school

february 1

"Wow, that's beautiful, but it's a little personal," I say.

"I never said it was about me," she snorts.

"Are you going to play 'S'?" I ask.

"No, ask someone else."

I think about how many friends she may know outside of school. Maybe she had a bunch at her old school. She's not unnattractive and she's very creative. Someone must appreciate that. I think it's pretty cool.

"We can use the school bathroom here and my house if you want," I suggest.

"Ok, do you know any girls that can play the girls in the bathroom? And some friends for the party scene? You can play the guy who gives her the beer."

The way she plans it is so passionate. We agree tomorrow we'll film the party scene and meet at lunch to film the bathroom scenes. I volunteer to buy bubbles and glitter and whatever other stuff we need because I have some money on me.

"Wanna meet after school to go to the store?" she asks.

"Sure."

"Class! Class! Have your assignments due by the 23!" Mrs. Randall yells over the humm of our chatter.

"We'll be done sooner than that."

After school, I wait for Summer to show up in the parking lot. She walks out with her Grim Reaper aura following above her. Her facial feature goes blank when she sees my car. It's falling apart and the paint is chipping. It's still a car.

She gets in anyways, without a word, and waits for me to follow. I get in and slam the door behind me. The drive is awkward because she doesn't talk so I turn on the radio. Loud punk music that I don't understand. Just my kind. She doesn't comment on it or even make a face. I've taken note that she's not a real talker. 

"Do you like the school?" I ask her.

"It's a school." She shrugs.

I feel like a dad taking his daughter home on her first day. She's going through an emo phase and her mom and I always try to raise her spirits. It doesn't normally work. So we just talk to her with the same "cheer up" tone all the time. the only difference is I don't have the sunny music humming in the bathroom. It's loud and angry.

"Have you made any friends?" I really sound like a dad.

"I feel connections with other human is unnecassary and self damaging," she says.

"I know what you mean." She laughs. "What?"

"It's just, you don't know what I mean. But thanks for trying."

"I don't know what you mean? Have you met my friends? I'm not sure what's wrong with them, but I don't really like them."

Summer doesn't talk. We get to the party store, which is conveniently next to a pharmacy. We go into the pharmacy first and buy some bubbles. The bottle has a cartoon girl with her legs hanging out of the sides of a bathtub and her hair in a towel. Then we get glitter from the party store. Lots of glitter. A packet for every color of the rainbow. The man at the counter looks at us funny. Summer just puts a green stick of gum on her tongue and blows a bubble as he opens the register.