𝘚𝘖𝘕𝘋𝘌𝘙 ⁽ʲ ᵐᵒˡⁱⁿᵃ⁾

𝘖𝘕𝘌

Something Elise would never admit out loud: Dirty Candy was a sad excuse for a band.

Maybe it was the fact that Carrie - her own twin sister - excluded her from the group, or maybe their shitty lyrics truly were the reason she could have sworn her ears bled every time she was forced to listen. Even worse, watching their vomit-inducing number. Her eyes simply could not take so many neon hues at once.

This being said, she tried her very best to get out of the house when they were practicing.

Despite the fact that her bedroom was laughably large, she found it quite easy to feel suffocated while inside it. One of the pros of having a rich dad: he was always too caught up in himself and his money to keep tabs on his disappointment child.

She didn't think twice about using the front door. Clutching the straps of the ratty old backup in her hands, she balanced herself atop her longboard and quickly lost sight of her residence. The sun was still fighting to stay in the sky a few minutes longer, leaving the road before her engulfed in a warm orange glow.

She prayed it would stay in the sky long enough to get her to Payton's house, she'd never been a fan of the dark.

For the few minutes between destinations, she felt at peace. The wind playing with her hair, music blaring in her AirPods. For a moment, she was the main character in a cheesy coming of age film. Elise didn't want it any other way. Her feet tickled slightly as she took on the bumpy pavement, every little sensation brought a smile to her face.

Her board rolled to a stop as she approached the driveway of her best friend's house. It was large but five of them could probably fit into her own. She walked the flower-lined path to the front door and entered without a second thought. She couldn't remember the last time she knocked, she was here so often that her presence wasn't at all an unnatural thing.

"What's up Mrs. H?" The woman laughed from the kitchen, turning to show Elise her bright smile.

"Hello, dear. Payton's up in their room." She muttered a thank you before making her way up the stairs, receiving an awkward glance from their little sister, Flynn, as they brushed past each other in the hallway. It was definitely odd - Payton was a year older than Elise, and Flynn was the same age. To make a long story short, the two didn't exactly get along.

Upon opening Payton's door - which was decked out in stickers and printed pictures poorly taped on -, Elise was immediately struck by the smell of what she assumed to be incense. They sat at their desk opposite the entrance, their back facing her. It took a few moments for them to finally realize her presence and they let out a low chuckle when they finally turned around.

"Hey, bitch."

"Hi, dumbass." She took off her bag and lowered herself on top of the brown bedsheets. "Plans for tonight?" They brought their finger to their chin in thought for a brief moment.

"We could go downtown if you want, grab some coffee?" Payton was definitely fishing for reasons to show off their new car still. It was their pride and joy: they spent all summer working in a dingy McDonald's to top off their savings and managed enough to buy a 2012 something-or-other. Elise didn't know much about cars, but it was still quite impressive that they were stubborn enough to afford it all on their own. She was definitely taking advantage of this, and Payton didn't seem to mind. They didn't mind each other's company.

Sure, she had her own car, but that always seemed to be in the middle of a custody battle between her and her sister. She didn't have the energy to fight or convince her father to buy another, and she had something her sister didn't: genuine friends. If anything, she was doing Carrie a service.