Fingered Back

Nico Florence

Staring in the mirror at the dark bags under her eyes, April sighs then continues brushing her teeth. Spitting the last of the tooth paste in the sink then tossing her tooth brush in the clear tooth brush holder, she slides on her trousers worn by her brother in his junior year of high school. Plopping her body on the messy white bed, she pulls on her lucky polka dot socks, then her black loafers. A sigh escaping her dry mouth as her loud roommate bursts through the door, her hair as messy as April's. "Advil?" Her roommate to hungover to speak manages, pointing her sausage finger towards her head. April, looking down at the sock covering half her feet looks up at Dennis. 

"Unfortunately not, i'm going to school so i'll stop by a drug store on the way. Wait won't you be going to class? Can't you stop?" She asks raising an eyebrow at the half undressed girl in front of her. 

"Don't be ridiculous April, how can I go to class when I have another party to prep for?" Her thin drawn on eyebrows raise. It never failed to surprise April how mismatched her eyebrows were, but she wasn't judging. Dennis nearly sleeps with one guy a day which is far more then April had slept with in a life time. 

"You're throwing another party?" The thought of her downing another shot of Vodka made April feel the need to throw up for the third time that morning. "Aren't you still fucked up from last night?"

"Very, however tonights the night Damien'll be arriving." Damien had been a love interest for Dennis ever since April had moved into the Upper Eastside. The only reason Dennis had thrown a party on Sunday was for the same reason she will be throwing a party Monday night. A very rare chance Damien may show up and woo her. 

"Do you for sure know he's coming?"  Getting up from her tempurpedic mattress, she grabs her cheetah print coat from the metal coat rack placed in between her closet and bedroom door. "Cause if you are i'll buy some alcohol for tonight." 

"Im postive, he sent me an email and everything, i'll say it's pretty legit don't you think?" Following April into the all white kitchen where she grabs a fresh apple from the fruit bowl, slings her fendi bag over her shoulder then opens the front door. 

"If a man emails you, it's legit." She says half out the door. The door wide enough to reveal the light wooden door across from them. 

"Get mint schnapps, please." Taking a bite from the apple, April scrunches her nose in disgust, then halfway closes the door. 

"Peach?" She questions only revealing her face, and half her torso. 

"And Mint!" Dennis yells from the crack in the door. Fully closing the door, then checking the rolex on her bony wrists, April notices she's ten minutes late for an art class she's already failing. Frantically pushing the down arrow on the elevator button more times then needed, she kept her eyes planted on her watch. Her anxiety was through the mansard roof. The elevator doors separate revealing two of her classmates.

"April." They say in unison walking out the golden elevator. Smiling and nodding at the twins, April makes her way in the empty elevator. Pushing the button revealing the star next to the one, the elevator doors close together. Tapping her loafers while her eyes were glued to her watch, it didn't help her anxiety that half the time she was late, it was to a class she was already failing, it occasionally resulted in her having panic attacks, which didn't help her terrible asthma. The silver doors separate, revealing a group of occupants gathered around the door, some with grocery bags, others with luggage. 

Rushing out of the marble lobby, passed the fountain shaped like a mermaid propped against a rock. It surprised her the water came out of the mermaids mouth and not the fish she's holding. Whenever April came home from the grocery store, she used to laugh at the fountain, to her, the water portrayed semen spilling out of the mermaids mouth. Over the summer last year, a gang of kids from the apartment pulled a prank on the apartment complex employees by replacing the water in the fountain with milk. Pleasing Dennis and April, after hours, they used to sit on the edge of the fountain, dipping crunchy Chips A'hoy in the milk, then eating it.