Pieces

Chapter 8- A Fragile Ecosystem

This is a really cool song.  Sort of chill and vibey, with not a lot of words.  Selena gave me one of her air pods and we are lying on the bed listening to a playlist she made.  Apparently she's like a super next level ninja master at making playlists for any and all occasions.  She said she's going to ask me a bunch of questions today and make one especially for me.

I look over and Selena has her eyes closed and she's sort of bed dancing to the music (if that's a thing).  Her face is all scrunched up and she's puckering her lips to the beat.  She doesn't even care if I'm looking I guess because she's not checking.  And it looks carefree? Careless? Care-negative?  it looks nice is what I'm saying, so I decide to try it too.

I close my eyes and I imagine that the music is a roller coaster and I'm in the front car.  Now this is not a super thrill ride, it's more like a glide with a trippy light show, but I'm getting into it.  Then I look to the side and Jet is sitting right beside me.  

When he turns to look at me, my chest opens up and all this color starts spilling out and swirling around us.  It vibrates with the music and I don't have to talk, because it's all there.  Every feeling, thought and impulse is on display in a colorful explosion of light.  And then the color starts to push us together.  It's a soft push.  A good push. Our faces are almost touching and the color is dancing between our lips. We are connected by the notes of the song, by the rhythm, by everything.  The roller coaster takes a dip and we slide closer together and then...

"I'll put this on your playlist.  Your musical education is about to begin," says Selena, sitting up and turning around to face me.

I was not ready to get off that roller coaster.  I'll definitely be listening to this song again.

My bedroom door opens and Cathy's head pops in.  I instinctively use my foot to slide the bag of skittles under my pillow.

"You guys need anything?  I could make you smoothies or I just got this great recipe for chia pudding with dragon fruit." Cathy is a real seed pusher- flax, chia, hemp, sunflower.  She loves them all.

"We're good." I tell her.  She hangs at the door another moment.  I think she would like to be invited in for girl chat or something but I'm not mentally prepared for that kind of interaction right now, so I just stare at her until she gives up and shuts the door.

"Sorry about that.  She always forgets to knock," I say.

"I think it's cool both your parents work from home. My mom's doing the single mom thing, so I don't get to see her till late." Selena responds.

"What does she do?" I ask.

"Finance or something.  I don't know.  She works at a bank.  Basically she maths all day. My worst nightmare." Selena says making a face to show her disgust.

"Same. But science, chemistry I guess.  I don't even get to taste the flavors they're cooking up down there because then they'd have to kill me or something, and honestly I feel like Cathy is participating in some serious conflict of interest considering her dedication to the lack of junk food in our house." I say, reaching under my pillow for a handful of Skittles.  I AM A REBEL. "And sometimes it is nice they're home, but they're also always here and constantly checking on me and sometimes I consider hiding and giggling from under the bed while they frantically look for me, but then I remember that good things rarely happen to people hiding under beds, and also that I'm not a horrible person."

"That's just a parent thing.  My mom hovers too.  Mostly about my brother.  Gabe has Down's Syndrome," Selena tells me.

"O.k." I say, not bothered by this news at all, but not sure if my appropriate response should be sympathy or just to log the info.