Hallelujah
Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
The tremors stopped almost as soon as they had begun, and when it ended she heaved a deep breath. He lay heavily atop her, as if stunned by what had just gone down.
"Your knee's killing my thigh."
Stirred to action, he finally separated his body from hers, and Stacy pushed herself upward, against the wall.
"Think they're over?" She nodded. He groaned in relief, and she shoved past him, into the bathroom.
"Are you hurt?" Chris asked the door; she wanted to complain that he hadn't been invited in, but cleaning herself up and taking care of her 'womanly issues' were more pressing matters.
"No...I'm just...taking care of something."
"Oh," Chris said, pleasantly, "Don't let me get in between you and your Tampax." The sound of a toilet flushing filled the air, and Stacy appeared, her face marred by a frown.
"You didn't have to say that."
He pointed to the trace amount of blood that had been left upon his body and uttered, "I thought girls knew when they were getting their period."
"I'm not stupid. What do you think I was in the middle of doing when the earthquake started?" Her voice echoed, high-pitched despite the cavernous quality of the bathroom. He didn't bother to suppress a smirk, and she didn't need to see it to know that his sentiment was a mocking one, "Don't start with me."
"You're the one who started with me. You're in my room." He smirked, "By the way, you can owe me fifty cents for the tampon." Her frown lines deepened as Stacy shoved Chris out of the doorway. "Now where are you going?" He asked.
"To my room," She announced, staring straight ahead as she shoved through the doorway.
"No," He said, "It's too dangerous, and there could be more aftershocks."
"I'm twenty-two years old," Stacy snapped, "I can handle a little earthquake!"
He rolled his eyes, "Fine, but you'll come running back to me. I can guarantee that."
She turned and snapped at him, "What is that supposed to mean?!"
"I know you," He shrugged, "You thrive on the drama."
"I fell on top of you during an earthquake!" She announced, "And besides: pot? Kettle? Hello?"
He winced, "OK, you're right." He flopped down on his bed, Scooby Doo shorts and all, "But the power's running on a generator, which means it's going to go out soon." As he spoke those words, the lights flickered and went dark, and the room's phone began to ring.
Chris scooped it up and held a short conversation with whoever was on the other line. Within a minute, he returned the receiver to its correct place. "Lines are down all over the city; it's going to take an hour for the generator to go up." He couldn't help but notice her wide eyes. "You can stay with me, if you like."
Stacy's managed to nod, even as every inch of her body shook with panic. He looked her over, his expression strange, as she settled at the edge of his bed.
"On days like these, I'm glad I play acoustic," Chris' leaned to the right side of his bed, picking up a hollow-body acoustic guitar from the floor. He shoved himself upward, settled into an Indian-style sitting position, then carefully settled the guitar into his lap. As he plucked a tune out on his guitar, he gave her a suspicious look, "Are you sure you're OK?"
She swallowed, hard; her pupils were dilated by a stream of bright moonlight falling over the bed, "I don't like power outages," She gasped.
He shook his head, "To get your mind off of it: Ladies choice."
She curled up at the edge of his bed, facing away from his body, "Do you know Dylan?"
He scoffed, "Doesn't everybody?"
"Do you?" She retorted.
"No." He admitted, then began plucking a familiar tune. "This is the first song I learned," He smirked.
"Is it by Nelson?"
"No, Alice Cooper," His strumming took on a heavier, more dramatic motion, "Only Women Bleed."
She groaned, "I hate that song..." But he began the first verse, and, compelled into politeness, she kept quiet. By the time the final verse concluded, she was also compelled to admit that the song wasn't that bad.
That she had stopped shaking didn't enter into her mind immediately. It wouldn't until the situation had slipped out of control, and by then it would be far too late....