Cinq - Five
"Hey, Eden!" A familiar voice startled Eden as he kept his head low, trudging through the school's corridors. People passed by, everyone thinking about something different. That always annoyed Eden. No matter how important his thoughts seemed, he would always be the only person thinking them. He turned his head, green eyes landing on a smiling Mia.
That was something Mia did a lot. She smiled and laughed an astonishing amount. Eden smiled. Just not so often. Recently, it had been less and less. Not that anyone noticed. No one noticed, because no one thought about the same things. Eden wished that for once, someone would share his mind. Maybe then the burden wouldn't be so great.
"What's up?" He asked, hands tucked into black pockets. As always, his hair was covered by his beanie. It had been a while since he had taken it off. He even went so far as to wear the hat to bed.
"There's this bombass party happening tonight." She giggled, her light brown ponytail dancing behind her as she walked next to him. "You have to come. Jordan and Tom are gonna be there."
That was what he needed. Another excuse to get drunk. An excuse to fuck some random guy who was willing to let him. This time he knew that he could get drunk. There wasn't anything stopping him. With a content look on his face, Eden nodded. "Sounds good."
"Great." Mia replied, starting to skip a bit as she walked. "Need a ride?"
Eden bit the inside of his cheek, thinking about his answer throughly. When he decided that he had nothing to lose, he took her up on her offer. "Yeah, I'll text you my address."
"Sounds good." Mia beamed. The pair entered the classroom at the same time that the bell rang, Mia giggling triumphantly.
Eden went to the back of the room, sitting in an open seat and spacing out. His grades were absolute shit, but he couldn't be bothered to care. He didn't really want to go to collage, and he didn't really care what he did with his life. The only reason he went to school was because it was a nice distraction. There was a time in his life where he would skip too much for his own good. It never accomplished anything but making him feel more miserable than he already was.
Sun poured through the wall of windows, reflecting off of students' hair, and beaming like a proud child. The marker in the teacher's hand squeaked when pressed too hard to the whiteboard. Students fidgeted. Legs bounced up and down, pens clicked, pencil scarped against paper. All were signs of life.
Eden wasn't doing any of that. He was staring blankly forward, his palm keeping his head from collapsing against the hardwood of his desk. He appeared like a statue; the splitting image of stillness. The only movement that met the naked eye, was when he had to blink. Even his breathing was invisible, as though he didn't even have to. What people couldn't see, was how fast his mind was moving. It never seemed to sit still anymore.
While Eden was thinking about everything in the back of the classroom, Fay was thinking about what to wear to the party tonight. As soon as Eisley had found out about there being a party, she informed Cal and Fay.
Fay mentally went through his wardrobe, figuratively discarding things that he knew he shouldn't wear. Then he remembered that shirt that Eisley had forced him to buy a few weeks ago. He figuratively set it into the reminders section of his brain. After he figured out what shirt, he moved onto the rest of his outfit.
By the time the bell rung, he had decided everything that he would need for the party. He met up with Cal on his way to his next class, snorting when he saw the excited look on his friend's face.
"What is it?" Fay asked, looping an arm through Cal's. They walked side by side.
"Honestly just excited to get drunk." Cal admitted, shrugging. "My mom is always telling me to get out more."
"I'm pretty sure that you said I'm never going to drink again during the last hangover you had." Fay pointed out, laughing at Cal's words. "And shouldn't your mom be getting mad at you for getting shitfaced?"
"I never said such a thing." He protested, even though they both knew that he did. "And you know my mom. She's all get drunk like a normal teenager and try drugs while you still can, just don't get addicted."
"Your mom is one of the most interesting people I've ever met." Fay commented, eyebrows raised.
"That makes two of us."
They continued down the hall, going to their next class. Then Fay went to the class after that, and then the final class of the day. By the time he heard his front door click shut behind him, he was beyond eager to get back out of the house.
The whole house was silent, telling him that no one else was home. He vaguely remembered Vi telling him that she had soccer practice. However, he had no idea where Char was. He was sure that Maman had work. She worked so hard for them all and never seemed to give herself a break.
