Absorb

"Sometimes, you make me feel like throwing up."
Dez looked up from her survey. "What?"
I shrugged in thought, and idly flicked off some eraser-shavings from the table. "Like, you make me sick of not hearing you talk." But, that wasn't it, was it? Not exactly. Ugh, now that probably confused her. Because that didn't even make much sense, did it?
She looked back to her survey. Though I knew she was trying to ignore the comment, I could tell it stung by her eyes narrowing in bitterness.
"But…not really." I sort of mumbled to myself. I traced a indent in the grain of the table.
"Not really, what?" She didn't look up from her survey.
Crap. Think of something witty. "Well, you don't literally make me sick. You just make me tired and fed up. Like after I've thrown up." I almost smirked, but then saw her clench her teeth and furrow her brow. "Whatever." Dez snapped. Snippy, but her tone became lighter as she sighed exasperatedly. "I don't understand your issues, but if there are any, you should get away from them."
Get away from issues? You mean, run away from problems? I don't think I've ever done that. Ever. I'm always pretty straightforward if I ever need something.
But…I didn't have any issues with her, either. I suppose she always assumed things, even when I was just teasing. "Is that how you deal with things?"
"How I deal with what?"
"Your problems. You just ignore them."
Dez looked up again, and glared. I stared out at her from under my bangs, with my chin propped in my hand. Her eyes were icy as she blinked at me, questioning.
I can't stand it when she glares and says nothing. So I rolled my eyes and looked away.
She let out another sigh, but out of the corner of my eye I noticed she went back to work on her survey. I sat up more and stretched, then decided to stare out the window instead, avoiding her gazes to rethink what I'd said. I may say things without prior review, but I'll study the past constantly. It's rather annoying, really, that this is how I work, but it doesn't matter.
I wonder what she thinks about it. She works differently.
Don't you, Dez?
For the most part, you study things before you say them. But like I said, you don't really deal with your problems well. But if someone has a problem with you, then you'll ask them why and try to understand. You mentioned once that it's gotten you into trouble, but…I'm not sure how, exactly.
I look back to her. Dez's wearing a hoodie and jeans like she usually does. In fact, I don't think she wears anything else, ever. Hm…
"I think you need to go shopping."
"What for?" I can hear the groan in her voice.
"You need some better clothes. Seriously, you look like a slob all the time." I mean, I suppose that's not always true, but when all she wears are hoodies…
I stood and walked around the table to inspect her clothes and hair. I adjust her hoodie, noticing the dirty quality to it, the fuzz all over it, and the wrinkles, as well as the baggy look. "Look at this, when did you wash this, it smells like…I don't even want to know." I tug at her sleeve. "There's a stain here, too."
She glances at it. "Pizza."
"You eat too much pizza." Seriously, every weekend, she eats pizza for two to three days.
Dez shrugs. "I like pizza. It happens to be my favorite food."
I stand back with my hands on my hips, sigh, and stick out my tongue at her.
Dez stares blankly.
I giggle, grab her hand, and pull her out of her seat and towards the doors of the library. "Come on, we're going shopping!"
"What, no! I have to finish this survey!" She can barely grab her things before I'm dragging her out the door. Oh well!

"You're cutting your hair. It's currently in a mullet stage and looks awful."
"Cut my…? Ugh."
I giggle a little. In a way, I don't know how she puts up with me. I get to be rather bipolar at times. It's just my personality, but sometimes I do think I look random to others around me.
Like my driving.
"Woo, forty-five miles per hour!"
"NO. It's thirty!"
I laughed and gunned it as I merged into four lanes of traffic.
She protested, but I just smiled. She hates my driving.

"Put the green one on next!" I called over the dressing room door.
She groaned. "I hate shopping…"
I laughed and leant against the wall.
Dez opened the dressing room door.
The look on her face was amusing. I smiled. "You're such a tsundere, I swear."
She tugged at the seam of the shirt, something she does when she's nervous.
"Anyway…" I rolled my shoulders and looked her over.
Dez's skinny legs looked too small in the jeans, but the green shirt looked nice on her. She's got a laid-back sort of style, but I think that's because she just doesn't buy anything other than hoodies and jeans.
"Looks good. Not with those jeans, really, but you look good."
"…Thanks…"
I look away and check my phone. "It's getting late. How about we get some dinner?"

Dez belched. We were laying on the back of my car.
"Ugh, that tastes like pickles." I laughed when she stuck out her tongue and muttered a "yuck".
The stars were bright tonight, and they shone over us like glitter scattered in the air, or however that Pink song goes.
"Mysty?" She asked suddenly.
"Yup?" I turned my head to look at her.
"…What were you annoyed about? Earlier, at the library?" Dez asked pensively.
"I don't know. It's not really that important." I shrugged.
"It was if it bothered you."
"Not really, it wasn't." It made me feel bad. Because it was nothing and I really…
"But if…I mean, if I did or am doing something that's bothering you, you should say something…I'd say something if I was in your place."
I really need to control what I say sometimes. I need to think sometimes. And I don't.
I giggled, trying to break the tension and looked away, out across the parking lot, watching fireflies flash and dim in the light of the night. "That's what you'd do. I'm not you."
"I know, but…if something bothers you, it bothers me, too."
I frowned. "Hey." I placed my hand on top of her for a few seconds. "Don't worry about it. Okay?"
Her eyes watched me carefully. They're dark, but tonight they shone. Like they took all the light from the stars and absorbed them.
That…sounds strange.
Um…
I moved my hand away and somewhat awkwardly gathered our trash to throw away.
"Okay." I heard Dez mutter.
She slipped off the hood of my car. We hugged. Then I got in the car to drive ourselves home.

Author's Note

pic by =Lisa-Schneider on deviantart http://lisa-schneider.deviantart.com/art/We-must-take-the-stairs-251514141?q=boost%3Apopular%20in%3Aphotography%2Fconceptual%20who%20are%20we&qo=26

Reviews

[_mal]

This is truly lovely. I don't usually like stories but this one kept me involved, I like the characters a lot