I Want to Feel Home

3 Perfect Perfect Perfect

As the teens huddled up inside with their towels and scattered bath mats, Rory made a simple dinner of canned spaghetti.
"You're awfully quiet Jace" Ally nudged him, causing him to look up at her with a huff, closing his eyes as she combed her fingers through his golden brown hair. Ally worried about him, not knowing what was running through his mind, the waves of emotions pummelling his mind's shores. Jason kept glancing at Alex, who's usual blonde swept back hair was wet and hanging in his face, looking at him as he laughed just sent butterflies through Jason's stomach. It was dreadful. Ally watched her friend's face with curios concern, remaining gentle, not pressing on.
Izaac and Alex were chatting away, seemingly oblivious to what was happening on the other end of the table. Jason was perpetually mortified. Why did Izaac have to invite Mister Perfect along anyway? Meanwhile Mister Perfect himself, worried about the collection of texts from Cece, his pocket silently vibrating every few minutes. She considered him, in that moment at least, a far from perfect boyfriend. Why was it he could have a sleep over with other girls and not her?! What were they up to?! She failed to see the difference between a sleepover with a friend vs a girlfriend, and her stomach bubbled up with anxiety. It felt like he liked Ally more than her. It felt like he was rejecting her. Cece was not one for idle hands, she went about twisting her young sister's hair into a protective style, listening to the young girl chatter on about what she wanted to do for her birthday party.
"It's only forty two days away you know!"
The sister showed love, and appreciation, looking at her twists in the mirror, complimenting Cece's work. Her anxiety evened out to a simmer. It'll be okay.
'I'm sorry, I trust you' she texted.

That night Alex couldn't tell if it was ordinary sleepover shenanigans keeping him awake, or if it was the growing knot in his stomach. He didn't know why he felt so nervous—rationalising that it had to be sleeping in an unfamiliar house, or that he was worried about what his girlfriend had said, although such a thing had never bothered him before. Him and Cece had had this argument before, she got jealous, and ordinarily he'd sooth this, reinstill confidence, but something has irked him, he couldn't bring himself to look at his phone. Jason rolled onto his side and looked at him through the dark, blue eyes meeting green in silence, noses almost close enough to touch, breath on one another's faces.
"Would you rather have hands for feet, or feet for hands?" Izaac's voice brought the two back down to earth.
"Hands for feet" Alex answered, rolling to face Izaac rather than Jason, "what freak would have feet for hands?"
"A dog?" Jason sat up, the late night laughter ensued.

Jason was first up, not unusual for him, an early bird by nature. He bundled up clothes for the day and dressed in the bathroom, not wanting to wake the others or have them wake when he was halfway changed. After, he prepared cereal in the kitchen, the usual note from Mum on the fridge:
     'Called into work, have fun with your friends —mum.'
He felt like his mum was some kind of robot, with the late nights and early mornings, he wondered when she had time to sleep, eat, bathe. He never saw her.
He looked up as Ally came in, hair tied back in a plat and in mismatched pyjamas. She knew the drill in this house by now, and helped herself to a bowl of cereal. It wasn't until the last, Alex, woke up, that Jason explained to help yourself. He had seemingly woken up with perfect hair, perfect teeth, perfect skin, dressed, bright, and awake for the day—Jason didn't notice him shuffle into the bathroom to do his morning routine, not willing to be seen beforehand. Something about it seemed embarrassing, new friends couldn't see him for less than perfect, especially when they had him up on the popularity pedestal.

After breakfast, Jason insisted on doing homework, which despite complaints, had been why they'd justified having a sleepover in the first place. Although intending to do his own work, Jason more so played the role of tutor, helping the others.
Through chatter and the passing of worksheets back and forth, they found that Ally and Alex were in the same English class, and Jason was doing the same lessons but with another teacher, so the three had the same poetry assignment. Izaac was idle on his phone, having complained the most, and not committed to the work like the others—it was easier for Jason to rope them in when they all had sonnets to write, so Izaac felt as though he's bested them. Ally wrote fast, inspiration spouting from every which way, even able to help Alex, who was stalled for ideas. Jason found himself stuck, he only had the one word on his mind. Perfect.

Perfect perfect perfect perfect perfect
Starlight shines silver, hanging in the sky
A star's halo above an audience
A moonlight companion hits them just right

     Perfect perfect perfect perfect perfect
Just luminous just marvellous and bright
Just curious just wonder-ous they shine
Celestial, sensational the sight

     Perfect perfect perfect perfect perfect
Heavenly eyes upward, I stare in awe
At that beside me as you gaze yonder
A star has fallen next to me tonight

     Perfect perfect perfect perfect perfect
A face like heaven, a face like starlight