//------------------------------// // 22. Catch // Story: It's The End Of The World As We Know It // by Samey90 //------------------------------// Indigo groaned, opening her eyes. Her face stung and she couldn’t feel her hand. The world around her was rather blurry but after she blinked a few times, it sharpened a bit, revealing that the blue and violet object in front of her was Sunny Flare. She had a bandaid on her forehead and was staring at Indigo unsurely. “Fuck,” Indigo muttered. “If that’s heaven, I want out.” “That’s the local doctor’s office,” Sunny replied. “The guy took an X-ray of your middle finger, but as for checking if you have a brain, they want to take you to some town. Which will take a while.” “My head’s fine,” Indigo replied. “And what are you even doing here?” “Recovering from my injuries.” Sunny pointed on her forehead. “And stockpiling Plan B.” “What for?” Indigo asked. “Your face works better in that matter.” Sunny sighed. “I need to tell the doctor that the content of your bowels got to your brain when you fell and now you’re a shithead. Kinda understandable, given your hand injury.” “What hand injury?” Indigo looked at her hand and saw that her middle finger was wrapped in bandages and a splint, keeping it permanently straightened. “Oh, I see.” The door to the doctor’s office opened and Bulk walked in, followed by a short, bald man who, as Indigo guessed was a doctor. “How are you?” Bulk asked, approaching Indigo and hugging her gently. “I can flip people off!” Indigo’s chuckle ended in a groan. “Also, my ribs hurt, but I didn’t really hit myself on the head that much. Like, I remember everything.” “So I guess you won’t do that again,” the doctor said. “I called the paramedics, but all helicopters are grounded due to snowstorm, so you’ll have to stay here.” “This sucks,” Indigo muttered. “Can I go back to the hotel?” The doctor cleared his throat. “Well, if you have a concussion and–” “Well, it’s not like I can’t reach you in time, right?” Indigo shrugged. “I promise I won’t overexert myself.” “Maybe it’d be safer if you stayed here,” Bulk said. “You hit the ground pretty hard.” “I had a helmet. And my head didn’t get the worst hit anyway.” Indigo stood up, staggering a bit. “I mostly fainted because I’m not used to seeing my blood in large quantities, really.” “Sure…” Sunny Flare smirked. “I saw you when those guys and Bulk brought you back to the town. You were like, ‘I can walk, leave me alone’ and so on.” “I don’t recall that…” Indigo shrugged and looked at Bulk. “That’s what happened,” Bulk replied. “You were in a shock, I guess.” “See?” the doctor asked. “That’s why you’d better stay here.” “I like the hotel more,” Indigo said, frowning. “Where do I sign the papers?” “So, are you dying?” Sour Sweet asked. Indigo was sitting on an armchair in her room, propped with several pillows, her eyes half-closed. “Ask me about this again and I’ll kick your ass,” she muttered. “Ah, so you’re not.” Sour Sweet smiled. “Good for you.” “Why they even left you with me, I have no idea…” Indigo muttered. “It was either me or Flash and Sandalwood,” Sour Sweet replied. “And they’re hiding after they were caught with their willies in public.” Indigo shook her head. At the same moment, the door to the room was kicked open and Lemon Zest and Muffins walked in, carrying backpacks that rang suspiciously when moved around. “Good news,” Lemon Zest said. “It’s much easier to convince people you’re nineteen than twenty-one.” “Damn…” Indigo muttered. “You two are already weird when you’re sober. I’m guessing now it’ll end with someone being shot with a champagne cork. Not to mention Sunny doing weird stuff.” “She doesn’t drink,” Sour Sweet replied. “She told me so on Christmas.” Indigo rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure. I gotta see this.” “It won’t be as fun without the kangaroo onesie,” Muffins said. “I have this photo as my phone wallpaper.” She showed her phone to Indigo. “Guess by the end of the year you’ll get a new one.” Indigo smirked. “Anyway, when does the party start?” The door once again opened in a dramatic fashion, accompanied by someone shouting, “I am the party!” “Sandalwood.” Lemon Zest nodded. “At least you’re wearing clothes now.” “Very funny,” Sandalwood muttered. “Anyway, Bulk and Flash are helping Party Favor with preparations. I’m telling you, this is gonna be awesome.” “Who is Party Favor?” Muffins asked. “A dude Flash and Sandalwood met here,” Sugarcoat said, walking into Indigo’s room. “He has a really big… talent.” “Not that big,” Sandalwood muttered. “I’ve seen it,” Sugarcoat said. “It is quite a big talent.” Sour Sweet smirked. “So, this blue guy’s name is Party Favor? Maybe I should talk to him.” She looked at