Blue and Magenta

Chapter Sixteen

Magenta felt quite blue once she settled back home. Her mom was busy with her job so most of the time Magenta self-studied. And when she wasn't studying, Magenta swung into a bout of depression. All she wanted to do was sleep or eat ice cream and watch television shows. She was trying to hide and escape from her feelings about the trauma and what unfolded in the past month.

She felt like it was her fault that her friends had to study from home for the rest of the semester. She felt so stupid for believing Reese was a good guy. For ignoring the warning signs.

Magenta didn't want to read or write as she usually did. She just spent time munching on food, watching tv, or sleeping during the day.

One new development was the nightmares. Magenta was now an insomniac, and when she did get to sleep in the night, she'd wake up less than a few hours later, sweating and feeling like she was back in that party room with Reese's hands all over her.

Cathy was having difficulty balancing the demands of her job as well as spending time with Magenta. But she managed to get a bit of leave, citing family matters. Cathy proposed a pizza and game night and also invited Blue, Shelby, and Jasper too. Magenta agreed and got excited over the idea of a game and pizza night. Finally, she could see her friends again after a short break.

Magenta and Blue texted regularly throughout the week. So when Magenta invited Blue to her home he readily accepted, as did Shelby and Jasper. The three came bringing gifts, as was custom culture for their families. They had a tradition of bringing food and gifts to each other ever since they were all young.

Blue brought a mystery potpourri dish, Shelby brought drinks, and Jasper brought a wrapped gift.

"Why so mysterious?" Shelby asked Jasper.

"Oh it came naturally in this wrapping," Jasper said.

Magenta hugged her friends when she saw them and ushered them into her house.

"Ooo a gift, can I open it?" Magenta asked.

"Duh," Jasper smiled.

She made a big deal out of opening the present, wrapped in a pink bow. She unwrapped the bow and tore the paper. It was a bottle of wine for her mother. Magenta's eyes sparkled.

"Whoa, my mom loves wine!" She said.

Even though the memory remained of Reese and the wine situation with him, Magenta shoved that thought far at the back of her head. Tonight she would enjoy her time with her friends and her mom. She wouldn't let any other things interfere with her thoughts.

Magenta's mom was the host, so she decided on the first game while they waited for the pizza they ordered.

"I propose PICTIONARY!" Cathy said. The wrinkles on the side of her face stretched as she smiled widely.

"Oh mom, but you're so bad at Pictionary," Magenta said.

"That's why I like it," Cathy winked.

They split into teams, Cathy with Blue against Magenta, Shelby, and Jasper.

"Just the way I like it," Cathy said.

"Why mom, you're two against three?" Magenta asked.

"Blue is like two brains for me," Cathy said.

"And you're like minus two," Magenta cajoled.

"Hey, young lady!" Cathy said in jest.

They started playing Pictionary, and a few minutes later, Jasper, Blue, and Shelby saw what Magenta meant by saying her mother was bad at the game.