“Oh god!” My mouth dropped when we approached the ice cream parlor across two blocks.

Chilly Bones

Kevin stopped and turned to me. “What is it?”

I studied the square white building with two glass windows and the odd logo, hanging above the doorway. Between the pink title was a skull on an ice cream cone, which could make the customers feel nervous about entering the parlor.

I pointed my finger at the title. “That is where Mark took me after we first met!”

“Will that be a problem? We can find another-”

I shook my hands. “No!No!No! I can totally handle it.”

“Okay.” Kevin approached the door and pulled it open for me. “Ladies first.”

I giggled. “You’re totally a gentleman.”

As I entered, multiple ice cream flavors reached my nose in the cool air. Chocolate, strawberry, banana, and more that stirred through my memories. 

Kevin approached the glass counter, displaying all the open ice cream buckets. I stared at the different flavors as her mouth watered. It was hard to resist the other flavors although they could upset my stomach.

“Hello, what can I get you?” the ice cream man asked from behind the counter.

Kevin held up two fingers. “Two vanilla cones please.”

The man grabbed one cone and scooped the vanilla cream with his metal scooper. He placed the cream into the cone and handed it to Kevin. After he scooped the second scream and placed it into the next cone, he gave the cone to me.

“That will be two dollars please,” the ice cream man stated.

Kevin handed him the bills and glanced at me. “Wanna head to the park? It is a good place to waste some time.”

I checked my watch. Only a half an hour left. “Sure, why not.”

*****

The night fell quickly over downtown, but the town lights sparkled like the stars above, beautifully. More beautiful than being alone in the dark scary forest. It kind of reminded me of Christmas.

In the park, we strolled across the concrete path through the open grassy field in the middle of downtown. The same place where I caught the freebie with my teeth before a boy's dog caught it. How embarrassing!

So far I haven't behaved strangely since Salina inked the magic seal on my back. I have full control over the beast inside me. Best of all, I could choose whenever I wanted to transform. So far, nothing strange has happened since the Halloween incident. 

"Are you going to lick your ice cream or what?" Kevin asked.

"Oh!" I noticed the cream dripped down my cone. 

I quickly licked around the cone, and the first taste brightened my face. "Mmmmmmh!"

My tongue licked the rest, so hard, the cream sprinkled all over the place.

Kevin back away while shielding his face. “Ah! You’re licking it like a dog!”

I stopped as the cream dripped down my face. “Oops!”

The vanilla flavor was so good, I couldn’t help myself. Sometimes my wolf instincts took over my mind subconsciously without warning. But I never harmed anyone. 

Kevin pointed his finger at my face. "You got….. Some….. All over."

Well, only one thing to do.

I rubbed the cream off and licked my hands. Every inch until my face smelled dry and stinky. At least I became clean as a whistle.

Kevin chuckled. "We should sit down."

"Okay." I followed him toward a nearby bench. I munched my cone and sat next to Kevin. "Mmmmmmh, I totally thought I would never enjoy ice cream again. It still sucks that I can't eat everything. It's totally like being on a strict diet."

"At least you don't have to worry about getting fat." Kevin licked the tip of his ice cream. 

Fat?

I lifted up my white shirt and stared at my belly. "Mmmmmmh. I still have my Amazon six-pack."

Kevin laughed with red cheeks. "Yeah….. I think that makes you hot."

I raised my eyebrow at him. "Excuse me?"

"Ah….. Hot as in….. Good body to fight monsters."

I laughed. "Yeah! My girlfriends are totally jealous. But thank god I'm still in their squad."

"That's good." Kevin stared at the sky. "Ssssooooooo, have you thought about your future?"

"My future?"

"Yes, a career. What do you want to do?”

I gave him a wide smile, showing my white teeth. "I want to become a professional cheerleader!"

Kevin blinked his eyes. "A pro cheerleader?"

"Totally! I have been dreaming about it since I joined my squad. I don't know which sports team I'll cheer for, but dancing for a living is my jam! And I'll enter more competitions to win lots of money. I will become the most famous cheerleader in America! Maybe in the entire world too!"

Kevin wiggled his glasses. "Oooookay. I don't think being a cheerleader is a full-time job."

