pink nights / sally face

larry

my heart sank. i was doing well with ash but this was just a fluke, some kind of miracle. meeting two people back to back? there's no way this is sustainable!

"um ... heh, yeah, why not!" i tried my best to hide my nerves. this was so so out of my comfort zone.

"oh hell yeah! gettin' the party started early!" ash rolled over on her back and pulled out her phone. "larry? hiiii ... you wanna do something today? ... greattttt, im in direeee need of some good old fashioned entertainment! ..... okay, see ya soon."

"so, am i going to be a surprise?" the nerves were just off the charts.

"larry is so chill. more than me. he'll love the company," she shrugged and waved her hand. "i might go change though. i didn't wake up thinking i was gonna get dressed for a party."

she started for the door. "uh, ash .. what exactly did you plan?" she made the plans right in front of me and somehow i didn't gather the arrangement of a party.

"not a party, per se. a kickback."

fuck. a kickback??? i was in AP classes, i don't know what a kickback is. i don't know what you wear to a kickback!

after ash left, hell threatened to break lose. i was losing my mind silently in six different outfits.

urban dictionary told me it's casual. but also, you want to look hot. sooo ... how casual is a dress? it could be casual. i could wear sneakers? that's casual. i mean, a dress is so low effort. one item selection. no bother in matching a shirt and pants. that's the epitome of casual!

i pick out a brown, black, and white plaid babydoll dress with tie in the back. cute and comfortable. black converse. jewelry is sparse. my cross necklace. not religious. three rings, one on my ring finger right hand, one on my thumb left hand, and another on my index finger left hand. my hair is just, whatever. i leave it down, straightening pieces here and there. there's no method. i do my makeup as usual. black eyeliner and no bottom lash mascara. why no mascara on the bottom lashes? i don't know.

i stand in front of the mirror. every angle is observed. is it perfect? who knows. do i look hot? maybe to some. hopefully, to some.

a knock on my door. i open it to see ash looking just as cute as she does comfy. she's wearing a pink hoodie that covers her shorts with docs. i pray we're on the same page of casual.

"ohhh! you look cute!"

"you too, ash. that pink looks really good on you!"

"oh stop itttt, you're just trying to butter me up, huh?" she nudges me with a smile. "so, larry is here. are you all ready to go?"

"yeah, just let me grab my phone." thankfully my dress has pockets. i calm myself by bringing chapstick and a hair tie. i like knowing i have options if need be. 

ash and i make our way down the hall to the elevator. the ride down feels way faster than normal, which is unfair when i'm as nervous as i am. we approach the front doors of the dorm and through the glass i see a dark green honda. my heart skips a beat. i am not at all ready to meet someone new.

ash knocks on the passenger side window. as it rolls down i catch a glimpse of a tan, long haired man. his hair is dark and he has snake bites with rings in.

"hey ash," i hear a deep voice from the open car window. "who's this?"

for the millionth time today, heart palpitations.

"this is y/n, i met her during move in. she lives on my floor and she likes sanity's fall!"

"oh what the fuck, that's sick!" he doesn't sound upset, i feel a little better. "you guys can get in!"

ash motions for me to take the front seat. "what! no!!!" i whisper.

"i'm just fucking with you!!" she laughs and slides into the front seat. "larry you're gonna love her, it feels like i've known her forever already."

again, some sense of relief.

"so, y/n ... where are you from?" larry asks from the front seat.

"uh, (wherever you're from, duhh)." it feels so far.

"god damn! you're far from home then, huh?" he peeks back to me in the rearview mirror.

"yeah, very far. but i love it here so far!" i try to lighten to subject.

"yeah, there's actually a lot of cool stuff always going on here. lots of house shows and local bands. i don't know why we have such an awesome diy-music scene but we do!" he chuckles.

"oh, you're going this way?" ash turns to larry.

"well ... yeah?"

i look out the window watching buildings pass. it a beautiful day. clear skies and not too hot. the trees are lush and green. it's the most beautiful summer i've ever seen. not irritating in the slightest. i watch out the window as we turn into an apartment complex. this must be where larry lives.

"are we not getting out?" ash says with her hand on her seatbelt watching larry text some.

"no, we're just stopping for a sec."

the apartment complex isn't new but it isn't really old either. it's kind of cute. lots of stray cats. looks like the kind of place your parents would show you in pictures of when they first moved in together. settled but not permanently. temporary but comfortable.

the other backdoor of the car opens. i turn my head to see the blue hair i saw in ash's photograph. fuck. soooo ... i'm basically hanging out with a group of best friends all together.