Yelling Through

"Are you sad it's almost over?" I asked, adjusting my laptop so that it wasn't on top of all of my colored pencils.

"It's always sad, but I can't wait to go home and see Oscar, mum, dad, and everyone."

"That's sweet."

"And how's that whole struck by lightning thing?"

"It's happened," I replied.

"Oh really?"

"Should I be looking out for the next Koraline Jaxx novel soon?"

"Not too soon, but it's there. It's started. I gotta get some feedback on it first."

"I'm sure it'll be amazing."

"You've never read f my duds before, that's why."

"I'm sure they were amazing too."

I rolled my eyes. "So what are you doing?"

"Trying to run Drop Dead from the road. I have some new deigns, but I'm not into them as much as I should be.

"Lemme see."

"No."

"Oh come on," I whined.

"Let me see whatever you're working on."

I thought about it. Save for Letty, who went and snooped through my shit anyways, my mother and Vinny no one had seen my actual art. I slowly turned the sketch pad around.

Oli was quiet for a moment, looking at it intently. A sliver of unease wiggled up my spine. I didn't like judgment to begin with and I really didn't like waiting on it. I was confident in my abilities as a writer as an artist, not so much, but I enjoyed it, so I continued to pursue it, but as a hobby, nothing more.

"I don't think I've ever looked so good in my life. Hell you even made Matty look good." I saw him move and he disappeared. He reappeared a moment later, on the move. He went back to the lounge. Lee and Matty were watching a movie or something. "Look at this," he said, turning the screen towards them. "You don't look like a sack of shit for once," he said to Matty.

"You're so full of shit," I said. "It's not that good."

"Nah. Matty still looks like shit, but that's just his face. You did a very good job of making it look like his actually shitty face," Lee said.

"Thanks," I said chuckling. "I think."

"It's actually really good," Lee said.

"I didn't know you could draw," Matty chirped.

"You don't really know much about me at all," I pointed out.

Oli's face scrunched up at that. Sure I felt comfortable around him, but we'd been talking present and future, not really past.

"I think we should stick Oli on that," Matty said. "Take the bird out and get to know her for us," Matty said, trying to sound like he was just uninterested. I knew better. Matty was playing wingman.

"For once in your life you have a good idea," Lee agreed. "Jaxx?" Lee asked a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Call the presses, Matty has a good idea," I said.

Oli raised an eyebrow, but I didn't address it.

"See, even Jaxx agrees," Matty said proudly.

"And she wants to go to sleep, so I'm gonna go."

They all said their good-byes before I ended the call.

"Now that was cute," Letty said.

"SHIT!" I yelled, startled. I had jumped causing me to fall off of my bed on to the floor. "What the hell are you doing here?" I asked.

"You said I can stay here anytime I needed."

"And you need to this time?" I asked. She usually came over at a normal hour.

"Linda's here for a visit."

I got up and rubbed at my back. "Did you bring ice cream?" I asked.

She nodded and held up a bottle of jack.

I rolled my eyes. You puke, I'm gonna kill you, and there better be some actual fucking ice cream in my fridge," I muttered, before heading down stairs, so that I could set up the TV for the movie marathon that was ensue. It happened every time Letty's mother stopped in for a visit.

"I wanna watch The Notebook," she said.

I nodded. "We'll watch it."