They Loved Us - a novel

I stood outside of the school parking lot, zipping my leather jacket up, waiting for Parker to find me. She’s always late. I checked my phone: 2 unread messages. One from Kyle, one from my mom. Kyle wanted me to check out his new band. He’s a really talented drummer. I’ve got a thing for drummers, the way they can keep the beat going with their whole bodies. I think that’s what makes them such good lovers. They’re multitaskers when it comes to their hands. My mom wanted me to buy her a pack of cigarettes before I got home. I rolled my eyes at her text, I’m always buying her cigarettes and booze. She’s the one that got me my fake ID. It’s a really good one, and I don’t have to use a ridiculous fake name like Poppy Craft. I started texting Kyle back when I heard Parker’s inimitable laugh. I turned my head and saw her walking towards me, leaving the school building behind.
“What’s so funny?”, I smiled at her as I put the phone back in my pocket.
Parker smirked, “I just got a text from Gillian. She says there’s a sign with my name on it”
“What?”, I chuckled, “where?”
Gillian was the girl that worked downtown at the liquor store, the only one in this shit-hole. I’m pretty sure she has a crush on Parker and that’s why sometimes she gives us flasks filled with cherry schnapps for free.
My friend lit two cigarettes at once and handed me one, I took a drag. “At the local dive. You know, the one with the pink plastic flamingos by the cash register?”, she grinned as she exhaled the smoke. We started walking.
“No way!”, I laughed. “We need to go there. We need to go and demand free drinks for the girl on the sign”
“It’s just my name, apparently, it’s not a picture of me”, Parker shrugged. “Besides, the only way someone is gonna let me in and give me free drinks is if I had an ID with my real name”, she rolled her eyes. “This is lame, why didn’t you ask your mom to get me one?”
I laughed, “I’m sorry Poppy Craft, the love that Angela Hanson can handle to give is for her only daughter”. I wrapped an arm around my best friend’s shoulders and kissed her cheek, smearing my orange lipstick all over her tan face. She scrunched her nose and then sighed, bringing her cigarette to her pouty lips. “Kyle texted me”, I wiggled my eyebrows at her.
A grin crept slowly through Parker’s face as she faced me. “Dirty, dirty, dirty. I want details”
And I told her about how he’d asked me to come to his band rehearsal later on Friday, only two days away. “It’s at Johnnie’s. He said, and I quote, don’t be late, rewards for punctuality”. Parker pulled away from my hug and smacked my arm with excitement. She’s a very expressive person.
“Fuck me!”. Her eyes widened and she ran her fingers through her long, auburn hair. “Kyle is so hot. The only senior in that whole school that is actually worth banging”
“Did you do him?”, I arched an eyebrow.
“Of course not, babes. He’s all yours”, she blew some smoke into my face. I laughed and fanned the grey air in front of me. Parker licked the tip of three of her fingers and started scrubbing her cheek. “Dude, how much lipstick do you put during the day?”, she asked as she saw the orange tint on her hand. “Don’t wear this much when you go down on him, wouldn’t want that to turn orange”
I rolled my eyes.

We got to Frisky Drinks at six. Gillian waved at us from behind the counter as she handed a guy a bottle of Pabst Blue Ribbon. “Here’s your receipt”, she said. The guy thanked her and turned around, getting a pair of keys out of his pocket.
“He’s hot”, Parker whispered in my ear as we watched him go out the glass door. “Let’s go talk to him”
I could feel Gillian’s eyes on us. I could feel her intent stare on Parker, but Parker didn’t even care. “But I want booze”, I said as I observed the guy approach a green pickup truck.
“He has booze. He has Pabst Blue Ribbon”, Parker smirked. “I like that”
“Stop undressing him with your eyes”, I elbowed Parker’s ribs. “Go talk to him, I’ll be right there. Need my nicotine”
Parker kissed my shoulder, “I love you, babes”, she smiled and quickly left the store. I watched her sway her hips as she walked towards the guy, who was getting into the truck. He closed the driver’s door and Parker knocked on the window. I saw him lower it and Parker lean her forearms against it. Her body bending at ninety degrees. She smiled. And I knew he was under her spell.
“Forty Marlboros, please”, I handed Gillian fifteen dollars. She silently took the money from me and gave me the two packs of cigarettes. As I waited for my change, I leaned my back against the counter, looking out the door. Parker was twirling a strand of hair around her finger, the guy was smiling. I sighed, “unrequited love…”, I turned to Gillian, a dollar bill in front of her, “sucks, huh?”. She shrugged, I put the dollar in my back pocket, “she may spend many nights in different places, but the one place she always comes back to… is here”, I smiled.