Paradise Blvd. Year One

Chapter Three

Saturday

"Marceline?" Lucia gasped as she dropped the beanbags.

"Oh, it's just you." Marceline sighed. "I'm gonna go; you can have the clubhouse to yourself."

"Um...Marceline..." Lucia said with her voice faltering. "Please don't tell anyone about this."

Marceline chuckled. "I don't talk about you."

Lucia frowned. "How are you not shocked by any of this?"

"Why should I be? Did you do it all for someone to see?"

"What? No!"

"Then my being shocked shouldn't concern you," said Marceline. "But I was kinda shocked 'cause I thought I was the only one. Guess I'm not special."

"You..." Lucia softened her voice. "You can do this too?"

"Not this."

Lucia watched Marceline leave before sitting down on her black beanbag. She was sure she could trust Marceline about this. The more she tried to convince herself of that, the more she doubted it. "Lord, no," she muttered before taking her things and leaving.

•

Troye paced around in the waiting room waiting for Marion to answer. Waiting, waiting, waiting for nothing. He thought about calling Forest, but he smoked too and he was probably high as hell at that moment. So, in an act of desperation, he called Lucien.

"Who's this?" came Lucien's obnoxious voice.

"Your daddy. I need a favour, Lucy," said Troye.

"Don't call me Lucy," said Lucien.

Troye sighed. "Alright. Do me this favour and I'll stop calling you Lucy for as long as you live. I can't promise I won't if you die before me."

Lucien sighed. "What is it? I hope it's something quick, 'cause I'm kinda busy at the moment."

"It's not quick, man. I need your piss," said Troye.

"You what?" asked Lucien.

"I need your piss, Lucy. It's been a while since I've seen you smoke, so I'm gonna assume you're clean," Troye replied. "They put me up for a drug test to see if I'm fit for the job and I can't screw this up. I need you to come over here and piss in a sachet for me."

•

Lucien sighed. He was outside of the community pool in his car, looking at Tulip swim. She hadn't noticed him and that's exactly what he wanted. After what Lucia said and Marion's return, he got suspicious of her. "Lucien?" came Troye on the phone. "Please. I'll owe you big time. Big time."

"Calm down, I don't wanna get in bed with you."

Troye scoffed. "Your loss."

"You'll still owe me, though. I'm on my way."

Troye sighed. "Thank you! Get in through the bathroom's window so that no one sees you."

•

Sailor looked at the duffel bag that was in front of him. He put a hand in it, but Forest kept shooing him away. "Let me get a taste," he said. "See if it's legit."