24 | 𝑆𝑙𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐾𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑠

"I laugh in the face of evil, babe."

"I know, but still," I groaned, "what do I do?" I face-planted onto the covers, hiding my evident fear and confusion. "I mean, does this mean war?" I incoherently mumbled into the comforter before picking up my head and looking at her. She sat on the office chair in the corner, mindlessly searching through my make-up. "Vicky told me to go all in and checkmate the bitch," I relayed.

"Wow, so scary," Keiona exaggerated.

"I think," Jay began from the opposing side of my room. "You should sort out your feelings for Vislocky."

"What are you talking about?" I shot at him with furrowed eyebrows. If anything, our friendship displayed the only stable something I had in my life.

He cocked his head and gave me the look of obviousness. "You're wearing his sweatshirt, one of the three you have."

I leapt from my position on my bed and sat criss-cross applesauce in retaliation. "How do you know I have that many?"

Keiona blankly pointed to the closet doors which hung two other black sweatshirts. "Also the fact that one has the name 'Vislocky' written on the back, it kinda gave it away," she mentioned with a half-hearted shrug.

"Whatever," I drew out. "You jinxed it!" I jabbed a finger at Jaydon. "You said that Kayla and I would get into a fight and look where that landed us." I threw myself onto the mattress in a starfish position, shaking my head to get the hair off of my face with a loud huff. "This sucks."

"Look at the bright side," Keiona positively announced. She got up from the chair and seated herself next to me, brushing the tufts of hair out of my face with a somewhat persuasive smile. The only thing I was thinking of was how pearly white her teeth were. Like those teeth could quite literally, and blindly guide Patrick Swayze back from the dead.

"And what's that?" I asked. "Better be good."

Jaydon suggested, "you have us?" He walked over and sat on the opposite side of my head.

I rolled my eyes, but Keiona assured, "this is just about some boy, so I was thinking--"

I straightened up. "Keiona, this isn't about some boy. This is Sullivan Corbett we're talking about! He's a fucking goddess and I'm not the one who's been fucking him." I stood up from the bed, pacing the length behind the headboard. "Vicky is right. Kayla went for him even when she knew I wanted him, behind my back, I might add---"

Jaydon cleared his throat. "The same night you left with her crush." His face said it all, demonstrating the hopeful, lopsided smirk and mischievous eyes.

"Not the point!" I snapped. "I didn't sleep with him. Maybe, I should--"

"You are most certainly not," Keiona muttered, standing up from the bed. "Losing your virginity out of revenge is absurd. You have officially lost your mind if you think that's normal."

I must've lost my mind then.

She confirmed, "You're seeing Sullivan tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then, snuggle up closer to him and that will be the end of it. Take it one by one. Little by little," she wisley explained before getting her water bottle atop my vanity.

Victor said be bold.

"Or I have a wild idea," Jay started in an exaggerated tone, catching my attention, though I had a feeling it was sarcasm. "You could just tell the dumbass how you feel?"

I laughed demonically, rolling my eyes and firmly molding the palms of my hands on either side of my hair. "You have officially lost your mind, you just don't get it."

"Woah." Kieana raised her hands defensively.

"Sorry," I sighed. "I'm just... getting agitated about this whole situation."

I dropped my hands as a knock resounded through my bedroom. I glanced up and walked over, opening the door and revealing my mom, carrying Moose like a football between her elbow and waist.

"He wants you," she said blankly, holding the fattened chihuahua out to me. His lazy eyes looked at the opened door's surface and Jaydon's confusion. When I met my mom's eyes, it was as if I was staring at a different person, the person who knew that Kayla took my crush's virginity type-of-person. I wasn't too pleased.

"Mom, I don't think that's what he wants," I notified her, motioning to the chihuahua that when being extended off her chest, dribbled one lone string of saliva from his fang tooth.

"Believe me," she exhaled wearily. "He does." After placing Moose onto the floor, which in response, he stood in a petrified stance of horror, my mom poked her head in and smiled. "How are you guys doing?"

Jay smacked the air, flinging his head to get rid of something before straightening his posture and overlapping his hands onto his thighs. He fixed a creepy grin on his face. "Oh, just fantastic, Mrs. Kellman, totally not seeing a creepy Abraham looking man with ah--t-top hat." He stammers in the middle of his statement, wincing at something that imaginably got closer to him. He closed his statement with a Broadway smile.

