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I sense what Camie is saying more than the words she’s using. I avert my eyes and return to my mirror to apply my mask.
“Ignore me all you want, girlfriend, but I’m not blind. I saw Ronan hug your waist at Bob’s. I didn’t say a thing in front of you guys, of course. I mean, we were busy wanting to get out of that joint with all our limbs intact. Man, that Bob Balang is one big Bigfoot. Wouldn’t want to get on his bad side.”
I jerk my head. “You saw that? I mean, Ronan, his arm?”
“Heck, yeah.” Camie laughs. “How could I not? He held onto you like he was Fort Knox and you were gold.”
Camie practically sprains a neck vein, holding back a laugh. I throw a cotton ball at her. She throws it back.
“Hey, freak out all you want. But here’s breaking news. I told my mom, too!”
My eyes pop. “You didn’t!”
“Yeah, I did. How could I not? You guys looked adorable. Well, in an orc and human kind of way. Personally, both of your species seem iffy to me. But that’s a faun’s perspective.” Camie sticks her tongue out at me.
Now I know there’s no way I’m telling Camie how I truly feel. It’ll get fired up to Marie at lightning speed. I decide to play it down, casual-like. Hell, I don’t even know how I feel. How could I explain it to anyone else?
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. For an orc, he’s a good guy. But, you know, orcs aren’t ones for overt affection, especially with the human set. I figure he knew we were vulnerable around Bob and was doing the protective orc thing that orcs do. He probably would have put his arm around you that day, too, if he could have reached your waist.”
“Oh, Chey, c’mon. It was more than that. Ronan had you cinched up the entire time we were there.”
“Maybe so, but you’re putting too much into it. I’m telling you. It was thanks to an orc’s protective nature, not some love-struck move. You know how when orcs are into mating it’s so much more aggressive than that. It was just an instinctive reaction because of Bob.”
Camie applies the last of her fake cyborg gear, gets up, and adjusts her suit to allow for ample stretching and free movement.
“I don’t know, Chey. If I were you, I’d think twice about Ronan and his sights on you.”
I get up and apply my cape. The put-together look is so real to me. I feel so different when I’m Disastra. It’s a bad girl feeling, but inside it makes me glow like an angel. I don’t have a clue if my Mom would be pleased. But I know I am.
“Orcs can, and do, defend, and protect other species all the time. We’ve both seen that action around town. I’m telling you. Ronan can act like that and not be in love.”
“Okay, but how ‘bout you and I make a deal? The next time he’s with you, you make a move. Or, if he makes another one, you don’t object again. Instead, you move closer. You’ll soon end this debate if you play along.”
I smile. And that’s all the time I have to do or say anything. The emcee is in the ring, and I can hear the crowd cheering. It’s go time.
CHAPTER 14
Ronan
Another knock-out show. Orcs aren’t one for emoting, but hell’s bells. These chicks are on fire!
There’s no more hesitation. Their moves are totally in sync. They jump off the ropes, and Camie soars left while Chey soars right. Both nail their foes on the mat like meteors slam into Earth.
It’s wild to watch. I found myself cheering there for a second. I stop that right quick. This is the result when wrestlers do what’s in their hearts. The battles might be fake, but the passion isn’t. And in the ring with these two, it shows.
During the half-time show, I spy Dee Dee in the stands. Geez, does that slobbering chick ever take a night off? I quickly slip behind the backstage gate. “Ben, you’re manning this gate, right?”
“Yes, sir. No one without a VIP pass will get past me.”
“Great, and please have that include that swampster over there. The one with the wild hairdo. She’s a dedicated fan but a complete touchy-feely virus. You get me?”
Ben smirks. “Totally, man. If she asks, I’ll say you’re away. Far, far away.”
We laugh, and I slap him on his lizard shoulder.
If the place had been a big venue like The Faun, I could have easily been invisible in the massive crowd. But in this small arena, I stick out like any muscular orc. And Dee Dee’s love radar is full-on.
The last thing I need is her pawing at me like she did in my last show. I’m still shedding algae from that love bomb when she jumped onto my back in blind move, and we landed on the floor in an embrace. From my end, revolting. From hers, riveting, I’m sure.