Fay pulled his phone out of his pocket, sending a quick text to Charlot to ask where he was. As he pushed his bedroom door open, he quickly took in his surroundings.
There were clothes strewn about, cds laying in piles, books misplaced on his desk, and his window was wide open. With a pout, he lazily picked up some of his clothes and tossed them into an empty laundry basket. He was going to have to clean up eventually, so he supposed that now was better than never.
Fay carried the basket downstairs, throwing the clothes into the washing machine and listening to the familiar hum as it came to life. Once he was back upstairs, he picked up his books and placed them back on the long shelf that lined one of his walls. The books were arranged by color, all of which being dramas.
When the cds were back in their respective piles, he finally began to look inside of his closet for the clothes that he was planning on wearing. Of course, his room was still a mess, but he didn't feel like cleaning the rest of it. He instead chose to ignore the colorful array of barrettes poured over his desk and bedside table, or the mirror and eyes shadow palettes throw about.
Spotting the pink shirt, he took it off of its hanger and tossed it onto his rose gold bedsheets. It didn't take long for him to find the pants that he had been looking for, tossing them in the same place he had the shirt.
Once he had stripped, assembling the new outfit, he stepped in front of the full-mirror that was wedged between the foot of his bed and the side of his desk. It was crooked and had cracks in the corners, but Fay never bothered to fix it, or buy a new one. Pictures had been stuck into the frame of the mirror, making Fay smile as he saw them.
The pink crop top flashed Fay's almost nonexistent happy trail to the word, hanging loose and comfortably. He paired it with some washed out low-cut jeans. His pink converse found their way back onto his feet, and he went to work with the most important part.
The smile never left his soft lips as he placed pink barrettes in his hair. When he finished, he thought long and hard about his makeup. He wasn't really in the mood for slaving over makeup that would inevitably be ruined. With a small shrug, he went with clear lip gloss and that was all.
Impatiently, Fay found himself downstairs hoping to hear the sound of Cal's car pulling into his driveway. They always took Cal's car to parties, but Eisley or Fay usually ended up driving home after.
With the curtains parted, Fay saw the car before he heard it. He happily jumped up from the sofa, his phone buzzing in his pocket as he locked the front door behind him. He took it out and read it as he went up to the car.
Char:
i probably won't be home today, tell maman
Fay found his eyes rolling as he opened the car door and sat in the middle seat so that he could see both of his friends. He was always stuck in the backseat, so he wasn't fazed.
Fay:
Why can't you tell her??
"What did I tell you?" Eisley exclaimed, clapping as she took in Fay's appearance. "You look scrumptious."
"I prefer hot." Fay retorted, laughing at Eisley's antics. "And I never denied you."
"That shirt is too perfect." Cal commented, pulling out of the driveway. Fay mumbled an I know, before turning his attention to his phone.
Char:
just do it
Fay:
I'm going to a party. Where are you going??
Fay hated how long it always took Char to reply. It left him restless and worried. Charlot shouldn't have been staying out. Not when he wasn't taking his meds. It concerned Fay to no avail.
Char:
just tell maman
With a frustrated sigh, Fay shot Maman a quick text to let her know that Char wouldn't be home tonight. He lied and said that he was staying the night at a new friend's house. He knew that Maman would be upset with him for letting Char leave, but technically he hadn't. Char just never came home to begin with.
Fay watched as houses passed by, bopping his head to the beat of a peppy song. It made him feel at ease, excitement building up in his gut. There was only a small chance that he would achieve being properly drunk, but at least he could still have fun. He still planned to drink and dance the night away. He was also looking forward to having a fling. Sometimes it was just nice to sleep around. And since no one he slept with was out, he didn't have to worry about attachment.
The car steadily approached a larger house and Fay quickly grew impatient all over again. As soon as Cal parked, he and Eisley sprung out of their seats and went up to the front door. Cal attempted to catch up, but they were already inside before he could.
The house was loud, music booming throughout it like a pulse. Fay was instantly gratified by the vibrations he felt pouring through the floorboards and into his bloodstream. There was something about aimless partying that left him content. With a smile on his face, he and Eisley made their way straight for the booze. It was about time he had a drink.