Lemon Zest. “I’m getting kinda sick with all those whiny women in my life. Maybe it’s time to hook up with a farm boy who has a huge pecker.” “Oh, quit it,” Lemon muttered. “I think he’s taken,” Indigo said, recalling her meeting with Night Glider earlier. “That’s not a problem.” Sour Sweet barred her teeth. Sugarcoat gulped. “Well, now you have my curiosity...” Our Town, having only one street, didn’t have a main square as such. However, everyone who either lived there or came to spend New Year’s Eve there gathered in the street, around the makeshift stage where a local band played some catchy standards. Several bonfires and numerous torches lit the area. Sunny Flare looked at a couple of empty mugs of root beer on a wooden table in front of her and groaned. “I can’t do this,” she muttered. “What’s wrong?” Bulk asked. The bench he was sitting on seemed like it was going to break under combined weight of him and Indigo. Sunny just waited for it to happen. “There’s a party and I’m sober, that’s what,” Sunny replied. “How do you even do that, Indigo?” “I never started,” Indigo said. “Besides, can’t you do something else? Like dancing?” “You don’t dance.” “But I fell on my head.” Indigo sighed. “If you feel bad, we can go to the doctor,” Bulk said. “Even better, he’s here.” He pointed at the people dancing in front of the stage. “Nah, I’m fine,” Indigo said. Suddenly, someone dropped like a sack of potatoes on the bench next to Sunny. Soon, he turned out to be Flash who shook his head, resting his hands on the table. “Woohoo!” Muffins cooed. “Who else wants to dance? Bulky?” “Maybe later,” Bulk replied, looking at Flash, who was rubbing his feet, groaning. Muffins looked at Sunny. “Then you’ll go and dance with me!” Sunny took a deep breath. “Fine,” she said. “Just wait a minute, I need to get rid of this root beer.” She stood up and walked to the wall of the nearby building, lifting her skirt. Flash winced. “Wait, how does she–” “Drunken convenience!” Sunny yelled, unbothered by the audience. “It takes some skill, but girls can pee standing too, you know,” Indigo said. “I never learned to.” Muffins shrugged. “I can pee all over myself when I’m sitting, so I don’t even try standing…” “Too much information,” Bulk muttered. “There’s no such thing as ‘too much information’ among friends!” Muffins exclaimed. Sunny walked back into the circle of light from the bonfires. She disinfected he hands with some gel. “Okay, now I can dance,” she said, reaching for Muffins with her hand. Muffins backpedalled, searching for something in her pockets. She eventually found some baby wipes and gave them to Sunny. “I’ve heard enough about endospores from my mother to have trust issues when people disinfect their hands without washing them first.” “Yeah, whatever.” Sunny wiped her hands and walked with Muffins, leaving Indigo, Bulk, and Flash at the table. “So…” Indigo looked at the flames of the nearby bonfire. “Are you mad at me?” “Why do you think so?” Bulk asked. “I nearly got myself killed today.” Indigo shrugged. “I guess you’d be bothered.” “I am,” Bulk replied. “But I’m not mad at you, just… You know you don’t have to do dangerous stuff just to impress me? Or anyone?” “What if I do it because I want?” Indigo sighed. “We’re together for, like, half a year, I guess you’d realise I like adrenaline…” “I did,” Bulk said. “You kinda crave attention too…” “I don’t!” Indigo exclaimed. “Well, maybe a little…” Bulk shook his head. “I’d say a lot.” Before Indigo could reply, Flash raised his head. “Well, it was you who started this conversation in the first place, so I guess Bulk is right.” Indigo groaned. “What? And what even happened to you?” “I think Muffins tried a fusion dance,” Flash replied. “But we somehow ended up with morris dance.” “Well, now that’s dangerous,” Indigo said. “Though my ribs say no.” “Those are some wise ribs,” Bulk muttered, embracing Indigo. “And nice ones, too…” “Leave my ribs alone,” Indigo said. “Also, I’m not seeking attention, so if you’d–” “Well, you don’t have to seek my attention.” Bulk smiled. “Mhm.” Indigo smirked. “I know where it is…” “I’m gonna puke,” Flash muttered. “Seriously– Whoa!” He raised from the bench, knocking it over, when some girl landed on the table. Indigo recognised her as Sugar Belle. “Which of you suckers took a leak on my wall?” Sugar Belle muttered, blinking. “Though nevermind, I need help. Some girls started a fight.” “Nah, that’s just Muffins dancing,” Flash muttered. “Not really,” Sugar Belle said. “I’m pretty sure that I got a left hook from some girl in glasses, though…” Sugarcoat groaned, looking around. While dancing, she was separated from Sandalwood and found herself somewhere near the stage, deafened by the band trying to murder