Muse. | Fionn Whitehead

3. Meet Elsie & Ronny

Two weeks later

"How's your folder going?" Elsie asks, watching me take my laptop out of my bag.

"It's not going much, but it's going."

"Ah, what'd you take?"

"You're nosy."

"Come on, just show me one."

"No," I push her head slowly away from my screen. "Mind your business."

"Lola, I'm just curious!" She laughs, finally working on her laptop. "Besides, I'm almost done with mine. . . A long with everybody else in this class."

This folder isn't due until the first of October. It's September 12 now and I have a lot of time. There's no rush. My classmates want to get it done ahead of time just so they don't worry about it later. I don't know about them, but I want mine to be sentimental, intimate, filled with photos that are caught in the right moment and right time. No ca-click and go kind of photos.

I take my camera out and look through Fionn's photos. It's been two weeks since I met this complete stranger who ended up taking me home. I guess our encounter is one of those one time things.

"Ooooh, who's that cutie?" Elsie says in a a stupid high voice and I shut off my camera.

"Elsie!"

"Really, who is that? Since when do boys talk to you?"

I roll my eyes. "Shut up."

"So. . . ?" She wiggles her eyebrows.

I met him at the park two weeks ago.
I took photos of him.
He smokes Marlboro.
He drives one expensive ass car and in it he played 'Still Alive' by half•alive. I liked it.
I told him he's my muse. . . oddly.

"He's my cousin. He just visited my dad and I that one weekend," I lied and I can imagine Fionn scoffing at that.

I rest my chin on my  palm. Now I wonder what Fionn is up to; he's probably at that fancy law school.

-

I spend my lunch time in the library with Elsie and Ronny, the both of them bickering about the most random things.

"Elsie, I am a 17-year-old gay black man. What do you mean mingle in a club?" Ronny's voice is so loud and our librarian shushes him for the fifth time. Ronny ignores Ms. Wilson. He whispers, "A club full of straight men? Mm, no boo."

"How would you even get in?" I chime.

"I know somebody who knows somebody," Elsie responds with a wink.

"Hm, count me out," I shrugged. These two have always been wild ones and the last time we all did something together, we got in trouble. By that I mean we got caught movie-theater jumping when we were freshmen.

"I'm tired of your Filipino slash Mexican tight ass. Let's go plan something next weekend and we'll make sure you come . . ."

Ronny's voice fades when I get into doing my homework. I already have plans next weekend and it's to go back to Wingston Park and perhaps see a friend.