Keiona rolled her eyes. "Your daughter is insane."

Jessica chuckled, nodding her head exhaustingly. "Tell me about it," she teased. I stared for a moment, forcing a grimace. "Okay, well if you need me. I'll be outside working on the chicken coop," she said, exiting the hallway and walking down the stairs. I sealed the door close and slapped my back up against it.

"Girl, you need to tell her," Keiona whined out. "How long are you going to act like you don't know?"

I was prattling on, "I know--I know," but my voice was cut off by Jay who looked between the two of us inquisitively. We didn't think anything of it, but Jaydon leapt up.

"Wait, I'm not aware of what's happening. What are you guys talking about, exactly?" he wondered.

"Kayla told Riyah's mom that she slept with Sullivan," Keiona voiced with boredom, then snapped at me. "That was alright, that I told him, right?"

"Yeah, he was gonna find out eventually," I admitted, biting down on my hangnail. "This is pathetic." I shook it off, staring down at the ivory pebbled carpet beneath my shoes. "I just--"

"Just what?" Keiona pushed.

I sighed, I wanted to say that I wanted my mom to know without me telling her, that I wanted Kayla to just... poof. But then again, I also had to remind myself that Kayla and I used to be close. Really close. It wasn't like we completely stopped becoming friends either, but it was awkward, and I knew if I saw her again, I'd probably not have much to say.

She used to tell me everything and we'd spend countless hours together talking about Sullivan and Victor. Ever since Victor moved to the school, her and I grew closer, we had something in common. It used to be just me complaining about my undying love for Sullivan whilst she talked about her emotionally abusive parents which I'd always felt bad about. She went through a lot with all her family drama, and I wasn't going to lie, as much as I despised her... I missed the feeling of the door swinging inwards and her waltzing in.

Then I had to remind myself, she waltzed right into Sullivan's pants and that made me feel a lot better at being mad at her.

♡♡♡

"So..." Victor began. "How'd it go?"

I pressed my head up against the couch while we sat on the gray rug in his living room. "Terrible," I mused. "I tried cuddling closer, but he didn't even notice. He just sat there, watching the movie and nothing happened," I groaned on, describing the previous event with Sullivan. We worked on our project and I once again failed to be anything other than a friend.

Victor shot me a look. "Didn't I tell you to be bold?"

"I tried!" I defended, tilting my head up to look at him. "He did nothing! Nothing, Vicky! He reminds me of a sloth."

"A sloth?" he questioned dumbly, narrowing his eyes on the mute TV. "And what do I remind you of?"

I shifted my body to look at him straightforwardly, cocking my head slightly and adjusting to the concerned uplift in his eyebrows. "A... kangaroo."

"You gotta be kidding me," he mumbled with a snicker. "I can't even get something cool."

"Kangaroos are cool!" I protested, my back falling to the couch once more. My hands ran over the soft fuz of the carpet and when I glanced up at him seated next to me, I defended again, "They are."

"Name one reason why I'm a kangaroo," he challenged me.

"They um..." I paused, my voice trailing into the significance of my thoughts. I don't exactly know why he's a kangaroo, but he just kind of is. "You're social---well, no not really. You're determined---mostly, if you get something out of it. Oh, you're friendly---well, you're easy to talk to--well, not always." I huffed in annoyance. "You're a good friend, believe me, you are."

His smirk rose timorously in an abundance of amusement. "Wow, really making me feel good about myself here, you know?" he jested with a lopsided grin. "You talk to kangaroos often? Not many good experiences."

"Nope," I made a popping noise with my mouth. "Last kangaroo was not a good fella, let's be glad he's gone," I joke with a laugh, quieting myself. "You're serious, but like a cute serious---" I shook my head at the words. "No, don't take that the wrong way."

"I will take that however way I can." He nudged my shoulder jokingly. "You know, if we're going on the crazy train of animals, you're kind of like a mockingbird," he admitted.

I bowed my head, muttering, "I feel bad for calling you a kangaroo."

He smiled, nudging my shoulder again before standing up and walking over to the pantry in the kitchen. I watched him for a long while before he started to approach me with a purple plastic bowl. He flicked off the living room lights and a string of fairy lights glowed along the trim of the living room. He turned on the music channel of the TV and "Little Lion Man" by Mumfard and Sons played.

