Scene 1: The Plaza Hotel
Trevor Bailey
"Look what I found." Audrey holds out the ring that I misplaced sometime last month. "It was in my Kate Spade."
"Right, courtesy of my being afraid to swim with it on." I slide it back on my finger. "Thank you, I was beginning to think I lost it inside of someone." Audrey scoffed. "Kidding." Mostly.
"You disgust me."
"Mhm," I smirked.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Audrey," Harry greets immediately upon his entrance.
"Hello, Harry. Could you make me a cup of tea?"
"Would chamomile suffice?"
"Yes, thank you."
"No need, Harry," I said. "Stop bossing my butler around. I'll do it. I made your tea all summer."
"I needed it to deal with the chaos of you," she said while walking with me into the kitchen.
"What chaos might you be referring to?"
"You speed dated your way to Labor Day, and I had to run interference one too many times with the girls I chose for you."
"I did thank you for your exquisite taste."
"And, it wasn't easy. They had to be up to my standards, and yet sick enough to want you."
"Isn't everyone?" Sick, that is.
"On the contrary."
I fill the tea kettle and let it heat on the stove.
"What I would like to discuss is how despite managing without chaos, I know you had your share of fun." There were two particular girls I saw around. One I would describe as soft pink, white fur rugs, and perfumed powder. I would've chosen her for myself. The other— intimidated even Audrey with her confidence and forwardness. She was neon blue and I imagine very exciting for a budding lesbian. "Yet, you still came back and ran into the arms of monogamy."
"I told you that I planned to be with Natalia."
"I don't understand why though."
"That's because you are opposed to being interested in just one person," she replied.
"I'm not opposed, I too can like someone more than I like others. But why risk falling into routine or taking for granted their company since it is all you have?"
"That's not supposed to be an issue with someone you love."
I furrowed my eyebrows. "You love her?"
"Maybe." Audrey shrugged. "What's the problem?"
"It's not supposed to be a maybe."
"What do you know?"
"That you know when you love someone."
"So, I'm not there yet," she admitted. "There's no harm."
"If it were me with you, I'd be madly in love by now. You're going to hurt her."
"I would never."
The kettle began whistling loudly. Sounding an alarm of sorts. Or detecting a lie.
"Not intentionally, but if it's taking this long to fall in love, if it's a maybe...then what does that say about your relationship?"
Scene 2: Rivington Street
Danny Cole
She pushed open my door that's blocked by dirty clothes. "Your room is gross," Amanda huffed.
"Get out then," I grumbled.
"Get up. It's 4 P.M." She turned on my light and pulled the cover from my body.
"Amanda."
"When did you become such a lazy oaf?"
"When did you become such an annoying fuck?"
"Birth."
"Go away." I rolled over toward the wall.
"Come on, you said you'd take me."
"Where?"
"The community center."
"Fuck," I sighed. "That's like a ten-minute train ride. You don't need me."
"You said you'd come."
She wants to get her GED. She's worried she'll fail, she's worried she won't have enough time to study, and she's worried she'll punk out before signing up. Somehow, I'm supposed to prevent all of that.
"Fine...let me put some clothes on."
Mandy nods and goes to wait outside my door.
I could hear her speaking to my dad.
"Hi, Sheriff Cole."
"How's Danny treating you?"
"He's being a jerk."
"I don't know where he gets it from. I tell him, he's not gonna be able to keep anyone around acting like that. That's how he ran off the last one."
"I'll stay for now."
"Let's go," I said and pulled her outside without acknowledging my dad.
"Bye," she said quickly to him, and we barely heard a 'have a nice day' because of how fast I closed the door back.
"Why does he talk to you?" I asked in annoyance.
"Because he asked if I was your girlfriend and I said yes."
"Why?"
"Why not? You're not bringing Virgin Mary around."
"Stop calling her that, I shouldn't have told you. And she's not my girlfriend either."
She could be— she thinks she is, but I'm not feeling it, and I haven't had the energy to let her down easy. There's no reason to, I don't think. I take her out, kiss her a bit, and send her home to tell everyone she's got this great guy who isn't pressuring her into sex.
"Shit," I check my pockets. "Hold on."
I toss her the keys so that she can get into the van while I head back inside to the bathroom.
I open the medicine cabinet and feel my heart drop when there's nothing in it but an old bandaid.
"Did you touch my stuff?" I shouted and walked toward where my dad is on the couch.
"What stuff?" He said, not bothering to make eye contact.
"In the bathroom, you moved something or you took it."
"The pills are gone. Now get going."
"You flushed them?" I glared, waiting for his answer but he just takes another swig of his beer. If he did, he'd say it. "Where'd you put them?"
"So, you're addicted to pain killers now?" He shook his head. "It's always some bullshit with you, ain't it, Daniel?"
You stupid cunt.
"Shut the fuck up!" I point at him. "You're calling me an addict?" He watches me walk over to the refrigerator. I grab every bottle of beer, one by one, and smash them on the ground. He stands up in anger and tries to rush over to me while I'm heading toward his room. "You think it runs in the family?" I asked, tossing the cheap whisky off of his dresser, opening the top of his flask and pouring it out on the floor. "Say it again!"
"Get the fuck out!"
I laughed and raised both middle fingers to him. "Fuck you." He only got off of work an hour ago and he's already drunk. I swing open the door to his closet, revealing his stash. "Fucking addict," I spat, throwing bottles of tequila, vodka, and rum to shatter against the floor.