another evergreen. She also had a few beers, against her better judgement, and was just feeling a pleasant buzz. Sandalwood was nowhere to be found, even though Sugarcoat was sure no one else had dreadlocks. “Hey, Fond Feather!” someone behind Sugarcoat yelled. She ignored him, but then the person tapped her back. “May I buy you a drink, Fondie?” Sugarcoat turned back and looked at the guy, who was slightly shorter than her and wore rather tasteless clothes, resembling a pimp or a hipster. “Do I look like Fond Feather to you, schmuck?” “Oh, sorry,” the guy muttered, disappearing in the crowd. Sugarcoat shook her head and walked away from the scene, only to end up ramming into some rather tall and rather tipsy gentleman. “Hey, Fond Feather!” the guy exclaimed. “We should totally meet again! Last time, I nearly sucked the bedcloth in with my ass when–” Sugarcoat’s eyes narrowed. “Impressive. But you’d better buy some glasses. You couldn’t tell me from that Fond Feather from up there?” The guy furrowed his eyebrows. “You’re not Fond Feather.” “Your mother must be proud of such a bright son,” Sugarcoat muttered. “Now get the fuck out, I need to find my boyfriend.” She walked away, leaving the guy alone. She just reached one of the bonfires, when she heard someone again. “Hey, Fond Feather!” “What do you want, you son of a flea-infested ass?” Sugarcoat turned back. However, she noticed that another girl next to her also turned towards the bonfire; she looked at her. The girl was of a similar height as Sugarcoat and her hair had a similar colour. However, her skin was slightly darker; her hairstyle, while similar when seen from some distance, lacked the sophistication of Sugarcoat’s long pigtails. She also didn’t wear glasses. “You’re Fond Feather, right?” Sugarcoat asked. “Yeah,” Fond Feather replied in a dreamy tone, with a hint of Quebec accent. “And you?” “Sugarcoat,” Sugarcoat replied. “So, you’re that slut people keep mistaking me for?” Fond Feather blinked, her jaw dropping. “What did you say?” she asked, the dreamy tone suddenly evaporating from her voice. “I mean, I appreciate your, umm… track record,” Sugarcoat said, putting her left leg slightly back. “I have needs myself, too. But some of those guys that mistook me for you were, to put it mildly, fugly. You probably don’t have much choice, but–” Fond Feather furrowed her eyebrows. “You want a beating, eh?” “Why would I?” Sugarcoat asked. “I’m offering a friendly advice and–” She had to admit, Fond Feather was fast. Sugarcoat barely managed to dodge her charge, countering with a left hook. It missed a mark, slamming into the back of some blonde girl’s head. The girl turned back, glaring at Sugarcoat angrily. “Dear Darling! Swoon Song!” Fond Feather shouted. “Get her!” Sparing no punches for anyone who tried to stop her, Sugarcoat jumped on the bench to avoid the blonde girl and her dark-haired friend who joined Fond Feather. The band noticed the ruckus and started to play a fast-paced saxophone tune. “Dear Darling?” Sugarcoat asked, narrowly avoiding the blond girl catching her legs. “You don’t limit yourself to guys…” “That’s my name!” the blonde girl shouted. “Your parents must’ve–” Sugarcoat suddenly decided that she’d be much safer on the table, much to the displeasure of the people sitting at it. “It’s over! I have the high ground!” “Oh, I don’t think so!” Swoon Song exclaimed, jumping on the table. It fell down, sending her and Sugarcoat down in a frenzy of food and drinks. Kicking and biting, Sugarcoat freed herself from the trio and collided with Sour Sweet, who just punched a guy next to her. “Why did you punch him?” Sugarcoat exclaimed. Sour Sweet shrugged. “It began, didn’t it?” “What began!?” Sugarcoat staggered when someone hit her in the hip with a bench, right before being overwhelmed by Fond Feather and her friends. Sour Sweet joined the brawl too, grabbing Dear Darling and throwing her away from the main pile of bodies. Dear Darling, however, still couldn’t get enough. She grabbed an empty tankard and threw it at Sour Sweet, who took a step aside. The tankard arced through the air and landed on Lemon Zest, who was just walking there to see what was going on. Her hair cushioned the blow, but it was still enough for Sour Sweet to unleash the primal fury. “Don’t you ever dare throwing things at my girlfriend!” she yelled, jumping to Dear Darling and grabbing her hair. “You should consider some less ridiculous one-liners,” Sugarcoat muttered, trying to free herself from Fond Feather’s grasp, while simultaneously strangling Swoon Song with her legs. Sour Sweet didn’t pay attention, focused on trying to get through Dear Darling’s defence – despite being held, the girl was pretty good at blocking the