Green Porcupine

I wake up the next morning and nuzzle up to Tre.
"Merry Christmas." I mutter.
"Merry Christmas." He says yawning.
"Can I borrow your car this morning?" I ask casually.
"Sure, but can I know why?" he asks shifting his weight onto his elbow.
"I want to visit my dad." I say lying on my back.
"I could come with you if you want." Tre offers.
"Uh, I don't know." I say nervously.
"I'll behave." Tre says sincerely.
"I guess, but what about Ramona?"
"Claudia should be back soon." Tre says looking over at the clock on his nightstand.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Merry Christmas Dad!" Frankito's voice belts out from the other side of the door.
"Speak of the devil." Tre says getting out of bed and heading to the door. "Hey Frankito!"
"Let's go open presents!" he says happily. "Come on Bianca, Santa brought you some too." Frankito says as he scampers off.

We exchange gifts and eat breakfast. Ramona and Frankito sit in front of the T.V. to try out all the new video games, meanwhile Tre and I get going to my father's.
"Bianca, what are you doing here?" My father asks happily as he opens the door. "And who's this?"
"This is Tre." I say casually.
"Tre as in that green haired kid who'd eat all our food."
"Yeah that was me." Tre says happily.
"Jeez you haven't changed much have you?" My father asks looking him over, "You kind of cleaned up though."
"Yeah, I discovered showers in the past few years." Tre says laughing.
"So, I saw you on T.V. a while back, so I take it your band worked out after all." My dad says as we sit down in the living room.
"Yeah, we got pretty popular." Tre says shrugging.
"He's being modest; he has teenage girls screaming they're heads off at concerts." I say laughing.
"Oh really." My dad says with interest, "Teenage heartthrob."
"It's because I'm so cute." Tre says evilly.
"Well, when you got here I was just about to visit your mother." My father says getting up.
"Wait isn't she..." Tre stops himself.
"The cemetery." I whisper into his ear.
"Do you want to come?" my father asks.
"Yeah." I say as Tre nods sincerely.

We drive into town and stop at a flower shop.
"Are they even open?" I ask looking out of the car.
"No but I've gotten to know the owner, they live upstairs." My father says casually stepping out of Tre's car.
"Who's the owner?"
"It used to belong to Gregory Dubois but now it belongs to his daughter."
"That name sounds familiar." Tre says scratching his head.
"She probably went to Pinole Valley that's why." I say as we press the apartment buzzer. A few moments later a brown haired woman comes to meet us.
"Hey Mr. Sylva, how are you?" she asks in a friendly voice as she unlocks the door to the store.
"I'm fine thanks. Oh this is my daughter Bianca, and her boyfriend Tre." He says pointing at us.
"Wait! Bianca and Tre." She says looking at us in disbelief. "Pinole Valley?"
"Yeah." I say still trying to figure out who she is.
"It's me Veronica." She says happily as if we're old friends, "I was a cheerleader."
"Oh yeah, you dumped Mike ass and called us freaks." Tre says happily.
"I'm sorry about that." She mumbles. "But all these years and you're still together?"
"No actually we just go back together." I say trying to end the conversation.
"Well now that's aside, we need some flowers." My father says picking out a bouquet. Veronica fumbles with the cash register and asks me.
"So what have you been doing now-a-days?"
"Me!" Tre says happily. I slap his arm and indicate to him that my father is two feet away.
"Dancing, professionally." I say taking out my wallet, but Tre stops me and pays for the flowers.
"Oh so you took that scholarship thing whatsername talked about." Veronica says handing me the flowers.
"Yeah." I say as we walk out of the store.

We drive down to the cemetery and as we get out of the car Tre's cell phone rings.
"Hey Mom. . . .Yeah that's still the plan . . . . I'm with Bianca and her father." Tre puts his hand over his phone, "Would you like to join us for Christmas dinner?"
"No, no it's okay." My father says shaking his head.
"He says no." Tre looks back at my father, "She insists."
"No, I'm spending Christmas with my lady friend." My father says blushing.
"He has plans . . . . okay we'll see you later." Tre says turning off his phone.
"Lady friend?" I ask with interest.
"Her name is May; I met her at a barbecue George held this summer."
"That's nice." I say as we walk into the cemetery, I realize Tre is looking uneasy. "What's wrong Tre?"
"I don't like cemeteries." He says in a twitchy voice.
"You can wait in the car if you want." I say as we continue down the path.
"No, I'll be okay." He says taking a deep breath. We place the flowers on my mother's grave and stay a little while in silence.
"Let's go then." My father says as he makes his way down the path.
We drop my father off at his house then go back to Tre's to pick up Ramona and Frankito.