"No-" My dad charged at me, and I pushed him back, hard enough that he slipped on the liquor and fell onto the shards of glass.
All I did was stare.
He winced...and cursed...and shook his hands to alleviate the sting of alcohol in the cuts bleeding down his arms.
The sound of the front door opening caught my attention, and soon after there was Amanda standing scared as she looked at us.
"See, girl?" He asked her. "You see who he is?"
I stepped around him, glass crunching under my feet on my way past her. "Come on."
Scene 3: The Helmsley Bar
Heather Blakely
Jace sat next to me at the bar. "Thank you for coming."
"Mhm," I take a sip of my martini.
"You look nice."
"I know."
"I know you haven't exactly been in the best mood-"
"Don't do that. Just say what you called me here to say. Plead your case on why I should give you and Alison some sort of blessing to do whatever you already have been doing since last school year, I'm assuming. Don't make it seem as if I'm an unreasonable roadblock. You're only asking me to unburden your own conscience."
"Heather, we weren't trying to go behind your back. All Alison could talk about was how you might feel-"
I narrowed my eyes. "I'm sure she talked more about how you feel."
"Heather," he sighed.
"Jace."
"You hardly even like me as a friend. Why is this a problem?"
"It's the principle."
"Jesus," he scoffed. "Principle? After this year, who knows if we'll even see each other. My relationships won't ever reach you."
"Somehow I doubt there is a place on earth far enough for you to go where I won't have to hear about you from someone, Jace."
"I will stay out of your way."
"Unsurprisingly. Now that Leo is out of the picture, you have nothing to pester me over."
"So, it will be the other way around now?" He argued.
I scowled at his audacity...
"You've always had nothing but the nerve."
"Don't go," he pleaded when I put money on the bar and got up.
"I don't need your permission and you don't need mine," I snapped...
and he pulled me in and wrapped his arms around me. My body went stiff. "What are you doing?"
"Seems like you could use a hug."
"Let go of me." I move out of his embrace and hold myself, instead. He gives me a look...pity, like I'm some sad cat whose been left out in the rain. His hand comes up to stroke my face, and I slap it away. "Stop that."
"How've you been?" Jace asked, sympathy seeping out of him. "Considering everything..." considering Leo, he means. "Alison said-"
"Ugh." I rolled my eyes.
He surrenders. "I won't talk about Alison with you."
"You like her?" I challenged.
"Yes."
"How much?"
"...what?"
"How much?" I ask again, stepping so close that I could feel him breathing. He doesn't respond, his eyes shift down nervously at me. When it seems as if he's about to speak— he closes his mouth again and just looks at me,
at the closeness. That's what I thought. "Not enough."
Scene 4: Lickster Records
Leo Rylin
I walk into the store with Jordan. Someone scratched Angela's Selena album and she's not letting him have any more parties until he gets her a new one.
Elle smiles at me when she sees us, and I wink at her. She's behind the counter with Susie, the other girl who works this shift.
Before we got together, I was just dropping by this place and I saw her here. She was fixing the album cases and had her name tag around her neck-- it's a good thing, too...because I'd definitely forgotten her name the day after we met. I was wasted that night, but I remembered her, and I remembered feeling something good for the first time in a long time.
Now I get to say I'm dating the hot girl from the record store.
"Don't you have a Discman? Why are you still buying tapes?" Jordan asked.
"I don't use it anymore. And, tapes are cheaper."
"Can I have it?"
"...I'll think about it."
The good ones cost over 200 dollars sometimes...and anything cheaper will skip like crazy.
I don't use it because I'm mad at myself for not giving it back like she gave me all of my shit back. I kept everything she gave me. I couldn't throw it away.
"What's that?"
"Local H."
I heard it in AJ's car once and it was fucking fantastic.
"They any good?"
"Yeah, you should listen to it." I grab another copy for him to take.
Elle came up beside me. "Hello, sir, is there anything I can help you with today?"
"How much is the boyfriend discount?"
"Hm, no, boyfriends pay more."
"Ah," I nodded.
"Here." She puts another tape in my hand. "Expand your music taste."
"It's already expanded."
"Yeah, I can tell by the way you listen to the same bands over and over."
"I'm sorry," I said sarcastically, "let me add Bif Naked, Skunk Anansie, and The Cranberries."
"I don't even listen to The Cranberries."
"I heard you listening to The Cranberries."
"No, you didn't, liar."
"Because you're way too cool to listen to them, or Alanis Morissette or people anyone's heard of, right?"
"You're one to talk, you think you have the best music collection known to man and it's just Third Eye Blind."
"Alright," I nodded and put down everything in my hands. "You wanna fight?"
She stepped up to me with a smirk. "I'll win."
But the opening notes of that song started to play and took my mind off of Elle.
I glanced at the TV mounted over the shelves of magazines. The music video credits said what I already knew.
Till I Hear It From You by Gin Blossoms.
It sucks that memories are attached to songs.
Elle looked at the TV too once she saw it had my attention. She groaned. "I hate this song."
Yeah.
Me too.
I tore my eyes away and muttered, "it's a shit band."
"Yeah?" Jordan asked, and I almost forgot he was there that day.
"Yeah," I said, shifting away from him and kissing Elle.
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