Vinyl
I woke up in my bed. Weird. I could've sworn I went to sleep outside, under that tree with Octavia. What am I doing in the cabin? There's no way Octavia could've carried me. She's not strong enough. No offense, but she can probably barely lift her backpack for school. Poor girl.
Stretching myself out like a rather large cat, I looked around for any familiar faces. I quickly spotted Octavia, tucked into her corner bed. It was cute, how she curled in on herself, like she was trying to protect herself from some unseen monster. My heart went out to her; she must have some serious insecurity issues. Her entire demeanor practically screamed them at me, even when she was asleep. I happen to be fairly empathetic, and I'm pretty good at deconstructing personalities. She was one of those insecure types that I always seemed to connect with, forming fast friendships.
I flipped my legs over the side of the bed, and stood up, feeling the pressure from my rather full bladder. Time for a pit stop in the bathroom. I sleepily wobbled my way over to the bathroom door, feeling unbalanced and woozy. I slapped my hand onto the doorknob, and stumbled into the bathroom.
A few minutes later, and a good face splashing, I was relatively bright eyed and bushy tailed. Well, as perky as someone could be who hasn't had more than three hours of sleep every night for the last three days. Stupid, crazy band director. He makes us practice from sunup to after sundown, every day. We get breaks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and a couple hours of free time after lunch. The rest of the time is spent practicing. Fun.
I took a cursory glance at Octavia's sleeping form, and crossed the room to my own bed. I scooped up my phone, unlocking it to check the time. It was 1:15, so we had about forty five minutes left of our break. I briefly considered waking Octavia up, to talk to her, but then I decided to just let her sleep. She'd earned it, after all. And besides, I wasn't really that desperate to talk to someone.
I rolled over on my side, and checked my phone for messages. There were four from mom, all saying the same thing. How does she honestly expect me to talk to her, when I barely have enough time for food and personal hygiene? If she wants me to talk to her, she can wait until we're on the bus home. Who cares if she misses me, and wanted to wish me a happy birthday? It's not like she's that happy that I was born, anyway. It's just another year, except this time I'm not home for her to verbally abuse on my special day. No way I'm gonna let her spoil this year's. This is my time, with my friends, doing whatever I want to do. I locked my phone again, and threw it down on the mattress, disgusted.
Only, it didn't quite stay on the bed. It bounced off, and flew a good five feet, until it hit the ground, and skidded under Octavia's bed. Great. I contemplated leaving it there, but then I realized that I might need it later. If I left it there, odds are I would forget about it. So, I propelled myself off the bed, and shuffled my way over to Octavia's bunk. I dropped to the floor, laying myself flat, and stuck my head under the bed to look for it.
There it was, tempting me in my misery, all the way against the far wall. I scooted as far under the bed as I could, and thrust my hand blindly around, trying to make contact. Unfortunately, I did, knocking it farther away, into the far corner. I groaned, facepalming at my idiocy. It hurt more than usual, because I had picked up a few splinters during my floor skimming.
No time for that now! I must rescue my phone! I flipped over, and stuck my other hand under the bed. Just as I grasped the phone, Octavia rolled over, and fell off the bed, right onto my back. Granted, she wasn't heavy, but it surprised me, and I jolted up, smashing my head and shoulder into the bed frame. I collapsed back down, cradling my head with my uninjured arm. It hurt like a bitch, to tell the truth.
All that noise must have woken Octavia, because she shifted around on my back, and eventually sat up. She obviously didn't quite comprehend her surroundings, because she appeared confused at the soft surface she was sitting on. I wasn't confused at all, because that fleshy surface just so happened to be my butt. Every time she shifted around, my hips were ground against the unforgiving floor. It was really starting to hurt, and I cursed my natural bony figure.
She must have heard it, because she turned to look for the source of the noise, and located my vibrant hair. She began scooting off of me, nearly pulling my shorts off in the process. I slowly rolled over, and gazed at her mortified face. I readjusted the waistband of my shorts on my hipbones, and waved a hand at her nonchalantly.
"Good morning, beautiful. I was just hunting for my phone, when you decided to roll off onto my back. I'd appreciate if you would refrain from any future displays of affection, if it involves personal injury for me." I smiled my famous crooked grin at her, and her face immediately flushed.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to. Where are you hurt? Are you okay?" She ignored my obvious jibe, and instead turned on a more professional demeanor. I almost laughed at her sudden change in countenance.
"I'm fine, but you could still fix me up if you wanted to, Dr. Love." Her face turned scarlet again, and I was thoroughly enjoying myself. She huffed, and stood up, turning away from me to walk towards the bathroom. I assume she was feeling the call of nature, just like I did. Why is it that you always feel like peeing after sleep? The world may never know...
About a minute later, she strode back out of the bathroom, and flopped back on the bed. I had remained in my position on the floor, crossing my legs and waiting for her to come back. As she settled back into the mattress, I leaned back against the bed frame. Casually looking up, I stared straight at her. She blushed again, reminded of the incident from earlier. I smiled lightly, just barely tugging up the corners of my mouth. Slowly, she smiled back. Success!
