Writing Prompt Response #1

Response written in 10-15 minutes. Writing Prompt: M&Ms, unlabeled can of soup, secret crush.

"I knew this was a bad idea," Jessica complained.

"Stop complaining," I muttered, scooping up my end of the heavy burden. The uneven tilt sent the opened bag of M&Ms concealed in one pocket skittering across the hardwood floor. "Help me, would you? This is awkward enough."

"How can you be so calm about this?" she demanded. 

Jessica tugged at loose folds of fabric until she had a decent enough grip to hoist up her end with a heartfelt oomph. The M&Ms crunched sickeningly underfoot as we struggled to coordinate our movements and I wondered exactly how long it would take me to clean the chocolate out of each and every crevice.

"The sooner we get this cleaned up," I said evenly, "the less likely anyone is to notice. Damn his candy fixation anyway. We're gonna get ants..."

"Ants?!" Jessica laughed in a slowly-coming-unhinged sort of way. I began to wonder if I'd miscalculated in asking her to assist with the last-second cleanup tonight.

We got everything packed into the trunk -- although hunting down that last M&M had been a real b***h -- and were performing one final sweep of the living room when Jessica spotted the can. Viscous red drops pooled underneath it, sparkling in competition with the metallic sheen beneath the lopsided glare of the skewed floor lamp. 

"Wait!" I hissed, slapping her hand as she reached for it. I ripped the rest of my sleeve off and used it to pick up the can. I'd worry about bleaching blood from expensive wood flooring when we got back.

We waited exactly long enough for Jessica to find a Ziploc bag large enough to hold the can and ragged cloth surrounding it, and then we were off. 

It only took ninety minutes to get to the foundry, and I like to think that was in no small part to my superb driving skills. I always got top grades in defensive driving.

Jessica tossed the baggie into the giant cauldron below, watching in a sort of numbed fascination as it popped and fizzled on the crusty, glowing orange surface. Behind it, the last of James' body smouldered and sank into the lava.

"Did he ever know you liked him?" Jessica asked, as if just realizing she'd forgotten to ask before. 

"No," I said, tilting my head to one side. Would the metal rings in his shoes melt completely? "Guess it's kind of a non-issue now, huh?"