friday, two weeks later
the ground shifted under indie, softly blurring her into consciousness. she stretched and breathed deeply. the smell of sex, alcohol and smoke hung heavily in the air like a brocaded tapestry. she opened her eyes, and met with those of neo. indie was only mildly surprised, not angry or scared. she loved neo more than anyone in her life. he was her boy, her own little boy although at 6’ he towered over her small 5’3” frame and he was two years older than her. her fingers stretched across his gaze, gently caressing his cheekbone and brow, taking pleasure in feeling the prickliness of his shaved head. his arm reached over and he pulled her close, the length of their bodies pressed against each other, lying on their sides. she sighed at the warm feeling of skin against skin, flesh against flesh. the ground shifted yet again; she was lying on his arm.
“sorry.” she whispered, discovering that her throat was parched. he smiled.
“did you know that you smile in your sleep?” he asked. indie smiled softly in response.
“why’d you come last night? i mean, if you don’t mind my asking. what happened with The Girl?” indie asked gently. she knew how much The Girl had meant to neo. she had laboriously spent several hours listening to his agonies and ecstasies. something must have happened to make him go seek relief in ethanol. he had shown up on her doorstep in the middle of the night, swaying back and forth, his speech thick and slurred. he looked a sorry mess and she took him in. neo always needed someone to look after him. despite his tough exterior, he was a hurt child inside. no one knew this but indie and a few others, and besides, she could never turn her back on her boy neo. she knew what he wanted when she saw the look in his eyes. and when he touched her, she let him. indie broke out of her reverie and realized that neo was talking.
“what? i’m sorry, i wasn’t quite listening.” she apologized softly.
“nothing, just that The Girl is long gone. she was just playing with me. i couldn’t take it, i won’t be played with. fuck if i’ll give my heart to someone who’d just crush it.” he said, pain colouring his voice. indie hugged him closer, and kissed the edge of his collarbone.
“it’ll be alright.” she promised, folding her face into the curve of his neck. she drifted back off to sleep, lulled by the beating of neo’s heart. she woke up hours later, the sun warming her bare back. the curve of her cheek was pressed against neo’s chest, and her nose was filled with the smell of him. she propped herself on one elbow, watching neo as he slept. he looked so innocent, so small, so peaceful as he slept. she stroked his cheek, the slant of his nose, the curve of his mouth. something in the back of indie’s mind flickered, and she sat up suddenly.
“what day is it?” she asked frantically, knowing that she should be doing something instead of lounging in bed. neo pulled her back down into the tangle of sheets.
“saturday. i know cos last night was $3 triples.” he added when indie gave him a questioning look. they lay in bed talking in silence, communicating through gazes and touches. inevitably, the silence was broken by the sound of the door slamming and of feet stamping down the stairs.
“hello?” acid’s face appeared in the stairway. “oh, sorry.” he tossed, not looking the least sorry or embarrassed. he threw himself onto the bed across their legs. “zero’s up, she’s making coffee and mohawk and skater are here too; skater was smart enough to bring food - donuts. breakfast of champions, other than sex, of course. but donuts are filled with sugar, sex isn’t...right?” he winked, as skater came down the stairs with a boxful of sugar-coated donuts, followed by mohawk. both stopped hesitantly on the stairs when they saw indie and neo in bed, but were ushered in by acid. they sat down on the floor.
“what brings you here to these neck of the woods?” neo asked, somewhat annoyed at the interruption.
“don’t you remember?” mohawk asked. “acid and i are doing a gig tonight.”
“of course, i forgot.” indie exclaimed, suddenly remembering her plans for the day.
“well, it’s 4 now, soundcheck is at 7, gig at 7:30. takes about an hour to get there, so you’ve two hours.” skater calculated. she always knew instinctively what indie wanted to know before she asked.
“get dressed, i’m hungry and want some real food.” acid said, throwing random clothes at them. indie pulled on a massive t-shirt and got out of bed. she made her way to the bathroom, and turned on the hot water. the spray of water burned her skin and washed over her body, erasing away all physical traces of the night before. indie wondered whether she ought to forget it or not. when she emerged from the steam-filled room, she found zero, handing out cups of steaming caffeine.
“coffee?” she asked perkily, strikingly like an air stewardess. it was ironic, zero looked like anything but and air stewardess, with her dyed, dark purple hair and unconventional makeup combinations. indie gratefully accepted the murky cup. neo headed for the shower, leaving zero and indie searching amidst piles of clothing for some unspecific black dress. skater, mohawk and acid were upstairs, probably glued to the cathode ray box. the elusive black dress was eventually found; black was the standard uniform for indie, and she hated wearing pants. indie pulled her wet hair back into a loose bun, and proceeded to put on her face. dressed in black, with her pale skin, black eyeliner and dark lips, she blended inconspicuously into the crowd of post gen-Xers. she smiled at her reflection, amused by the thought of being perceived as normal, of conforming to normality without being normal.