Vignette One - Elle
I didn't care about her--what she thought, what she felt, what she knew. What she thought she knew. My consideration for her existence at all was the same as for the tuna sandwich I had for lunch: they both existed, they both played into my day, and regardless of any actions I made after the fact, it was all going to end up as shit in the end. Elle was disposable and worthless. Elle thought she was the greatest thing that had ever entered into Danny's life. Danny treated her like a princess. They both made me ill.
Sitting on the wax-stuck couch, Elle picked at loose threads on the armrest, crossed leg jumping at the ankle where a gold chain swayed. Her tan had rubbed off at the thong of her olive flip-flop, orange peel revealing its rind. From my spot on the floor I could see up her skirt without any effort at all. It wasn't long enough to even cast a decent shadow. White cotton. It was an interesting place to find her first redeeming quality.
Danny walked around in the kitchen with the clunk of ice cubes against plastic novelty cups. Every move he made was loud and obvious from the fridge door's thunk to the soda bottle's hiss. There was no surprise as he came around the corner with drinks though he smiled like a cat with it's kill. I took Roadrunner and watched him sit next to Elle on the couch, hand her one of the paired red AU cups with most of the writing scrapped off by the washer.
"To graduation!" Danny toasted.
Elle smiled. I drank.
I listened as much to the cherry Pepsi fizzing against the ice as I did their conversation. They spoke with names I didn't know going to events I'd never attended and places that I didn't care about. I dislike conversations that ware out the verb "remember". I hated how she tried to finish his sentences. Hated when he let her and laughed. If I ever met Craig or Justin or Felicity at the library, Fuzy's taco stand or gym I would probably hate them too. They weren't anywhere near as interesting as Elle seemed set on.
She had gotten a little lipstick on her chin. I have no idea how she managed to do that.
Danny cough-burped against the thumb of his fist and brought both arms over the back of the couch. "So, what's next? Graduate school? Career? Travel?"
"Can't I do it all?"
I was running out of Pepsi.
"All, huh? Okay, so, graduate school in Europe while student teaching?"
"I wish. More like working my way through graduate school as a receptionist. In Texas."
"Whoa, you're moving back?"
Elle nodded, frowning.
"When?"
"About three weeks? My mom and dad are flying in for the ceremony then I've got to pack up the car and drive my stuff back."
Danny rubbed the back of his neck, casting me a glace. Her eyes followed. Yes, I was still there.
"I was wondering, actually, if maybe you'd drive with me?" Elle leaned over the gap in the cushion between them where the remote control and car keys always hid. "I'd fly you back. It's a really long drive is all and a lot of it is through the desert so having a man on board would really make me feel better about it."
"Or you can save a couple hundred bucks and just fuck him here."
Elle's blush wasn't nearly as satisfying as Danny's. Like a parent discovering that spelling words out no longer counts as speaking in code. Elle's ovaries were keyboard smashing S-E-X like a Broadway marque typeset by an eleven year old.
"Dude, Robin."
I glared slightly at Danny, missing cold indifference by a slight twitch to my right eyebrow. "I have homework," I said. I put my Roadrunner cup down on the carpet and stood up, ankles rolling out of Indian position. I didn't bother saying goodbye or even looking at her again. I had a good enough mental picture of her face. My mental picture had a bicycle handle mustache and unibrow. I was confident in its superiority to her bored look of mock offense and shock.
"Elle, hold on a minute, okay? Hey, Robin!"
I walked out the front door, left the door open. He had a longer stride than me. Making him pause to reopen a door wasted more time than it was worth unless there was slamming involved. He did close the door behind him through, grabbed by arms and pinned them to my sides, back against the brick. I wasn't fond of the claustrophobic view of his chest. He smelled like Axe and baking soda.
"You don't have to be jealous."
I scowled, raising my chin to meet his eyes. "I'm not jealous."
"She's just a friend, alright? And I'd appreciate it if you weren't rude to her."
"Did I say I cared if you two go off and fuck? I don't. Lock the door and have a great time," I said.
"Damnit, Robin, it's not like that." He let go of my left arm, thumb on my chin and knuckles curled against my neck. He kissed me. I kept my eyes open. "She's in the past. You're the only one I care about now."
"I don't care what you do, Danny. You're nothing to me."
He kissed me again. I hate the way he ignores me. His lips lingered on mine, both arms released, hand on my hip. The brick bit at my shoulder blades through the weave of my shirt. The hand on my hip moved--under my shirt, against my skin, warm, rough touch. I leaned into him, away from the wall, finding it follow me as he pressed in more. Harder to breathe. Ache in my neck. Muscles tight.
