Paradise Blvd. Year One

Chapter Nine

Friday

Lucia slowly felt the scars on her arms. She had taken the bandages off with Tulip's help and they were at the Town Hall parking lot. Her once smooth skin was rough, but what else could it be? She wasn't trying a new skincare routine.

"What's it feel like?" Tulip has been staring at her the entire time.

"This shouldn't be about me. I could've taken these off tomorrow or something," Lucia complained. She was wearing a short sleeved denim dress lent to her by Tulip.

Tulip shook her head. "It's not about you. It's not about me either. It's about us. We've both been through some stuff and tonight is the night we grow from them."

Lucia shook her head. "You were raped by my brother. All my stuff comes from myself. I got where I am today because of things that I did, you didn't let Lucien do what he did to you!"

"What's it feel like?"

Lucia slowed her breath and pulled her arms out. Tulip's touch felt soft and careful. She made sure to feel her arms without causing her the least bit of pain. Lucia barely felt it as she stared at Tulip and her skin tingled. "I think we should go in."

They were fashionably late for the show, but Troye had been handling things well with help from Forest and Marion. Everyone from town was there, but it was a small town so the Town Hall could take them all.

They entered through the back, but Lucia was still afraid of the eyes. The short sleeved dress was a bad idea. It had pockets, so that was cool. Tulip, despite being in the process of her own trauma, was very reaffirming. When Lucia met up with the others, they were very welcoming of her. Troye was a bit too stressed to make any offensive jokes, Forest nodded in approval and Marion hugged her. Marceline was nowhere to be seen.

Tulip just stood aside, suffering in silence.

•

Marceline put her hands in her pockets after she got out of the Uber. She received a call from Esau on Troye's phone. "Where are you?" she asked as soon as she answered.

"Who are you? You're one of them?" Esau asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Marceline replied with a question of her own. Esau had led her to the bad side of town. The part of Paradise Boulevard that was ran by the Baxter Boys, a gang from the neighbouring town.

"One of the faggots." Esau's tone was surprising. It was legitimate, when Marceline expected him to sound hesitant saying stuff like that. He had spent a lot of time with 'one of the faggots' after all.

She kept her composure and scoffed. "I heard you kissed Troye, so you're not very far from those faggots." It was easier speaking like that through the phone. She knew that at some point, she'd have to face Esau.

"Who do you think you are, Marceline Nguyen?" he asked. "You think you're the only one who knows shit. I know you, too. Paradise Boulevard's resident good girl with a knack for partying and occasionally doing drugs. How would your poor mother react if she found out about that?"

Marceline stopped in her tracks.

"Or your older sisters? They're fine, but you're supposed to be the trophy child," Esau continued. "What about your kid brother? How would he ever look up to you again knowing you're not perfect?"

"It's just drugs. You're a rapist, nothing can be worse than that."

Esau scoffed. "There is one thing that's worse. A serial rapist. No one knows about that and those who came to find out...well, let's just say I'm not alone in cleansing the world of the imperfect."