By the end of the school week, Willow received, what she perceived as, an exciting assignment in one of her toughest subjects: Art. She could barely keep a ruler straight, but the new assignment, which made up one-third of the class grade, was right up Willow’s alley. Most of the class huffed as their teacher, Mr. Climbernit, assigned the entire class to go to an art museum and write a three-page report on any piece of art they found inspiring, while giving background information on the artist. Willow did not know the difference between warm and cool colors, but a research paper? No problem.
Willow and Razzel planned their trip to the museum for the following day. It took some pleading to convince their mothers to let them take the train an hour away from home, into the city, but they promised they would hop right back on as soon as they were done and since it was for school …
"This should be fun," said Willow, as they made their way toward the museum steps.
"What-evs," replied Razzel. "It's Saturday; I'd rather be catching some cinema."
"Raz, we can go to the movies anytime. What was it you said to me on the phone last week? 'You need some culture, girl’? We never go to a museum. Just think, we can spend hours studying paintings that were done centuries ago and preserved - "
"Hours?” Razzel cut in. “Are you crazy? Let's just go to the gift shop, buy a postcard and copy the description off the back. Then we can go see Outback Slayer 3D. I hear it's a real gore-fest."
"You'd rather go see a campy slasher film about a killer who thinks his pet
kangaroo is telling him who to dice, than to study Michelangelo?"
Razzel contemplated Willow’s question before responding.
“But it’s the final installment in a trilogy!”
“You’re hopeless, you know that, Raz? Besides, it’s R-rated. We’ll never get in – thank God.”
“Fine,” conceded Razzel, “we’re here, so we may as well do the assignment. But when we’re done, we’re checking out that DVD shop across the street.” Razzel pointed to a store-front called Movie Imports. There were movie posters all over the windows – mostly of Asian martial arts films.
“We’ll see,” replied Willow, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.
Willow and Razzel walked up the museum steps and made their way to the outdoor ticket kiosk. The only other people in line were three teenage boys in front of them. They looked about the same age as Willow and Razzel.
"They must go to school in the city," whispered Willow.
Razzel shrugged, her arms crossed, waiting to purchase her ticket to boredom.
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The three boys were very loud and using language that would make Mrs. Krimble cringe. When they reached the front of the kiosk, one boy, wearing a red baseball cap and jeans hanging so low below his waist, his boxers were showing, walked up to the counter and threw a twenty-dollar bill on it.
"Yo, three student tickets, babe!" he said, smugly. He turned to his two friends. "But I use the term 'babe' very loosely."
The three boys laughed and slapped hands as if it were the funniest joke ever told.
Razzel looked at Willow and sneered in disapproval.
"Let it go, Raz.” Willow continued to whisper. She noticed the lettering on the boy’s red cap: MJ. “Those letters on his hat probably stand for Major Jerk."
The young girl behind the counter was in her early twenties, and when she spoke to the three boys, Willow and Razzel could tell there was something odd about her speech.
"Choo like to ... donate a dolla to Sss … Say It … Loud, da senta faw da speech imp … impayard?"
The three boys stared at one another, each of them wearing the same bemused expression. After a few moments, the boy in the red baseball cap responded.
"Was that English or some foreign language? Sorry, but I don't speak Special Olympics." The three friends exploded into laughter once again.
The girl behind the counter looked dejected as she slid the boy's tickets and change across the counter.
Still laughing, the boy in the red cap took his change and noticed the girl's expression. He took a dollar bill, crumpled it up and threw it at her. It deflected off her forehead and landed on the counter.
"There, " he said, "put that toward some speech lessons." The hooting response to this act was deafening.
Willow looked at Razzel and recognized the enraged expression on her face.
"Oh, boy," said Willow, "I know that look. This isn't gonna be pretty, is it?"
Razzel marched up to the boys as if Willow's words were white noise. Willow made no move in halting her; she merely kept one step behind her.
Razzel walked right up to the ringleader, stopping a few inches from him. She looked him straight in the eye, wearing an irate expression. All three boys stopped laughing at once. The boy in the red cap was a good six inches taller than Razzel, but this didn’t appear to faze her. He waited for Razzel to speak, but she just stared him down until one of the other boys broke the silence.
"Looks like you’ve got an admirer, bro."
"What do you want, little girl?" said the boy in the red cap.
"I want you, and your girlfriends here, to apologize to the lady," replied Razzel, through gritted teeth.
The boy in the cap turned to his friends, smiled and pointed to Razzel as if she had just told a joke of her own. He turned back to face her.
