Advice

9. silver satin

-omga hi!!! 'took a little break but im back!! I hope everyone had a lovely past few weeks!!‼️ :D thank you for all of the recent support!! it means a lot to me <3-

Paintbrush's POV

"OKAY ARE YOU READY FOR THE 'FIT OF THE CENTURY?!" I hear Lightbulb call from my closet. I hesitantly stand from the seat I'd taken on my couch, flicking my eyes to where she stood. I stare in shock.

She wore a striped yellow and white colored shirt, a light brown pair of painters pants, and a darker brown belt with a golden clasp. She had also taken one of my silver headbands and tied it tightly around the top of her head. My friend from my freshman year of high school had sewn the satin band herself- she also managed to sew that blue towel that I oh-so-reluctantly handed over to LB earlier.

Lightbulb gives me a little twirl and giggles at the expression on my face. "What's that look for?" She smiles, cocking her head. "I'm so gorgeous~ yes I know."

"No it's not that- I mean- yes you look very pretty- uh-" I cut my own sentence short. Real smooth, Paintbrush. "It's just, I haven't seen that headband in so long. The thought of it hadn't even crossed my mind until just a second ago." I laugh, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Huh! Yea, I mean, I had to dig around in there to find it- but it kinda stook out with all its shiny-ness and stuff." She says, adjusting the band so it sat evenly on her head. "Where'd you get it anyway?"

"It was from a friend."

"Oh really?! What's their name?"

I falter, taking a deep breath in and out. Lightbulb's not a stranger. If anything, MAYBE a friend. I guess getting a little, tiny bit personal wouldn't hurt.

"Her name was Marshmellow."

"Was?" Her eyes go wide with shock.

"NO, NO! She's not dead!!" I wave my arms quickly through the air, "She just moved cities a long time ago and we weren't able to keep in contact. We were young and didn't have phones- and both of us were too scared to talk to our parents to exchange numbers."

"Why did she move?"

Tell her the truth.

"Because of me."

"What?"

Inhale, exhale.

"Both of our parents were a bit on the tough side, and by tough I mean no electronics on the weekends or after school, no sleepovers, and bedtime at 8:30. The two of us always talked about making an escape together, living in an apartment and choosing how we wanted to live our lives. I guess we were a little young to be talking like that, but it was all we had. The final straw was when I came out as nonbinary to my parents and they decided to tell the whole neighborhood about their 'sinful child.' Marsh's parents she had been hanging out with me, and were so pissed off that they packed up and moved cities.

I guess one of us got their dream to come true. I just wish we could've done it together."

I abruptly notice the tears streaming down my cheeks. Lightbulb quickly rushes back to the bathroom, grabbing a wad of toilet paper and dropping into my hands. She plops both of us onto the couch and begins to rub circles into my back.

"Hey, it's okay. I promise, it's really not your fault. It was your parent's. They didn't have to out you like that. That's not something you have to share with the world, let alone the whole neighborhood."

Wow, she actually sounded kinda smart there. I'm impressed.

"Thanks," I smile, wiping the softened paper across my face, "that really means a lot to me."

She beams. "Of course!! Anytime Painty." Her gaze settles on her knees.

A silence fills the room, Lightbulb clearly in thought, making a tutting noise with her mouth.

Suddenly, her eyes light up. She swivels her head to me, slamming her hands onto her knee caps. "Did you ever try to get in contact with her again? You could ask her to be your roommate!! I'm sure you have a phone or something to look for her online." She swings her head back and forth, as if looking for a handset on the wall. "Maybe like Snapchat or something...? I dunno."

Damn, I never really thought of that. Maybe I'm the idiot in this relatio-

"Funny story. I literally just lost my phone yesterday." The timing is incredibly comedic. I'm really living that sitcom lifestyle.

-thank you for your patience with me. so sorry my updates are a little bit inconsistent, i get motivation at random times haha. see you soon my lovelies!!! byeeeee!-

~ i don't have snapchat. my parents were the strict ones lmao! joyous 12/18/2023 ~