Basketcase

Going the distance

His hip bonked to the left, hitting mine in a playful attempt as he smiled cheekily to the success he'd progressed with after our hours of practising. I sighed in agony, trudging my weight towards the mattress and flattening myself across the slept-in sheets. The bed bounced with excitement, my stomach twisting with the force of mother nature and the pressure of my own upper weight weighting down upon my stomach against the bed as I landed. Tightening my face in pain, my head turned towards Harry, impatiently giddy to his own excitement at the end of the bed.

"That was bloody spectacular!" he cheered, clenching his fists excitedly, grinning wildly to his performance.

I huffed deeply into the sheets, blowing out the caught fuzz into the air as I breathed in, and sneezing. I sniffled lightly, staring towards the oblivious boy continuing on about his one and a half star rating of custom dancing. I sighed once more, staring at his smile. "Yes," I admitted blandly, my cheek squished into the bed sponging my voice, "It was quite amazing, you did good for seven hours."

His neck shot towards me gleaming brightly, "I know!" he prompted, "Thanks Ry! You- you know wha'? I wanna go show the fellas! They gotta see this! We gotta do it together and we- or you- can teach 'em too!" he cheered, smiling profoundly, urging me on.

My lips lined plainly, answering plainly as my expression, "no."

"Yes!" he denied, "and they can perform it t'night for the fans!" his own vision unfolding before him.

I sighed in exhaustion, "Harry, you know, I believe you have the capability to teach your fellow band members the ways of N'sync dancing," I encouraged exaggeratedly, "You don't need me, you're a full on pro now."

"You really think so?" he gleamed curiously, and wide eyed, "I thought I was pretty good but that comin' from you, I must be ace!" he turned admiring himself.

I smiled, warming myself to the pillow and rubbing my cheek against the soft silky sheet. His voice melting into soft blurs of careless speech, to my own uninterests.

"Ah! But you should meet our special guest singer!" he blurted, picking up my limp arm and tugging at it roughly.

"What?" I replied in shock of his out burst. He lifted me to my feet, pulling my weight effortlessly, around the bed frame releasing my body to the chill of the air, eating away the warmth I'd created.

"Come, come!" he explained seldom, urging me towards the door and out. His hand gripped firmly on my wrist, tugging my along to where he wished. Resisting my own urge to remove myself, rebel even, but to no strength or effort prevailing as all my energy had left me.

My body dragged in front of the elevator and Harry pressed the button fiercely in excitement almost dancing in each step. The door dinged open, ploughing into the door, obliviously knocking into something, or someone, ramming in. He immediately stamped the ground level button and began to stomp his foot impatiently, still ahold of my hand.

A soft moan of agony hushed over, my eyes wandering curiously to the thought of Harry's outrageous method of rush. Bits and pieces of broccoli heads tumbled around as the elevator bumped down each floor; bagels, pasta, spinach, chickpeas, asparagus, soybeans, sunflower seeds, eggs and something white along the lines of a thick vomit like texture, all bagged separately to the advantage of whom ever was carrying all this iron infested food roughly thrown abruptly about the room. Wait iron? My eyes scanned the elevator more thoroughly landing on ploughed body lying lifeless on the italian tile.

Their true blond hair flattened on the floor, sketched taurus tattoo hidden at the back of her ankle in clear view as her sandal had bee kicked off and thrusted from her foot. Taurus... Marissa! I shook my hand, focusing my energy on the release of his gasp but failing miserably as my energy ceased to exist. "Marissa," I managed, my stomach holding in the urge of spew. Her limp body twisted, shaking the hair; shattered across her forehead, immediately shooting up, meeting me.

"Ryan!" she cried hysterically, wide eyed to my existence. "What- what are you doing here?" she quizzed.

My eye rolled side to side scatterbrained, finally holding up my chained hand. Her eyes scanned our hands, leading up to Harry, her face almost becoming furious but mixed with the same emotions to which cooled her completely. A complete cycle of expression concluding with a casual sweet and soft smile plained, set with sparking eyes and drool almost oozing from her lips. "Harry," she cooed softly, "What are you doing with Ryan?" she smiled.

Harry shifted his head backwards, twisting his neck, taking a double take before acknowledging her. "Marissa!" he sprung, twisting us both around, pulling me to the left as we turned. His smile brightened cheerfully, widening his in surprise as he'd only just met her this instance. "What are you doin' in this elevator?"

"This elevator?" I commented, glaring at him fish eyed.

"No I was going to deliver-"-she observed the ground momentarily before gesturing to the iron related products scattered across the tile-"-all this to her-im!" she correct strongly.

He stared at her a moment in plained confusion but his urge of prompting himself erupted uncontrollably through words, "Marissa!" he cheered familiarly, "Ryan taught me how to dance in syncly! It's amazing!" He released my arm in the mids of his exaggerated emphasis. I nudged my way in the opposing direction, a very distinct space emerging between myself in his overpowering of strength.

"Is that so?" she replied slyly cocking her head towards me as I froze in place beneath her assuming stare. I shook my head repulsively rolling my eyes towards her false thoughts.

"Yes!" Harry cried, "And now we're on our way to show the fellas," he informed, comfortably settling himself.

"So you are," she smirked, eyeing me playfully. I rolled my eyes, suddenly sensing an urge of sneezing, before my mouth exploded with a bursting inner breath, echoing loudly through my forced vocals. Marissa responded knowingly, laughing wittily to my higher toned explosion.

"What was that!?" Harry slurred releasing his clenched wincing body parts.

"A sneeze," I replied forwardly, glaring sternly at Marissa. She'd covered her giggles with the flip side of her palm, smiling widely in view. I shifted my share, soften my expression as I watched Harry; his unsettling expression of unsettlement and an undiscovered face unsettling myself.

The elevator doors opened to the ground level lobby, unpleasingly silenced. "Okay," he replied uneasy, "Let's go," he gestured.

I itched towards his encouragement, but stood favouritively in the elevator. "But where are you going?" Marissa injected.

"The out door theatre," he said in encouragement, "Oh you can meet my replacement!" he smiled cheekily, his fair wound strictly noted.

"Your replacement?" Marissa invoked.

His head twitched impatiently, "Yea," he said rushly, "you can come too."

She smiled wirily towards me transforming it into a sly deserving smirk as Harry's hand grasped my wrist, firmly tugging it out of the elevator. I slumped in each step.

The lobby seemed familiarly empty and spacious, the visions of crowded halls and obnoxious voices rather distant and faded. I cranked my head back to Marissa following closely behind, smirking widely to her own shameless tease. I shook my head consciously nodding it down in moral shame for myself. A nudge quickly pecked my inner rib, I lifted my head to Marissa at my side; a shock of asparagus stuck in clear view. She tilted her head, still smiling but softer, and more meaningful. I took the vegetable from her sharing a smile before bringing the stick to my mouth and chomping on it favouritively. She just laughed.

"We're here," Harry interrupted plainly in a grimace tone freeing my hand.