Before Incarceration

Piper

            "So, let me get this straight," Polly said, gathering her thoughts, "Alex dumped her girlfriend and now Silvy has punched you, left shit outside of your door, and threatened you, and you are still with Alex? God, Piper... Is she really worth it?"
            "Alex told me Silvy just needs some time to get over it- to vent. I'll be fine. And yes, she is 'really worth it,'" I said using air quotes. "I came nine times last night, Pol!" Polly rolled her eyes and made a gagging noise.
            "Jesus... Now that's even more than excessive," Polly laughed. "Since when are you even interested in girls?"
            "I don't know, Polly. I like hot guys. I like hot girls... I like hot people. Maybe I'm just shallow," I admitted. "And Alex is definitely a hot girl."
            "You are pretty shallow," she joked- or at least I thought she was kidding. "Whatever, I still don't like her."
            "I know, and she isn't too fond of you either, if we are being honest," I laughed. "Now come on-" CRASH! Both of our heads jerked to face the now broken window of my living room. "Jesus H fuck!" After the initial shock wore off, I searched for what caused the chaos: a rock. Not just a rock, actually... it had a message written on it. 'I know what you did, bitch! Your dead!'
             "Damn... This from Silvy?" she asked, peering over my shoulder at the nail polish decorated stone.
             "I guess... She didn't even use the right 'your.' She needed to use the contraction of you and are," I observed. Polly gave me a disapproving look.
             "Seriously, Pipes? A psycho-lesbo throws a fucking boulder through your house and threatens your life and all you care about is her grammar?" her voice full of disbelief.
             "Well, it's kind of comforting really. If she isn't smart enough to use correct grammar, the chances of her actually harming me are seriously little to none," I explained.
             "So, the fact that she knows where you live and isn't afraid to destroy your property has no concern to you? Jesus Christ," she sighed and I shrugged my shoulders. If Silvy seriously wanted to hurt me, she would have done it by now. These messages are childish and nonthreatening. Plus, I know Alex would never do anything to hurt me. KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! "I bet that is crazy bitch now," Polly said as she cautiously looked through the peephole of my front door. She let out an annoyed moan, "Nope, even better." She swung open the door and Alex stood in the doorway, as beautiful as ever.
            "Hi, Polly with P!" she chirped. I laughed as Polly nodded and left the room. "Hey, you." She quickly strode over to me to gently press her lips against mine. "What are you up to?" A smile crept up on her face that was so inviting...
            "Well... Polly and I were going to go out for margaritas with her boyfriend and his friend Larry-" I started to tell her. My life sounded so unappealing if Alex wasn't a part of it, honestly.
            "As fun as that sounds... Ditch 'em, Pipes. Have you ever been to Spain?" she asked. What? Where in the world did Spain come from? My heart fluttered at her spontaneity. "I'll take your silence as a no! Pack your bags, gorgeous. Let's go." There was an innocent brightness to her eyes that I could never say no to.
           "Nothing sounds better. When would we leave?" I asked, the excitement clearly evident in my somewhat shaky voice.
           "Now! Hurry it up! I'll help you pack," she offered, pushing me towards my room. The last time she pushed me into my room this eagerly, it ended with my pants off and her going down on me. I couldn't help but get excited when she pushes me from now on.

