Scarlet Harlots (Editing Now)

Chapter 8- Shut up... please

Chase

I walked back to the car, feeling a bit guilty.  I had forced Daniel to stay in the car for 45 minutes to his own devices.  I opened the door on the driver’s side and looked in.

“-I’ll…. Have to call you back.” Daniel said quietly on his cell phone.  He then shut it while someone was speaking back and smiled at me as he slid it into his back pocket.  His blond hair seemed a bit out of place, but I was probably basing most of my memory on their posters all over, and pictures on the internet.

“What took you 45 minutes in Dairy Queen?” He asked as if he hadn’t been mysteriously talking with someone.  He also didn't sound irritated at all, but instead a bit cryptic, and I tried reading him quickly, and gave up when I thought back to other times I've seen him.  He was an open book, and transparent as they come, if he knew anything, he'd tell me.

I shrugged and got in, “Did you want an ice-cream, since we’re here?”

“Sure.” he said, “I mean… that is, if I can come out of the vehicle.” he smiled.

“Do you want it or not?” I rolled her eyes, but still somehow still smiled. 

“Coming.” He said and got out, and opened the Dairy Queen door for me.

“A gentleman, I see.  So what happens if someone recognizes you?” I ask.

He shrugged.  “I can’t have an ice-cream with a beautiful girl?” he said strangely, though it didn’t sound as if he was flirting with me, merely just stating a fact.

“Not when you’re supposed to be dating Jolie.”

“Jolie doesn’t like me.” He said and looked at the floor.  I suddenly felt bad for bringing her up.

“She doesn’t know what she wants Daniel. She’ll figure-“

“I don’t want her to figure it out, or change.  I want her to like me, how I am right now.”

“Listen, Daniel, it sucks I know, that she likes someone else, but you guys can be friends… she’s really a nice girl, she just has a lot on her plate..”

“Is thats why you didn’t tell her?” he asks curiously and I study him all over again., “About your Dairy Queen addiction, of course.” He broke a smile.

“Something like that.” I smile back, hesitatingly.

We order and eat our ice-cream and enjoy them on the way back home. 

“Sooo, you’re a good student, why didn’t you go back to school, instead of set up camp at my car?” I asked.

“I.. uh, I don’t know.” He said looking out the window licking his ice-cream cone.

“Okay.” I said and put the music on, not bugging him anymore, or trying to get it out of him.  I knew he had questions thrown at him a lot, and I didn't want to contribute. Interviews were fun, but sometimes it was just nice to have a friend who just was there, not talking about what I liked or who I liked, just there. 

We jam to my Playlist consisting of Breaking Benjamin, old and new Maroon 5 songs, Lana Del Ray, Emarosa, Mayday Parade, The offspring and Kid Cudi.

He didn’t like my screamo, but didn’t say anything about it either.

When we drove up to the school, the school for the day had been over for 15 minutes.

Daniel didn’t seem like he wanted to get out of the car though, and I kind of needed to pick up a probably already pissed Jolie up and take her out to eat.

“Daniel…?” I asked, “You know, you’re a good kid, you’re not as messed as most of us are, you have a chance at a pretty normal life, with a normal girl… if you wanted.  You’re smart and creative-“

“How would you know that?” He asks, almost critically.

“You help create your songs, don’t you?” I ask.

“Yeah…”

“And you are good in school, aren’t you?”

“Yeah…”

“You’re right, no, you’re too stupid to do anything.”

“Hey! No I'm not-.” He said now looking at me, he caught my smile and smiled himself.

“Okay.” He said and slowly a grin worked its way up the curves of his lips and grew, as I could see the cogs working in his brain.  “Thanks…Chase.” He said and grabbed my shoulders and engulfed me in a giant hug. A Daniel hug.

“Jez, physical contact, I might be allergic..” I breathed.

“It’s okay; I won’t tell anyone that you’re cool.” He winked.

“Good.” I said, as he got out, “I need to keep up my reputation…be careful what you promise.” I called after him, but he had shut the door.

*********

Jolie

Chase came in looking a little tired.  Whatever she was doing, I didn't want to know that would make her so tired.

“Chase, you said you’d pick me up.” I began, but she looked up at me in a way that was her way of saying ‘I’m not going to take any of you’re crap’ look and opened the door to our dorm for me.

I walked out and texted Leo and Harvey, telling them Chase finally came back.

“Do you know where Daniel is?” I ask.

“Nope.” She says lazily and unlocks her car in the parking lot from our dorm steps.   

“Huh, we thought he went with you.” I said looking at her face.

She didn’t respond to anything I said and we walked into her car in simi silence… I mean, I had to talk about my day to keep some sort of sound, so we didn’t go crazy, but that was it… Just me talking.  I had had an easy gym class, only running a mile, and in Art we began ceramics.

We drove to a vegan place, bought vegan pizza with ‘carb-less’ bread,  then we drove out and sat in a park to eat them, she took her sliced tomatoes off hers and I took my mushrooms off and we switched in silence.  I watched kids run around, building snowmen, while parents froze their butts off, while talking to other parents.  I looked at the pizza, and began eating... it was kind of bland, but I shrugged it off, it was still okay pizza. Chase practically ate her slice in 4 bites, and throwing the crust away in the bin.  She hated bland food, and refused to eat pizza crusts.  She came back to me and we sat down on the yellowing grass on top of a hill as we watched the kids play below.  She dusted her hands on the butt of her pants and looked into the night strangely.  I looked down and watched the parents talking to one another.

It would be nice to be a little normal and talk to people like that sometimes, but I guess I won’t have that anymore.  The Scarlet Harlots were known all over the world.  My chance at a normal life went out the window when we signed that first contract.  

“I want to get a new bed and maybe remodel my room, I think purple and lime green with white curtains, a purple Turkish carpet would be the centerpiece of course, not a prayer rug, because I don’t want to offend anyone, I think I want another lamp, and also, my clothes don’t fit my my closet, so maybe we could expand my closet, and-“ I began, trying to create some noise between us, but Chase stopped me midway.

“Jolie, please.  Just… shut up.” Chase said quietly, “Please.”