Chlöe

          It's been awhile since I've put anything up here, so I decided to put up an excerpt of a longer piece that I'm working on. I'm not sure if this will be the exact beginning of the piece, but it will be in the beginning. I think it's pretty good for a start and I hope you like it too.

*

          “You wanna do what?” Chase asked. He and Rob were sitting on the floor of his room, playing Xbox. Their eyes made fervent darts across the TV screen but their thumbs moved faster. They were leaning against Chase’s bed, which hadn’t been made in – well – ever, and occasionally swatted at the colony of flies that occupied the room.

            “I want to star in the school play this year,” I repeated.

            “Dammit!” Chase yelled, throwing down the controller. Rob chuckled victoriously.

            “Did you hear me?” I asked. Chase sighed and turned to me.

            “School play?” he said, as if the play was what smelled like month-old Monster. “You’ve got to be kidding, right?”

            I shook my head. “Nope. It looks really interesting. It’s not some boring old rehash of Broadway shows long gone. This year it was written by a student. And besides,” I shrugged. “I’ve always wanted to learn how to act.”

            “Only wussies care about that kind of thing,” Chase sneered. “And you just said it yourself. You don’t know how to act, why would you get picked? And to be the star, of all things?”

            I leaned my head against the giant bosom of a swimsuit model on the wall. I felt my throat closing but I tried not to let it show in my voice.

            “I don’t know. Maybe I’ve got some secret acting talent or something.”

            “Clo, I doubt it. You? Act?”

            I let out a sob. I hated myself for it.

            “Here comes the waterworks,” Rob sighed. “Again.”

            Chase stood up and came over to me, taking me in his arms. I let out a couple more gentle sobs before regaining control of myself, and pressed quietly into Chase’s chest.

            “I guess I wouldn’t be any good at acting, huh?” I asked, finally.

            “No,” Chase answered. “So forget about this play thing. Okay? I just don’t want you embarrassing yourself in front of other people, okay?”

            “Okay.”

            Chase let go of me and sat back down. “Sit down here with Rob and me.”

            “Just don’t cry on me,” Rob warned, wrinkling his nose.

            I sat in between them and laid my head on Chase’s shoulder while they went back to their game. I watched as they marched around in the game world, shooting off every living head. I wondered if the heads were me.