My exhale was shaky as he pulled away.
"I'm faithful, Robin. Trust me even if you don't trust her."
I hated the way he read me.
Sitting on the wax-stuck couch, Elle picked at loose threads on the armrest, crossed leg jumping at the ankle where a gold chain swayed. Her tan had rubbed off at the thong of her olive flip-flop, orange peel revealing its rind. From my spot on the floor I could see up her skirt without any effort at all. It wasn't long enough to even cast a decent shadow. White cotton. It was an interesting place to find her first redeeming quality.
Danny walked around in the kitchen with the clunk of ice cubes against plastic novelty cups. Every move he made was loud and obvious from the fridge door's thunk to the soda bottle's hiss. There was no surprise as he came around the corner with drinks though he smiled like a cat with it's kill. I took Roadrunner and watched him sit next to Elle on the couch, hand her one of the paired red AU cups with most of the writing scrapped off by the washer.
"To graduation!" Danny toasted.
Elle smiled. I drank.
I listened as much to the cherry Pepsi fizzing against the ice as I did their conversation. They spoke with names I didn't know going to events I'd never attended and places that I didn't care about. I dislike conversations that ware out the verb "remember". I hated how she tried to finish his sentences. Hated when he let her and laughed. If I ever met Craig or Justin or Felicity at the library, Fuzy's taco stand or gym I would probably hate them too. They weren't anywhere near as interesting as Elle seemed set on.
She had gotten a little lipstick on her chin. I have no idea how she managed to do that.
Danny cough-burped against the thumb of his fist and brought both arms over the back of the couch. "So, what's next? Graduate school? Career? Travel?"
"Can't I do it all?"
I was running out of Pepsi.
"All, huh? Okay, so, graduate school in Europe while student teaching?"
"I wish. More like working my way through graduate school as a receptionist. In Texas."
"Whoa, you're moving back?"
Elle nodded, frowning.
"When?"
"About three weeks? My mom and dad are flying in for the ceremony then I've got to pack up the car and drive my stuff back."
Danny rubbed the back of his neck, casting me a glace. Her eyes followed. Yes, I was still there.
"I was wondering, actually, if maybe you'd drive with me?" Elle leaned over the gap in the cushion between them where the remote control and car keys always hid. "I'd fly you back. It's a really long drive is all and a lot of it is through the desert so having a man on board would really make me feel better about it."
"Or you can save a couple hundred bucks and just fuck him here."
Elle's blush wasn't nearly as satisfying as Danny's. Like a parent discovering that spelling words out no longer counts as speaking in code. Elle's ovaries were keyboard smashing S-E-X like a Broadway marque typeset by an eleven year old.
"Dude, Robin."
I glared slightly at Danny, missing cold indifference by a slight twitch to my right eyebrow. "I have homework," I said. I put my Roadrunner cup down on the carpet and stood up, ankles rolling out of Indian position. I didn't bother saying goodbye or even looking at her again. I had a good enough mental picture of her face. My mental picture had a bicycle handle mustache and unibrow. I was confident in its superiority to her bored look of mock offense and shock.
"Elle, hold on a minute, okay? Hey, Robin!"
I walked out the front door, left the door open. He had a longer stride than me. Making him pause to reopen a door wasted more time than it was worth unless there was slamming involved. He did close the door behind him through, grabbed by arms and pinned them to my sides, back against the brick. I wasn't fond of the claustrophobic view of his chest. He smelled like Axe and baking soda.
"You don't have to be jealous."
I scowled, raising my chin to meet his eyes. "I'm not jealous."
"She's just a friend, alright? And I'd appreciate it if you weren't rude to her."
"Did I say I cared if you two go off and fuck? I don't. Lock the door and have a great time," I said.
"Damnit, Robin, it's not like that." He let go of my left arm, thumb on my chin and knuckles curled against my neck. He kissed me. I kept my eyes open. "She's in the past. You're the only one I care about now."
"I don't care what you do, Danny. You're nothing to me."
He kissed me again. I hate the way he ignores me. His lips lingered on mine, both arms released, hand on my hip. The brick bit at my shoulder blades through the weave of my shirt. The hand on my hip moved--under my shirt, against my skin, warm, rough touch. I leaned into him, away from the wall, finding it follow me as he pressed in more. Harder to breathe. Ache in my neck. Muscles tight.
My exhale was shaky as he pulled away.
"I'm faithful, Robin. Trust me even if you don't trust her."
I hated the way he read me.