like fire

    “On a scale of one to Millard, how smart do I look?”

Goodness this required more effort than Millard thought it would.     He had already missed and hit the house a few times, and he     had yet to elicit any sort of answer. He knew Catherine was     home. Or at least, he was fairly sure. It was rather late.  He     was actually only fairly sure of that, as well. He wasn’t sure     when he had last looked at his watch. Nonetheless,  he only     had to throw one more rock before he finally saw the window     opening.

And it was not Catherine. This evening was only getting better.

“You aren’t Catherine.” That was obvious enough. “Do you know     if she lives next door? I am- was her boyfriend.” All the     houses one this street looked the same to him, especially in     the dark and when he had had just a little much to drink. His     friend had told him that this was a bad idea, and there was     no way he could ever mention this to Hugh, unless he never     wanted to hear the end of it. “I’ve been trying to get a hold     of her. It’s kinda important.”

               If this goddamn bird hit her window ONE more time, she was going to                scream-- because not only was it the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT & birds                should have been sleeping, but she was trying to get some rest                 herself.   Emma didn’t know exactly why the universe hated her but it                was clearly the case as the same moment she had that thought, there                was yet another TAP against her window for what had to be the                 fiftieth time in under five minutes.                Beyond ready to cuss out a bird, the tired & pissed off young woman                unraveled herself from her blankets, padded over to the window, and                pushed up the window.  And oh, of COURSE it’s not a bird she found                when she glared into the darkness with bleary brown eyes carrying                dark circles underneath--- no, it was some GUY standing on the                 ground with pebbles.                 Even better.

                                         MILLARD NULLINGS