flashback

e i g h t e e n

 

Ceon

                 After us guys had fooled around a bit looking at the wigs and makeup, we began to get down to business. Teddy was the silliest; he had us laughing the whole time, putting on wigs that made him look like an utter idiot. Fletcher laughed the hardest. He laughed so hard he got a bellyache and had to sit down, still laughing just the same. I think he was relieved that Teddy and I weren’t looking down each other’s throats anymore. We weren’t. I respected him because Danyelle had a thing for him. Everyone liked Danyelle. Who couldn’t? She was the definition of charisma, always bubbly and smiling. Thinking about her smile made me smile.

Teddy threw a green Mohawk hairpiece at me, slapping me out of my reverie. He attached a fake clip-on diamond stud earring to his left ear. “Whatcha dreamin’ bout, Ceon?” he said in his Southern, playful drawl. Fletcher smirked and said, “Probably Danyelle.” Teddy’s eye-flames sparkled as he laughed. My smile faded. “Ain’t everybody thinkin’ bout Danny?” he said. He was still laughing. I scowled at Fletcher as he rocked back and forth on the lip of the yellowing, rusty urinal. Ew. I thought, as he got up. Then I had to laugh. Right there, on his butt, on the seat of his pants was a rim of liquid that could only be—

“Pee!” screamed Teddy, cackling uncontrollably. He pointed to Fletch’s butt and laughed as Fletcher squirmed around and around trying to look at his butt. He looked like a deranged puppy, circling round like that. Either the sight of pee on his pants or him turning round like that had an effect on Teddy and me. We went into hysterics, screaming and laughing and slapping each other on the back. Matthew giggled, rummaging through all the superhero shirts he had the privilege to choose from.

By the time we had wiped the water from our eyes enough to see, Fletcher had peeled off his pants and stood there on the cold floor in his bare socks and boxer shorts. That sent us into fits of laughter again. When we were done laughing, Fletcher had already donned a pair of baggy, russet cargo pants that made him look taller and older. Teddy looked him up and down. “Cool, Fletch,” he said. His eye-flames danced. “But ain’t anything, Ceon,” he said turning to me. “Better’n pee-stained pants?”

Tee hee. Hee. Hee hee. Ha. Ha. Heh, heh. Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Oh man! (Wiping tears from eyes again)

Fletcher stood there, his arms crossed, glowering at us, though smiling a little. I wiped my eyes and looked in our backpack for something to wear. I found a pair of worn-out medium blue jeans that had obviously been broken in. I slipped them on. They tightened at my ankles and were loose at the top. Cool. I looked in the mirror, and saw that Teddy had slipped on a pair of stiffer, gray jeans with a chain and a skin-tight black plain tee shirt. He pulled over a black cotton sweater with a single gray stripe in the middle and gray elbow pads on each arm. They suited him. Fletcher was applying guy foundation that was Teddy’s skin color to get rid of his freckles that were scattered like dust across his cheeks. Teddy found something in the bag and he grinned. He opened the brand-new plastic, placed it in his mouth and something clicked. I looked at him and he grinned.  The tiny gap in his two front teeth was gone. Matt had donned a shirt with the Hulk on it and a pair of khaki cargo shorts and little oxfords. He put on an unprescribed pair of RayBan glasses and a little backpack.

Fletcher had put on a camo-green army shirt with pockets and zips all over the long sleeves. He pulled over an auburn-colored jacket that zipped up with a high collar. Then he started working wonders on his curly mop of hair with gel and a hot comb. Soon his hair was pin-straight and slick with a clean side part. I stopped staring and dug in the bag for a shirt. I picked a dress shirt that was plain white. Inside the bag was also a royal blue tie, which I pulled on. I left my shirt outside my pants and pulled over a gray v-necked sweater. I grinned at myself in the mirror. Then I looked for some shoes. Teddy had already taken out the gray converses that matched his pants, Fletcher was wearing some suede mustard-brown Clarks, and the only pair of shoes left was a pair of battered black combat boots with gray laces. I pulled them on, and they fit perfectly. I pulled at my tie and ran a hand through my hair.