If the people call you ugly, please do not cry;
You're a sweet and kind person, when all the tears dry.
If the people call you dumb, please do not fray;
Everyone becomes weary at the end of each day.
If the people want your love, please give it all;
Even if they'll eventually laugh at your fall.
I can't do this. I'm going to kill myself tonight.
-Neptune's suicide letter, 10/23/08.
As Lily drove closer and closer towards Neptune's house, the dread in her stomach weighed her down with every turn of the wheel. She knew Daphne could be merciless, but she never knew how much, and this realization felt like a stinging smack in the face. How would she even go about this to Neptune? "Hello, I'm here to tell you that Daphne wrote a vengeful article about you that went viral?"
Finally, the dreaded turn into their driveway approached, and as Lily walked up to Neptune's doorway, the cobblestones crunched under her feet. Their front door had more paint peeled off of it than the first time she had visited them, and the doorbell was shrill and ringy. When Neptune opened the door, they were wearing a khaki abaya and a chiffon scarf around their head, and upon seeing Lily, all the color miraculously returned to their face, giving Lily a pang of guilt.
"Why are you... dressed like an old librarian?"
"Oh!" Neptune giggled, blushing. "Well, it is almost Zuhr..."
"I don't think I'm catching on."
Neptune's lips curled at Lily's ignorance. "That's my midday prayer."
"We have to talk about something." Lily muttered. "So, you might want to take this off." Lily removed the scarf from Neptune's head and tossed it back to them, who retrieved it clumsily.
"Uhm, okay.." Neptune sputtered. "Would you like some Earl Grey? Or, maybe some Ceylon?"
"Earl Grey sounds good." Lily said, sitting down at Neptune's kitchen table, burying her face in her hands.
"Good choice." Neptune replied, but the veins in their neck were sticking out, and their face appeared flushed.
"Are you nervous?" Lily began.
"Well, yeah, I am... you're kind of freaking me out, Lily."
"I didn't mean to freak you out." Lily murmured.
"Is it something bad you're about to tell me?" Neptune asked, their muddy eyes wide with apprehension.
The kettle screeched, filling the silence between them.
"It's.. about Daphne," Lily shuddered.
"Oh God... Oh... fuck..." Neptune uttered, their complexion as pale as a peach dipped in yogurt.
"Neptune, calm down." Lily grunted, her voice edged with panic of her own.
"Oh, jeez, you're right." Neptune huffed, taking a deep breath. "Just tell me what Daphne did. Please."
"She... tried to turn the group against you again." Lily lied.
"You're lying, Lily. What did she do?" Neptune pressed.
"I can't tell you. You're gonna freak the fuck out."
"JUST TELL ME!" Neptune screeched, their voice nearly matching the frequency of the kettle.
"FINE!" Lily hissed. "She wrote an article about you."
Neptune's mouth dropped open, and Lily couldn't tell if she was about to say something or scream.
"...how famous is it?" Neptune gaped.
"Go see for yourself." Lily said, holding her phone out to them. As Neptune searched through the page, they fell to their knees.
"No." Neptune gasped. "Tell me, Lily. Tell me this is a cruel prank, that you hate me and wanted to get revenge, or something. Please."
When Lily said nothing, Neptune doubled over, producing a stream of choke-like noises.
"Oh my God." Lily said quietly. "Are you choking?!"
Neptune said nothing, but the noises continued.
"Frankie! HELP!" Lily cried, then realized it was just the two of them in the house. Lily crouched down so she was at Neptune's level.
When Lily propped Neptune up, she discovered that they were hyperventilating.
"Oh my God, Lily, I can't breathe." Neptune rasped, their voice tight with terror.
"Neptune, come on."
"It feels like my chest is... closing up." Neptune gasped. "I think I'm going to throw up."
"You're not going to throw up." Lily reassured. "You're just very stressed right now.
"Why does Daphne... hate me so much?" Neptune strained, eyes glossy with tears.
"She doesn't hate you." Lily cooed. "She just wanted to... get even. I'm sure this will all blow over soon."
"Nearly 4 million people have seen that article, Lily. I feel like I'm dying right now, and to be frank, I hope I do."
"You're being stupid, Neptune."
"I'm not." Neptune retorted. "It's not like Daphne ever did these things to you. You may be fat, annoying, and ugly to her, but you're not like me."
"Who are you to say who's annoying and who isn't?" Lily barked. "Britnee didn't like you for a reason."
"Please, Lily. I can't deal with this right now." Neptune sobbed. "Just leave me alone."
"I'm not going to do that, Neptune, you're going to kill yourself!" Lily's amber eyes flashed with horror.
"Please." Neptune whimpered.
"Ok, I will." Lily muttered.
When Lily drove out of Neptune's driveway, Neptune picked themselves up off of the floor, still dizzy from their erratic breathing. After sifting through their cabinets, they discovered what they were looking for, a bottle of temazepam that was prescribed to them for insomnia a year ago, half the pills remaining.
Spontaneously, Neptune screwed open the bottle and emptied the contents inside their mouth, their taste buds overflowing with chalky bitterness. When they eventually swallowed all of the toxic mixture, they lay down on the kitchen floor, waiting for the effects to take place.
Before making their decision, Neptune briefly thought about sending Frankie an apology letter, but decided it wouldn't have any effect.
YOU ARE READING
Pink City
General FictionSometimes the world isn't as pink and ethereal as it can seem. Lily never expected to move into Pink City. For the majority of her life, she found it to be a boring, run of the mill famous city, and preferred to live a laid-back life in the country...
