Smother

One

Before this chapter starts, I thought I'd just make some things clear. This story is not meant to be a perfect example of a beautiful, admirable romance. The point of this story is to show the tragic and twisted sides of what love can do to a person. It is not a book about teenagers falling in love, it's about adults. It's not a sappy love story. Some of the elements of this book are inspired by actual events. If you're not into the whole girlxgirl thing, then this probably isn't the read for you. I really appreciate it if you do read this though. It means more to me than you can imagine.

"In the darkness I will meet my creators and they'll all agree, that I'm a suffocator."
- Smother by Daughter

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"Mavis honey, we gotta go. If we don't leave now, the freeway will be backed up the entire way there." Murray was flitting around the house, frantically tossing last minute items into her shoulder bag.

This had been a long time coming. After years of working our asses off to get even one art piece into a gallery, any gallery. One had contacted us. I can't even explain the feelings that filled our run down little beach house that day. A buzzing excitement had been accumulating in the air for weeks and now there were no more days left to cross out on our calendar. We were leaving.

I was sitting on my bed in the cramped, pale blue room that had served as my bedroom since the time I left home. The smell of dampness and salt was essentially the only scent I knew anymore, besides cheap perfume from the drug store and Herbal Esscences shampoo. I sat with my hands folded in my lap, staring out the smudgy window. I saw windchimes hanging from the porch roof, seagulls soaring over the sand, tall wispy plants swaying in the breeze coming off of the shore. I knew this scene like the back of my own hand. This was home and tomorrow, it wouldn't be. That was a strange feeling and a weird thought.

"Mavis!" Murray was standing at the front door now. I could tell, since her voice had grown closer. I blinked and stood up, grabbing my last suitcase by its handle and dragging it out onto the front porch where my four best friends were now standing all in a row.

There was Annie, with her wild blue hair and her assortment of choker necklaces. Claudia, with her bright red lips and beautiful cheekbones. Mathilda, with her short black bob and her worn out, scuffed beyond recognition Doc Martens. Then there was Murray. Bleach blonde hair, pink at the tips and pressed to her head with hair gel, clad in her favorite pair of Ozzy Osbourne-esque sunglasses. My childhood friend and the only person I had on my side on this new adventure. It was sad to be leaving the other three girls behind. You don't just spend three years of your life with someone and feel nothing when you part with them. They were like our sisters and Murray and I both loved them all to pieces.

"So, like...what are we gonna do without you guys?" Annie asked, a pout forming on her mauve lips.

It was then that she hopped up and engulfed me in a tight embrace, all three other girls joining in immediately after her. We just stood there for about three minutes, a jumbled mess of laughter and tears and slow, heavy heartbeats. It was hard to break apart, but once we did, that was it.

"We love you guys, so fucking much!" Murray exclaimed as she climbed into the driver's seat of her small white sedan. She blew a kiss to the girls, leaving a pink smudge on her hand in the process. Annie, Claudia, and Mathilda remained on the porch, waving and teary-eyed. I sat in the passenger seat, waving silently back at them as Murray backed the car out of the cracked driveway.

"They look so sad," I had said.

Murray fixed her hair and shrugged. "Yeah, well. Those are probably tears of joy. We've been living off their shit for quite awhile. I bet they're happy to have us gone."