Alone at Six

"Okay, I'm sorry, I just don't get it." I said through a blood covered peach ring. "Why do you wear all white?" My mouth was still bleeding because I wouldn't shut up long enough to let it heal. As soon as we'd gotten into the cab I'd launched into a string of questions just to get a conversation going. Cole eventually told me to stop talking and let her answer something or she's getting out.

Cole only shrugged and tried to bite a gummy cherry in half, pulling so hard her head flew back into the window with a loud 'thud'.

"You okay?" I asked.

"I don't know."

"You don't know if you're in pain or not?"

"Nono, I'm fine. I don't know about the white thing." She rubbed the back of her head and continued to chew the gummy until it finally broke in half.

I wiped my mouth, following the driver's instructions on making sure blood didn't get on anything. "How do you not know? I mean, you buy your cloths, don't you?"

She shrugged again "I guess I just figured, ya know, why not?"

"Why not wear white constantly? I've never heard of anyone coming up with that." Of course I should know by now that Cole isn't just like anyone else.

"Well, I saw that everyone was always wearing black. Black shirts, black pants, black dressed, black hats. Even famous people and bands were in all black."

I suddenly felt self conscious of our band image. Why did we always wear all black? It was a pretty common color and wasn't every band's goal to stick out and be notices? Or was it to do what you want to matter how alike it is to other similar things? I didn't think about it too long, I shouldn't care now if I didn't then.

"Then I looked in my closet" Cole continued "and I saw that most of that was black. Don't call me a loser, but the only thing I could think was what Mark Twain said. 'When you find yourself on the side of majority, it's time to pause and reflect.' " She shrugged "Plus, black is the color of war. Why would I want to walk around promoting war and militarism?"

"Wow. I never thought of it that way. But you do know that white is the color of death, right?"

She nodded "Yeah. But I'd rather be a martyr than a murderer."

"Mar...t...yr..." I tailed off, hearing the sound of my own voice.

"With knives and pins we make our plight." a muffled me sang.

"Is that....is that me? Do you have a mini-me in your bag?"

Cole dug her phone out of her bag and I caught a glimpse of a picture of a blue haired girl on the screen. "Yep, I carry around my singing Andy Six doll. Half off at Toys-R-Us. Hello?" She said, answering her phone.

Cole's phone reminded me of Sandra and how I probably should have been back at the hotel an hour ago. They were going to murder me. I completely ditched Sandra, Jake, Ashley, and Jinxx. Shit.

"Okay okay" Cole said in a way that didn't seem okay. "Bye." She hung up and pressed her hands to her face and her head against the glass while her whole face went from a tan color to red. "Oh my god."

"What's wrong?" I said, pulling a hand away from her face.

"Nothing, just my friend" She wiped tears away from her eyes "We're suppose to be doing a fund raiser for the senior class and she keeps ditching me and screwing me over. She didn't call anyone so now we have nothing."

"Maybe I can help?" I had no idea how I could help, but she seemed so upset and I got a really weird, bad feeling in my chest. Like it was happening to me only ten times worse.

"No, it's cool. Sorry, I don't know why I'm crying like a retard. I'm just frustrated." Her bag fell on the ground as she moved to put her phone back, everything spilling out. "Crap."

I bent and picked up a few things, setting them on the seat. "uh, Cole. Why do you have a candle glass in here?" I said as I held up a glass that used to have wax in it.

"Oh. It's from the kitchen, I collect them. I just really like candles and didn't want to throw any away."

"Dragon's blood." I read off the glass.

"Yeah, my favorite kind. I can't really find it anywhere, though."

"Oh, that's cool." I bit a twin cherry in half.

"How do you do that?" She asked, looking at me with a disproving frown.

"Do what?" I looked down, wondering if I had unknowingly done anything amazing, or something offensive. Which wouldn't be surprising considering how my day had been going so far.

"Just bite it. With no problem."

"Oh. I have really sharp teeth." I shrugged as the car pulled up into her driveway "I can rip cloths with these things."

"Wow. Not getting in a fight with you." She looked out of the window and sighed. "Well, bye Andy."

Bite one guy and they never let you live that down, ether. He didn't even bleed!.....for long. "Bye Cole." I didn't bother with a 'see you later'. It wouldn't matter.

She got out and walked up to the door, bag hitting her legs and arms swinging. Watching her walk, I realized the guys where right. I did like her. I liked the way she walked, her reason for white, her defense, I even liked her lisp when she sometimes said words with a S in then. I've talked to her all of four times and just had a complete conversation with her, just got to know her a little. And liked her.

The car drove back to the hotel and I paid the crap load of money for the ride. Not that I cared too much, it was for Cole after all. Getting out, I spotted a square yellow and blue book like thing on the ground. On the cover was the face of a Indian with the words 'Wicomico High School' printed on the front and the name Cole. M. Tello on the side.

I took it and hopped out of the car. Before I reached the hotel door, I heard the worst thing I could have possibly imagined.

"Andrew Biersack!" Sandra's voice yelled out. "Where the fuck have you been!?"