Some Girls: Dulling the heartbreak with alcohol and greasy food

 Slices of life

Just around the corner waits an establishment called Several Pizza's, and they decide they're all hungry enough to keep the food down despite this wordplay and step inside. When Ako stretches after getting through the door, the cook behind the counter immediately bursts out 'Holy crap, you're tall.'

'Two fifty-six, second tallest person known to science, I'm a medical wonder,' says Ako, with a forgiving smile.

'God, I'm sorry, you must get that all the time.'

'Nah she just looks tall cause she's standing next to me,' says Mara, slouching just a little to lean her elbow on Ako's kneecap.

After some laughter and sharing further trivia (Mara is a hundred and eight centimeters, Rachel doesn't have any special powers except for her cute freckles) and making orders, the girls are seated in the open air, with a glass roof over them where they watch the rain wash over them. Because they're new in town, the cook says, he gives them something to drink. (Without questioning anyone's age, which is a first for Mara who at the age of twenty four sometimes has to show her card to buy an icecream.)

The drink is strong and tastes like lemon curd. Caught by the curious taste, Mara drinks it down so fast it makes her head spin. Her new roommates laugh along as she starts giggling, dangling her legs in the air where she sits.

'So what do we do now?' says Mara, several pizzas later.

'I was thinking turn in early,' says Ako. 'Screw Rachel until the cows come home.'

'You're so sweet,' says Rachel, touching Ako's hand across the table.

'I guess I could be persuaded to give you some privacy,' says Mara.

'Sure, kid,' says Ako. 'What'll it take, pizza money? Ah, there might be a weakness in this plan.'

'Nah, I can't think of anything I need, I'm just fucking with you. I kind of really want to look around this place, I can probably spend all night. And you guys should have your alone time.'

'They'll be checking to make sure we're actually living in the place, we've got to put our stink on everything', says Rachel, appearing nonchalant as she puts a piece of pizza in her mouth and becomes preoccupied with its unexpected heat, gasping and grasping for her drink.

'That was a joke? You tell jokes?' says Mara.

'It's been known', says Ako, reaching over to put her hand around Rachel's, with a proud smile.

Watching them makes Mara feel strange, happy and lonely at the same time. They just sit there and look into each other's eyes and they both matter so much.

'Here's to keeping it funny', she says, raising her glass, smiling broadly, speaking loudly to keep her voice steady.

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If you're confused, 108 centimeters is 5'3½ and two [meters] fifty six is eight four in freedom units. The tallest person who ever lived was Robert Wadlow, 272 cm. (This happened in real life.) He died at 22; Ako turned 23 this year. She's very aware of this.