uncool, stanley barber

12

12 - boys tend to make us crazy

after trying to comfort a distressed dina, stanley tried to step in. "hey dina, wanna get high?"

"are you serious, right now?" she snaps at him, which stings a little. i don't like seeing my friend and my, my whatever stan is to me, fight. "bradley's going to the hospital and you're offering me drugs?"

"well, yeah" stanley replies, not phased by her attitude. "it's relaxing."

"he's got a point" i agree with him, with my arms still around dina comfortingly. she shifts and rips my arm away.

"what? how do you know?" she hisses at me, accidentally still gripping my arm. "have, have you done it?"

i stay silent as that answers her question. "are you fucking kidding me, ella? what the fuck? what would your dad think? next thing, you'll be addicted and end up like a fucking crackhead."

"that's not true" i argue. but she's right, what would my dad say? he'd definitely flip his shit. "dina it's fine. i'm safe when i do it" i say as she stands and i try to stand with her. "i'm with stanley."

"yeah, figured he was responsible" she scowls at him, to which i know he's going to respond so i stand in front, defending him. "what you two get high and fuck?"

"leave stan outta this!" i exclaim as i feel his hand hold mine from behind. "dina, please. just, i'm sorry okay? yeah you're right my dad would go mental, but please, don't blame it on stanley. it was my choice."

she stays quiet as i exhale. "this isn't what i need right now. i'll see you later" dina says as she calls her mum to ask her to take her to the hospital. she says no.

"i'll drive you" stanley offers. he stands by me and i squeeze his hand as a thank you. "i mean, if you want."

dina sighs and looks sheepish. i can tell she regrets shouting and insulting stanley and so i'm okay with stanley doing this kind gesture. she mumbles a "yeah, thanks" as she sits in the back and does up her seatbelt.

the drive is long and so music is our only cure. me and stanley are having a mini party in the front as i see dina in the side mirror smiling at us. by the time we get to the hospital, it's dark outside.

stanley cuts the engine as dina throws her arms around the both of us. "thanks" she squishes our faces against hers as she let's go and puts her hand on stanley's shoulder. "i'm sorry."

"we're cool" stanley says smoothly, placing his sunglasses on his face. oh, he melts my heart.

dina gestures for me to get out the car so she can speak to me, so i look at stanley and he can understand my expression. i get out and lean against his car, crossing my arms.

"ella, i'm sorry. i just, i get so worried about bradley. and sucked into his world a little bit, so i'm really, truly sorry about what i said" dina says as she looks me in the eyes.

i shrug and hug her. "it's okay, di" me and dina never really fight on account i can never be bothered with the drama. so, this whole thing feels a bit foreign to me. "i get it. boys tend to make us crazy" we stop hugging to see stanley, dramatically air grabbing as he listens to some more music.

i chuckle at him as dina watches me. "he makes you happy. it's nice to see you happy."

it's nice to feel happy.

"hope everything's okay" i say as she walks into the hospital, nervously. i thumbs her up before getting back into the car.

"everything good?" stanley asks, putting his sunglasses on my head. i flip them forward so they're sat covering my eyes.

"peachy keen" i say, as he grins at another dumb phrase that should never be spoken from my tongue.

as we drive home, my eyes begin to droop due to it being quite late. but i fight my sleep so i can continue to listen to stanley's rambles about everything and anything.

"els, you see that tower over there?" he points out into the darkness. "yeah, it's been there since 1890 somethin'. story goes that a hundred men died building it."

"there's no way, stan" i say, my voice tired as i try to suss out the actual height in the blackness. "not a hundred."

"well, it was more like 5. but, my great great great grandad was one of 'em. he was not great" stan sighs "well, now that i think about, every barber male tends to be a shit head. so i guess it's up to me to redeem the good old family name."

i look at him, slightly pained in the face. my heart hurts for him. no one should have such a shitty life and sadly that's landed with stanley, the boy who definitely doesn't deserve it.

"you could change it? be the best barber there ever was" i smile at him as i brush a curl that's fallen in his face.

he looks at me, his eyes the saddest i've ever seen them. "it's never that simple, els."