P*ssy Music

There Is a Light That Never Goes Out

The light got nearer and nearer, fast, blinding, overpowering.

It was all over and their eyes closed instinctively at the last second; but afterwards, the headlights were still on.

__________

Take me out tonight.

She had asked and she had said yes, of course. After some prying.

9.03 Sup?

9.03 I just gotta go out

9.04 You OK?

...

9.06 Flac?

9.07 ??

Driin. Driiiin.

Flaca zipped up her leather jacket and grabbed the phone again, after it had stopped ringing.

9.09 Sorry to bother you

9.09 Wait!

9.10 's OK, I'm leaving now

9.10 I'm coming, just wait

Maritza had already been driving, luckily, having just left Juliana at a friend's for a sleepover, or she wouldn't have gotten there that quickly.

Even so, she found Flaca walking a few hundred meters away from her house; she screeched to a halt, recognizing the figure by her movements only as she was passing by.

"Hey!" she called from the car. "Flaca."

The other girl raised her head, lowered the hood and gave a faint smile.

"Hey," she greeted her, getting into the passenger seat.

Maritza took a good look at her friend. Her eyes were kinda red and she seemed really distraught; she frowned.

"Flaca, what happened?"

Turning to look out the window, "Sorry for disturbing you," she murmured. "I know it's late an' all-"

"It's alright," Maritza said. "I just got worried."

"Sorry," Flaca repeated. "Listen, you better go home to Juli and..."

"She's at Gloria and Elena's, how d'you think I came here this fast mh?"

"Oh."

They stayed in silence some more moments.

"I fought with my mom."

Oh. "Sorry." Maritza didn't have a great relationship with her own mother, but she knew Flaca loved hers and they were quite close. "You, hm, wanna talk about it?"

"Not really, not right now."

"OK," she nodded. "So you wanted to go out?"

"Yeah."

"Fine. Let's go then," she started the car again, and off they went.

***

There was music and it wasn't even all bad. There were people, some were their friends, and many more they didn't know, and they were not all young but certainly everybody was very much alive. They were, especially, after years inside and all that had followed; they just wanted to celebrate life now, it was like a physical need.

Diablo's band was playing, Blanca was behind the counter serving drinks and handed them another round of shots.

"Cheers chicas!" Maria raised her tequila, and everyone echoed.