Melissa lead me to a lakeside park surrounded by trees and a walking path around the area. Ducks quacked across the bank as an old couple sat and fed them, joggers went by, a group of kids sped by on their bikes.
"Sit down, wish boy." Melissa motioned to a wooden bench just off the path.
"You come here often?" I quipped.
"Yeah, actually." The goth sat back beside me and crossed her arms. "I like to sit and watch the normies. It's entertaining sometimes."
"People watching is cool." I smirked. "I used to sit at that little statue thing by the skate park and watch the cool kids."
"Oh, yeah!" Melissa smiled, almost chuckling. "I remember that place. Shame they tore it down, huh? We used to go blaze up over there at night." She sighed awkwardly. "So."
"So." I sighed back, waiting.
"You gonna tell me what the fuck this is all about?" Melissa removed a pack of smokes from her pocket and sparked up with an old flip lighter.
"The ring?" I motioned to my finger.
"Yeah." She dragged, and exhaled sharply. "The ring."
"Not... much to tell." I sighed heavily, shaking my head. "I'm just some guy, like I said. I drive supplies and deliveries out to job sites around town. Cheap apartment. I'm nobody. Anyway, took the bus from my building this morning, this old lady was on the bus and left her bag."
"Man, thrilling." Melissa said sarcastically, smiling with a mocking grin.
"Right?" I shrugged. "No, okay, so I gave the old lady the bag back, and she gave me this ring. Then I made some random woman naked..." I blushed slightly.
"What??" Melissa gaped, punching my shoulder. "No, shit, you don't get to gloss over that part."
"Okay, okay." I laughed, rubbing my shoulder. "Okay, no, so like, typical dumb boy thought, right? Check out that hot chick. I wish she was naked. Ha ha! Only... it worked."
"Aw, man!" Melissa threw down her burnt out smoke and stamped it under one of her heavy knee highs.
"But I wished a second time that it didn't happen. Because... that poor girl. Like, people were staring and I felt terrible."
My new friend shrugged and nodded thoughtfully. "So you're not a complete asshole. What happened next?"
"I... went for a coffee to get my head together." I failed to mention the second bathroom encounter with the old lady."
"Shit." Melissa laughed. "So, I was just, like, there, you know? Maybe it is fate."
"Maybe I just wanted to mess with you." I laughed.
"Well, whatever the reason is you fucked with my necklace, I'm glad you did." She paused and smirked. "I mean, I got my loans paid off, so..."
"Oh, yeah! Yeah!" I grinned, playing along. "No biggie."
"So, you think I'm cute, right?" She said point blank, smiling. "I mean, cut the shit, right? Just tell me."
"Yeah." I paused, seeing no sense in lying. "Yeah, no, you're a good looking girl."
"Sweet." She grinned, almost darkening a shade beneath her pale foundation. "I'm glad you didn't make me naked."
We both burst out laughing on the bench and sat back at ease, the ice well and truly broken.
"So?" I shrugged. "What now?"
"I don't know." Melissa shrugged. "What do you do with a magic wish ring?"
"Wanna fuck with people?" I said excitedly. "See what it can do?"
Melissa leaned back on the bench again and threw her arm around the back. "Yeah, sure, you could fuck with people, I guess. Or... you could fuck with me."
I blinked several times. "You'd... let me?"
Melissa grinned develishly. "Oh, didn't expect that one, huh?" She winked. "Well, I mean, you with that ring, you could do whatever the fuck you wanted and I couldn't say no. Come on, wish boy, give it a try."