Sign Said West, I Went East

Spilled Blood and Empty Bottles

After we had turned many many corners and I was confident he wasn't following in his car, a silence filled the cab as I recalled memories of our childhood. Playing in the front yard, snow days home from school...we shared everything, even colds. And summer! Endless summer nights catching lightning bugs in the front yard...that one time that my tree house was finished and we begged our moms to let us spend the night in it, only to wind up being scared into the living room after hearing the coyotes howl a few miles away.  
"...right Carter?" Willow's talking snaps me out of my reminiscent state.

"Huh?"
She sighs loudly "Wasn't that fun? You needed the rush, especially after West," she throws me a pointed look that I catch out of the corner of my eye, "you haven't been partying like you would before, doing shots, skinny dipping..." She trails off reminding me about all the things I've ditched on her for watching Netflix...alone...with way too much pizza.
"Yes and I'm a horrible and terrible friend for that and I'm sorry for abandoning yo-" Willow cuts me off and says "Shut up, you dork. We are fine now aren't we?" and hooks her pinky through mine which rests on the clutch. 
I slam on the brakes as a small rabbit dashes in front of us, sending Willow face first into the dashboard. Over her screaming and my giggling, I manage to drive up into my driveway and I turn to face her as her nose begins to drip blood. I chuckle and reach into the glove box where I keep my first aid kit, a gift from my  crazy Aunt Edith, and throw tissues at her. 

"It's brokennnn," she whines, holding her daintily manicured hand over her nose, "and my shirt is ruined!" 
"It's not that bad..." I say soothingly, wondering if she's going to need to go the ER based on the amount of blood gushing from her nose. I usher her inside and sit her at the marble island, threatening death if she bleeds on the white counter, and hand her a wad of paper towels. 

After about thirty minutes the bleeding subsides, much to my relief, and I hand her a new shirt. Guiding her upstairs, I usher her into the shower, telling her to take all the time she needs. There is a knock at the door that I leave to answer it. Throwing open the door, much to my surprise is Easton, in a shirt I recognized from our summers and a pair of sweats from 24 Hour Fitness. 

"What. The. Fuck. Was. That. Carter." he spits, his face a dull red and his jaw doing the thing. My inner self screams. Wide eyed an innocent, I say "What was what, Eastie?", with a smirk and an eyebrow raise. A childhood nickname that never ceased to send him into a tizzy. 

He slams the door shut, striding into the foyer, a few inches from my face, "Listen here, Carter Pamela," I ground down a millimeter of tooth enamel at the use of my middle name, "why did you try to ruin my baby and scare the shit out of my mother? Were you just deciding to use my child  against me. It's not my fault that Kylie is always wrong and likes to talk mad shi-". Easton is cut off by my mom emerging from her room and coming down stairs, a grand entrance as always. 

"Easton! Honey, it's so nice to see you! Why haven't you been coming over anymore, I see you driving around the neighborhood in that new Rubicon of yours! What happened to stopping over when we moved?" My mom continues talking as I quietly take the time to asses Easton, who looks as happy as a clam to see my mother. 

"Oh Caroline, I'm sorry I haven't really been around here because I uh..." he splutters for an answer, something I've rarely seen him do. 

"Mom, he's been busy. You know, as a golf player he has to take a lot of time to...to...golf. And he does have that new car, and a new girlfriend if I remember correctly, Kylie, right Eastie?" I interject brightly, eyebrow raised, daring him to say different. 

"She's right and no I'm not dating Kylie, I'm seeing Willow right now, but not at the moment because she's mad at me. I was just over here to talk to her...." he trails off as he sees Willow make her way from the bathroom to my room upstairs. 

Disgustedly, she says "What are you doing here?" using the same tone one would use if they found dog poo on the bottom of their shoe after walking across their white carpet. 

"I came to apologize, Caroline, you'll have to excuse me, and you too Carter. I really need to talk to Willow."

"Come by any time Easton, we miss you a lot. Even Carter," she says and throws me a pointed look before retiring to her room for Bachelorette  reruns. 

The second her door closes I fling open the front door. "I have a better idea. Why don't you get the hell out of here before you have to deal with slashed tires, broken windshield and an egged car. If she wishes to talk to you, she knows where you are. Bye," I say as I all but shove him out, his face stricken and his breathing heavy as he pushes back.

"Car...Come on. Please just let me see her, I'll do anythi-" After one final shove, the door is shut and locked. Finally.  

Willow has already gone back to my room and I casually stroll over to our fully stocked mini bar and grab a bottle of Marsala, the most bang for our buck, while still having some class about it. I quietly slip two glasses out of their upside down perch and take them upstairs with me and meet Willow in my room. She's brushing her hair rhythmically on my vanity stool as I pour some for her and hand it to her, taking the brush. While she sips I proceed to braid her hair back like she always does when she has a shower. For a minute, we are six again, not seventeen and all we have to worry about is who gets what sand toys and which Capri Sun. We lock eyes in the mirror and lightly smile. She glances up above my mirror at the cork board where a picture of us from Easter in third grade hangs. She all perfect straight teeth in a brand new dress and me, me new dress already mud splattered from Easton most likely. Sometimes words are unnecessary. 

She smiles up at me through swollen eyes and nods. A Friends marathon it is.