Stitching Velvet : A Love Story To The Universe

Chapter 1

1996
Once upon a time, when Christian Cross first thought about killing himself, he decided against it because his suicide note was so long he realized he was just putting off committing to something.
Other times, he thought
"I just had a bad haircut and that's how people will remember me"
Or
"Imagine everyone pretending to care."
Or even
"Tomorrow could be the day I get to leave this place."
In reality, he wanted to live and breathe, become happier and grow older, but he wouldn't admit this to himself. Until he met Velvet.
Now Christian is 16, he has no accomplishments to speak of despite his vast knowledge and high ambition. He knows he's lived in Duckshanee,Oklahoma his entire life.
Duckshanee means asshole in Cherokee, or Choctaw maybe. If you don't leave here by 20, you'll probably just settle
like dust on the road outside of the schools,
or on the counters and bar stools
of the 10 o'clock where Velvet works,
Or on the bibles at the First Baptist where Christians father slams his fists and shouts twice a week.
He lives as an only child that his parents tried very hard for, in a tiny brick house that was his mom's job, across from the church, which was his dad's job. He listens to musical soundtracks and watches t.v.
Down the road there was a trailer park, and the last trailer on the left side had the poorest people in Duckshanee. No one was un-poor in this town, although some were poorer than others. This is the Shefflers.
Velvet Sheffler was the oldest girl of Amy's 5 daughters. Amy's late husband had died in a trucking accident somewhere near the Texas border when his flat bed swerved to avoid hitting a golden retriever and then fell 70 feet off of an overpass. Melton Truck Lines had given Amy a small pension and an American flag. The girls were
Velvet (16)
Moon(14)
Cloud(13)
Map (10)
And Paula (7) who was named after their late father. He never did get a boy, but he probably died thinking this would be the one.
Amy was not so much a beautiful hippy with hair to the curve of her back and dreams of being an actress, but a pill popping grocery store clerk who never showed up to her job. There was one grocery store, they hardly felt like firing her. She sat on an old couch and watched the price is right all day.
Velvet saves her waitress money and hopes to sell her drawings. The younger girls, with little help from their mom, will figure things out. It's not their story. Yet.
Velvet had known Christian since they were kids in Duckshanee elementary. A lot of people here never talk to people they've known all their lives. They had hardly talked to each other until
February 3rd 1996.
Christian sat down to velvet in Mrs. Heckler's junior English class.
"That's cool," she said,
"I've heard of Rent."
He had a C.D in the front pocket of his backpack, maybe he'd taken it out for a pencil.
"Oh yeah," he said,
"My dream is to see it live. They don't even have a theater program here. I've never seen a live show."
"Oh yeah. I hope you get to."
He wanted to say something else.
"I like your clothes," he said.
She had on a black choker,
a mood necklace showing that she was calm,
a white satin dress that hit her upper thigh,
red tights,
and the combat boots that he would soon become used to. Her blue hair was piled up on top of her head in bobby pins. Freckles sprinkled across her face and glitter danced up and down her arms and cheeks. Her eyes were covered in a thick black line.
He wondered how he, and everyone else, had spent their lives without noticing her.
"Thanks," she said,
"I like stealin and shit. thrift shops, but mostly shoplifting."
She smiled her gap toothed, maroon lipped, smile from years of not having braces.
He was sure she stole everything from out of town. What she wore and who she was.
"You're beautiful," he thought.
"I like your hoodie," she said, "Smashing Pumpkins is cool. Meloncholly and the Infinite Sadness is, like, in my top 15 best albums. " He had never listened to The Smashing Pumkims. The hoodie was black. It said "the smashing pumpkins," and it described how he felt most of the time.
"Yeah."
"So what do you listen to?"
"Musicals. Um, I like Cats a lot. I like old stuff. I like Cyndi Lauper."
"I love Cyndi Lauper!"
They started focusing on their assignment. He forced himself to ask
"What bout you"
"I'm a riot grrl feminist, so Bikini Kill and shit like that. I've gotten into queercore. I like this one band called The Leatherwolves, they're a local band in Tulsa."
"We aren't allowed to listen to non gospel or non country so I hide my stuff. Goddamn my dad would be pissed if he saw me with Rent."
Velvet brightened with a thought, "I should take you music hunting!"
"I don't have any money"
Velvet rolled her eyes "It's the same way I get my clothes. Have you ever been to Tulsa?"
"Once when I was a little kid. No one would drive me, my dad wouldn't give me the car even if I had a license."
"I don't have a car, or a license, or a parent to drive me anywhere. There are ways to get around."
On February 8th 1996
Velvet gave Christian black nail polish and blacker eyeliner. He began putting it on after he left school and before he went home or on weekends, when they would do things that friends do that he had never done.
They stuck out like really great people would stick out in a place full of nothing but cows and grass and hands praying upwards to nothing, begging to be different than their parents.
They got drunk and swam naked in Duckshanee Lake
They had marshmallow sundaes at the 10 o'clock.
They hopped over the fence and took polaroids of an abandoned barn.
Velvet drew Christian staring at the sun outside of her trailer.
He put the picture up on his wall by his bed.
They practiced their stand up acts and slam poetry
Velvet's sisters gelled Christian's hair to a Mohawk while they watched SNL.
Christian wanted to tell someone he was gay, he wanted to tell Velvet. He knew she wouldn't care. She was a feminist. She went on rants about racial equality and women's rights and gay liberation. Velvet had already gotten him in trouble for taking a dream catcher into his house and saying fuck in front of his mom. She couldn't come back.
On May 8th 1996
Christian Left school 2 weeks early with his parents to go to a church leader's conference and church camp in Wichita, Kansas for 2 months. Before he left, Velvet hugged him and said,
"I'm writing you letters. I'll tell you how I lost my virginity. Just be strong. One day we will leave this town. You're my best friend in the world."
She was wearing overalls. He started crying.
She didn't know how badly he needed to hear that.

Author's note: let me know what you think! If you want me to read your story just ask!