The Incredible League of Goth Pizza Haters (RH)

Part 83

---Sylvia---
There was a knock at the door. Yes, she is here.

I set down the clay pieces as Ricky got up to answer it. I've been on a no sleeping streak that has been surprisingly good for my inspiration. I'd turned those rough drafts into a fully formed idea and now I was preparing the pieces.

It had been a few years since I'd done a stop-motion claymation and I was excited about this one. It had a few components similar to The Mysterious Stranger scene from The Adventures of Mark Twain, mostly relating to the Satan character's mask and message.

There is no god, no universe, no human race, no earthly life, no heaven, no hell. Nothing exists but you. And you are but a Thought - a vagrant Thought, a useless Thought, a homeless Thought, wandering forlorn among the empty eternities. It is all a dream, a grotesque and foolish dream...

Mena walked in.

"Hey, loser."

"Hello," I replied, rubbing bits of clay from my hands.

"How is you feeling?"

"I is feeling good, thank. How is you?"

"I is good." she sat down on the couch beside me. Ricky walked in and awkwardly took a different place on the couch. Mena and I talked for a bit while Ricky sat on his phone. When she broached the idea of lunch I immediately jumped on it. I've been feeling a longing for Panera Bread for a while.

I got ready, washing my hands and covering my work with a film of plastic. (As if that would protect it from the cats.) I did the usual getting ready, the brushing of hair and all before walking down to see Ricky in the kitchen while Mena was at the door.

Ricky looked up and then back at his phone.

"Can you bring me leftovers?"

Mena and I shared a look.

"Yeah, or you can come with us. Whatever you prefer."

He immediately joined us at the door.

"Oh! Wait!" I hurried up to my room to grab money before coming back down. We all got into Mena's car, her driving with me in the passenger seat and Ricky sat awkwardly in the back.

"So where do you wanna-,"

"Panera Bread."

"Okay."

***

God fucking dammit I love their soup. I dipped the bread in, stirring it before taking a bite. Whilst I was fully immersed in the experience, Ricky and Mena were talking.

"Does goth cake even have a flavor? The black icing and the cake?" Mena was saying.

"Black icing tastes like colored icing, I don't think black has a flavor. As for a black cake.. Like the cake itself.. I've never had it."

"What about black ice cream?"

"I don't think I'm as goth as you think I am."

They continued on, joking and laughing as my mind tuned in and out. I finished my food and was scraping at the remains of noodle in my soup bowl when Ricky poked me.

"What?"

"I asked if we were going home after this."

"Oh, actually I wanted to go to a certain place after this."

"Where?"

"Do they sell iPhones at Walmart?"

"I think so."