"Why don't you, and your little friend here, get out of my face before you both get damaged."
"I'm gonna ask you one more time … " said Razzel, removing her glasses, handing them to Willow, " ... apologize to the lady."
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"I'd do what she says," Willow chimed in. "Trust me, it's for the best. When she gets like this there's just no - "
"AND I ASKED YOU TO GET OUTTA MY FACE!" the boy in the cap shouted, forming a pistol shape with his thumb, index and middle fingers, pressing them against Razzel's left temple.
There were a few moments of tense silence before Razzel's sudden grin confused her adversary. It all happened so quickly and the other two boys could not react fast enough to save their fearless leader. Razzel grabbed her opponent’s wrist and twisted it around so rapidly, the boy's cap flew off of his head as he flipped over, his back making a sickening thud as it slammed against the marble floor. He wasn’t certain what hurt more: his throbbing back, his neck, which was being twisted back by Razzel's foot pushing against his jaw, his hyper-extended arm, or his right wrist, which Razzel was bending forward in a way in which human anatomy was not accustom.
The girl behind the counter was in awe as Razzel effortlessly stood over her opponent. Willow just shook her head as if she expected nothing less.
The two other boys, realizing what had just transpired in the last three seconds, looked at one another, undecided what their next move might be. Razzel made up their minds for them.
"I wouldn't try anything stupid," she said to the two cohorts, with a satisfied smirk. "I might accidentally … break something." She applied more pressure to her opponent’s wrist, forcing him to let out a squeal of pain, emphasizing her point.
The two boys, in unison, turned their attention to Willow.
"Don't look at me," she said. She leaned forward towards the two boys and whispered, "She's crazy!"
The two cronies decided to remain rooted to their spots as Razzel addressed their superior.
"Let's see," she said, "where were we ... ah yes, you were going to apologize." Razzel's foot applied more pressure to the boy's jaw, forcing him to look at the girl behind the kiosk, who was peering down at him in disbelief.
"When I get up!" the boy spat, but Razzel’s foot pressed on his jaw even harder. The pain coming from several points in his body became too much for him. "Alright, alright … s-s-sorry."
Razzel addressed the girl behind the kiosk.
"Did you hear that? He's ‘s-s-sorry.’"
The girl nodded with a satisfied grin.
"That's enough, Raz," Willow interjected.
Razzel looked disappointed, as if a fun game was just forced to come to an end. She rolled her eyes and released the boy. She watched him struggle to his feet, as he moaned and winced the entire time. She was so satisfied with herself, she didn’t even notice Willow leaving her side and sprinting to the museum entrance.
As the boy groaned, bending down to pick up his red baseball cap, Razzel snatched his crumpled dollar from the counter and placed it into the cap the boy was now holding.
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"Here … ” she said, " … put that towards some chivalry lessons."
The girl behind the counter couldn’t help but let out a bubbly giggle.
The three boys were seething, but none more than the one placing the red cap back onto his head.
"You just made a big mistake, little girl!"
All three boys were standing across from Razzel with clenched fists. She got into a fighting stance and smirked.
"Sweet, " she said, "three girls against one. Bring it!"
Just as the three boys were about to pounce, Razzel felt a tight grasp on her arm. She instinctively turned around, ready to strike, but halted when she realized it was Willow gripping her. Razzel was also surprised to see a tall muscular man in uniform standing alongside her best friend.
"That's them," said Willow, pointing to the three boys.
The museum guard was intimidating, even to a group of angry teenage boys. When he spoke, his deep voice commanded everyone’s attention.
"Is there a problem here, fellas?"
As Willow and Razzel expected, the boy in the cap was the first to speak.
"She started this!" he said, pointing to Razzel. "We were just trying to get into the museum."
The security guard was about to interrogate Razzel when the girl behind the kiosk called out to him.
"Phil," she beckoned.
The guard looked up.
"What is it, Sarah?"
She pointed to the group of boys, "Dey med funna me. Threw mun-nee at mmmy head."
The guard suddenly looked incensed. He turned and grabbed the boy with the cap by his shirt and elevated him off the ground with one hand.
The boy swallowed hard.
"It was just a joke," he pleaded.
"Do I look like I'm laughin'?" replied the guard, his brows furrowed.
The boy didn’t answer.
"You three have exactly five seconds to get outta my sight!" the guard threatened, releasing the boy.
The boy in the cap's knees buckled when he touched ground, forcing him to stumble backwards into his friends. They caught him just before he could fall. He gave Razzel one final threatening stare.
“This isn’t over,” the boy hissed.
