trickster

Daisy woke up shivering. She sat up and clutched the sheets to her chest when she realized she was naked. The room was unfamiliar, she noted in her haze. Her head throbbed. Lace curtains fluttered gently in the open window’s breeze. The room was small and plain. Aside from the bed, there was a dresser, a scratched wooden table, and a couple of chairs. One of the chairs had a broken leg and was propped up in the corner of the room. Daisy couldn’t stop looking at it. But she didn’t have to for long: the door creaked open. She looked towards it and saw the platinum blond stride into the room. He wore a plain white shirt and black pants. He had always been on the dressy side. Daisy shivered again, hoping he would close the window, hoping he wouldn’t notice her, hoping for him to leave her alone.
But she knew she wanted more than that.
Joshua glanced around and did a double-take when he saw that she was awake. Daisy swallowed once, hating how dry her throat was. If she tried to speak she would only be able to whisper. Daisy didn’t want him to hear her like that. In their summer days she had always been so confident. Daisy tried to maintain a neutral expression. That was surprisingly easy; considering how sick she felt, it should have been impossible. They studied each other in silence. Joshua smiled, but it was only a courtesy, nothing more. She suddenly felt afraid.
“Good morning, sunshine. Did you sleep well?”
Daisy found she was unable to say a word. But he didn’t seem to care. He took in her trembling and shut the window. Immediately, the curtains fell against the glass, silent, still. Joshua pulled up the good chair and dragged it to her side of the bed. It scraped the wooden floor and the noise hurt her ears. Everything was louder in the silence. Daisy still didn’t say anything. They were an arm’s length apart, and she took in his scent. Joshua had never worn cologne before. He smelled like a pine forest. For some reason, she felt nostalgic, but they had never been anywhere near a forest in the short time they had spent together. If anything, he should have smelled of wildflowers.
“Cat got your tongue?”
Daisy remembered the dead girl and turned away from him. If there was one thing she had learned, it was that it was impossible to forget anything completely. Cat wouldn’t haunt her forever. Daisy would hardly remember her in a few weeks. But at night, when the dreams came, she would see those dark eyes and remember how much she had liked her. Daisy knew she was being silly. Cat had been nothing more than a fleeting impression; her life had been snuffed out without a second thought. Daisy wanted to talk to Noctis, but she knew he wouldn’t care. He never did. He had always been better than she was at reigning in ugly emotions.
“You’re still very pretty,” Joshua noted. “Skinnier than before, though. With that boy gone, I wonder who’s been feeding you.”
She tensed. “I can take care of myself.”
“Oh, is that so?” Joshua’s tone was light. “Let me tell you something, Daisy. You need to stop with all of your late night activities. They really don’t suit you.”
“You don’t know anything.”
“I don’t know anything about you. To be honest, I never quite understood you. I did love you though. Don’t tell me you were unaware of that little fact. I was just one of your pawns, wasn’t I? Did you really miss me when I left?”
“Stop it.” She didn’t want to hear anymore. “You’ve always been a liar.”
“It’s the truth. But the past’s over and done with.”
Daisy let the sheets drop, and his eyes fell to her chest. She didn’t care. Many people had seen her like this. It was nothing to her anymore. But even so, she felt a little thrill when she saw him colour pink. She always knew how to make others blush. Wordlessly, she adjusted the sheets again, and Joshua sighed. Whether that was an expression of regret or pity, she didn’t know.
“Where’s Noctis?” she asked.
“Him?” Joshua shrugged. “He left earlier. Didn’t say where he was going.”
“When will he be back?”
“Relax. Your boyfriend probably had better things to do than wait for you to wake up.”
“We’re not like that.” Daisy didn’t know how many times she would have to deny it. “Noctis is just my...business partner. Nothing more. Not that I should even be telling you this.”
“I’ve never seen him so concerned over anything. When you passed out, he almost had a panic attack. It was cute, really. Noctis isn’t such a bad guy.” Joshua leaned back in the chair, contemplating something for a moment. “Can’t say I like him, though. He’s still a bastard.”
Daisy felt sick to her stomach. “What happened to you?”
“Nothing.” Joshua’s smile faded. “Other than the usual. People grow up.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I stopped chasing after ghosts.”
“Good. Because ghosts aren’t real, idiot.” Daisy stood, wrapping herself in the sheets. “If you don’t mind, I’d like my clothes back.”
“Oh, don’t look at me like that. Noctis took them off. He said you’d be more comfortable.”
“That was thoughtful of him.”
Joshua raised an eyebrow. “Did he leave your panties on?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Daisy stood behind the chair, toying with a lock of his hair. If she had kept hers blond, they would have matched ever so nicely. But things never worked out with blonds. She knew better by now. “If you want to help me get dressed, feel free.”
“That’s a tempting offer.” Joshua looked up and smiled, and for a moment, he was the boy she remembered. “But I really can’t dirty my hands with criminals. The bathroom’s in the hall on the left. Your stuff’s there.”
“Suit yourself.”
Daisy was almost out the door when she had the sudden urge to look back. Joshua was staring at her. As soon as their eyes met, he pretended as if he had been looking at the broken chair. Apparently, they weren’t that different. He had always appreciated broken things. Joshua liked trying to fix them. Daisy hesitated, wondering if he would even give her a real answer, but spoke anyway.
“Are you going to tell the cops?”
“Tell them what?”
“God, never mind.”
“If you’re talking about the girl, no, I’ll keep that secret. She has nothing to do with me.”
“Good. Thank you.”
“You shouldn’t be so quick to be grateful.” Joshua pulled out his cellphone—still orange, still blatantly youthful—and entered something into it. He glanced up and seemed surprised that she was still looking at him. “Don’t keep standing there. If your boyfriend shows up, he’ll have something to say to me. I know the jealous type when I see it.”
“Fine, fine.”
Daisy left the room. Joshua seemed to be telling the truth about not turning them in. But she had never been able to read him accurately. Their relationship had been based on fun, hadn’t it? There was no room for honesty in a fairytale. Daisy suddenly wished that he were here, but brushed that thought away. He had never been able to accept her for who she was. She was a bad apple, and she knew that making him stay would have spoiled everything. Even so, she found herself staring at her hair in the mirror, remembering when she had tried to turn darkness into light.

She wanted a smoke more than anything in the world.