Birds Of a Feather

7. A change is gonna come [part 1]

Sara snorted and dialed the video store's number, hoping to find her friend.
<Scarecrow Video, how can I help you?>
"Yeah, could you please send me some barbiturates, so I can follow Marilyn's brilliant advice?"
<Hi, Sara! I'm sorry, we don't have any psychoactive drugs, but I can suggest you some movies that will bore you to death>
"That's really sweet, El; I'm touched"
<Oh, don't thank me! Anyway, how's it going? Busy day?>
Sara gave a quick look around: the store seemed deserted, with its silence interrupted only by the sound of her voice and an album of Miles Davis faintly playing in the background.
"Well, so far nobody showed up... Oh, wait: there was this man who came to buy some shitty Barry Manilow's record for his daughter's birthday... So, I told him that maybe he should have chosen Queen's A Kind Of Magic – his daughter is 15 years old, not ready for her retirement – and do you know what he has answered? 'I will never allow my daughter to listen to that queer's music!' I think you are able to figure out what happened next"
<Oh my God, did you kill him?>
"No, I just vivisected him while listening to A Night At The Opera"
<Did Bob tell you something? I mean, I bet you made the customer run away>
"What makes you think that?" she grinned, hearing Layla laughing through the receiver "Anyway... No, Bob literally adores me: he told me that I acted in the name of mistress Music, we both think that Manilow sucks – I mean, everybody thinks that Manilow sucks, who am I to disagree with them?"
<Sure, it's like an unwritten law>
"Exactly! Anyway, any news?"
<Like what?>
"Like W.C. Boyfriend finally ending this pathetic act and setting you free?"
<C'mon, Sara: if you continue to talk about him in such a nasty way, you'll end up convincing me...>
"Who says that it isn't exactly my purpose?"
Layla sighed and decided to tell her the truth, even if her friend was always so harsh with David.<I sent him some ads, but he didn't like them>
"Don't tell me that, in a previous life, he was an estate agent!"
Layla began to rub her temples, waiting for her friend's hysterical reaction that came soon after.
"I mean, WHAT THE FUCK? Is the young master moving to Seattle? Is this new residence for him too?"
<...>
"El, answer me!"
<... No, he's not.>
"And who's the one that is moving? C'mon, tell me!"
<... I'm the one who's moving.>
"Oh, that's fuckin' great! So now you can finally draw your conclusions, darlin'!"
<Yeah, I'll do that> Layla snorted, then saw a familiar figure going across the street.
<OH GOD, WHAT IS HE DOING HERE?>
"El, are you still with us?"
<Yeah, yeah! Gotta go, a customer is coming here!>
"I bet he's got a lot of biceps..."
<I'll call you later, bye!> Layla hung up and left the other girl speechless.
"Fuckin' hormones..." Sara grumbled, reluctantly going back to her work.

