A Void Dance

Chapter 3 CJ

Intense blue eyes and plump red lips cross my vision. Her blonde curls bounce as she walks away from me. The heat from her presence leaves me breathless and panting. I wake with a start. I picked up my cell phone to look at the time: 9 am. Fuck no! I groan and put my pillow over my face, feeling wide awake and frustrated.

Since my schedule is based mainly on my tattoo or design appointments, I only rise and shine in the afternoon. I have a schedule for working on our business details or website, which I can do anytime at home. But this Saturday, my stupid body is an asshole, and I am up at 9 am. Nine fucking am, ugh, if it isn't noon or later, I don't want it. But since I am awake, let's see if my lovely roommate Dani has made enough coffee for me to enjoy.

I walk into our kitchen. The counters take up one corner of the square space. The stove is next to the refrigerator, separated by a mini counter that serves zero purpose, with the large corner portion of the counter being on the other side of the stove. The next wall hosts more abundant counter space and the sink. But my eyes are seeking out our coffee bar. I know what you're thinking. Oh, how basic LA bitch of you. You might be correct, but I love the thing. It is adorably country gray wood with sliding barn doors in the front, complete with x-shaped pieces in the doors, a coffee maker, and a line of hooks for coffee mugs on the top. Above that is a shelf where we store our coffee, tea, and hot chocolate packs. Yum!

This morning, I am in luck! Coffee is waiting for me, all pretty and seductive. "I knew you were a ride or die!" I declare to Dani, who is sitting on the couch reading a book. She jumps, narrowly missing, spilling her coffee. "What the fuck!" She says this in more surprise than anger. I know she's not used to seeing me out of bed this early. "Don't fucking touch it, CJ," she yells at me, pointing at the coffee I am heading towards. "That is for my next 2 cups," she says. "Psht, not like we can't make more; by we, I mean you, but yea." " No," she shouts, "it's special." I stare at her quizzically. "Someone at work brought me a sample of some coffee they picked up in Italy," she pleads. "You can't share fancy coffee?" I ask, flashing my irresistible puppy dog eyes. "Please beaw beaw," I say, her nickname in a baby voice with a pout on my lips. She sighs. "1 cup, small cup!" she says, giving up the fight. "Yesssss! Coffee is life, my friend, and I love that you never fail to provide life!" she glares, grumbling. "You're not even supposed to be awake damn it."

I start preparing my cup of fancy coffee. "Why are you up anyway? I saw no reports about hell freezing over or pigs flying." She says this as she walks to the front door and peers out. "Nope, no pigs, what gives?" I shrug. "My body didn't get any ass last night, so maybe it's rebelling," I say with a shrug. She tosses a pillow at me while rolling her eyes. "What are your plans then?" she asks me. "Think I'll people watch in the park. I don't have any appointments today, and the update project doesn't start for another two weeks, so I'm free." I say. " What about you?" I ask. " I am going to read this book and will the FMC into real life so she can sweep me off my feet and love me, right?" she states with determination. "So, a real woman won't work?" I ask. "Real life is bleak, CJ. Characters in books are not real life. That's why books are amazing but also a sad reminder that we, as the single populous, are stuck with assholes and idiots." she sighs. "That's why I'm a player, my friend," I say with a wink. She taps her chin, moving her eyes skyward.

"I'm still deciding if you're an idiot or an asshole." "Ouch, you wound me, bestie," I say in mock pain. "You're the perfect type to get slapped in the face with a love that consumes you," she says, her eyes bright and dreamy. I start pretending to wretch, holding up my hand palm out to her. "Sorry, I almost vomited in my mouth; how could you curse me like that!" "You're so dramatic! What's wrong with falling in L...?" I hold up my hand, silencing her. "Don't finish that sentence," She cocks a brow at me. "You afraid of the big bad L word?". "I don't even believe in the big bad L word," I say, air quoting the last part. "Corporations created it to sell cards and chocolate for Valentine's Day," I state. "Do you really believe that CJ?" She asks, her eyes showing pity. I know Dani is all romantic and believes in love, but it's not natural for anyone, so am I the one who should be pitied here? She walks over and hugs me. "I hope one day you realize how wrong you are." She sits back down, grabbing her book, her face now shadowed, and she almost looks in pain.

