Complacent Dreamers

Tris helps

July 21, 1989

I've been waiting for this day all week. I've seen and talked to Marshall at school, but he still hates the fact that I'm gone. He said he never went to Kim's place and I figured he wouldn't.

My house is pretty big for a two bedroom. My dad's room is big enough for a queen size bed, a a flat screen tv and desk. My room has a small tv, a bunk bed and a desk too. My walls are a faint blue and I have carpet. The living room is kind of small, but it's something.

I slipped on a black sweater and white skinny jeans. I wet my hair and pulled it into a ponytail and waited patiently for my dad to get back from picking Marshall up. Since Proof is my neighbor I invited him over and his mom said it was okay if his cousin that was staying with them could go. She's twelve and I heard she's a sucker for 'dress up' at her age?

Ding dong, the doorbell goes and I leaped from the couch and rushed to the door. It was Proof and his cousin. They both hold sleeping bags and the girl held a big bag for her and proof I guess. "Hey bells." Proof says. "Hey Proof what's your cousins name?" I looked down at her and she was so cute. She was really tall, almost taller than me and her hair was naturally curly, and light brown so she wears it that way and her skin is light.

"I'm Tris, short for Beatrice." She nodded. Tris? Tris? Where do I know that name from? "Oh! You're from M's underground society right? You're pretty young." She laughed and I allowed them to come in. They sit on the couch and proof propped his legs up on the coffee table. "Hey rapper boy!" I said. "Feet down." He followed my orders and I laughed. "You guys hungry? We have everything." I exaggerated.

"Umm do you have punch? I'm really thirsty." I nodded and opened the refrigerator and pulled out the pink lemonade punch. "So...nice place." He looked around. "Thanks, I would've invited you earlier but you know we had a test in history at my school." He came into the kitchen and sat on a stool by the island. "Nah it's fine. I wouldn't have been able to come anyway, Tris has been at my house all week. Her mom and dad are in the hospital."

"Aw, what happened?" I asked, adding ice into the cup. "They got into a wreck, should be better soon though except for physical therapy afterwards." I nodded and poured the juice slowly. "You want some Tris?" I asked and she shook her head and dug through the bag. I heard the door knob shake and my dad walked in with a suitcase in his hands. Marshall walked in afterwards and I drop the cup on the floor and leap to Mickey.

"Dang! The things a black guy gotta do to get a drink." I see proof bend down and clean up the mess. "I love you so much!" I scream kissing Marshall on the neck and face over and over. "Can I get a kiss too?" I turn to see Proof making a pouty face. "Boy please! Yo mama don't even wanna kiss you." Tris says making me blurt into laughter. "Hey! Shut the h-" My dad pats proof on the shoulder before he can say anymore and I blushed.

"So, can we get a tour B?" Marshall asked. "Oh yea! But first do you want anything to drink?" He shook his head and I grabbed his hand, skipping down the hall with Proof behind us. "This is the restroom," I pointed to the door in the middle of the hallway and then walked to my left to my dad's room. "We can't go in there at all okay?" They nodded and I head to my room. "Whoa. Nice room. Kinda looks like Marshall's just without all the posters." Deshaun said.

"Well most of the stuff in Marshall's room was mine so..." Marshall snorts and I gave him a playful glare. "There that's it." I said. When we got back into the living room Tris looked nervous. "What's wrong Tris?" Proof said. "Oh..me? Phh nothing I'm tight yo." The words sound forced and Marshall raised his eyes at her. "Tris stop playing. What's wrong?" Proof said. I sat next to her and she only told me. "I'm kind of his biggest fan after Ray." She points to Marshall.

"Really? I didn't realize he was that popular." She shakes her head and looks down at the sofa. "You've got to get him to rap. Please?" I laughed and stick my pinkie out. "Promise."

"Alright enough of this girly crap can we make prank phone calls or something?" Proof flopped down on the love seat. "No, and you guys can go eat something. I'm going to go get my dad to buy us a movie." They all agreed and I made my way to my fathers room.

He was sitting at his desk with a newspaper and his glasses, by the newspaper I saw a pill bottle and I almost broke a sweat. "Hey um dad?" I coughed, making his eyes wander from the daily comics to my eyes. "Yea?" I walked closer to him and sat on his bed. "Do you mind getting us a movie maybe? Nothing too expensive...maybe Batman or Little Mermaid?" My dad smiled and I smiled back at his coffee stained teeth.

"I'll get both, and some popcorn, soda and candy...is that alright?" I glanced at the pill bottle and back at him. "Yea, yea that's fine." He nodded and grabbed his keys off of the desk. "I'll be back." He shoved past me and I walked into his room grabbing the bottle and reading the sticker. It was scratched out and only said 'Pain Relievers' I sighed and thought of all the reasons he could be suffering.

The move? The divorce? Me? I shrugged that thought away and walked back in the living room. Tris was smiling really hard and I looked at Marshall and he looked back at me. "I overheard." He said and I smiled. "Man did y'all here about that girl who got raped on Washington?" Proof said out of no where. "YES! Dude she was only what fifteen?!" Marshall said holding his forehead.

"Yea. Get this, she had stole stuff from the store right before it happened. Crazy." Proof shook his head and me and Tris shared a weird look. "Can we talk about something different? Like how pretty I am?" Tris flipped her hair and Marshall and I exchanged a look. "How bout' this, me and Bella do our own hair and makeup, and you guys decide whose prettier?" They shrugged and the last thing I felt was my arm being tugged to my room.

----In my Room----

"I had to get away from them." She says pulling a flat iron out of her bag. "Here, take this." She said handing it to me and taking off her shirt. For a second I just stared like a perv. What the... My head snapped to my mirror and I plugged the flat iron up. "What exactly are you doing?" I asked looking down at my hands. "Changing into pajamas. You didn't think I was really gonna get dressed for those two freaks right? Get with the program girl."

"I just thought,"

"You thought I wanted to get in Marshall's pants didn't you? Well let me assure you I'm not like that slut Kim. But you, I think you could date him." I almost choked in my own laughter and sat on my dresser. "Oh yea? And what if I don't want to?"

"Dude you're like a fragile piece of glass to him. If he breaks you he'll probably be so... I don't know dead." I so had enough of all of this crap about me and Mickey. We were nothing but friends and unless he asked me out that's how it would remain.