Razzel responded by blowing him a kiss. The boy motioned to his partners to leave.
“Let’s hit the Starcade,” he mumbled. “It’s what we usually do on weekends anyway,” he added as if it were his idea to leave the museum. The two cronies nodded as they eyed the massive form glowering at them.
Willow and Razzel watched in silence as the three boys crossed the street and greeted a fourth boy standing outside the The Shooting Starcade.
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The security guard turned to the girl behind the kiosk.
"Anyone bothers you again, Sarah, you just page me. Got it?"
"Tenks, Phil."
“When those little boys are done with their video games, if they just look at you crossly, you let me know.”
Sarah smiled and nodded to her protector.
"You two ladies have a good day now," the guard said to Willow and Razzel.
Both Willow and Razzel nodded as the Goliath in uniform made his way back to his post.
Willow walked up to the counter and took out her money.
"No – no …" said Sarah, "… yer tickets er paid faw." She handed Willow two of the three tickets left on the counter, which the boy in the red cap did not claim as he was too busy mocking.
"Wow, thanks so much," said Willow, accepting the tickets.
"Tenk you and tenk you speshly," said Sarah, pointing to Razzel.
"Are you kidding?" replied Razzel, "I thought today would be boring. That was the most fun I've had in weeks."
Sarah beamed.
“You see, Raz. You never know how the day’s gonna turn out.”
Willow turned around and touched Sarah on the back of her hand.
"Thanks, again, Sarah. We really appreciate it.” Willow withdrew her hand as Sarah returned a smile.
"You are very welcome," replied Sarah. She looked quite confused by the clarity of her speech. Willow did not look back. She quickly grabbed Razzel’s arm, who was keeping watch, making certain her three new admirers were not returning.
"Let's go, killer. Culture awaits."
"But I was having so much fun."
"I must admit, those guys deserved it, but you can't beat up everyone that pisses you off, Raz"
"Why not?"
Willow laughed.
"Don't they teach you patience and tolerance in those Kung Fu classes?"
"Jui Jitsu," Razzel corrected. "Sure they teach that stuff, but I never do well in those sessions."
"Well, keep at it."
"Speaking of keeping at it, have you been practicing those defensive moves I taught you?"
"You mean the one where I push my opponent's nose into his brain?"
"Don't joke, Will. You never know when you're gonna be attacked. Just trying to keep my girl safe."
"Who'd pick on me with Fearless Fiora by my side?"
Razzel laughed as Willow opened the door to the museum.
Next Chapter
Willow and Razzel planned their trip to the museum for the following day. It took some pleading to convince their mothers to let them take the train an hour away from home, into the city, but they promised they would hop right back on as soon as they were done and since it was for school …
"This should be fun," said Willow, as they made their way toward the museum steps.
"What-evs," replied Razzel. "It's Saturday; I'd rather be catching some cinema."
"Raz, we can go to the movies anytime. What was it you said to me on the phone last week? 'You need some culture, girl’? We never go to a museum. Just think, we can spend hours studying paintings that were done centuries ago and preserved - "
"Hours?” Razzel cut in. “Are you crazy? Let's just go to the gift shop, buy a postcard and copy the description off the back. Then we can go see Outback Slayer 3D. I hear it's a real gore-fest."
"You'd rather go see a campy slasher film about a killer who thinks his pet
kangaroo is telling him who to dice, than to study Michelangelo?"
Razzel contemplated Willow’s question before responding.
“But it’s the final installment in a trilogy!”
“You’re hopeless, you know that, Raz? Besides, it’s R-rated. We’ll never get in – thank God.”
“Fine,” conceded Razzel, “we’re here, so we may as well do the assignment. But when we’re done, we’re checking out that DVD shop across the street.” Razzel pointed to a store-front called Movie Imports. There were movie posters all over the windows – mostly of Asian martial arts films.
“We’ll see,” replied Willow, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.
Willow and Razzel walked up the museum steps and made their way to the outdoor ticket kiosk. The only other people in line were three teenage boys in front of them. They looked about the same age as Willow and Razzel.
"They must go to school in the city," whispered Willow.
Razzel shrugged, her arms crossed, waiting to purchase her ticket to boredom.
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The three boys were very loud and using language that would make Mrs. Krimble cringe. When they reached the front of the kiosk, one boy, wearing a red baseball cap and jeans hanging so low below his waist, his boxers were showing, walked up to the counter and threw a twenty-dollar bill on it.
"Yo, three student tickets, babe!" he said, smugly. He turned to his two friends. "But I use the term 'babe' very loosely."
