Gutter ***s
Jackson
I hang up the phone and grin manically.
“TRE! TRE! TRE!” I yell excitedly as I run through the basement apartment. The people on the floor above us stomp signaling for me to shut up but I don’t care. “Tre!” I whip open the bedroom door, Mike slept at Anastasia’s so it was just Tre lying in the room.
“Napping.” He says rolling over and hugging a pillow.
“No napping.” I say as I hop on him.
“Argh.” He says sitting up right and rubbing his eyes, “Yes dear?”
“Guess who called?”
“God?”
“No,” I laugh, “Don Lecarno!”
“Oh my god!” Tre squeals, “I have no idea who that is!”
“He’s the editor of Globan Magazine!” I exclaim, Tre’s eyes light up and he hugs me.
“So you got a job at a magazine?”
“Well not exactly,” I pause, “You see he’s putting together a photography exhibit and he wants something fresh, me, and he said if I get a good reaction he’ll make space for me working for the magazine.”
“You’re going to get the job, I know it.” Tre says as I hug him again.
“Well I got good news too.” Tre says happily, “I was going to tell you when you got home but I was napping.”
“What is it?” I ask happily.
“We finished recording today!” he says proudly, “And there’s even talk of a music video!”
“That’s in-fucking-credible!” I say hugging him excitedly.
“Yeah, and they booked us all these shows! So like we’re lazy bums now.”
“Oh no!” I laugh, “You’re gonna get fat.”
“That’s the plan baby.” Tre says smacking his stomach, “Just more of me to love. Bring on the bacon!” I giggle into his neck.
“No, we should go celebrate.” I say as I get up and start pulling at his arm.
“Don’t you work tonight?”
“Nope, c’mon lets hit the town, fool around and all the stuff.”
“I like the sounds of that fooling around stuff.”
“C’mon you lazy bum.” I say laughing.
“But we’re going out the lot of us tonight to get piss drunk and have trippy sex.” Tre says lying his head back on the pillow.
“Who’s this trippy sex with?” I ask crossing my arms
“Either you or Billie.” He yawns and closes his eyes.
“Since when do you take naps?” I’m kind of annoyed at this point.
“I’m so effing tired, I woke up at six this morning.”
“Why’d you do that?”
“I dunno, let me sleep now.” He says going back to sleep.
I grab my camera off the headboard and pick my sweater off the floor before leaving. I guess I should get started on photography for the show. I decide to head down to the bus station and take abstract photos there.
I see a homeless person sitting on a scrappy old bench, it would make such a perfect picture. I go up to him and look into my eyes.
“Hi, umm can I take a picture of you?” I ask holding up my camera, “I’ll be willing to pay you.”
“Sure,” he says with a kind smile, “Here?” I nod as I back up a bit to get the shot just right, “Do you want me to smile or look at the camera?”
“No, just sit like you were before I disturbed you.” I snap two pictures and he looks back up.
“You didn’t disturb me.” he says again. I pull a five dollar bill out of my pocket and hand it to him. “Thank you. So what’s the picture for?”
“Well I kinda got a break as a photographer, a potential employer called me up asking me if I wanted to take part in an art show.”
“Awesome. So did you just graduate from college then?”
“Yep,” I say nodding, “In June.”
“So are you from San Francisco or-“
“No, I’m from Seattle.” I say sweetly, “I was supposed to move back after college but-“
“But what?” he asks with a goofy smile.
“But I stayed to be with my boyfriend.”
“Ahh, I see now.” He laughs, “Handsome fella?”
“I’d say so.”
“Have nice muscles? I like my guys with muscles.” He says chuckling.
“You like guys?” I ask curiously.
“That’s what got me here in the first place.” He sighs, “Got kicked out of my parent’s house at fifteen for being, and I quote, a goddamn fag.”
“Holy shit.” I say in awe, “How old are you now?”
“Twenty-two.” He says embarrassed, “How old are you?”
“I just turned twenty last week.”
“Happy Birthday.”