I grab my keys, wallet, board, and fuck sack, yanno, just in case there's a cutie in the park wink. I put in my earbuds, set my Spotify to shuffle, and hop on my board. I have always liked skating through the park and people-watching. Since moving to L.A., this park has always been one of my favorites. It's because it feels like a small town park in such a big and busy city. Being from a small town in Ohio all my youth has ingrained some of those desires for a small-town feel into my system. So when I get homesick or need to slow down, this is where I love to be.

I sometimes make up scenarios about the people I see; once, I saw a dude on one end of the bench on his phone and a dude on the other with a newspaper. I imagined the newspaper getting caught in the wind and slapping the phone guy in the face. I laughed for 15 minutes at that vision in my head. Real life was better that day. The phone dude got his ass kicked by a mean little chick. I had my earbuds in, so I don't know why, but it was great.

A skateboard whizzes past me on my right side. The small person with a helmet on uses their foot to stop the board and flips it up with their foot, and I do the same as they turn towards me. "Oh! Hey CJ!" Joshua says, waving frantically. Joshua is an 11-year-old kid whom I met a few months back when I saved him from being bullied. A much bigger kid had pushed him off his board and was trying to steal his shoes. He told me he got the Jordans he wore at a local community center hosting a giveaway for neighborhood kids. They had received a large donation from the L.A. Lakers that week. The big kid wouldn't even have fit in them, he was just being a dick.

Josh has been my buddy ever since. "Hey Joshie!" I say, knowing he hates that nickname. "Don't call me that," he grumbles. I ruffle his hair. "how's school, buddy?" I ask. "Good, I'm making B's now," he beams. "What! Even in math?" I say with enthusiasm. "Yeah, wheels has been tutoring me." Wheels or Brian, a 15-year-old kid who chills at the skate ramp by the shop, took Josh under his wing, and they have been basically brothers ever since. Brian's kid brother passed away from cancer at nine, so having Josh, I think, filled that hole for him. "Nice, I'm proud of you, buddy; where are you headed?" I ask. "Meeting wheels at the ramp by the shop," he says. "Sweet, tell Avery I said what's up!" I say to him as he hops on his board and rides off.

Avery is my business partner. We met in the first year of college. He was going for business management, and I was in for graphic design with an art minor. We devised the idea for our tattoo and design shop together and decided to make it real. We got a business loan that wasn't much, but it was enough for us to buy a shop in the middle of an empty tow yard surrounded by a big fence. With all that space, we decided to build a skate ramp for when things were slow. We did all the work on the building ourselves, sometimes having friends help out to save on cost. Six months later, "Skatz Designs and Tattoos" was born. We do tattoos and piercings as well as skateboard and surfboard customizations. We knew we wanted a place that was lgbtq friendly and inclusive, with Avery being Trans and me being a Lesbian, so we placed every type of lgbtq flag we could fit in the front of the small building with no fucks given. One day, kids started showing up asking us for help because they were being bullied or were kicked out of their homes for their sexuality or other reasons. We couldn't do much as a tattoo shop. So, Avery and I decided to put picnic tables in the back near the Ramp. We built a small snack shack. We sell snacks to the kids for just about anything: marbles, shoelaces. And one time a kid tried to trade his homework he must have really wanted that bag of Skittles. We also contracted with a food truck five days a week. We wanted to create a hangout for neighborhood kids to feel safe in. When we got a bad case, I would call Dani at the outreach center she runs for lgbtq and other at-risk people and get the person connected with her for shelter or other kinds of care. It's been four years since, and the kids just keep coming.

As I watch Josh ride off, I get back on my board. One of my jams starts playing "Parasite Eve" by Bring Me the Horizon, one of those jams your whole body gets into with or without permission. I start getting into it and spot a mess of golden curls cut shoulder length and attached to a slender form, sitting on an ugly blanket. Wait a fucking minute, could that be? No way. Then suddenly oooof. I roll smack into a tree and fall to the ground in a crumpled heap. Fuck me! That's what I get for not paying attention, I guess. I am groaning, having had the wind knocked out of me, and I vaguely hear words. I then feel a hand on my shoulder and roll towards it. I see beautiful blue eyes, full pink lips, and a mop of shoulder-length golden curls framing her face. "Mrs. Robinson?"