Altered

cadence | chapter 8

"Why'd you kill her?" I asked bitterly. Penelope shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. I knew she didn't kill Bambie, but it felt like she let it happen.

"You know that's not what happened. If it helps, she's not dead. Just hurt. Paul will get caught, but that's not our job Eve," Penny explained, taking out another pouch. "Now, onto the next task."

This bag was labelled "Cadence Richard Lynn". I took it, nodding a weak thanks to Penelope. This time, she gave no explanation. I knew that one day, I wouldn't come back here after my tasks. I would just float along the mortal world, continuing from couple to couple until I was forgotten. Cupids disappeared after they were forgotten. I hoped that wasn't something that would happen soon.

The burning was more like a pinch now, reminding me when to open my eyes. 

I was greeted with an old, dirty alley. A group of kids lingered there, smoke billowing from the spot they stood in. They were all poorly dressed, and I heard them utter some rather foul things. My mom called these troubled kids.

"Hey, I need to get home soon. I'll catch you guys later," one of the kids said. He was pale, with long blonde hair and brown eyes. Attractive, if he wasn't so greasy. There were small scars on his nose and forehead, like he'd been in fights recently. I could tell he had.

"See ya Cadence!" a couple of the kids called after him. I followed the boy, noting that he was a bit cleaner and better dressed than his companions. He wore an old leather jacket, a stained white tee shirt, black jeans, and various chains. I could tell the bulges in his back pockets were more than his wallet. A pocket knife? Drugs? Probably both.

We walked for a short while, eventually stumbling upon an old beige trailer. A dirty grey pickup was parked in the driveway. The door had no handle, and the windows were cracked. This was the kid's house?

He pulled the door open, letting it slam behind him. I followed, floating through the door. The house was almost exactly what I had expected. It smelled like cigarettes, looked like trash, and was falling apart. What I assumed to Cadence's mom was slouched on the couch, a wine bottle clutched in her hand. Cadence said hello to her, but she was fast asleep. Or piss drunk. Or both.

Cadence moved to a back room, which seemed to be his. He plopped on the bed. It was really gross and covered in chip crumbs. After wiping some of the crumbs off the sheets, Cadence played around on his phone. It looked like he was texting someone.

The contact name was Delilah. It was a pretty name. She was probably pretty too. They were talking about meeting up somewhere called "Fred's Pizza". It seemed like a date. After confirming the meetup, Cadence moved to the bathroom. He washed his face and hands, looking up to tenderly touch once of his scars. 

After finishing his quick freshen-up, he changed into a clean set of clothes. Now, he wore a black tee shirt and nice blue jeans. He wanted to look cleaner than usual, from what I saw. He didn't leave the jacket behind though.

Before long, Cadence was back in the living room, telling his mom he was going out. "Be back for supper," she slurred. Cadence nodded, kissing her on the forehead. It was obvious she wasn't making supper any time soon.

Cadence pulled out of the driveway in the pickup, and we drove to Fred's Pizza. When we arrived, Cadence was greeted by a short, heavy man with bright eyes and black stubble. Fred, I assumed. 

"Tonights on the house, since you cleaned the shop so well the other day," Fred said, beaming. Cadence thanked him, following Fred back into the shop.

It was clean and comfy, decorated with football merchandise. Not long after, a tall, slender girl with short brown hair and grey eyes arrived at the door. She was stunning, and definitely Cadence's type. That assumption was based off of the fact that she wore a leather jacket too. They would be cute together, from what I saw.

"Delilah," Cadence breathed, his eyes wide. Oh yeah, he was head over heels.

"Cadence, you look good," she replied, chuckling. Cadence pulled out a chair for her. She nodded her thanks, taking the seat.

They ate a pepperoni pizza together, talking about locals and school. I smiled, clutching Cadence's pouch. I was waiting for the kiss, or hug, or affectionate joke that would seal the deal. They had so much in common from what I saw.

"I want to change for you Delilah. I applied for a job here last week. Fred said I was practically already hired," Cadence laughed, picking at his nails. Delilah laughed too, looking back at the short man. He looked so kind, his smile reaching the whole way across the room. 

Delilah nodded, grinning, "You don't have to change for me Cadence. I love you as you are," she replied gently, meeting his gaze. He blushed, eyes darting. 

Delilah pulled him closer, kissing him lightly on the cheek. He was all red now, a smile spread from one ear to the other. He took Delilah's face in his hands, kissing her pretty pink lips. She leaned into the gesture. Fred could be seen wiping his tears from beside his counter, hand over his heart.

I put Cadence's bag in Delilah's hand, watching it dissolve. This was nice.

I closed my eyes.

•••

Fred was supposed to represent my dad in this one. He would've loved to have a pizza shop. Anyways, cute grunge couples make me happy so have this.~