            I waited for Alex after I was cleared through airport security, but person after person exited the screening and Alex was never one of them. Did she forget her passport? She would have told me... I started racking my brain through a mental checklist I made, making sure I had all the necessities: toothbrush- check, hairbrush- check, bathing suit (the sexy one... not the one I've had since I was seventeen)- check, razor- fuck! I forgot my razor... Before I could get too concerned, Alex finally appeared in the crowd looking frazzled and rushed. She was carrying a bag that I didn't see before and as soon as she reached me, she grabbed my arm and pulled me quickly through the mass of people. I opened my mouth to start my many questions, but she shushed me. People were giving us weird or aggravated looks as we weaved in and out through them and towards the terminal for Spain. The attendant at the stand had a plastered on smiling face that quickly fell as she noticed how fast Alex and I were making our way towards her.
             "Whoa, whoa, whoa, ladies! No rush! The plane doesn't leave for another twenty minutes. You've got plenty of time," she droned on with her Barbie voice, giving us concerned looks back and forth.
            "We just like to be early, I guess. Sorry to make a fuss," Alex apologized, her normally deep voice sounded cheerfully fake, eerily similar to the attendant's. The two exchanged forced laughs and I stared in astonishment at how much Alex could change from her usual self. I held back a chuckle. We handed our passports and tickets to the attendant and she allowed us into the terminal. Alex wouldn't make eye contact with me until all our luggage was stored and we were safe in our seats. The mysterious bag she was carrying was now in between her legs on the floor. When she did look at me, she silently told me to wait. I didn't know what I was waiting for, but another flight attendant made her way down the plane to check that everyone and his or luggage was in place- she froze when she was next to Alex and me.
            "Ma'am, you can't have that bag down there. Please put it in the luggage compartment above your head," she said politely. Alex didn't budge. "Ma'am?"
            "I can't actually. It's my carry-on. See, I have diabetes and my insulin kit is in there... I don't think you'd want to see what happens if I can't get to it," Alex described. The flight attendant nodded, apologized, and made her way to the next row.
            "I didn't know you had diabetes," I whispered.
            "That's because I don't, Sherlock," she whispered even quieter than I had. I mouthed 'What?' to her and she inched closer to me. "Piper, I have over one hundred thousand dollars' worth of heroin in this bag. We are meeting my guy Fahri in Barcelona when we land to drop it off."
            "What the hell, Alex?!" I whisper-yelled. "How did you get through customs?" Sweat was beginning to fall down my face as I anticipated her response.
            "I had to take a longer way. I'll show you next time we have another shipment. Maybe you can even help smuggle it in," she casually added.
            "No, I will not! Alex... I can't do that... Is that really why we are going to Spain? Am I going to be surrounded by dealers the entire trip?" I fumed. A guy across the aisle looked over at me with a disgusted look as he covered his child's ears.
            "Keep your voice down!" Alex quietly ordered. "Baby, that's not the only reason... Yes, maybe it is the main reason... But I thought we could enjoy it while we're here! A little romantic getaway! And I'm sorry... I will never make you do anything you're not comfortable with. I promise." I felt myself relax at her words. This may not be the ideal romantic trip with Alex, but it's the best I'm going to get. It's different, but sweet in a twisted way. I cannot deny that my drug dealer girlfriend does care about me.
            "Alright," I sighed. "As long as you promise." She nodded and I laid my head against her shoulder. She offered one of her headphones to me and we listened to her playlist. I honestly didn't recognize a single song, but the fact that Alex liked them made me like them too.
"This is the gayest soundtrack I've ever heard in my life," I teased. Alex laughed and shook her head.
           "Yeah? You love it though," she laughed. I nodded and returned my head to her shoulder. Outside of the little window, the sun was barely seen through the cloudy sky. Below us was a field of blue, slightly lighter than the blue in Alex's hair, that stretched far until it touched the clouds. The dark clouds that left an eerie reflection across the water. I couldn't help but wonder what storm lied ahead. But I kept finding myself focusing on the sun- it's warm and welcoming presence had a hold on my attention. Just like Alex. "You okay?" Her voice shook me back into reality.
            "Huh? Oh, yeah... I'm fine! This trip will be nice. It'll take me out of my boring life for a bit," I admitted.

            "What? There is no way your life is boring! Blonde hot girls never get bored!" she laughed.

            "Whatever," I joined in her laughter. "The only interesting thing that has happened recently, besides you, would be your crazy ex stalking me."

            "What? She still isn't over it? She told me she was done as long as you didn't cross her or something," she said, obviously shocked Silvy hasn't moved on.

            "Well, if over it means throwing a rock through my window threatening my life, then yes! She is totally over it," I added sarcastically. 
            "Geez, okay," her laugh once again rang out. "I can't believe her! Let's just let this little trip be about us, then. Forget about her, Pipes." She pulled me in for a hug and I kissed her shoulder. Despite the sun being right next to me, I now couldn't help but be distracted by the potential storm ahead.