melting [pearlet]

s e v e n

VIOLET

   A FEW days later, I feel the need to call Pearl. I feel bad leaving him hanging like that, playing with his emotions is the last thing I want to do.

I dangle my head on the foot of my bed laying down, my feet on my pillow. The phone rings in my ear until I hear him pick up.

"Hey, sorry I haven't called you in a while." I apologize.

"Really? I never even noticed you haven't called in four days and six hours."

Jeez, well my claim of not trying to play with his emotions have gone right out the window. I brush his comment off and change the subject.

"Well, what's up?"

"Oh nothing I'm at Trixie's house with some friends." There's a long pause and then chicken noises in the background.

I can sense he's making a weird face, "Uhhh, what was that?" I ask.

"Oh it's just Fame, he's just pretending to be a chicken right now." He announces nonchalantly. "Do you want to come over?"

"I mean...if it's okay with Trix-"

He cuts me off, "He said it's fine."

"Did you even ask him?"

"Just come over."

   Hanging up the phone, I walk to my closet. Picking out something to wear. I don't see a reason to get dressed up, but I want to.

   I pick out black jeans with my favorite gray sweater. Once I finish tying my boots I'm straight for the door. I'm stopped by an unwelcome guest. My Mom's boyfriend, Steve.

   "Woah woah where you going kiddo?" He interrogates me as I stand by the door.

   "Um, out." I reply clearly uncomfortable.

   He shifts his eyes up and down at me, before nodding his head and going back to the kitchen.

   I take the subway, about thirty minutes later I'm standing at the door. Before I can even knock on the door Fame is there to open it.

   "Hey girl! They're inside." He tugs on my sleeve leading me into the living room. Pearl's on a hammock smoking, while Trixie and Max are watching TV.

   "No Katya?" I ask.

   Fame whispers, "Don't bring up Katya around Trixie, they just broke up."

   I nod my head and find myself a spot on an arm chair. Pearl and Trixie are burping at each other, seeing who can burp the loudest.

   "You two are so vulgar!" Max shouts holding his nose.

   Trixie takes a large breath, before belching for 7 seconds straight.

   Max stands putting his hands up in a surrender, "That's it, I'm going outside."

   "You guys are so nasty." I chuckle putting my shirt collar up to my nose masking the horrible stench.

Max peers his head through the front door, "So when are we leaving guys?"

"Where are we going?" I question no one in particular.

Pearl places his cigarette in the ash tray, putting it out. "I don't know, where ever the wind takes us."

Pearl always has these witty quotes for his replies. It's starting to get irritating.

   We all huddle into Trixie's car. Not knowing where to go. We end up at this hill, I guess it's a spot they all like to hang out because they seem pretty familiar with it. We're not in the city anymore.

   We all sit on the hood of Trixie's van, drinking. I guess Pearl and his friends love to drink. We babble on about the dumbest things, I felt like I've known them all forever.

   Pearl decides to change the subject, "So guys, Violet is like really good at makeup." He drawls taking a sip of his Bud Light.

   "Oh come on Pearl, I'm not that good. You're the one who's an amazing artist." I comment.

   "You guys are like the perfect match! You both draw and are like...gay." I don't know how Fame comes up with these things.

   "We're all gay, Fame." Trixie reminds him jokingly hitting him on the head.

   "Right."

  Pearl rustles through Fame's hair, messing it up. Fame is the pet of the group, Pearl can never yell at him no matter how pissed off he makes Pearl.

   "Well, you guys need a ship name! Maybe Vearl, or Piolet." Max suggests enthusiastically.

"No those are totally stupid Max! What about Pearlet? That's a good one." Fame snaps a little tipsy, tipsy enough to come up with a dumb name like that.

I look over to see Pearl with his head down, blushing.

We spend the night being total idiots. Fame can't stop making clucking noises for entertainment purposes and Trixie keeps making jokes about Laganja from building six.

Trixie goes on about the Laganja story, "...So Adore was telling me how on the first day of freshman year, Laganja walks in the classroom parading. And then screams 'Oh y'all wanted a twist aye? Come on building six, let's get sickening!' And then death drops in the middle of the classroom. And I haven't stopped quoting it since."

A smile slips between my lips before turning into a loud laughter, followed by everyone else.

By the time it's five am Trixie drives everyone back to his apartment, so everyone can get their cars or take a taxi.

I drive Pearl home because Trixie was his ride, and Trixie doesn't feel like driving him.

In the car Pearl finds a CD of mine, "You didn't tell me you liked The Smiths!"

   "You never mentioned it!"

   By the time we finish belting out There Is A Light That Never Goes Out we reach his apartment building. I park on the side of the road. "Well this is it."

   "Yeah...it is." He looks at the floor with a heavy sigh.

   "What's wrong?"

   "Oh nothing," His eyes gaze into my own pitifully, "I just don't wanna go home."

   I furrow my eyebrows in confusion, "What do you mean?"

   He doesn't know what to say, his brain stops for a second to process what I just asked. It's not a hard ball question, but for him it is. He suddenly reaches for the car handle and let's himself out without a goodbye.