Dial Drunk - Post Malone

36

"Do you ever just stop and think about what a gangsta I am?" Grassy asks. Austin pauses the game and stares at him. "You are not a gangsta," Austin says trying to push down his laugh.

"I am. I have tattoos."

"One of your tats is a unicorn jumping over a rainbow. You also have a tattoo on your ass that says 'free hugs'... don't ask me how I know that."

"I take drugs. Gangsta's take a ton of drugs."

"That's a stereotype and you smoke weed, at this point in your life it's the same as breathing oxygen."

"I have a leather jacket with a scull on it," Grassy says. Austin stares at him and then sighs. "OK. I take it back, you are gangsta," he says. "Told you," Grassy says starting the game again. "What are you doing today? Wanna hang out for the rest of the day?" Austin asks. "No can do. I am going to get a pedi. We are going orange," Grassy says wriggling his toes in the air. Austin drops his remote and starts laughing, trying to ask Grassy where doing nails sits on the gangster scale. He is laughing so hard he can't breathe and now Grassy is no better as he starts laughing too. It eventually lands up with the two of them holding their stomachs and pointing at each other while wheezing.

"Austin! What are you doing?! We need to leave! Hurry up!" Cassidy shouts as she walks into the lounge and then storms out. Their laughing fades and Austins stands up with a sigh. "Catch ya later, buddy," he says. "Yeah, later," Grassy says picking up his remote again.

Austin's life feels like a bit of a roller coaster or a two-sided coin. When he is with Grassy or Levi it's happy. Grassy has him constantly wheezing and it's always a great time. It's similar with Dre and Cecilia - they are comforting to be around and their house always has a warm feeling to it that makes Austin want to curl up on the sofa in their lounge. Ceceila's tummy has blown up and she is due to pop that baby out any second. With Levi, it took a bit of work to get past the tension and in the first few weeks of writing their sessions often ended up in snippy comments and one of them storming off in a huff, but they have both worked on it and have now fallen back into that bubble of sharing secrets and private moments. He can't say they were as close as they once were and he doesn't know if they will ever get back there but they are friends once again so any time with her is always amazing. He had hoped his love for her would have faded somewhat but it has only gotten worse hence the other side of the coin.

On the other side, he pines for Levi, the voices scream at him and then only scream louder when his mother continues to try and reach out to him. Cassidy also drives him up the wall with her constant moaning and demanding. She is very selfish and will throw a tantrum at the drop of a hat. But, she keeps his liquor cabinet fully stocked and is always keen to attend any LA party so he keeps her around because she does not judge him or makes him feel bad about his drinking. She understands and lets him be. On this side of the coin, he drinks heavily and is more drunk than sober.

Which brings him to the present day. Cassidy has a meeting with a big-name modelling agency and she is insisting he comes along for support, Austin is just glad she won't have time to spend on his cards for the day. Also, he does want to support her. He does not hate her and can understand how hard it is to break into Hollywood, it's brutal and so even though she drives him nuts she is his girlfriend so he wants to support her, it's just how his father raised him.

"Austin, we need to talk about your employees. We still haven't had that conversation because you refuse, but they are unhinged and show me no respect. I am your girlfriend and so it's a disrespect toward you too," she says as they drive. Austin has not had the conversation because it's a bullshit conversation. Cassidy has a tenancy to make an issue out of nothing and his 'employees' (friends) only ever snip back after Cassidy pushes them too far with her whining or demanding - he has seen it and he has warned her countless times to stop, she ignores him. "Take Grassy for example. He purposely pulls your attention away from me all the time and inserts himself into our lives. He also told me yesterday that I should think about not being so shallow or it will bite me in the ass one day! It's such a blatant lie! I am not shallow. You give that man too much leeway to do and say as he pleases. He is using you, I wish you could see that. You need to get rid of him."