blows. “I’m not your girlfriend!” Lemon Zest shouted, grabbing Sour Sweet and trying to pull her away from Dear Darling. “Leave her!” “Oh, come on.” Sour Sweet freed herself from Lemon’s grasp and elbowed her in the solar plexus, sending her tumbling back. “No one will beat you when I’m here…” “Oh, fuck you…” Lemon whispered, trying to catch a breath. Behind her, the fight between Fond Feather and Sugarcoat devolved into scratching and pulling hair, with a healthy dose of kicking shins. The brawl also broke out around them; at least a couple of people remembered how annoying their neighbours were over the last year and decided that it was time for a payback. The others, hidden behind the tables, kept throwing snowballs at the fighters, only adding to the chaos. Suddenly, the fight ended. Not on its own, though; Bulk walked between Fond Feather and Sugarcoat and lifted them both effortlessly. They still tried to reach each other, but it was all for nothing. Meanwhile, Sandalwood pulled Sour Sweet away from Dear Darling, who immediately decided to counterattack, before Party Favor stopped her. Flash helped Lemon Zest up. “Are you okay?” “Yeah,” Lemon replied, looking around. “What happened here?” “A misunderstanding.” Sugarcoat shot Bulk a glare. “Put me down!” “You totally pulled off an Indigo here,” Sandalwood said. He was still holding Sour Sweet’s wrists and given the nasty glare she was giving him, he was reluctant to let her go. “What was that about?” “There can be only one!” Fond Feather guffawed, much to Bulk’s annoyance. “Oh, quit it, knock-off,” Sandalwood muttered. Fond Feather looked at him and turned to Sugarcoat. “Who is that tool bench?” “My boyfriend,” Sugarcoat replied. Fond Feather nodded. “That explains a lot, eh?” “Nah, I’ve been that way before.” Sugarcoat cleared her throat and looked at Bulk. “Could you put us down?” Bulk nodded, gently placing Sugarcoat and Fond Feather on the ground. A moment later, they were joined by Indigo, who’d walked through the crowd slowly to avoid anyone bumping into her injured ribs. Now she looked at the battlefield and smirked. “Well, at least it wasn’t me this time,” she muttered. About an hour before midnight, the party moved to the hotel, mostly due to the bonfires going out and the temperature at night reaching levels when even true Canadians had to put on sweaters. Sugarcoat stood on the balcony and inhaled the cold air. “I don’t know what’s wrong with you, people. It’s so beautiful outside.” “Maybe for you,” Sunny Flare muttered from her bed. She’d lost her shoes while dancing with Muffins and was currently trying to warm her feet by the fireplace. “Aren’t your ancestors from Finland?” “Nah, my great-grandfather was from…” Sugarcoat made a few attempts at articulation of the foreign sound before coughing. “Somewhere. Four generations away and I can’t even say it…” “Ah.” Sunny shrugged. “Come back here, Muffins got fireworks.” Sugarcoat raised her eyebrows and walked back into the room. It immediately struck her how many people were inside. Sour Sweet was sitting on one of the beds, talking with Party Favor and Night Glider. Her new friend Fond Feather was chatting with some blonde guy; next to them, a clearly lost Hungarian tourist was drinking wine, apparently wondering what the deal was. Muffins and Sandalwood carried a crate of fireworks; Sandalwood was smoking a joint with an absolute disregard to both safety and the fact that half of the room got contact buzz. Sugarcoat sighed and shook her head, seeing that Lemon Zest was already sleeping under the table. She looked for Indigo; she was sitting on the bed kissing with Bulk, but Sugarcoat was sure she had some sharpies with her just to draw something obscene on Lemon’s face. “You’d better take this to the balcony,” Sugarcoat said, seeing that Flash and Double Diamond just brought another crate full of fireworks. She turned to Sunny and saw her sitting on the couch, with Sophisticata and Drama Letter performing something in front of her. “Come here,” Sunny muttered. “It’s like Macbeth meets Seinfeld on drugs.” When Sugarcoat joined her on the couch, she lowered her voice to a whisper. “They apparently think I’m doing castings for my mother. However, I’m not a real casting agent and there’s no job…” Sophisticata suddenly paused in the middle of the line and looked at Sunny. “Well, that’d be it. How did you like my Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead crossover with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas?” “Wait, you weren’t high?” Sugarcoat asked. “Of course not,” Sophisticata replied, pointing at Sunny Flare. “She, however, got high on Drama’s asthma medication… Or so she thinks.” “It may be the atmosphere.” Sugarcoat