Messages

Growing up is weird. She thought as she sat between her brother's newest girlfriend and a lesbian girl she hadn't really thought about since graduation. In her hand rested a chilled bottle of bud light that her older brother had shoved into her hand after he had one too many of his own. At eighteen years old she was still more mature than her twenty five year old brother. Her thumb ran along the lip of the bottle as she chewed on her bottom lip and watched the others around her drinking and making complete fools of themselves. She drank of course; she had her first sip of beer at eight years old and had sworn to her mother that she would never take another sip in her life. She had lived up to that promise, mainly drinking liquor such as Jack Daniels and Captain Morgan. Her favorite drink was plain vodka, four shots followed by a mixed drink as long as that drink contained vodka as well.

She took a cautious sniff of the bottle and wrinkled her nose in disgust. The smell of the beer stung her nostrils and made her stomach turn a flip. The girl beside her who was very much into other girls began to rub her leg and slur drunkenly as she attempted to woo her into her bed. She wrinkled her nose at this as well and moved a bit closer to her brothers passed out girlfriend. She was admittedly Bisexual, but she just wasn't into the girl who she had thought was a boy for the first year that she had known her.

"Hey Kid, you aren't drinking!" her brother accused her as he stumbled about before them in his poor attempt to dance to the annoying techno song someone had managed to put on. She rolled her eyes and passed the bottle to him, a second later he had forgotten it wasn't his and chugged half of it. Once again she rolled her eyes, this time choosing to push herself off of the couch and slip out of the living room as she did so.

"Stupid brother with his stupid party and stupid friends." She grumbled as she slipped out of the front door and into the cool air that the night brought with it. She inhaled deeply and let her breath out in a slow plume of steam. Her arms wrapped around herself in hopes of keeping warm as she shivered against a gust of wind that blew past her. She could suffer this if it meant that she would not have to rejoin that sad attempt by her older brother to stay young. She just couldn't stand how he was dating girls that she went to high school with, especially after the breakup when they would not stop messaging her on Facebook about him.

She kicked the railing next to the top step and scowled down at the patchwork of grass below as she thought of this. Her phone suddenly going off in her pocket caused her to jump and look around to make sure that no one had seen her sudden reaction. She frowned as she pulled out her phone and raised one eyebrow when she noticed what the notification was.

One new Facebook message from Ashlin Harten

She wrinkled her brow as she tried furiously to figure out if she knew the girl, she had made a point to forget close to ninety percent of the people she had went to high school with over the six months that she had been out of it. Graduation had been a godsend for she who had lived in her brother's shadow during the whole of her school life. After a long few minutes trying to figure out who the girl was she sighed and simply accepted that she did not know her. She punched in her unlock code and clicked on her Facebook application, the notice for the message was the only one she had and stood out in stark red against a blue and white background. She let out a soft sigh as she clicked it open and ran her eyes over the black letters that popped up from that small action:

Ashlin Harten sent 7:28pm

Hi Ventis! You don't know me but I feel like I know a lot about you.

I should explain. I am Chris' girlfriend, well ex-girlfriend. We

just broke up and I am regretting it. He talks about you a lot

and I thought that if you could meet me we could become

friends. He talked so much about you that I think I know you

myself! I wish I could meet you and that we can become friends

you seem like a really cool person from what he says. Let me know

if you can come to town sometime and we'll meet up okay!

There was about six smiley face emoji's at the end of the message and it caused her to visibly shudder. The girl was her best friend from high school's ex-girlfriend and that had 'get him back for me' written all over it. She was also obviously perky and girly; a quick view of her profile confirmed this fact. She sighed and lowered the phone. All of her life she had wanted to be one of the guys, she had followed this dream by following her year older brother who had welcomed her into his group with nothing but spite. He had hated sharing everything with her growing up and his friends had been no exception. It was no surprise to her when he had cut all ties with her and the rest of the family after getting together with their mothers best friend at eighteen, a full year ago. She worried her bottom lip as she thought over this as well as the strange girl who had messaged her out of nowhere.

She let out a defeated sigh, she came off as tough and heartless to everyone around her on purpose but in reality she was a real softy underneath her tough exterior. Chris knew that and had always exploited it, he was her first real guy friend outside of her brothers group and the one who knew the most about her. She had not seen him in a long time, he had moved away to college shortly after graduation and they had only seen each other once or twice since.

"Dammit, I'm such a fucking pushover." She groaned as she pressed the spot on the screen to send her reply to the girl:

Ventis RD Barr sent 7:42pm

I go by Kid. Please don't use my first name

I hate it. Chris is my best friend but I doubt he

talked about me as much as you are implying.

She read over her message again before sending it, cold and detached but still open to continue the conversation. It was a classic way she talked or messaged anyone. She sighed and pressed her thumb over the send button. She closed her eyes just as the small boop sound that alerted her it was sent reached her ears. Nearly seconds later she heard the alert that she had received a new message from the girl.

Ashlin Hearten sent 7:43pm

OMG! You answered! He told me you wouldn't but

I knew you would! I can call you Kid if you like, would

you come meet me at the campus?

Her eye twitched as she read the message, this girl was acting way too friendly with her way too soon. She steadied herself before reading over the message once again and reluctantly replying:

Ventis RD Barr Sent 7:47pm

No can do sorry. I don't have a ride to the campus

and I wouldn't have a way back home.

She smiled as she sent the message, not her fault she couldn't make it. Too bad Ashlin.

Ashlin Hearten sent 7:48pm

No problem! I can get Chris to bring you up

here, he's back in your town to see his family

this weekend. You can bunk with me! I have a

roommate but she's never here.

She frowned at the row of sad faces that followed the message. She could only guess why the girls roommate was never around. The fact that Chris was back in town made her smile though, it would have been nice to see him but he usually only came back to see his grandparents and brother lately. At first she had thought he was avoiding her but through mutual friends she had learned he wasn't going around to see anyone. The thought of seeing him again made her feel warm despite the cold October weather.

Ventis RD Barr sent 7:49pm

I guess I could come by for the night if he

says he will give me a ride. Why are you interested

in seeing me anyway?

She had moved to sit down on the steps as she typed the message and leaned her back on the railing as she hit the send button. It didn't take long for the girl to reply.

Ashlin Hearten sent 7:51pm

OMG because you are like the coolest girl ever!

He has told all of us the stories from high school

and all the best ones had you in them. I want to

be your friend soooooo bad! And when you get

here we can talk about stuff that you and Chris

did from your perspective. Please please please

say you'll come!

She rolled her eyes at the watery eye emoji's that covered quite a few lines of the message and reluctantly once again replied.

Ventis RD Barr sent 7:53pm

I already said yes. It's whatever. Not like there

is much here anyway.

She cut her phone's screen off as soon as she sent the message and clicked the button to switch it to silent mode. She looked behind her to the open front door where the sounds of her brother's ridiculous party rushed from. With a sigh she stood and headed off towards the park that she had always hung out with him at as students.

No one was at the park since it had closed over an hour before so she had the whole place to herself. The very first thing she did was go to the swing set that she had always hung out around with Chris and the rest of their friends. She sat down on the right most swing (her swing) and kicked off as hard as she could. After she was swinging in a steady arch she slid her pack of Pall Malls from her jeans pocket and lit one with her favorite zippo lighter. As she swung back and forth the trail of smoke coming from the cigarette made a matching arch through the air.

(Chapter End: This particular piece of fiction is loosely based on some memories of mine, though the names of the people have been changed for privacy reasons and the plot is ever so slightly different from what happened.)