Punkbabii!

by HelloPussy

Trainwreck!

“Here. You better rub some of the makeup off before my dad sees you.” I hand Rarity a wet wipe. The three of us are waiting on the front steps of the school. We get to leave before everyone else, like a good half hour before the final bell, since we’re in the special class. It has its perks and privileges like the fact we don’t have to wear a stupid uniform either, but Mother Celestia is still on my case about skirts below the knee. It’s only me too, I swear she lets AJ wear whatever the fuck she wants. I can’t just come to school in jean shorts and cowboy boots.

Rarity takes the wipe. “Your parents are pretty strict, huh?” She brings it to her eyelids and scrubs the blue shadow off then moves to getting rid of her foundation. I notice she’s cotton white so without all the makeup she looks like a sheet of paper. Her lips are pretty. They’re kinda shaped like a lumpy heart.

I sit on the steps. The stone chills my ass, so I spread my legs a little, and my stupid skirt falls down my lap. “Nah, they’re fucking crazy. Bow literally broke the bathroom door this morning because I locked it.”

Rarity folds the wipe when she’s done with her face. I watch as she shoves it in her shoulder bag. I wonder how the hell she fits all her school shit in there. It's just that small. “That does sound pretty insane.”

“Uh, yeah. No kidding.” I itch beneath my beanie and spot Mother Celestia standing at the top of the steps looking down at us. She has a walkie-talkie in her hand and a clipboard in the next. I wait for her to go back inside before I ask Rarity, “how many weeks are you?” And I point to her poorly hidden belly under her frilly shirt.

She looks down at it. “I don’t know the weeks, but I think I’m 5 months?” Now she’s folding her arms over it and she looks uncomfortable. “You?”

I don’t want to answer that and I don’t have to since Bow pulls up in the SUV. He honks before he rolls the window down. There’s a Bluetooth in his ear and isn’t he just in the middle of a cherry little conversation. I get up first, motion for the both of them to follow. They drag behind me a few feet. Bow isn’t even looking at us now, but laughing while he pulls a soda from his cup holder and takes a sip. I wait for him to get nice and hydrated.

“My friends want to come over.” I say loud enough to talk over the chump on the other line.

“Huh?” He’s distracted, deaf and dumb.

So I say, “Applejack and Rarity are gonna help me with a history project.” I’m trying not to have an attitude, but God, is it hard. “I can always go to their house instead.”

He presses a button on his Bluetooth. “Who the hell is Rarity?” On cue, she pokes around me and waves. Bow waves back. He talks quieter now. “No visitors, not after this morning.”

“It’s for a history project.” I repeat with a bit more of a whine in my voice. He hates when I whine so he usually gives in to shut it up. “Okay, guess I’m gonna fail, and become an uneducated teen mother, and just become another statistic.”

He pushes the button on the Bluetooth again. “Hold on, Blaze. Lemme call you back.” I don’t know if they heard me, I don’t even know if that stupid button on his stupid Bluetooth mutes Bow or mutes the other person. By how irritated he looks I can only assume it mutes the other person; Blaze. He hangs up and I just get a sore feeling in my throat when I hear that name.

Bow scoots me over to get a view of AJ. “Do you guys have a history project?” He knows way too much. He knows she can’t lie.

Applejack’s eyes are darting around for an out. “Uh, well—“

“Yes, it's a group project on shared ancestral grounds.” Rarity speaks up like she knows too much too. “Applejack and I are both Ponyville natives, but we are also required—hold on one second. I’ll get the assignment sheet.” She starts digging through her bag like there really is a paper about this made up project. She’s doing this for a handful of seconds, even adding in grumbles and comments like, where is it?

Bow stops her. “Alright, alright, but make sure your parents know where you’re at.”

“I already told granny.” AJ takes her bag off as she reaches for the door handle and gets into the back seat.

Rarity follows her. “My parents won’t mind as long as I’m home before curfew.” She scoots in next to AJ despite her taking a window seat. I decide to sit next to her since I would rather not sit next to Bow in the front or he’ll think he has a license to question my every life decision. I’m so over the lectures.

The door shuts and we sit in silence for a minute. “We can go now.” I have no idea what the fuck he’s waiting for.

Then he turns around to stare at the three of us. His five o’clock shadow is looking more prominent in this light. I always thought it clashed with the purple skin. “What’s your parents number? I want to make sure they know where you’re going.”

“She said they don’t care as long as she meets curfew.” I kick the back of his seat. He’s always so fucking embarrassing and paranoid.

“I’m not talking to you.” He tries to grab at my leg but his seatbelt stops him. I kick his seat harder just to see his face get redder.

“It’s alright, I can give you my mother’s number.” Rarity pulls her phone from her purse. “Or I could call her right now?” She punches in numbers then extends her phone towards him.

“Yeah, that’ll do.” Bow takes it. We can all hear it ring for a moment before a muffled voice picks up. “Hey, this is Bow Hothoof, and I got Rarity in the car with me…” he goes off talking super loud and I just plug my ears to block him out. Rarity has a friendly smile on her face like this isn’t the most unnecessary thing ever.

I lean into her. She smells like a Victoria’s Saddle store. “I’m so sorry you gotta experience this.”

Rarity leans into me. She smells like too much perfume, but it’s not really that bad. “That’s okay. I actually find it very sweet.” She then turns to AJ and whispers to her. “I bet your parents are the same.” And then she giggles without knowing that AJs mom is dead and her dad is in prison.

“I live with my granny.” And Applejack is hugging her school bag like it’s a teddy bear. With her braid resting on her shoulder, she looks out the window to avoid a conversation.

Rarity doesn’t say anything afterwards. There’s this distant look in her eyes. She tugs on the purple hairbands around her wrist, pulls on them, lets them go so they slap her. It leaves a red mark on her pale skin.

“Oh you’re currently on vacation?” Bow looks at me through the rear view mirror. “Whereto?” We all can hear a voice yapping on the other line. He nods but keeps looking at me as if I’m Rarity’s mom. “The Crystal Empire? Gonna go see that wedding in person, huh?“ he gives a forced laugh. The lady says something else I can’t hear. “So uhh,” and he swallows and I know he’s about to ask a super inappropriate question. “Who’s currently watching your daughter?”

Rarity stops slapping her wrists with the bands and I kick his chair again. There he goes again just poking his nose where it doesn’t belong. “None of your business!” I yell over his shoulder and he just swatts me away and keeps talking.

“She’s 16? I would say that’s hardly old enough to…oh, okay…no I understand.” He gives another fake laugh. “She does look very responsible.” Then he gives Rarity a smile and she flashes one back. “Alright, then ma’am it was good talking to you.” He nods like a doofus as her mother says something. “Now, what did you say your name was again?” She says something. Bow repeats it, “Cookie Crumbles, it just slips off the tongue.” They share a polite chuckle, the type that adults do when they’re kissing ass. “Alrighty, bye-bye.” He hangs up and hands Rarity her phone.

“See, she already told you it was fine.” I remind him, but he’s just looking at the three of us from the mirror. Bow has that face that says I’m about to say something inappropriate, but this time he doesn’t, and thank God. No one wants to hear him shit on her parents just because they don’t parent like he does. Not everyone is fucking crazy, and honestly I would prefer if my royal pains-in-the-ass took a vacation too. Imagine all the freedom I’d get.

Bow turns the ignition and takes the car out of park.