looked at Sandalwood. “Also, I guess you’ve never met Sunny before?” Sophisticata shrugged. “Briefly.” “That explains many things,” Sugarcoat replied. Sophisticata wanted to ask about those things, but at the same moment the Hungarian tourist that had been swept by the crowd walked to her and said something. “Hey, I know this language!” Sophisticata smirked. “Lófasz a seggedbe!” The tourist furrowed his eyebrows. “Up yours too!” he exclaimed and walked away. “Wait, what did I say?” Sophisticata asked. “Something about horses,” Drama Letter replied. Suddenly, a loud explosion shook the windows behind her, causing dust and several spiders to fall from the ceiling. “That’s some unnecessary attempt at drama,” Sunny muttered. “Warn us next time, okay? I could’ve shat myself.” “It’s not her.” Sugarcoat pointed at the balcony. Several silhouettes were running around the fireworks being fired at the sky. “Someone started celebrating fifteen minutes early.” “Also, I wonder how did you know it was about horses?” Sophisticata looked at Drama, who shrugged. “I recently took interest in independent European por–” Her words drowned in another round of explosions. The balcony looked like the turret of an old battleship in the midst of the battle. The fireworks kept flying into the dark sky, colourful sparks illuminating the snow on nearby mountains. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Drama Letter held Sophisticata’s hand as they watched the sight in front of them. Soon, they were joined by Bulk and Indigo, embracing each other. “Wanna bet Flash loses a hand first?” Indigo asked. “Nah, he actually takes some safety measures,” Bulk said. “Unlike Sandalwood.” “Stop ruining the moment,” Sophisticata hissed. Bulk smirked. “Speaking of moment ruining, it wasn’t me who wanted to add a romantic subplot to The Chairs.” “I admit that it was a mistake,” Sophisticata muttered. “Damn,” Sugarcoat said, looking at Bulk and Indigo. “I’d like to snuggle too, but of course Sandalwood is outside.” She looked at the balcony. “Trying to get his dick shot off with a firework, if I see it well.” “You can snuggle with me,” Sunny said. “My boyfriend is in Japan and it’s not like he ever leaves his room…” Sugarcoat moved as far away from Sunny as the couch would let her. Sunny shrugged and looked at her wrist device. “So, according to the atomic clock this thing gets its time from, we have about twenty seconds to midnight, so if anyone is in for the last fucking this year, they’d better–” She looked at the other corner of the room, where Sour Sweet, Night Glider, and Party Favor had been sitting earlier. “Oh my.” Sugarcoat raised her eyebrows. “Get yourself a room, you three!” Sunny looked away from what Sour was doing and looked at the screen. “Five… Four… Three… Two…. One… Happy New Year, motherfuckers. Hope it’ll be better than the last one.” The roar of fireworks intensified, followed by Sandalwood running into the room, his hair smoking slightly. He tripped and fell in front of Sugarcoat, who looked at him with no more than a slightly raised eyebrow. “Am I on fire?” he asked. “No.” Sugarcoat replied. “And while we’re at it, we need to carry Lemon to her room, make sure she doesn’t choke on her vomit, and then we should go to our room…” Sandalwood stood up and smirked. “I see.” Indigo nodded and turned to Bulk. “Yeah, I think we should get a room too…” Bulk looked around and smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, about that…” His eyes rested on Sandalwood. “Do you have any, you know…” “Yeah.” Sandalwood checked his pockets and gave Bulk a pack of condoms. “Vegan, gluten-free, ecological, ridiculously overpriced and labelled as XXL to boost your ego.” “Whatever,” Bulk muttered. “Someone seriously makes gluten-free condoms?” Indigo asked. “It’s not like someone’s gonna eat them.” “Money, dear Indy,” Sugarcoat said. “Also, I’m pretty sure eating them is someone’s fetish.” “Eww…” Indigo winced. “Let’s go, before you’ll make me become a hermit.” Bulk and Sandalwood grabbed unconscious Lemon and left the room with her and their respective girlfriends. Other guests, including Sour Sweet, Night Glider, and Party Favor also left. After a while, Sophisticata and Drama Letter excused themselves, leaving only Sunny Flare and the Hungarian tourist, who fell asleep on one of the beds. “Just great,” Sunny muttered, checking her wrist devices. “Guess they’re already after the party in Japan…” The balcony door opened and Muffins ran inside. “Woohoo!” she exclaimed. “We started an avalanche with those fireworks!” “Hardly,” Sunny replied. “It’s not as easy as they say in the movies. But will this avalanche kill us all?” “No, it’s pretty far away,” Muffins said. “Too bad.” Sunny Flare sighed.