Chequered Nettle

There was no way to avoid it. Blu was the one driving. It was always a hassle carpooling with him, but since we always headed in the same direction it made very little sense take two cars. Problem was, Blu stopped at almost every liquor store on the way to the house. He always had a craving for a snack, or a drink, or cherry filled empanada.

Today, however, Blu had decided he desperate needed a bathroom. So I waited in the car for over ten minutes. A time that was to big for just any regular shit. It didn't bother me. Over time I had grown used to behavior, just like he had mine. I kept myself entertained. The mustang had a system installed that acted like a tablet.

It was a work of beauty, this mustang. All of it pitch black. With he tinted windows the interior of the car wasn't visible. The only touch of color on the outside was a thin line of red encircling the rims.

It was Duke that had bought it recently. Our old muting had finally completely died so Duke offered to trade, for his brand new car. Now, don't assume that just because this car was old - '60's I think - that it was a beauty. Far from it.

To begin, the exterior of the car was hardly something to look at. The paint was a faded blue and there were rust stains here and there. The front bumper was missing, so it had no lights. The back lights didn't work so every time we would turn, we had to stick our hands out the window. Hand raised high for a right turn, straight for a left turn, and down for a stop.

The passenger door didn't fit it's socket, it must've fallen out at some point and replaced with a door that belonged to another model. We could only close the door if we hooked a wire hanger to it. Which was then promptly fastened with duck tape.

The clutch was bad, and the only way to get it it to stop was to pump the brake enough before the stop sign. The worst part, I think, was the gaping whole on the floor passenger's side. At any given moment, we could see the street beneath our feet rolling on by. Blu made a game of it. He would drop a piece of paper down the hole then watch it as it zoomed away.

No one really understood Duke, even though we had known him for such a long time. One day we were late to rehearsals. We told him that our car had just up and died, he pushed it aside, until we were leaving hours later. Duke told us to take his car, a brand new car he had just bought a few months ago since I had made it obvious how much I hated taking the bus. We thought it was only temporary.

A few days later, he offered us a trade. We thought he had lost it. "Don't think of as a favor, or generosity, I just really want your piece of junk car." was how he put it. There was no arguing with Duke. It's not like money was tight for him.

It was a horrible car, and I'm pretty sure it was illegal judging by the dark smoke it emitted whenever we turned it on, but it got us where we had to go. A crappy car was better than no car, we just were lucky enough upgrade. I think I would miss that shit car, but this new car sure made it hard.

"There was a butterfly outside." was the first thing Blu said when he came back inside the car.

"Huh?" I said closing the application I had been running on the dash.

"Over there by the store." He said as he set a six pack of energy drinks on the back seat. Seeing those cans I could tell we were probably going to stop on the way back home. "But some kid must've pulled out it's wings." Blu continued. He turned on the engine and the black monster of a machine roared to life. "So I gave it some red bull, but it drowned." he said with a cynical smile. He then turned on the system and loud music blared over the speakers.

Funny thing about Blu. A lot of times the things he say seem childish, or sometimes incoherent but once asked to explain why he said such a think his way of thinking is so elaborate. Many people meet him, hear what he says, and call him stupid. I don't think he is. I don't understand him. I can't follow his logic, so he must me smarter than me. Maybe we're both just stupid. If that's the case then I'm the most stupid.

We got to Withering Heights late as usual. Duke and Ira understood by now the reason why. The house on Withering Heights belonged to Duke. His parents had given it to him. At some point he had the house remolded; rooms added, others expanded. I think it was the house he grew up in but I wasn't sure. Duke was always fuzzy with his past, he always avoided it and none of us really pushed it.

His past didn't matter to me. What mattered to me now was his ability to produce music. A gift that was his most extraordinary feature. Looking at him, you wouldn't expect that from someone who looked like him. So many people underestimate blonds. I should know.

I could see Ira's motorcycle parked in the driveway. He lived in this house, with Duke. Last night we had all left in a huff. I'm sure Ira went off to blow off some steam. He wasn't twenty one yet, but Ira found ways to get his hands on alcohol. A habit we were all trying to break him out of, especially with that motorcycle as his main form of transportation.

Me and Blu left to my apartment. Living there with my girl isn't easy with Blu as a roommate. I don't have any problem with him, but my girl insists on living alone. Lately she's been pushing it more than usual.

We entered house carrying bags full of snack that Blu had picked up along the way. When we entered, Duke and Ira - who was sitting on the sofa - looked over at us cautiously before.

"What's up with you guys?" I asked them. Something was up, and I was going to find out what.

"Me." I heard a voice behind me. Turning slowly, the first thing I saw was her wild red hair and dark colored clothing. She was leaning against the wall carelessly, her hands crossed over her chest in arrogance. Alice Knight was there with the same sickeningly cold stare from before. From when she sang her second song. That second song. I never knew that such a beautiful sounding voice could sound so evil and angry.

In all honesty. This girl scared the hell out of me. She was one way one day, then completely different the next. She seemed so bi-ploar to me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked softly not wanting to provoke the same argument from before. Ira wanted her as his singing partner, but I wanted Evan just because this girl seemed so unbalanced. Duke, however, had been leaning towards someone completely different. The argument that had started between me and Ira, ended with him and Duke. Now she was here, and that mean, for once, Ira had won an argument.

"Isn't obvious." Ira said standing up. "She's our new band mate."