"Yes, it is! I heard plenty of cheerleaders get paid in the NFL and NBA. They totally dig it."

"I still don't think so. I heard they get paid less although they work full-time. Cheerleading is not a decent living."

I glared at him. "Oh, you're being a total party pooper like my dad."

"He disagreed with you too?"

"Yeah, he totally thinks cheerleading is a dead-end job. He wants me to become a cop instead."

Kevin dropped his mouth. "Really?"

"Yeah, like-"

Kevin jumped off the bench and stared closely at my face. "What the heck is wrong with you, Jessica? Did you forget what you are?"

My body shivered. "What are you-"

He placed his hands on my lap, leaning closer to me. "Jessica, you should become a cop! A werewolf cop! Or, a superhero!"

My heart raced because Kevin's face was so close, he could kiss me at any moment. "I don't-"

"You can save many lives and solve strange cases! And no criminal can escape from you! Don't you get it?"

"I-"

Kevin jumped back and held out his arms. "Why waste your life in pointless cheerleading when you can transform into a monster to fight other monsters? You can still be a cheerleader, but fighting crime will give you more money!"

I blinked my eyes. "But-"

"Have you ever heard, with great power comes great responsibility? The greatest comic book writer wrote that line in Spider Man! You should follow that rule too!"

My fists clenched. "Stop."

Kevin stomped his foot. "I'm serious! You can do greater things than being a normal person. You’re also immortal! Have you ever thought about that-"

"I said-STOP!" I roared.

He immediately closed his mouth, standing like he saw a ghost.

Tears dripped down my cheeks as my throat turned dry. I couldn't hold it in any longer. "My mother was a cop in Beverly Hills… And she died…"

I covered my face and cried through my fingers. My pain and sorrow poured out from my deep thoughts.

"I'm sorry." Kevin touched my shoulder.

It took me time to sniff and catch my breathing. I never told anyone about this. I guessed it was the matter of time that I would spill the beans.

I rubbed the tears off my face and said, "Mom tried to stop a bank robbery on her own while Dad went to a liquor store. She saved a few people, but one asshole sneaked behind her and took the shot. Dad and I were traumatized when it happened." I sniffed. "After her funeral, we moved out to escape from the pain of her loss. I promised myself that I will never become a cop like her. The job is too dangerous. I don't know why my dad wanted me to share his job. Maybe he wanted me to follow her legacy. But I wanted my own path that doesn't get me killed."

Kevin grimaced. "It doesn't matter now. You did risked your life to save people before. If it wasn't for you, we would be dead now."

I glanced at him with water in my eyes. "Yeah, maybe I shouldn't fear death anymore. Now that I am a werewolf. But… I will still decide my own future. But I won't stop helping people."

Kevin smiled. "Good."

I shrugged. Now I got my dark secret out, I should totally change the subject. "What do you plan on doing in your future?"

Kevin gritted his teeth until he took a big sigh. "Well….. I thought about becoming a paranormal professor at a school."

I titled her head. "Seriously? Schools have classes like that?"

"Some. Until I find the right school or college, I will push my studies to reach that career."

"Cool."

Kevin smiled with his arms crossed. "I want to teach people about the supernatural in our world. So they can fight it, or remain cautious. If more people are like us, they won't need us to protect them. Everyone should know the unexplainable dangers we encountered."

I giggled. "Not everyone might believe you."

Kevin chuckled. "Then I'll give them a bad grade."

I laughed until my cell phone vibrated in my pocket. "Excuse me."

I answered my phone. "Yes?"

"All done?" Her dad's voice asked.

"Uuuuuh, yeah….. Dad, you won't like this, but I'm at the downtown park with Kevin?"

"Huh? Why?"

"I'll explain when you pick me up."

My Dad sighed. "Coming."

I hung up my cell phone and rose. "I gotta go but thank you for taking me here. And….." I stroked my hair. "I'll think about what you said."

Kevin smiled. "Don't make the wrong decision in your life, or you will regret it forever."

I giggled and pointed at his shoe. "I think you dropped your ice cream."

Kevin spotted his cone on his left shoe, covered in melted cream. "Ah, crap."

Ha! If I wasn't nice, I would have called him Cream Foot.