The three boys laughed and slapped hands as if it were the funniest joke ever told.
Razzel looked at Willow and sneered in disapproval.
"Let it go, Raz.” Willow continued to whisper. She noticed the lettering on the boy’s red cap: MJ. “Those letters on his hat probably stand for Major Jerk."
The young girl behind the counter was in her early twenties, and when she spoke to the three boys, Willow and Razzel could tell there was something odd about her speech.
"Choo like to ... donate a dolla to Sss … Say It … Loud, da senta faw da speech imp … impayard?"
The three boys stared at one another, each of them wearing the same bemused expression. After a few moments, the boy in the red baseball cap responded.
"Was that English or some foreign language? Sorry, but I don't speak Special Olympics." The three friends exploded into laughter once again.
The girl behind the counter looked dejected as she slid the boy's tickets and change across the counter.
Still laughing, the boy in the red cap took his change and noticed the girl's expression. He took a dollar bill, crumpled it up and threw it at her. It deflected off her forehead and landed on the counter.
"There, " he said, "put that toward some speech lessons." The hooting response to this act was deafening.
Willow looked at Razzel and recognized the enraged expression on her face.
"Oh, boy," said Willow, "I know that look. This isn't gonna be pretty, is it?"
Razzel marched up to the boys as if Willow's words were white noise. Willow made no move in halting her; she merely kept one step behind her.
Razzel walked right up to the ringleader, stopping a few inches from him. She looked him straight in the eye, wearing an irate expression. All three boys stopped laughing at once. The boy in the red cap was a good six inches taller than Razzel, but this didn’t appear to faze her. He waited for Razzel to speak, but she just stared him down until one of the other boys broke the silence.
"Looks like you’ve got an admirer, bro."
"What do you want, little girl?" said the boy in the red cap.
"I want you, and your girlfriends here, to apologize to the lady," replied Razzel, through gritted teeth.
The boy in the cap turned to his friends, smiled and pointed to Razzel as if she had just told a joke of her own. He turned back to face her.
"Why don't you, and your little friend here, get out of my face before you both get damaged."
"I'm gonna ask you one more time … " said Razzel, removing her glasses, handing them to Willow, " ... apologize to the lady."
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"I'd do what she says," Willow chimed in. "Trust me, it's for the best. When she gets like this there's just no - "
"AND I ASKED YOU TO GET OUTTA MY FACE!" the boy in the cap shouted, forming a pistol shape with his thumb, index and middle fingers, pressing them against Razzel's left temple.
There were a few moments of tense silence before Razzel's sudden grin confused her adversary. It all happened so quickly and the other two boys could not react fast enough to save their fearless leader. Razzel grabbed her opponent’s wrist and twisted it around so rapidly, the boy's cap flew off of his head as he flipped over, his back making a sickening thud as it slammed against the marble floor. He wasn’t certain what hurt more: his throbbing back, his neck, which was being twisted back by Razzel's foot pushing against his jaw, his hyper-extended arm, or his right wrist, which Razzel was bending forward in a way in which human anatomy was not accustom.
The girl behind the counter was in awe as Razzel effortlessly stood over her opponent. Willow just shook her head as if she expected nothing less.
The two other boys, realizing what had just transpired in the last three seconds, looked at one another, undecided what their next move might be. Razzel made up their minds for them.
"I wouldn't try anything stupid," she said to the two cohorts, with a satisfied smirk. "I might accidentally … break something." She applied more pressure to her opponent’s wrist, forcing him to let out a squeal of pain, emphasizing her point.
The two boys, in unison, turned their attention to Willow.
"Don't look at me," she said. She leaned forward towards the two boys and whispered, "She's crazy!"
The two cronies decided to remain rooted to their spots as Razzel addressed their superior.
"Let's see," she said, "where were we ... ah yes, you were going to apologize." Razzel's foot applied more pressure to the boy's jaw, forcing him to look at the girl behind the kiosk, who was peering down at him in disbelief.
"When I get up!" the boy spat, but Razzel’s foot pressed on his jaw even harder. The pain coming from several points in his body became too much for him. "Alright, alright … s-s-sorry."
Razzel addressed the girl behind the kiosk.
"Did you hear that? He's ‘s-s-sorry.’"
The girl nodded with a satisfied grin.
"That's enough, Raz," Willow interjected.
Razzel looked disappointed, as if a fun game was just forced to come to an end. She rolled her eyes and released the boy. She watched him struggle to his feet, as he moaned and winced the entire time. She was so satisfied with herself, she didn’t even notice Willow leaving her side and sprinting to the museum entrance.
