Flash of Violet

Tom walked around Oli's flat with his camera clutched between his fingers, doing his best to avoid all the drunk morons and their flailing arms. He held the chunk of black plastic in his hands, carefully focusing and unfocusing, doing his best to get the perfect shots of everyone. It was hard to maneuver his camera while walking around in the bear suit that Matt's mum had made. She must've thought they were actually going to go out, because it was made of thick material. Tom was hot, with sweat rolling down his forehead, but he refused to take off the bear suit. He didn't want anyone thinking he was weird, seeing as how everyone else was dressed up. That, and he knew Oli would shit his pants if he even thought of taking off the suit, because then everyone would be asking him, "Who's that weirdo with camera?" Because, you know they were sober enough to notice.

Tom rubbed his face and took a seat on the edge of the brick fireplace, as his ankles were starting to shake from crouching. He looked around and actually took in his settings. There weren't very many interesting costumes this year, just a bunch of girls with their nipples and most of their twats covered, if that. He blinked once more, ready to just turn in and go lay down until everyone left. He surveyed the room one last time, without the intention of snapping anymore pictures. But, then he saw her. He saw the girl Matt had been talking about. He wasn't exactly sure how he knew it was her, but it had to be. She was sitting alone on the floor, her legs crossed Indian style. She had a cigarette in her left hand and was contemplating on just dropping the ash on the floor when someone bumped into her. She looked up with an irritated grin on her face, but noticed her ash had fallen out and resumed to sucking on her smoke.

She had platinum blonde hair. Real hair, not hair that had it's color stripped from it. There was a long line of purple that ran all the way down the to tips of her hair. She had almond shaped eyes that were staring at the smoke drifting from her cigarette. He looked at her shirt, a white tank doused in blood and a pair of cut off jeans, also spattered with blood. Tom's eyes trailed to her feet, which were covered in an extremely worn out pair of cherry red converse.

Before Tom even realized it, he'd began snapping endless pictures of her. Her shoes, her jeans, her waist, her chest, her arms, the cigarette held tightly in her left hand, and finally her face. Her gorgeous face. Tom watched through his lens as she brought the cigarette up to her lips and sucked in the smoke, holding it only for a moment before releasing it.

Tom's finger was against the shutter button and he clicked a shot of her. He clicked multiple shots of her. Of the smoke coming from her mouth, of the fangs that looked so realistic behind her lips. Of her big round eyes, looking right at him. She grinned slightly, at Tom. He realized this quickly and fumbled with the camera, snapping another shot of her. He lowered the camera to look at her properly and realized she had turned the other way and was now conversing with some guy that had shown up. Tom sighed. He knew girls that came to Oli's parties wouldn't want a thing to do with him. They hardly knew he existed. Hell, Olihardly knew he existed.

Tom got up from the fireplace with his camera around his neck, still gripping it in his hands and walked into the kitchen to get something to drink and check the clock. Oli grabbed him by the shirt, his whole presence just reeking of alcohol. His breath, his clothes, even his words. He was fucking smashed.

"Go in yer fuckin' room Tom. Yer done takin' pictures."

"No 'm not."

"Yer bein' a little fuckin' creep Tom!"

"Sod off!"

Oli grabbed Tom's camera and yanked on it, jerking Tom's head forward hissing at him, "Go. Now. Or I'll break this fuckin' camera. I swear teh God Tom, I'll do it. I'll break yer fuckin' computer too, yeh fuckin' weirdo."

Tom lifted his eyes from the ground as he saw a pair of small feet in cherry red converse step into the kitchen. He looked into the pair of big, almond shaped eyes that held a nice green color and immediately became embarrassed. He shoved Oli off of him and walked past the girl, refusing to stop until he got into his bedroom.

With Tom gone, Oli grinned, totally playing off like he didn't just threaten everything his little brother cared about, "Yer Violet, aren't yeh?"

"Erm yeah." She said uneasily, "Olleh, right?"

Oli stuck his hand out, grinning, "Right." He paused, "Sorry 'bout meh brother creepin' 'round with his camera."

Violet didn't make an attempt to shake Oli's hand, she was too occupied pulling her lighter out of her pocket.

"No need teh apologize," She said, lighting her cigarette and waving away the smoke, "I ain't ever seen 'im before, 'as he always lived 'ere?"

"No, he just moved in a couple weeks ago."

Violet nodded, her curiosity getting the best of her, "Why?"

Oli wasn't about to tell this bird that Tom had come to live with him so that he could keep track of the stupid shit Oli did, so he bit his lip and quickly thought of the first thing that came to mind, "Fights with meh mum a lot, asked if 'e could come 'ere."

Violet looked at Oliver skeptically, almost positive he was lying. Oliver didn't seem to be very nice to Tom, or maybe they just had a small argument. Either way, it was none of her business. So, she pretended like she bought Oli's bullshit and nodded, "Well that's real nice of yeh teh take 'im in like that."

Oli shrugged, "'Spose so."

Before Violet was able to pull the smoke out of her mouth and ask Oli another question, Casey came flying into the kitchen and grabbed her left forearm.

"Bloody 'ell Case! Watch it!" Violet yelled, holding her cigarette away from Casey, "Yer gonna burn somethin'!"

"We're leavin'." She muttered.

Violet looked over at Casey, who refused to look up at her and she turned to Oli, waving slightly. She let Casey drag her outside, the cold Sheffield air forcing goose bumps to crawl across their skin after being in Oli's warm flat. Violet pulled another drag on her smoke and looked at Casey, who was fumbling to tie the strings to her vest.

"What the 'ell are yeh doin'?" Violet sighed.

"Fixin' meh shirt, what the 'ell does it look like!"

"Why?"

'''Cause, it's fucking untied!" She snapped.

"I see that! Why is it untied? Yeh didn't 'ave sex with Matt in Oli's apartment, did yeh?"

"No!" She said, her voice shaking, "'e didn't want teh."

"Casey!"

"What?! 'ts not meh fault! What's wrong with meh? Am I 'orrid?"

"Of course yer not. Why'd yeh try bangin' 'im?"

"He's good lookin'."

"Well," Violet said, biting her tongue, "What'd 'e say to you?"

"Told me I was cute, but 'e didn't know meh well enough teh 'ave sex."

Violet wrapped her arm around her best friend and stubbed out her smoke as they reached Violet's car, "What wrong with that, Case? At least 'e respects yeh."

"Whatever," Casey mumbled, opening the car door, "'e prolly thinks 'm ugly."

"Or," Violet said, getting in her car and starting it, "Maybe 'e isn't a pig like all the other guys yehve dated."

Violet waited for Casey to say something. But she never did. She merely huffed loudly and looked out the window, ignoring the conversation. Violet was no doubt irritated with her best friend, but there was nothing she could do about it. She'd dealt with it for a good two years now, and that wasn't going to change any time soon.

That was another major difference between Violet and Casey. Both of them wanted to be loved, but Casey would do absolutely anything to get it. On the other hand, Violet couldn't be bothered. If love came to her, it came to her. If it didn't, she'd wait some more.