Costco Kisses

Party Time? Party Time.

After a couple of smacks and a belt to my backside, I got to go back up to my room. I needed a break. My life was madness right now. With exams, my dad's sternness, my mom's drug induced death and this Tajon kid is now in the picture.

But to be honest, the last one wasn't that bad.

Tajon was nice and funny, the kind of guy I like. But, he could never like me. A lanky girl who trips over her own foot. Yeah right. It doesn't hurt to imagine though.

Him kissing me, us both falling under the haze of teenage love. God, how am I hopeless? I literally hated this guy this morning.

I need to get away for a while so I texted by best friend of 9 whole years, Miriam. She could always somehow cheer me up. I texted her that I needed something to do. She texted back a few minutes later.

Come over and you can sleepover.

I texted back see you soon.

I had to formulate a plan. I decided I would tell my younger sister that I was sneaking out and to cover for me. My sister and I somehow got along and we could work things out together. I'll set my some pillows to look like me and go out the window. My dad left early for work in the morning so it wouldn't be a problem.

I packed my bag and told my sister the plan. I quietly shimmied down the drain pipe and ran across my backyard. I jumped the fence and cursed the face that I didn't have a car. I ran in small bursts of energy.

~~~

Once I arrived at Miriam's house I knocked on the glossy red door. Her parents were at the casinos betting their lives away so I knew it would be her to answer.

The door swung open and there was my pink haired companion. She engulfed me in a bone crushing, yet warm, hug and I returned the gesture. She let go and she pulled me into the house. Inside I saw our friend Chloe lounging on the couch.

Miriam was a bit of an odd ball. She dyed her hair a new color every month, she wore almost completely black all the time and her passion was tattooing but she only did stick and pokes at parties I wasn't invited to. I don't quite recall how we became friends. It just happened one day in 2nd or 3rd grade.

Chloe and I had played volleyball together all four years of high school. It was really sad to have to play my last season with her and have to say goodbye to the coaches and everything but I'm glad to have made such a good friend in her. She had somewhat puffy brown hair and was wearing her joy division shirt with a jacket and jeans.

I realized they had The Cure blasting when I walked into the living room. I smiled at the tune and I took a seat on the couch expecting Miriam to sit next to us but instead she went into the kitchen.

"Why are you in the kitchen?" I said as I bent my head back to look at her. Chloe chortled as I glared back at her. Miriam could not cook for shit so I was really hoping she wasn't trying out yet another new recipe.

"Making Mac n' Cheese," She said in her usual sing song voice. Mac n' cheese was her favorite meal so she had perfected how to make it. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Make us some too?" Chloe said in a pleading matter. Chloe and Miriam always had kind of an odd relationship, I was sort of the glue that kept us all together and stopped them from murdering each other. Miriam would probably tell you it was astrological differences that caused them to butt heads whereas Chloe would blame it on Miriam not being able to take a joke, either way as long as they didn't get into it they were friends all the same. 

"Already was," Miriam sighed. I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and checked my Facebook while chatting with Chloe as she finished up.

~~~

We had just finished our Mac n' cheese and were watching The Princess Bride when Miriam got a text from my phone. I paused the movie and looked at her as she read the message intently. She smiled cheekily and got squirmy, clutching my phone to her chest excitedly. 

"We were just invited to a party," She squealed and looked up at Chloe and me excitedly. I had never, in my entire high school life have been to a party. Miriam was more of a party animal. Chloe was kind of in the middle of the two of us. She would get drunk sometime but she wasn't the one who did shrooms at a house party and had to have us come pick her up like Miriam.

"You wanna go?" Chloe asked me in an excited tone. I had made my decision.

"...Yes".