Cowboy

He came from the west. The wild west. The cowboy came to the Day Camp that morning. Hallie worked the desk at the moment.

�Excuse me,� he said. The tomboy didn�t look up at first.

�Excuse me!� he repeated. No answer. Finally, he slammed the table. Hallie rolled her eyes and looked up.

�What?� she asked. He stepped back at bit.

�I�m here to apply for a job,� he said. Hallie had never seen teeth so white before. His accent both assaulted and flirted with her ears. Hallie�s cheeks turned red.

�S-Sure,� she said. She handed him the form.

�Thanks,� he said. The cowboy reached in his pocket for a pen.

�Darn it,� he mumbled. Hallie looked on at him.

�Problem?� she asked.

�I can�t seem to find my pen.�

�Here, hang on.� Hallie reached over to the yellow pencil cup and pulled out a fresh pen.

�Here.�

�Thanks.� The boy began to fill out his form. Hallie�s eyes traced the pen as he wrote.

�So, what�s your name?�

�Dustin.�

�Dustin��

�That�s me.�

�So where are you from?�

�Texas.�

�Is that so?�

�Yes, miss.� Dustin looked up to see Hallie�s cheeks turning a sweet pink. He blinked at her with a curious look on his face.

�Miss?� he asked. �Miss? Miss?� He waved his hand in front of her face. No response. He looked at her name tag.

�Hallie?� he asked. �Hallie? Hallie? Hallie?� Dustin poked her on the arm.

�Hey,� he said. �Hey. Hey!� Hallie returned to reality in a jump. SMACK! One punch and down. Hallie rushed over to him, knocking over her chair.

�Oh shit!� she cried. �Are you okay?� Dustin groaned as he rubbed his nose.

�No,� he wailed. �That hurt! What the hell?!?� Hallie looked away sheepishly.

�My bad,� she said. �It�s a reflex.�

�A reflex?!?�

Hallie nodded. �I don�t like being poked. Bad memories.� She bit her lower lip. �You finished the apply?�

�Yes!� Dustin wailed. He handed her his application.

�Right,� she said. �I�ll take this with me.� Hallie took the application and hurried off. She giggled in her mind.

He is kind of cute, the tomboy thought. Hallie paused. But so is Hal� Oh! Her face brightened a heavier red. She stumbled back in tiny steps.

I need to sit down, the tomboy thought. After I gave this to auntie. With that, Hallie raced down the hall.

Butane in My Veins