Give Me Something to Believe

Climbing into the back of the car Cherry kept her lips pursed. It was disgusting. Bottles and cans piled up just below the seat, along with some old McDonald’s bags, and in the corner, to Cherry’s immense disgust, a used condom.

Looking up front at her new friend she caught his apologetic smile. “This is Danny,” Blue introduced. Danny compared quite well with his car. He looked disgusting. His brown hair was matted in different places and she was almost certain that there was a layer of dirt along the collar of his shirt.

“Hi,” Cherry said smiling. “I’m Cherry.”

Not apologizing for the mess Danny smiles back at her. “So how old are you?”

Rolling her eyes Cherry replies, “I’m seventeen.”

“Cool, cool. Go to school?” He asked. Hearing her respond positively he laughed a little. “Yeah, little Blue here decided to drop out, too stupid.” After a strained silence he continued to question her. “So do you plan to go to college?”

“I do,” Cherry told him looking out the window.

“Do drugs?”

“No.”

“Want to?”

“No,” Cherry replied tiredly. Danny sure was something.

Nodding Danny chewed on his bottom lip for a little while. After referring to his house as first base Cherry just tuned him out. “You a lesbian?”

Raising her eyebrows Cherry turned to look at Blue who shrugged. “No,” Cherry responded.

“You sure?” Danny laughed as he looked back at her annoyed expression. “I could hook you up with some hot chicks.”

Cherry sighed, “I’m sure.”

More silence filled the car as they continued their journey. Blue sighed as he looked back at Cherry. He liked her and Danny was going to scare her off.

“Did Bee tell you he’s gay?” Danny asked out of the blue.

Tears filled Blue’s eyes as he looked back at Cherry. She had an expression of pure hatred. Resisting the urge to punch the driver Cherry responded shortly, “He didn’t.”

Finally at the house Cherry found it was much like the car; Bottles littered every surface along with over full ashtrays. Clearing a spot on the couch for her Blue smiled. “Sorry for the mess, you want a soda?”

Nodding her head Cherry let her eyes roam. There was a bunch of gay porn stacked next to the DVD player and a huge poster of Marilyn Manson adorned the wall. Cherry could only imagine whose porn it was. She honestly hoped it was Danny’s.

In the kitchen she could hear the two boys fighting. And over everything they could fight over, they fought about her.

“She’s stuck up,” Danny commented. Cherry rose her eyes wondering where he got that assumption. Sure she didn’t really give him the time of day but he was being rude.

“You don’t even know her,” Blue defended. She smiled and continued to eavesdrop.

“Well she’s a bitch, I can tell,” Danny replies. Cherry rolled her eyes. She was a bitch? He was an asshole.

“Maybe she just doesn’t like you,” Blue stated walking out of the kitchen and making his way towards the living room. “My room?”

Nodding Cherry gets up and follows him to a remotely clean room. The walls were a lime green and the only window was nailed shut. The closet didn’t even have a door. Clothes lay scattered across the floor, and a ratty old comforter clung to the side of the bed.

Sitting down on the bed Cherry smiles up to her new friend. How was he, someone so nice, stuck living with such an asshole?

Spotting a guitar she quickly asked if he could play. Nodding Blue went and grabbed it. Sitting down next to her he began strumming random notes that played a beautiful melody.

Minutes passed by before Cherry realized that Blue was actually crying. “What’s wrong?” She asked, concern filling out her features.

Swallowing the lump in his throat he smiled weakly, “Just thinking about Cory. He was so young, y’know? And maybe if I was there,” he paused and wiped his face. “I just know I could have helped him. He didn’t need to end it.”

Pulling him into a hug Cherry whispered, “Maybe you could have, I don’t know. I don’t know what your relationship with him was. I do know that sometimes shit happens. And I do believe things happen for a reason. You won’t know the reason until later in life but when the answer appears,” she paused and looked out the bedroom door. What was the reason for him living with Danny? “When the answer appears maybe you’ll be able to accept what happened. Just a little bit.”

Taking out her cigarettes Cherry lit one and handed it to him. Thanking her softly Blue inhaled the toxins. How the hell would he ever accept this? His friend killed himself and he could have done something.

“Blaming yourself, it’s not worth it,” Cherry said pulling him from his thoughts as if she read his mind. “If you want to blame anyone, blame all the assholes who pushed him down.”

The friends continued to talk as the hours passed by. True they had only known each other for a few hours but they connected, they got each other, they would be best friends and see to it that the other accomplished their dreams.

And one thing was for sure. Cherry had to get Blue out of Danny’s mess.