“Uhh thanks.” I look at my watch and see I should be heading back to the apartment so we can all go out partying, “Hey, if you ever need a place to crash,” I pull a paper and pen out of my pocket and write down the address to the apartment.
“This your place?”
“I room with my boyfriend and his band mates, we always have out of town bands and stuff crashing at our place so they won’t mind.”
“Wait, what’s you name?”
“Lisea?”
“Mine’s Jackson.”
“Okay, so I’ll see you around?” I say as I walk quickly. I didn’t want the guys to leave without me. Just then I picture Billie and Tre going at it causing shivers up my spine because I’ve seen them kiss before.
I leap down the flight of stair to the apartment just as Mike opens the door, Anastasia by his side.
“We were just leaving.” He says as they walk past me, last one out is Tre who clumsily locks up the door. He’s wearing his grey hoodie which makes him look so cute and huggable. So I hug him causing him to laugh a bit.
“What’s this for?” he asks as we head up the stairs, I shrug.
“Its always tease, tease, tease,” Mike starts to sing as the lot of us make it back to the apartment in a drunken slur.
“You’re happy when I’m on my knees.” Tre sings too as he drops to his knees in front of Mike’s crotch.
“Yea-no.” Mike says pushing his head away.
“Some days its fine the next is black.” Billie sings as he trips over his own foot and bumps into me, “Hey Lisea, I can see down your shirt.” I push him away and adjust my top.
“You’re just jealous!” I protest as I cross my arms and go over to Tre who’s trying to stand up without falling back down.
“Yeah, cuz I really want a pair of C cups!” Billie sneers.
“I’m a B!” I yell, probably waking up anyone who’d been asleep on our street.
“Mike, I think I’m gonna throw up.” Anastasia states uneasily, the two of them make their way to the curb so she can throw up.
I see someone sitting on the steps of our building.
“Hey its Jason, no wait Jackson.” I say giggling, “I forgot, I said he could crash here.”
“Awe, I love you man.” Billie says sitting down across from Jason.
“Ahh a wasted bunch.” Jackson chuckles.
“Come, come.” I say reaching into Tre’s pant pockets to get his keys. I unlock the door and we all head inside.
“TRE! TRE! TRE!” I yell excitedly as I run through the basement apartment. The people on the floor above us stomp signaling for me to shut up but I don’t care. “Tre!” I whip open the bedroom door, Mike slept at Anastasia’s so it was just Tre lying in the room.
“Napping.” He says rolling over and hugging a pillow.
“No napping.” I say as I hop on him.
“Argh.” He says sitting up right and rubbing his eyes, “Yes dear?”
“Guess who called?”
“God?”
“No,” I laugh, “Don Lecarno!”
“Oh my god!” Tre squeals, “I have no idea who that is!”
“He’s the editor of Globan Magazine!” I exclaim, Tre’s eyes light up and he hugs me.
“So you got a job at a magazine?”
“Well not exactly,” I pause, “You see he’s putting together a photography exhibit and he wants something fresh, me, and he said if I get a good reaction he’ll make space for me working for the magazine.”
“You’re going to get the job, I know it.” Tre says as I hug him again.
“Well I got good news too.” Tre says happily, “I was going to tell you when you got home but I was napping.”
“What is it?” I ask happily.
“We finished recording today!” he says proudly, “And there’s even talk of a music video!”
“That’s in-fucking-credible!” I say hugging him excitedly.
“Yeah, and they booked us all these shows! So like we’re lazy bums now.”
“Oh no!” I laugh, “You’re gonna get fat.”
“That’s the plan baby.” Tre says smacking his stomach, “Just more of me to love. Bring on the bacon!” I giggle into his neck.
“No, we should go celebrate.” I say as I get up and start pulling at his arm.
“Don’t you work tonight?”
“Nope, c’mon lets hit the town, fool around and all the stuff.”
“I like the sounds of that fooling around stuff.”
“C’mon you lazy bum.” I say laughing.
“But we’re going out the lot of us tonight to get piss drunk and have trippy sex.” Tre says lying his head back on the pillow.
“Who’s this trippy sex with?” I ask crossing my arms
“Either you or Billie.” He yawns and closes his eyes.