He situated the bowl between us and I glanced inside to see a heapful of candy. He plucked out a piece of chocolate wrapped candy and tore open the plastic. "I've been thinking," he started lowly before popping the sweet into his mouth while I grabbed a sour-sweet candy.

"About?" I pressed whilst the candy sat on my tongue.

He pursed his lips after swallowing the sweet, nothing but a faint luminescent glow across his face to show the troublesome in his eyes. "We could go to San Francisco--"

"Victor--"

"Full name, huh?" he teased. "Now I know you're angry."

"I'm just saying," I began with a warm smile after chewing the bite, the bitter twinge in my mouth disappearing. "That's really far from Wyoming and it's bad enough I lied once about leaving the state, but that's like..."

"No," he started softly, "I get it, but it's not that far," he retorted childishly.

"It's over fourteen hours," I told him with a tilt of my head.

"Not only is it almost your Christmas, but it's my birthday and you have to be there... Therefore, we have a valid excuse to go to the west coast," he formally declared.

"It's your birthday?" I wondered.

"Exactly!" he remarked, sitting upright more formally against the sofa. "This is more important than any other day of the year and I want you to celebrate it with me." He pouted as if he were a toddler, popping out his slightly glossed bottom lip. "You can't let me be sad on my birthday, now can you?"

I went to speak, opening my mouth but sealing it closed in seconds. "That's not fair!" I laughed. "This is San Francisco for Christ Sakes, Vicky," I fought, the background music spiraling in my ears. "I'd only been out of state three times. Florida, New York, and Montana."

"Yay, I'm on the list," he happily retorted.

"Of bad influences." I popped another piece of sour candy in my mouth, the tanginess swelling. "This is exactly what my friend warned me about."

"Excuse you," he spat. "I wasn't made aware I came with a warning label." He paused to study the clump of wrappers by my thigh. "And who the hell likes sour candy?"

I could taste his chocolate infused breath in the air as our eyes locked. I scarily snapped my head back straightforward, ignoring the noticeable warmth on my cheeks. Between us sat the purple bowl of candy, but we were too close. The scariest part was that I didn't hate how close we were, literally and figuratively.

"For your information," I lectured, "I happen to be a huge fan of sour candy."

He rolled his eyes, plucking out another piece of candy as "Drops of Jupiter" by Train had strummed into our conversation.

"You got lucky," was all he said before he leapt from the spot against the couch on the floor and outstretched his hand towards me. I obediently writhed my fingers in between his as he warmly held my other hand, lifting me from the ground with a stumble.

I tripped closer to him as he started to spin me. I was laughing again, feeling his arms worm around my waist and tug me closer into his chest. The chocolate taste lingered on his tongue as we rocked to the reverberation of drums. We aimlessly fumbled into spins and awkward twirls, allowing the music to take on control of our limbs.

He smiled softly as the fairy lights' florescence cascaded along his cheeks. His black hair laid over his forehead messily and his eyes were soothing. I could get used to it, but that was all.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Victor inquired, his smile falling as we swayed.

I shrugged, prowling out of his grasp and raising my arm over our heads as an indication for him to spin underneath it. He obediently listened before twisting our positions for him to twirl me. My loose-fitted shirt flowed outwards.

"You should come to San Francisco with me," he stated, the music rising in pitch, the chorus repeating hypnotically to our awfully quiet thoughts. I'd swore I felt a bit of hope in the words until he laughed it off and said, "for my birthday."

"Absolutely."

"You will?" he urged.

Shit. Shit. Shit, that's not what I meant. I agreed it was birthday. Oh my God, I don't want to hurt his feelings if I said that I wasn't---I had to tell myself, jerking the thought out of my head. There was no reason to lie, it's Vicky.

"That's not what I meant," I muttered and his smile fell. "I'll think about it, okay?"

The music cut off and it was transitioning to the next song, he released his grip on me, nodding and retreating to the bowl of candy as he leisurely picked up the wrappers off the ground.

"I said I'll think about it," I confirmed.

"I heard you the first time," was all he said as he retreated to the pantry with the bowl of candy.

"Vicky?" I began somberly.

"Yes?"

"I will bring a balloon for your birthday."

"You will?" he egged on in a challenging tone. "That would mean that'd you have to be next to me on my birthday."

I nodded excitedly, a smile on my face. "I'll try, Vicky. You know I will."

He scoffed and chuckled to himself, assuring sweetly, "you always do." He looked at me and said, "it's the thought that counts."

And he playfully winked.

x