Me, Myself, and Her

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty Three: Jump Then Fall

After quick pit stops at Annie and Max's houses to pick up their things and some explaining, the girls were having their first sleepover together at El's house. After some thinking, they figured that would be the best for El tonight, but they might be able to get Hopper on board for a sleepover at Max's the next night.

Annie parents were actually in town this week, and she wanted to avoid them as much as possible.

El sat on her bed with Annie, the latter showing the former a bunch of magazines that she liked. Max danced around the room singing to Angel with a hairbrush as a microphone. All Annie wanted to do was stare at her, but that'd be weird and El would ask questions making it even more weird.

Annie looked over at Max for a second, then back to El as she opened up and looked at a page in the magazine. "Ralph Macchio, huh?" Annie asked. Max started to settle down and set her brush down to join the other two girls on the bed.

"Macchio?" El asked. It was a funny name, in her defense.

"Yeah, he's the Karate Kid. Hai-yah!" Max shouted with a hand-chopping motion. El jumped back and Annie just laughed. "He's so hot, right?" Max then asked. "You agree, right Annie?"

Annie felt a stop in her heartbeat but smiled through it, shrugging. "I mean, yeah. Especially for his age he doesn't look too bad," she said, worming her way out of any possible accusations. Of course she didn't really think he was that hot, but no guys were for her. Maybe a couple exceptions, but for Annie, it was always girls that caught her attention.

"I bet he's an amazing kisser, too," Max continued. El looked shocked and Annie's face went red. What a topic. "Hey, uh, is Mike a good kisser?" Ah yes, boy talk. Annie had seen it in ever teenage movie with a girl. This would be a fun one.

El thought for a second. "I don't know," she concluded. "He's my first boyfriend."

Annie held up her finger. "Ex-boyfriend," she clarified. That's when she saw the fated regret on El's face. Annie wasn't surprised, given her history with and without Mike.

Max must've seen it, too. "Hey, don't worry about it. Okay? He'll come crawling back to you in no time, begging for forgiveness."

"Guaranteed him and Lucas are totally wallowing in self pity and misery right now," Annie butted in. "This just gives you a chance to change the boundaries of your relationship cause now he knows he can't control you and you're your own person."

Max smiled, adding, "I bet they're sitting around, whining like, 'I hope they take us baaack'!" This caused them all to laugh. "God, what I wouldn't give to see their stupid faces."

Then, still smiling, El looked off to the side in thought. "What?" Annie asked.

"We can, I just need the right stuff," she answered. Annie and Max smiled wide, ready to do what needed to be done.

They found a static station on the radio, got her something to use as a blindfold, and El got seated and ready to go with something from Mike in her hands.

Annie sat on the floor in front of El while Max sat up on the bed beside her. "Is this really gonna work?" Max asked. El nodded. "Holy shit, this is insane!"

"Max."

"Yeah, quiet, sorry."

The girls sat in anticipation as El took deep breaths and a bit of blood started coming out of her nose. "I see them."

Max instantly moved to the floor, right next to Annie. "What are they doing?" she asked.

"Eating," was the short response. Then, silence as she observed more. Annie found herself picking at her cuticles as she waited for something else. "They say we are a 'species'."