eternal sunshine

𝓞𝓝𝓔: 𝓐𝓝𝓘𝓜𝓐𝓛 𝓒𝓐𝓕𝓔

The dark-haired girl stared at the white-winged horse in the middle of the crowded street in New York City that no one else seemed to notice or pay much mind to. How was that even possible? People just walked past it without being aware of it. God, am I losing my mind?

"Dessie?" This turned her away from the horse and to the blonde.

"Yea, Sky?" That wasn't as cool as Odessa wanted it to sound and she knew it.

"You okay? The past few days you haven't felt fully here." The blonde knew her friend struggled with dyslexia, ADHD, and anxiety. She had begun to wonder if something else had been added to the list of things that affected the brunette. Odessa turned back to where the horse had been. There was a white-furred fox. It looked straight at her before bowing and then disappearing. I'm going fucking insane, she wanted to yell but she didn't.

"I'm fine just lack of sleep I guess. Did you ask me about the gig?" Odessa knew if she told what she had seen throughout the years and as of lately more recently her friend would view her as clinically insane. Although, she probably should mention her hallucinations to her therapist. Maybe she had schizophrenia or something close. Yeah, she should've definitely mentioned seeing weird creatures and people to her therapist a long time ago. That's why she goes right? And the therapist wasn't cheap so she shouldn't lie. Who lies to their therapist? Should she have also mentioned the weird dreams she had sometimes? That sometimes she saw people in her dreams she had never met. That wasn't odd, right? Oh God, was that odd?

"I did. Leo wants to add "ain't it fun" to the setlist," the blonde took a sip of her coffee being extremely analytical of her friend. She didn't know what was going on and wanted to be on high alert to detect any changes in Odessa's tone and demeanor. Skylar did that with all her friends. She paid close attention to be able to help and be there in whatever way she was needed. The blonde was the smallest of the group but that wouldn't stop her from acting like their mother and fighting with others for them. As the eldest in the group, she felt it was her duty to do so. Skylar hated any form of altercations, physical and verbal, but when it came to her friends her calm and composed permanent state of being went out the window. She'd start a war for her friends. She'd destroy civilizations for her friends if need be. No one harmed her friends.

"We can add that." Odessa stirred her caramel iced coffee around.

"You sure everything's okay, darling?" Skylar set down her cup. Her blue eyes took in every visible detail of the brunette for an ounce of truthfulness. Her long brunette locks in two braids down the side of her face, a cropped Marvel Comics t-shirt from Ollie's Thrift (where Odessa got most of her clothes), her silver jewelry either handed down to her by her mother or gotten at Alexander's. Skylar could feel it down in her bones something was wrong and Odessa's face and finger fidgeting confirmed as much so why was she lying this time? What could possibly be so bad she couldn't tell her best friend with whom she had shared everything since the second grade? Skylar should've been in 3rd but she repeated kindergarten because she had been so shy she didn't raise her hand for clarification when she didn't understand something.

"Yeah, Sky. I'm okay, you don't need to get all mama bear." The blonde put her hand on her chest.

"I do not," she sounded offended.

"You do. You don't have to always look after us. Or go off on drunk guys about twice your age and size."

"He was an ass and what he said was not okay." Neither girl could repeat what the man called their friend JD, not in its entirety without being xenophobic, racist, and ableist. "He deserved to be told off. He deserved more than what I said. Plus I wasn't too mean to him."

"Sky, he left crying. Like full-on sobbing." Skylar sipped her coffee and shrugged her shoulders.

"I like making grown men cry what can I say? It makes me feel powerful," she smiled. Odessa laughed and Skylar felt slightly satisfied by her efforts. It had been a while since Odessa laughed or smiled. That's how Skylar knew Odessa wasn't being truthful when she said she was alright because she was always smiling and laughing. "Do you want a ride home?" The brunette shook her head as the girls stood from the table.

"I want to walk. Think some things through, you know." They hugged and said their goodbyes. Skylar went to her car and Odessa to the nearest Subway station.

Odessa hated taking the Subway ever since she was little. The noise the cars made as they went through the tunnels was too much for her. Her ears would always hurt even more if it screeched against the rails. But it was at least a 40-minute journey to her house from Berry's Cafe, and that was if she took the Subway. She did her best to ignore the murder of crows that seemed to follow her. How she knew they were crows and not ravens she had no clue.

The brunette walked into the 2 bedroom apartment she lived in with her mother, Calliope, stepfather, Lorenzo Reyes-Zhao, and her 8-year-old sister, Nadia. Her mother was talking on the phone and she sounded upset. "Now is not the time. I don't care if she's past the age others go, Ollie. I'm not sending her there. Not yet. They haven't come for her. Well, I'd be able to tell, wouldn't I?" Who's Ollie? Odessa thought as she closed the door to the apartment. She had never heard that name before.

"Mom, I'm home." The phone was hung up as Odessa entered the kitchen. Calliope tried to compose herself from the conversation she had been having.

"Hi, Inday, how was practice?" There was no chance Odessa didn't hear any of that conversation, Calliope knew that. Odessa had always been able to hear better than the average human.

"Good, could you call Doctor De Angelis and make an appointment?" Calliope tensed. Odessa had just gone to her therapist two weeks ago why would she need to go again? Had the time come?

"Is everything okay, amor?"

"Yeah, just have to talk to her is all. Are you coming to our show?" Odessa knew it was a long shot to ask. But she hoped it would be different this time.

"I can try to make it." Odessa shut the fridge door no longer wanting hummus with carrots. She should've known better than to ask.

"Why did I even ask? If it's not something Nadia is doing it doesn't matter." Odessa knew her anger and sadness was clear and she didn't care anymore.

"Dessa, that's not true. Is that what you think?" Calliope set down the cheese grater and piece of mozzarella.

"Don't think, it's true. Every game and recital of hers you've attended but not one gig of mine. You hated us starting the band and I have no idea why. I mean we had the opportunity to tour across the country last year and we couldn't because you wouldn't let me." Odessa went to the room she shared with her sister and slammed the door. Calliope didn't even tell her not to because she knew her anger was just. But there was a reason for it. It wasn't a valid reason not to show up for your kids but there was a reason. How could she tell Odessa the answers to her questions without sounding like a terrible mother? But then again why wouldn't it sound like that when she hadn't been supportive of her daughter starting a band with some of her best friends? Odessa would've texted Skylar or Ellie to hang out but she was the only 17-year-old she knew without a phone or computer. And the landline was in the kitchen.

So up to the roof, it was where she'd listen to Skylar's first solo album Evolution on cassette. She didn't understand why Skylar had thought they'd be mad about her releasing solo music. She couldn't be happier for Skylar but she envied her too. Last month she wrapped up her first actual tour not playing shows in different clubs and bars in New York the way Sunset Curve had for two years, an actual tour for the album she's released. Sunset Curve had an EP and an album out and was working on their third work but they never played shows outside of New York. The band must hate her for that. But none of them would ever admit to that.