By the Fire: Issue 3 Read Online Free PDF

me."
    "Hey, no classes tomorrow buddy. Let's go out tonight and celebrate. Get a drink. Shoot some pool. Maybe you'll even get lucky. Lord knows you need to work out some stress."
    "I don't know. I'm really tired."
    "Nope. Not hearing it. Tonight's the night we find you a little slice of heaven."
    Five hours later he found himself at the counter of a bar trying to get the bartenders attention long enough to order. Looking around he saw Jake showing some brunette in daisy dukes how to play pool. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
    "You look like you could use some help" he heard from his right. He turned and saw a cute girl with long blond hair and bright green eyes in a red summer dress.
    He smiled. "I think I might."
    "It's a lot easier to get a drink when you have boobs. I'll tell you what; I'll get your order in if you buy me a beer. Deal?"
    He glanced back at the bartender who was still not looking his direction. "Deal."
    She pointed across the bar. "Why don't you grab us a table and I'll be right there."
    "Sounds good, I've got a tab open under Bobby."
    He rushed across the room and snagged a table right before another couple reached it. The girl gave him a sharp look while her boyfriend steered her away. A minute later the blond plopped two beers down on the table.
    She did a little shimmy and said “I told you the girls could get it done.”
    Bobby laughed and tried not to stare too long at said girls.
    “I’m Stephanie by the way.”
    He reached out his hand and said “Bobby.”
    “Well Bobby O thanks for the beer.”
    He held his bottle up in a salute before taking a sip. “So why is a pretty girl like you here alone?”
    “I’m a serial killer looking for my next victim” she replied before taking a sip of her own.
    Bobby chuckled nervously. “No really.”
    “What, you don’t believe a girl could be a psycho killer?”
    He smiled “Oh, not really. Not the cute ones at least.”
    “Ok, well the truth is my friends ditched me at the last second.”
    “Well that’s pretty bitchy.”
    “Isn’t it though!? Its ok, I’ll get them back. I’m like the queen of revenge.”
    “What do you have in mind” he asked.
    “Oh, I haven’t decided yet. But enough about them. Tell me about you.”
    Bobby started talking and found himself telling her everything about himself. Maybe it was the beer. Maybe it was the way she curled a lock of her hair around her finger so hypnotically but he spoke for close to an hour about his hopes and fears. Finally he asked “what about you”.
    That’s when she dropped her bombshell. “I’m a god.”
    He took another sip of his beer. “Ok, I’ll bite. What kind of god? Greek, Roman, Norse?”
    “All of the above. That was all one big dysfunctional family anyway with a bunch of names and disguises all over the world.”
    He leaned over the table and grinned. He had decided to play along. “Ok, so which one are you?”
    “I’m the one that never gets mentioned. Very few people ever even knew my name. I’m the goddess of petty revenge.”
    “Uh huh. And what all does that entail?”
    She blew a lock of hair out of her eyes. “Well, in the old days if someone slighted me or one of my few followers I’d curse their prize animal. Or I’d make their well taste bad. These days its little things like keying cars or making sure they get a nasty computer virus off of whatever porn site they are looking at.”
    He laughed, “Major revenge there alright.”
    She frowned at him. “I said petty revenge. Little hurts for little slights. Like if a guy doesn’t hold the door open for a lady. Or is talking on his cellphone at the counter while he orders.”
    “Or if a girl bails on a valentines date with a made up excuse like Susie Howell did to me two years ago?”
    Stephanie reached in her purse and pulled out a small notebook. She scribbled in it very quickly before putting it away. “Don’t worry; I’ll get her back for that.”
    Bobby leaned back in his chair