"Look, that thing earlier, it was no big deal. People do stuff like that all the time. I really didn't care, except for the fact that I hit my head on the underside of the bed. That hurt a little. But we're cool, okay." She smiled at me, and nodded her head, glad that we were over the awkwardness. Good, because I still had a joke.
"You know, if you wanted to cuddle with me, you could've just asked. I'm totally cool with it." Her face tinted again, turning scarlet in less time than it took me to blink. That's gotta be a new record for her.
"Th-that's n-not what I w-was doing! I j-just rolled off, a-and l-landed on you," she stammered out. Man, I really knew how to make the girl nervous. This was fun, our little game. Well, my little game. She was just an unwilling participant.
"Aw, chill. I know you didn't mean it. But seriously, you're welcome to cuddle with me anytime. I'm just a big ball of adorable, huggy, fluffy cuddliness. Like a giant teddy bear on comfort steroids." She laughed at that, the color slowly receding from her cheeks. I love how easily I can control this girl's reactions. She's precious.
"Well, I don't think I'll be cuddling with you anytime soon, but thanks for the offer. I'll keep you in mind when I need a teddy bear." She smiled at me, and leaned back against the wall. Unfortunately, my brain came up with more vaguely sexual jokes.
"You know, I wouldn't mind sleeping with you. That's what teddy bears are for, right?" Her face flushed again, but she kept her eyes closed, preferring to ignore my comment rather than give me more ammunition to use sexually against her. Speaking of...
"I hope you won't hold that against me. I'd rather enjoy it if you would hold yourself against me, though." Her face scrunched, horrified at my terrible joke. I am the master of sexuality, and don't you forget it. She suddenly jerked her leg out, kicking me in the head.
"Ouch! What was that for?" She smirked, and I rubbed the back of my now throbbing head.
"For saying those awful things. I don't appreciate sexual humor, or whatever it was you were doing." It was my turn to smirk.
"I was only flirting. I'm sorry, but I just can't help myself when I see such a gorgeous woman." She kicked me again, harder this time. It still hurt, despite the fact that she wasn't wearing shoes.
"Stop that. It's weird, flirting with another girl. Do you like me or something?" I smiled through my tears, and winced as I laid my head back.
"Oh please, don't flatter yourself. I only flirt with the girls I don't like. Which is all of them, because I'm straight. So there. You're just gonna have to get used to it, because I do this to everyone." She groaned, and I had the perfect comeback. I decide it would be better to not push my luck, though.
"Are you enjoying this? I'm certainly not. It's kinda awkward." I had to admit, it was a bit awkward, but I was enjoying myself. Quite a lot actually.
" Why yes, actually, I am. It is kinda awkward, but I prefer to look past that to the comedic value. Simply put, your reactions are hilarious." She frowned at this, and I blinked as my neck muscles suddenly spasmed. I decided to try something. Hoisting myself up suddenly, I hopped up onto her bed. Octavia scooted away, eager to distance herself from me in case I tried something.
"Chill, girl, I'm just trying to get comfortable. My neck is killing me from trying to look up so far to talk to you. Isn't this much better?" She slowly let go of her knees, letting her legs flop to the bed, and nodded her head.
"Yeah, actually. It was kinda hurting my head to have to bend over to talk to you." Oh, so many sex jokes for that one. Don't ever say bend over in front of me, Octy. It's hard to hold the comedy tide back. And, Octy... Huh. I suppose that's a good nickname. Certainly better than saying Octavia all the time, even if it's in my head. Less effort.
"See? This is better. Now, to continue our conversation. You start." She huffed again, slumping forward. I was enjoying her reactions.
"So, I'm curious. Why do you flirt with girls, if you say you're straight?" Hmm, tough one. She leaned forward a little, probably unconsciously awaiting my answer.
"Well, I don't really know. Maybe because it's fun? Maybe because I like watching them squirm? Well, the ones that don't know my game are uncomfortable. Everybody else just flirts back." She seemed a little taken aback by this explanation. Seemingly deep in thought, she rested her chin on her hand, and stared at me.
"So, you're telling me that you don't like girls, but you like flirting with them. You are certainly a confusing person. Do you flirt with guys like this?" I knew the answer to that one, clear as day.
"Nope. Guys will actually take it as legit flirting. Girls usually don't. Although, there have been some occasions where I met a few lesbians and bisexuals. Not fun trying to explain the whole situation." She laughed at that, glad to hear that my little game backfired sometimes.
"Well, okay then. Sorry to hear that. I'm sure those are some awkward situations. Have you ever considered maybe, not flirting with girls?" She smiled at me, and I smiled back.
"Of course I have. It just doesn't work for long. I'm just too sexual. If you only heard all of the thoughts in my head. I think my biggest fear is that people will think I'm into girls. I really don't want that misconception hanging over me." I slumped my shoulders, remembering all the years of taunts that just ended this summer because I didn't see any of my tormentors anymore. Why is it that when a girl doesn't outwardly show affection to guys, she's immediately labeled gay? I'm not, I'm just not a whore, throwing myself at guys constantly. Jeez, life.
Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up in surprise, shocked that Octy actually willingly touched me. I looked down at her hand, and she quickly drew it away, embarrassed.
"Hey, look. I get that. Everybody used to think I was a lesbian before I had my first boyfriend. Granted, I do find that guys are kind of rude and downright disgusting at times, but we have to live with them, right? I think most girls secretly would rather be attracted to their best friend, than their boyfriend, if you know what I mean." I smiled at that, knowing exactly how truthful it was. Most guys I know aren't really Prince Charming.
I shifted around, laying down on the bed and stretching my legs out to lay alongside hers. She jumped at the sudden movement, and moved her hand away from my legs. Poor awkward girl. I nudged her with my foot, and she scooted slightly away, taking the warmth of her legs away from mine. Darn. I was enjoying that, because it's cold in here with the AC on. Apparently she was, too, because she tried to subtly scoot down farther, and slide her legs next to mine again. I noticed, so her attempt at being stealthy was all for naught. It was cute, though, how she refused to acknowledge that I was comfortable.
I began absently picking at the toe of her shoe, and she started giggling. I started laughing, too, even though I didn't see anything funny. Her laugh is just infectious.
"Hey, what's so funny up there? Why you be laughing so hard? Gurl, you got some 'splaining to do." She laughed even harder at my words, and her chuckles began vibrating the bed. I felt like I was on a ship out at sea. Eventually she calmed down enough to answer.
"It's just weird, how you just started messing with my shoe. It tickled a little. I don't like being tickled. That, and you were just looking at it like it would hold some hidden treasure. Curiosity killed the cat you know." Hearing her words, I latched onto an important phrase. She doesn't like being tickled? Oh, this is gonna be good.
"A cat, huh? Well, MEOW!!!!" I launched myself at her, and started skittering my fingers up and down her sides. She tried to push me off, but I was just too heavy, and she couldn't focus through the laughter.
Eventually, she managed to roll me over, and threw herself on top of me. She started trying to tickle me. Unfortunately for her, I'm not ticklish. So, instead of forcing me to stop, she just ended up rolling over top of me, and thrashing around. I rolled over, straddling her legs, and bent down to blow a raspberry on her stomach. I lifted the hem of her shirt just slightly...
And Lyra took that precise moment to walk in. I heard the door slam shut, and someone clearing their throat. My face burning, I sheepishly turned my head to see the dark girl standing at the front of the room. I waved hello, very conscious of Octy's pushed-up shirt and labored breathing under me.
"I can explain... It's not what it looks like. Please believe me?" I stared pleadingly at Lyra, whose wide eyes told the tale of what she was thinking about the two of us. I hastily yanked Octy's shirt back down, and dismounted from my compromising position on top of the wheezing girl.
"I'm sure that's what they all say, Vinyl. Don't worry, I don't care what you do in your free time. Just don't do it where anyone can walk in and see you. I would hate to think what would happen if Breeze had walked in here and seen you two, you know..." She trailed off, uncertain how to continue. I can't believe that she didn't believe me. As if Octy would ever agree to have sex with me. Aside from that, we're both presumably straight. I know I sure as hell am.
"Look, we weren't, you know, doing it. She told me that she didn't like being tickled, and I decided to start a tickle war. Surely you wouldn't believe that it was anything else. You know me. You've even done the exact same thing with me before. So stop acting like you think we would actually do that in a fairly public place." I crossed my arms, and raised one eyebrow at the smiling girl.
"Oh, relax, I was just kidding. Jeez, you would think I had just made a gay joke. Oh, wait, I did!" She giggled to herself, and I found myself chuckling quietly at her jest. I absolutely loved this girl, because she really got me, like nobody else did. That's why she was one of my best friends.
Glad that it was over, I turned around to retrieve my phone, and was faced with a rather peeved Octy. I smiled at her, nervous that maybe I had gone too far. Especially since Lyra had walked in on a rather easily misconstrued situation.
"Hey, sorry? Can I have my phone back, now? I promise I won't do that again." She huffed at me, and tossed the S III my way, nearly taking my head off with it. I snatched the flying device out of the air, and stuck my tongue out at her. Seized by a sudden thought, I wiggled it around, and licked my lips suggestively.
"There's more where that came from, cutie. I suppose we'll have to wait until later, though. Do pine for my body in my absence." I hurried up and snagged my shoes from by my bed, and sprinted out the door, laughing maniacally with Lyra as we ducked thrown pillows and shouted insults. I think there was one about my mother in there. I might just be hurt. Nah, her futile attempts are just adorably funny.
I raced outside, and barricaded the door, just as Octy threw herself at it in an attempt to get to me. I couldn't resist another joke.
"I didn't realize you wanted my body that badly, gorgeous. If you keep this up, I might just have to come in there and teach you a lesson about waiting." I heard a muffled scream of indignation, and then a loud thump as she threw herself on what was presumably her bed. Laughing as I sat down, I put my shoes on, and hurriedly jogged to catch up with Lyra.