge you're handing me?” she asked, taking the drink and looking at it cock-eyed. “Like I said, suicide.” I grinned. “But hey, if you’d rather not, I can pour you baby’s first slushie.” The clerk looked at me. I rolled my eyes right back. Yeah, yeah, I'd pay for the wasted slushie if I did that. “I think I can handle a bad drink.” She brought the straw to her lips. “How long did you say I had?” “Five minutes for maximum badass cred, but you’re getting a few points for at least attempting it. You don’t have to impress me.” “Good, because I’m not trying to.” She looked at her watch on her left hand, and then took her first hit, contorted revulsion immediately sweeping across her face. But she took another hit. And another. And then she got to slug five, and I could see the brain freeze hit, her brow furrowing as she winced, every thought in her head smashed under the assault of frozen sugar. “Pretty great, right?” I said, taking a long draw from my cherry slushie, taste twisting from sickness to almost sweet. “I feel like I’m on the bad side of one of Rose’s parties,” she said, eyes still closed. “Senses I didn’t even know I had hurt.” “Isn’t it the best?” I asked, reaching the dregs of my own drink. “It’s intense.” To her credit, she took another sip, not giving up, and instead choosing to keep going with the challenge I laid down. Good. “So, is this what you do? Get suspended from school so you can drink Snappy Snack Shack slushies?” “That, ride my bike, and convince cute girls with bad taste in friends to hang out with me. Speaking of which, cut school, hang out with me tomorrow.” She pulled back, still holding on to her slushie. “I’ve never skipped school in my life.” “What better time to start? You’re the smart one in your little clique, right? The one the other girls cheat off of? Probably were the smartest girl in school ‘til I showed up. So instead of doing what you’ve done for the last twelve years, sitting in the front row, bored out of your minds, taking notes only so the person sitting next to you can copy them, you can have fun for once in your life.” I smiled, reaching out and touching her arms. “Seems like an easy choice.” She didn’t pull away. “You think you know everything don’t you?” she asked. “But I’ll have you know, I have a lot of fun.” “You say that so convincingly.” Damn, I wanted to suck down more slushie, but I was out. I went back to my altar, grabbing a cup and bowing the lever for blue in supplication. “I mean it,” she said. “I’m going to a party tomorrow; I’d invite you, but after that stunt you pulled, Rose might kill us both if I brought you.” Almost on cue, we heard a scream coming from the parking lot. “Starlight!” She winced, not from brain freeze. “Sorry, I should go.” Starlight pulled back, heading to the corn nut display. “Thanks for the Slushee, and maybe I’ll see you tomorrow. You’ll be here?” “All day.” I put a lid on my drink. “Good,” she said, moving to the clerk. “Because if I do decide to cut school and come here, and I probably won’t, but if I do come here and you’re not there?” Yeah, yeah, friendship over. “I’m kind of not the best at dealing with people letting me down.” “Noted,” I said as she passed a few dollars across the counter. She turned to look at me as she left, and I flashed the biggest smile I could. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”