♣♦♣

Layla instinctively ran to hide between the shelves as she spotted Eddie outside the shop, even though she didn't know why. She soon realized she was acting like a fool, but didn't move all the same.
<This is it, I guess> Eddie thought, standing in front of the Scarecrow Video shop window. He entered and the sound of the door chime rang out in the not so small space, revealing his presence. No one was at the desk though.
"I'll be there in a minute!" a well-known voice said.
Ed went towards the direction the voice seemed to come from and started taking a look around, running through some videos in the music section, when he finally spotted Layla, who was focused on arranging some shelves.
"Hey" he told her to catch her attention.
"Oh... It's you, hi" she greeted him back, trying to act neutral and figure out his mood.
She thought he must be still pissed for that laundry prank: she hadn't been aware of it from the beginning, but she ended up helping her friend and that made her a partner in crime.
Despite all her assumptions he was smiling at her.
"How's it going? It's been a while since I last saw you, since that little...accident" he went on, slightly opening his jacket and showing a newly pink surf t-shirt.
"Oh I don't know how it could have happened, Sara's always so meticolous" she said, walking back to the desk.
"Everybody makes mistakes" he shrugged and followed her.
"I'm so sorry!"
"You don't have to be, it wasn't even your fault... was it?" he asked with a smirk.
"Ehm no! How could I... I'm not..." the girl started to stutter.
"If it was, I, uhm, should thank you because I think it looks much better now" Eddie remarked, looking down at his t-shirt.
"Hahaha, really?" she finally loosened up a bit.
"Yeah, I didn't use to wear it so often, now I always have it on, I totally love it" he answered, then looked up and cracked a huge smile at her.
"Oh well, it seems something good came out of this accident in the end" Layla blushed a little.
"Yeah... the best things usually come out of accidents" he added, staring at his feet.
"Don't tell me you found Jeff because of a car crash or something" she joked, not getting his hint.
"Haha no, that was just... fate I guess. Oh, by the way" the young man came closer to the desk, slid a hand into the pocket of his jacket and produced a tape, then handed it to Layla.
"You remembered!" she beamed as she took the cassette from his hand.
"Of course I remembered... well, I wasn't quite sure if you were interested, for real, I mean..." Eddie said nervously; he guessed she may have asked him about his music only to create some kind of diversion or something like that for Sara.
He had made a tape for her all the same, though. For some unknown reason he felt like he could share this part of his world with this girl – he wanted to.
"I am! I am interested, for real. Thank you" she smiled, turning the cassette over and over in her hands.
"You're welcome. And, uhm, let me know what you think... you know, the next time we meet. I mean, you don't have to listen to it immediately, no hurry!"
"I can't wait to listen to it, Eddie" she told him and she really meant it. She was already thinking about grabbing her walkman from her bag and playing the tape as long as there were no costumers.
"Great! So..." he slowly walked away from the desk like he was about to leave.
"Did you come here just for me? Err, I mean, for this?" she asked embarrassed.
"Oh... no, of course not. I came here for... for a movie, yeah" he answered, taken aback.
"Well, you're in the right place then. Which movie?" 
"Uhm I wanted.... well, nothing in particular, I was just... looking for a movie. To watch. Tonight" Eddie instantly forgot every single title of movies he knew about.
"Hehe ok, which kind of movie? Horror, adventure, drama...?"
"Something funny, definitely. My life is already dramatic enough" he promptly replied, making her laugh a little.
<That wasn't supposed to be a joke but it's ok>
"A comedy, then... let me see..."
"Well, not necessarily... and nothing too wacky" he explained.
"Uhm, ok, I was about to suggest When Harry met Sally, but then I suddenly remembered you're a guy" Layla giggled.
"Thank you for noticing"
"You should thank my glasses"
"Anyway, what about that movie? Is it good? I don't really think there are movies just for boys and movies just for girls" Eddie pointed out.
"Well, I'm glad to hear that... but it's a romantic comedy, you know. Not trivial at all, and extremely brilliant, but still..."
"You've seen it, then?"
The girl nodded.
"Did you like it?"
"I've seen it a hundred times and it's one of my favorite movies ever" she confessed.
"Then I'll rent it"
"Hahaha, are you sure?"
<Ok, now he's gonna see that movie and realise I'm an awkward silly dreamer girl>
"100% sure" he insisted.
Layla got the video for him, made Eddie sign some papers for the rental account and gave him his card.
"Now you're officially a customer" she stated, handing him the membership card and the video.
"Not until I pay" he joked, tossing the money on the desk.
"Hope to see you often round here"
"I'll come back. At least once, to return the video"
"And there's no way you can bring it back late: I know where you live" the girl told him in a creepy voice.
"Hahaha, that's right. I can't say the same for you, but I know where I can find you if I don't like the movie" Eddie snapped playfully.
"You're gonna hate it, I feel it" she sighed, shaking her head.
"I don't think so. Well... gotta go now"
"Thank you for the tape, Ed"
"Thank you for the movie suggestion. And for the t-shirt" Eddie said and winked at her.
"I don't... I don't know what you're talking about" the girl told him, barely holding back her laughter and saying goodbye with a hand.
As soon as Eddie left, she took her bag and immediately started rummaging for her walkman, which she unfortunately had left at home.

{ title credits: A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke }