Wall Paper Flowers.

When I woke up it was raining outside, and the house smelt like bacon, and other breakfast foods.
Thankfully it was a Saturday and I didn’t have to work until later, not to mention I wouldn’t have to go get Reid because he wasn’t working today, it would just be me, Dalton, and Harold. Harold was the owner of the shop that we worked at and he was a very nice, laid back guy. He was young only about 25 and he was your everyday regular pot head. I got out of my bed and went down stairs where my dad was cooking breakfast and had Cinema by Benny Benassi featuring Skrillex playing.

No this isn’t any kind of surprise, not with my dad, we basically lived in Hollywood and anything that was the new trend was in my house. My dad wasn’t ever really the normal American dad he dressed like a young guy would, blue jeans that were faded, nice shoes, and plain colored or white shirts, flannels and such, he even styled his hair and would have it colored every now and then, he use to date a lot but hasn’t here recently so much. All of my girlfriends found him attractive but that’s not so bad I suppose.

I sat down at the bar and sighed, he turned around to greet me with a smile.

“Good morning kid!”

“Morning…” I rubbed my eyes.

He went back to his cooking and I decided I would go get my phone and started upstairs. We had a really roomy beach house and in my room was a huge window that looked out onto the beach almost perfectly. It wasn’t really a beach house but it was in a beach neighborhood and when we moved in dad really wanted a good view but not too close.

Just as I walked into my room my phone started ringing, Nicki Minaj: ‘Did It On ‘em’. That was Andrez’s ring tone my only black friend.

‘Hello?’

‘Hey man what are you doing today?’

‘Uhhh. Nothing… Working later.’

‘Ah, man speaking of your job Harold got me a job on the other side of town!’

He already had a job… Two of them

‘But you already have a job.’

‘I know I do, no need to get sore dude, I live on my own I don’t have a rich bachelor dad.’

‘Man don’t. I didn’t mean it like that.’

‘I know. But still if you aren’t busy let me know there’s a car show today in Hollywood, I know how you like the cars.’

I bit my bottom lip, I wondered if dad would want to go, his CARS were all older than mine except for one, his 2009 Camaro, it was gun metal and had a purple decal, exactly what you’re thinking, decepticon, transformers.

‘Well I…’

‘You want to go with your dad, it’s alright let me know if you’re gonna go and I’ll meet you there, I gotta go.’

He hung up the phone and I tucked my phone into the pocket of my pajama pants and ran back down stairs.

“Dad! There’s another car show in Hollywood today we should go.”

“I’m literally two steps ahead of you.”

He flashed two tickets to the West Hollywood Car Show.

“Awesome… I work at uhh, five thirty tonight sooo.”

“So go get ready to go!”

I went upstairs and got dressed in my usual attire. White dress shirt, with a black tie and dark blue skinny jeans with a pair of checkered vans. This is what I usually would wear to school, changed the color of the tie sometimes, if I wore one that day, or I would change the shirt color, wear a flannel or a band shirt, on those days everyone would ask if I was okay, annoying really. I fixed my hair in the little mirror on my dresser and met up with dad at the table to eat quickly before we left.

“You really want to wear that? It’s hot out today, maybe today should be a tank top day?”

“This… I wear this like every day.”

“When you go to school or dinner, where you’re in doors with air conditioning. Remember when we took Reid and Chance to the amusement park and you bitched all day about being hot?”

I smiled remembering that day.

“Yeah but I was wearing black that day. I like to look nice.”

“Alright, fine. Then we can take your car and have the windows down?”

I thought and then sighed in defeat.

“Fine. Let me eat first.”

XXX

I decided to wear my fake buttoned gray tank top that was outlined on the sleeves and collar in a dark gray, but I kept the jeans and shoes.

When we got to the car show Andrez was there and it was all good and fun for about the first hour or so, then Macy was there like she knew I would be there, like she was waiting for me, and I hated that so much, it’s like she came here on purpose, which she probably did just to piss me off.

I haven’t really let you know much about Macy, mostly because I wanted to forget about Macy Medusa. That’s what my friends and I called her, except for Ashley who didn’t know anything about her.

Macy Johnson.

She was just a horrible person, she would use people to her advantage and I was still here to prove it.
Last school year I had cancer, but now I was okay. She dated me so that people would feel bad for her, and because I was stupid and thought I was going to die I had sex with her, and she told everyone. She was a year older than me and apparently a member of a stupid whore club. All of the girls in her ‘group’ found out that I was a ‘good kid’ in other words that I was a virgin they told her to set her sights on me because that’s what they did, fucked virgins and then broke up with them, after they let you know it was all a joke, your whole relationship didn’t mean anything and you just earned her points in her whore club.
I didn’t let her get me down so bad, I had already lost my hair and everything that cancer brings with it when it moves in. But then when everything started to get better and I was healed and okay, the cancer had been evicted and I was going to live a normal life, I was informed that I had contracted herpes. I know what you’re thinking. That I was retarded depressed, and I was but I didn’t let it all come out. When I got back to school I confronted her in front of as many people as I could and yelled as loud as I could ‘Why did you give me herpes?!’.

Now everyone knew about me, but I didn’t care I just wanted them to know about her because it would ruin everything for her. She lost a lot of friends people made fun of her for it so much that she moved schools and started going by her middle name, Kendra.

When my dad noticed that she was there, he grabbed me by the arm and basically forced us to leave, Andrez followed because he knew about the whole thing. It ruined my day, and I had to work today.

XXX

I stood at the counter tapping my foot and waiting for someone to come in, I hated slow days.
I could feel Dalton looking at me but I ignored it.

“Hey… Are you alright? You’re acting weird.”

“No… I mean... Yeah, yeah I’m fine.”

“Except for not? Dude what’s up?”

“We saw Medusa today! That’s what’s wrong!” A few customers looked up and I apologized for my yelling.

“We saw Macy… She was at SHCS today. She doesn’t even like cars dude.”

“Bro she was stalking you! Ha.”
“Um sorry to interrupt fellas but who the hell is Macy?” Harold asked us.

“Oh some girl that gave Anson herpes.”

“DUDE!” More people looked at us and then back down.

Harold looked at me. “You have herpes? You like fifteen…”

“You smoke weed and live with your mom? You’re like twenty five.”

“Woah bro, chill the burns.”

“And I’m sixteen. The age you have to be to have a job?”

“Well yeah… Sorry for saying the wrong number.” The bell above the door rang and Ashley walked in with Chance, Reid, and Emily.

I turned to Harold quickly. “Don’t say anything okay? Ashley doesn’t know and I kind of like her.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll take it to my grave.”

I turned around and smiled at them. When Ashley came up and tried to hug me over the counter Harold jumped up next to me.

“Anson wanted you to know that he has herrrrshey’s chocolate in his car.” The he ran off. Chance started laughing but me and everyone didn’t find it funny.

“That wasn’t cool Harold!” Reid called after him.

“So you have chocolate in your car?” Ashley giggled a little bit.

“Yeah… No I don’t actually and if I did it would be liquid by now I think.”

“Oh… Well I know your secret Anson Schulz!”

“Um… What secret?”

“That you’ve already gotten my birthday present what is it?”

I sighed in relief.

“Well I can’t tell you, it being secret also means that it’s a surprise.”

She looked at my arms, where the sleeves of my dress shirt would usually be showing and squinted her eyes.

“You’re not wearing a dress shirt today.”

“No ma’am I am not.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you not wearing one.”

“Probably not, I’ve only known you since this school year barley started and I’m pretty sure I’ve worn my normal attire every day since I’ve met you.”

“Dress shirts and ties are normal for you?”

“He’s worn them mostly since we were in like seventh grade.” Chance said from where he was ordering his drink from Dalton.

“Yeah… Actually they are, as weird as that may seem.”

“I think it’s cute, so don’t worry about it, can I order my drink now?”

“Uh yeah.” I leaned back and put the code into the touch screen computer, which took the orders.

“What’ll it be?”

“Mmm, grande caramel frap.”

“Sounds good…” I punched in the employee discount code. “A dollar fifty please.”

“Discount?”

I nodded my head. She handed me exact change.

“It’ll be out over there in a few.”

“I know the routine.”

She walked away with Emily and Chance and Reid came up to the counter.

“Dude, why would you tell Harold about you’re… Thing?”

“I didn’t… Dalton did it for me.”

“What the hell man, that isn’t something that you get to tell people!”

“I didn’t mean too fucks sake.”

“Oh it just slipped out?”

“Yes, it really did. Im so sorry.”

“Don’t Reid, it’s okay. I can be pissed off on my own.”

“Right, I’m not gonna have anything… I’m tired of coffee.”

“Hey Anson your shift is almost up, after these last orders get out go ahead and head home alright?”

“Okay.”

Harold disappeared to the back and I looked at Dalton who nodded for me to go ahead and clock out, so I did and hung my apron up, taking my work shirt off and throwing it over my shoulder.

“Hey!” Dalton called to me, I turned around and he had Ashley’s coffee in his hand.

“Good luck with your lady!” I took the drink and walked around the counter saying excuse me to the last of the customers that were leaving, Harold ran out and locked the doors, pulling the blinds over them, then ran over to where the radio was and hooked up Dalton’s iPod.

I walked around the corner to where everybody was sitting. Emily smiled at me.

“You look good out of your good boy clothes!”

That caused Ashley to turn around and smile at me too.

“Uhm, here’s your drink.” I handed it to her and got up to grab it.

“Can I get a ride home again?”

“Yeah. Come on, see you guys around I guess?”

“Yeah man” Chance said taking his sunglasses off.

“You should probably keep those on; the fluorescent lights might burn your retinas.”

Everybody laughed and Dalton rounded the corner with an arm full of coffees and sat down with everyone.

Ashley smiled at me and we walked behind the counter and into the back room. I said bye to Harold and walked out the back door with Ashley. She was quietly sipping on her coffee not speaking. We got into my car and Gorillaz started to play loudly and I reached over to the radio to turn it down, leaving it playing to avoid awkward silence. Before I pulled out of the parking spot I grabbed a cigarette and lit it. Ashley looked over at me and smiled.

“You smoke? I didn’t know that.”

“Uh yeah, sometimes. Not often obviously since I’m under age but my dad doesn’t care.”

“Reid told me that your dad was really cool. I want to meet him.”

“You would just think he was cute.”

“Your dad?! He’s got to be atleast forty.”

“Well yeah but every girl that meets my dad thinks so, it’s not really annoying as much as it’s just weird you know?”

“Yeah… When my mom was still around my friends use to tell me how pretty she was.”

“Your mom had cancer didn’t she?”

“Yeah, just like you, but you fought it huh?”

“I guess so. Otherwise I’d be dead right?”

She laughed. “Yeah I suppose. Or you would be one of the zombies from the horrible horror films that you enjoy.”

“I just like old movies, they might be bad but whatever, and movies run in my blood, quite literally. My dad works with movies, my grandpa did too, and my great grandpa was in a few.”

“That’s really cool… Do you want to make movies too?”

“I would rather write them, and have my dad direct them.”

“Your dad is a movie director?”

“And producer, so I’m all set up.”

“That’s so cool. But I thought you told me you wanted to travel, go to the moon even.”

“I do… When I write movies and stuff… I’ll be able to do that, I hope.”

“You haven’t traveled already? I mean has your dad ever directed anything out of country.”

“No, well one time yeah, Hawaii but that’s still America.”

“Did you go with him?”

“Yeah, but I was like ten and my mom was still here so was my brother… It was a long time ago and just so happened to luckily be in the summer.”

“Oh… I forgot that you had a brother… Jackson right?”

“Yeah. He’s a youth minister in New York now though.”

“Does he come back home ever?”

“Yeah, for some holidays, that’s all though.”

“Oh… Can we maybe go to your house for a little while? I just want to see where you live…”

“Yeah… Sure just for a bit though.”

“Sounds fine with me. Does your car go fast?”

“Mmm, yeah, but I would rather not push it…”

“I understand…”

“My dad has a 2009 Camaro… I’ll drive you home in that.”

“Really? That would be awesome.”

“Do you… like cars or just going fast?”

“Just going fast.” She giggled a little and my heart sank a little as well, I’ll probably never find a girl that loves cars.

“That’s alright, my dad has a lot of cars, and we go to car shows sometimes.”

“That sounds fun.”

“I guess so.”

We pulled into my drive way, to the right of the garage so I would be able to drive out with the Camaro.

“You do not live here!”

“Yes ma’am I do actually.”

“It’s so big… And pretty, you guys just have a huge window right above the garage… But the beach is that way.” She pointed in the direction.

“Yeah, me and my dad’s rooms look out to it… Good view.”

“If you’re quiet you can hear the waves on the beach.”

We walked up the wooden stairs that led to the front porch and to the front door, along the side of the house are palm trees and other trees bright with flowers on them. We walked into the house, it was ten o’clock now and my dad would probably be asleep. I closed the door quietly behind us.

Ashley looked around at the walls and the the massive room, which had the window above the garage. She looked out and saw the city, full of life and lights that we had just drove from, she smiled.

“This house is beautiful Anson; I can’t believe you live here.”

“Well I do.”

“There are film awards on the walls! Oh my god have you been to the Grammy’s before or what?”

“Every year with my dad… who’s probably asleep right now, so can we keep it down?”

“Oh I’m sorry. Is he invited or does he just buy tickets?”

“You have to buy them regardless but if you’re invited them they aren’t as expensive.”

“Wow, I want your life.”

“Come on. I’ll show you my bedroom?”

“Okay!”

She wasn’t the kind of girl that thought ‘I’ll show you my room.’ Meant sex, so far so good I suppose.

She followed me quietly up the stairs and down the hall, when we reached my room she walked over to the bed and sat on it on her knees looking out the window.

“It’s too bad it’s night time… You would really like it, the view I mean.”

“You can kind of see the water… The moon is shining down on it. It’s really pretty.”

She sat on her bottom and waved for me to come sit with her. So I did.

“Chance showed me a picture of you when you had long hair… I like it better the way it is now.”

“Thank you.”

“Can we lie down?”

“Sure… Why?”

“Well… I was kind of wondering. Maybe I could stay over here tonight… I would have stayed with Emily but her mom is always yelling… I just don’t want to stay with my sister tonight.”

I thought for a moment, kind of afraid to let her stay, but I would feel bad if I took her to her sister’s house. She really didn’t like it there, he sister’s boyfriend was mean to her and I knew that because I had witnessed it.

“Yeah… You can stay here. I don’t mind.”

“What about your dad?”

“He won’t care, I promise.” I smiled at her and got up to find her something to sleep in, I got an old pair of basketball shorts and a band shirt.

“You can change in the bathroom, it’s right on the side of my door.”

“Just turn around, I can change right here.”

“Oh… Okay.”

I turned to look at the floor and she giggle.

“You don’t really have to look away if you don’t want to…”

“No that would be rude, just go ahead it’s alright really.”

She began to change, I knew because she kicked her jeans off along with her shoes. I didn’t look up though and it didn’t make me nervous to have her changing in my room, but it did make me feel like I needed to tell her about my problem, and sooner than I had wanted too. When she was finished dressing she got underneath the covers of my bed and snuggled up into the blanket. I kicked off my shoes and got in the bed before I took off my own pants and tried to get comfortable with a pretty girl in my bed. I turned off the lamp, which was the only source of light in the room, and the lava lamp and small fish tank filled the room with little light.

“Anson… Will you tell me about Macy? I’ve heard some rumors and just was curious.”

“What rumors have you heard?” My stomach felt like it was in knots now; I didn’t want her to know any of it.

“Other people have told me that you have Hershey’s chocolate… But not in your car.”

She seemed to not care about it, and that little joke she made got me to laugh.

“Is it true?” She asked with a little laugh at the end.

I sighed deeply.

“Yeah, but it’s a really long story, I’m not dirty or anything, it was all her fault.”

“I heard that she messed you around pretty bad… But I like long stories… So tell me.”

I smiled and rolled over to where I could hardly make out her face. Maybe it wasn’t such a long story after all… But just a long chapter in a long story.