Before the Hunt

Nine: What Hell Can Feel Like

POV Marceline

I'd woken up around nine thirty to Granna calling for me from the kitchen downstairs, saying, "Marceline, darling! I'm heading to work, I'll see you around six tonight, okay? Cool, bye, goodbye, bye!" I only fully woke up when Granna had slammed the front door shut, which made me shoot my head up in bed as I laid on my chest from a rough sleep paralysis prelude at 4 a.m. But once I'd sat up in bed that sunny Sunday morning, I heard a knock at the front door. "Well shit, Granna forgot her lunch again, didn't she?" I asked myself as I got up from my bed, wearing nothing but an old flannel pullover and a pair of boxer shorts (because they're more comfortable than actual panties, just my opinion), and I had to walk my tired arse downstairs only to find that she'd left her lunch sack on the kitchen counter, but I didn't see her car parked anywhere near the house, or the neighborhood. I shrugged my slender shoulders as I opened the door, only to find Isaac, worn the fuck out, wearing his signature 80's striped sweater, a pair of old jeans, and he had his thick wool socks in a grocery sack, and his shoes were untied. His fluffy ginger hair was mangled into knots and tangles, and his blue aviator glasses were buffed and foggy from the night before. Not to mention, he reeked of soda, pizza, curly fries, and cookie dough ice cream. "You were at Don's last night, weren't you Isaac?" I asked as I stood in the doorway with my lanky, freckled arms crossed. Isaac shrugged as he pushed up his blue rimmed glasses, "Yeah. And he was hogging the only working shower in the basement, so I left him a note saying that I'd just shower at your place. Since I know that I leave clothes over here all the damn time." I rolled my light blue eyes and said, "Get your flat ass in here." as I opened the door for my old friend. Isaac gave me a friendly thumbs up as he walked in.

We both headed upstairs as I explained to him, "I cleaned my bathroom yesterday, so if you smell bathroom cleaner or bleach on the bathroom's tiles, that's why." Isaac shrugged as we walked in my dirty clothes covered bedroom, "I don't really mind it." I gave Isaac a thumbs up and said, "By the way, I saw that my grandma left her lunch sack here, so if you want, you can go into Salt Lake City with me to give her her food. Since it's like, a forty minute trolley car ride from here, it won't take long. Plus I know how much you love the bands Kiss, AC/DC, and Junior Senior, so I thought we could go into that CD store across from Blick. If you want to, that is." Isaac shrugged as he took off his sweater and began to undo his old belt, "I don't really care, Marcy. Also do you have any clean towels?" I nodded, "Look in the cupboard over the sink, there should be two clean towels and a wash rag in there." Isaac nodded as he grabbed a towel and as wash rag and closed the bathroom door behind him. "I'll find you some clothes to put on, Isaac," I called as I looked around my bedroom for any tall, over-sized shirts that had something to do with Canada or Oregon on them. As I dug around in my tiny ass closet, my radio played "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People, which was a pretty damn good song if I do say so myself. I finally came across Isaac's Canada flag t-shirt that he'd left with a pair of khaki pants. "Hey, Isaac, I found some clothes you left here about a week ago!" I called as I knocked on the bathroom door. Isaac cracked open the bathroom door, grabbed the clothes with his soaked arm, and said, "Thanks! Hand me the grocery sack too!" I shrugged, threw the grocery sack at Isaac's arm as he barely caught it, and he shut the bathroom door again. 

I walked across the small hallway back to my bedroom to change, and I also closed my door so things wouldn't get weird, even if Isaac and I both have walked in on each other and said the same damn thing, "Wow you're pale." It's just how we are. I dug through my closet, put on an old Bud Light t-shirt that had the horse logo on it, and a pair of old jeans with my old as balls brown tennis shoes. All of my clothes are from thrift stores, because I'm broke as shit. But hey, they're comfortable and affordable. That's my motto when it comes to clothes, even if I'm not a big shopper, but I don't give a stammering fuck.