As the boy groaned, bending down to pick up his red baseball cap, Razzel snatched his crumpled dollar from the counter and placed it into the cap the boy was now holding.
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"Here … ” she said, " … put that towards some chivalry lessons."
The girl behind the counter couldn’t help but let out a bubbly giggle.
The three boys were seething, but none more than the one placing the red cap back onto his head.
"You just made a big mistake, little girl!"
All three boys were standing across from Razzel with clenched fists. She got into a fighting stance and smirked.
"Sweet, " she said, "three girls against one. Bring it!"
Just as the three boys were about to pounce, Razzel felt a tight grasp on her arm. She instinctively turned around, ready to strike, but halted when she realized it was Willow gripping her. Razzel was also surprised to see a tall muscular man in uniform standing alongside her best friend.
"That's them," said Willow, pointing to the three boys.
The museum guard was intimidating, even to a group of angry teenage boys. When he spoke, his deep voice commanded everyone’s attention.
"Is there a problem here, fellas?"
As Willow and Razzel expected, the boy in the cap was the first to speak.
"She started this!" he said, pointing to Razzel. "We were just trying to get into the museum."
The security guard was about to interrogate Razzel when the girl behind the kiosk called out to him.
"Phil," she beckoned.
The guard looked up.
"What is it, Sarah?"
She pointed to the group of boys, "Dey med funna me. Threw mun-nee at mmmy head."
The guard suddenly looked incensed. He turned and grabbed the boy with the cap by his shirt and elevated him off the ground with one hand.
The boy swallowed hard.
"It was just a joke," he pleaded.
"Do I look like I'm laughin'?" replied the guard, his brows furrowed.
The boy didn’t answer.
"You three have exactly five seconds to get outta my sight!" the guard threatened, releasing the boy.
The boy in the cap's knees buckled when he touched ground, forcing him to stumble backwards into his friends. They caught him just before he could fall. He gave Razzel one final threatening stare.
“This isn’t over,” the boy hissed.
Razzel responded by blowing him a kiss. The boy motioned to his partners to leave.
“Let’s hit the Starcade,” he mumbled. “It’s what we usually do on weekends anyway,” he added as if it were his idea to leave the museum. The two cronies nodded as they eyed the massive form glowering at them.
Willow and Razzel watched in silence as the three boys crossed the street and greeted a fourth boy standing outside the The Shooting Starcade.
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The security guard turned to the girl behind the kiosk.
"Anyone bothers you again, Sarah, you just page me. Got it?"
"Tenks, Phil."
“When those little boys are done with their video games, if they just look at you crossly, you let me know.”
Sarah smiled and nodded to her protector.
"You two ladies have a good day now," the guard said to Willow and Razzel.
Both Willow and Razzel nodded as the Goliath in uniform made his way back to his post.
Willow walked up to the counter and took out her money.
"No – no …" said Sarah, "… yer tickets er paid faw." She handed Willow two of the three tickets left on the counter, which the boy in the red cap did not claim as he was too busy mocking.
"Wow, thanks so much," said Willow, accepting the tickets.
"Tenk you and tenk you speshly," said Sarah, pointing to Razzel.
"Are you kidding?" replied Razzel, "I thought today would be boring. That was the most fun I've had in weeks."
Sarah beamed.
“You see, Raz. You never know how the day’s gonna turn out.”
Willow turned around and touched Sarah on the back of her hand.
"Thanks, again, Sarah. We really appreciate it.” Willow withdrew her hand as Sarah returned a smile.
"You are very welcome," replied Sarah. She looked quite confused by the clarity of her speech. Willow did not look back. She quickly grabbed Razzel’s arm, who was keeping watch, making certain her three new admirers were not returning.
"Let's go, killer. Culture awaits."
"But I was having so much fun."
"I must admit, those guys deserved it, but you can't beat up everyone that pisses you off, Raz"
"Why not?"
Willow laughed.
"Don't they teach you patience and tolerance in those Kung Fu classes?"
"Jui Jitsu," Razzel corrected. "Sure they teach that stuff, but I never do well in those sessions."
"Well, keep at it."
"Speaking of keeping at it, have you been practicing those defensive moves I taught you?"
"You mean the one where I push my opponent's nose into his brain?"
"Don't joke, Will. You never know when you're gonna be attacked. Just trying to keep my girl safe."
"Who'd pick on me with Fearless Fiora by my side?"
Razzel laughed as Willow opened the door to the museum.
Next Chapter