“Since when do you take naps?” I’m kind of annoyed at this point.
“I’m so effing tired, I woke up at six this morning.”
“Why’d you do that?”
“I dunno, let me sleep now.” He says going back to sleep.
I grab my camera off the headboard and pick my sweater off the floor before leaving. I guess I should get started on photography for the show. I decide to head down to the bus station and take abstract photos there.
I see a homeless person sitting on a scrappy old bench, it would make such a perfect picture. I go up to him and look into my eyes.
“Hi, umm can I take a picture of you?” I ask holding up my camera, “I’ll be willing to pay you.”
“Sure,” he says with a kind smile, “Here?” I nod as I back up a bit to get the shot just right, “Do you want me to smile or look at the camera?”
“No, just sit like you were before I disturbed you.” I snap two pictures and he looks back up.
“You didn’t disturb me.” he says again. I pull a five dollar bill out of my pocket and hand it to him. “Thank you. So what’s the picture for?”
“Well I kinda got a break as a photographer, a potential employer called me up asking me if I wanted to take part in an art show.”
“Awesome. So did you just graduate from college then?”
“Yep,” I say nodding, “In June.”
“So are you from San Francisco or-“
“No, I’m from Seattle.” I say sweetly, “I was supposed to move back after college but-“
“But what?” he asks with a goofy smile.
“But I stayed to be with my boyfriend.”
“Ahh, I see now.” He laughs, “Handsome fella?”
“I’d say so.”
“Have nice muscles? I like my guys with muscles.” He says chuckling.
“You like guys?” I ask curiously.
“That’s what got me here in the first place.” He sighs, “Got kicked out of my parent’s house at fifteen for being, and I quote, a goddamn fag.”
“Holy shit.” I say in awe, “How old are you now?”
“Twenty-two.” He says embarrassed, “How old are you?”
“I just turned twenty last week.”
“Happy Birthday.”
“Uhh thanks.” I look at my watch and see I should be heading back to the apartment so we can all go out partying, “Hey, if you ever need a place to crash,” I pull a paper and pen out of my pocket and write down the address to the apartment.
“This your place?”
“I room with my boyfriend and his band mates, we always have out of town bands and stuff crashing at our place so they won’t mind.”
“Wait, what’s you name?”
“Lisea?”
“Mine’s Jackson.”
“Okay, so I’ll see you around?” I say as I walk quickly. I didn’t want the guys to leave without me. Just then I picture Billie and Tre going at it causing shivers up my spine because I’ve seen them kiss before.
I leap down the flight of stair to the apartment just as Mike opens the door, Anastasia by his side.
“We were just leaving.” He says as they walk past me, last one out is Tre who clumsily locks up the door. He’s wearing his grey hoodie which makes him look so cute and huggable. So I hug him causing him to laugh a bit.
“What’s this for?” he asks as we head up the stairs, I shrug.
“Its always tease, tease, tease,” Mike starts to sing as the lot of us make it back to the apartment in a drunken slur.
“You’re happy when I’m on my knees.” Tre sings too as he drops to his knees in front of Mike’s crotch.
“Yea-no.” Mike says pushing his head away.
“Some days its fine the next is black.” Billie sings as he trips over his own foot and bumps into me, “Hey Lisea, I can see down your shirt.” I push him away and adjust my top.
“You’re just jealous!” I protest as I cross my arms and go over to Tre who’s trying to stand up without falling back down.
“Yeah, cuz I really want a pair of C cups!” Billie sneers.
“I’m a B!” I yell, probably waking up anyone who’d been asleep on our street.
“Mike, I think I’m gonna throw up.” Anastasia states uneasily, the two of them make their way to the curb so she can throw up.
I see someone sitting on the steps of our building.
“Hey its Jason, no wait Jackson.” I say giggling, “I forgot, I said he could crash here.”
“Awe, I love you man.” Billie says sitting down across from Jason.
“Ahh a wasted bunch.” Jackson chuckles.
“Come, come.” I say reaching into Tre’s pant pockets to get his keys. I unlock the door and we all head inside.