LEMONADE

LET ME GO DOWN, DOWN, DOWN

SEPTEMBER 28TH

Awsten didn't sleep that night. He had too much energy and was thinking of new things to do. He already planned the next album for The Blue Poptarts and had cranked out four songs for it. It technically had a fifth, but it was a cover of Ellie Goulding's Starry Eyed, so Awsten didn't count it as one.

Awsten's phone rang, his ringtone of Sugar We're Going Down blasting. He broke out of his constant loop of re-editing, writing, and planning and looked at his phone. It was Grace.

"Hey!!" he beamed, answering the phone. He was so happy.

"Hi," Grace said softly. "How're you?"

"I'm fucking great," Awsten smiled. "Are you okay though?"

"Yeah," she said. "Just wanted to check up on you. Sorry for snapping at you yesterday."

"Oh, yeah, no, don't worry 'bout it," he responded swiftly. "s'no big deal. Cancer, mom, stress, school, I get it."

"I'm glad. How's the album?" she asked.

"It's the best thing anyone ever is going to ever listen to in their uncultured, Blue-Poptarts-deprived life," Awsten said quickly. "It's absolutely perfect. It's better than perfect. It's foolproof, impeccable! Pure!!"

"Awsten," Grace said cautiously, "how much coffee have you had to drink?"

"None at all, why?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"You're acting like you've drunk pure caffeine and maybe snorted something," she said. "Are you sure you haven't had any energy drinks or anything?"

"Yes, I'm sure, Grace," he said. "I don't do drugs, you know that. You know I hate drugs. Those disgusting things ruin lives. Just like alcohol does! I'm not about that shit, never gonna be about that shit, that shit can get shit on. I'm a good little shit."

"Okay, weirdo," Grace laughed. "I gotta drive my mom for to the hospital, it's time for her chemo. Talk to you later?"

"Of course!" Awsten smiled. "I hope she gets into remission."

"Yeah, that'd be a miracle," Grace said. "Bye."

Awsten smiles widely, hanging up the phone. He's glad him and Grace are on good terms again. He couldn't wrap his mind around why she had snapped at him yesterday, but he waved the thought away. It didn't matter, so why bring it up?

Awsten runs out of the garage, accidentally bumping into his sister.

"Yo!" Gracie said, trying to regain her balance. "I coulda dropped my croissant!"

"Sorry," Awsten half-heartedly apologized, weaving around her and quickly jolting to his room. He searched through the drawers on his desk, grabbing a spool of CDs.

"The hell you even in such a hurry for?" Gracie called out as she set her plate down on the kitchen breakfast bar. "It's seven in the morning. You're never awake at seven in the morning."

"I'm making cultivating culture, Gracie!" Awsten shouted as he shut the door to his room. "I haven't slept all night. This is too important. No time for sleep!"

"Cultivating culture?" Gracie scoffed, taking a bite of her croissant.

"YES!" Awsten grinned as he ran down the hall, stopping by the kitchen. "Absolute, impeccable, perfection."

"You're fucking weird, bro," she muttered.

"You'll see," he said, walking quickly back to the garage. Gracie rolled her eyes, muttering an insult under her breath.