Delicate Pulse | Violentine

Drawing Names

(TW: bullying and themes alluding to s*lf-h*rm)

"The Day of...Giving?"

Clementine says this in confusion while trying to fix her shoelace. She has been picking at the same knot for ages.

"It's like Valentine's Day and Christmas rolled into one," Louis explains with a mouthful of food. "With a pinch of Thanksgiving."

I scrunch my nose at him. He catches my expression and leans closer to me. He chews his lunch loudly in my ear. Fucking gross. I shove his face away.

Clem snickers across from us, grabbing a stick from the ground. "Yeah, but what the hell is it?"

Louis breathes to explain more but he starts choking instead. Karma.

I sigh. "It's a tradition. We spend a week preparing gifts for the people we 'tolerate' around here and give them to show appreciation. It's about friendship and shit. It's been a thing for a while."

She listens while stabbing the stick towards her shoe. I can't see what she is doing. I'm assuming she is trying to undo the lace knot with the pointed tip of the stick. Or she could be murdering her shoe. Who knows? Louis' fussing and coughing beside me is making it hard to focus.

"Does that mean a gift to...everyone? Like Christmas?"

"If ya want," I shrug.

Louis slaps me in the back of the head while flailing his arms about.

"For fucks sake, Lou," I huff, standing up. "You can shut up now."

I swing and smack him hard on his back. A tiny piece of carrot flies across the table.

He swallows gulps of air and pants. "Oh, my sweet little valiant Vi! You saved me," he croaks, rubbing his throat.

I glare at him. He flutters his lashes in return. "How could I ever repay you?"

"You can choke quieter and faster next time!"

"CLEMENTINE!"

A voice screams at us from a distance. We all jump.

Brody comes flying towards us, hugging a pen and notebook to her chest.

She skids to a stop, almost sliding into the bench table. "Clementine! Are you in?"

Before Clem can even open her mouth to speak, Brody spins towards Louis and me. "Did you ask her? Does she know?"

"No Brody, we've been too busy reciting the alphabet backwards," Louis teases, his voice still slightly coarse from choking. I hold my breath to stop myself from laughing at his response. I can't fuel his ego.

Brody's jaw drops and Clementine shakes her head at us. "Don't worry, they explained everything. I'm all ready and prepared for this...uh...Giving Day..?"

She peers over at me for confirmation of what she said. I nod and in return, she throws a finger gun which she changes to a thumbs up. She's funny like that.

I hear Marlon's call from close by. "Yo!"

He's leading a group of five with all much too familiar faces. Aasim, Omar, Ruby and the twins. I'm guessing that's where Brody ascended from.

Everyone greets each other, slipping into empty spaces on either side of the picnic table. Minnie plants a kiss on my head. I smile at her as she sits down beside me.

"Hey," she whispers, soothingly. I whisper the same back to her, giving her hand a small squeeze.

Clem and Minnie acknowledge each other with a nod. I had no expectations for them but I was glad they weren't trying to kill each other.