adolescents - mo (monroe) harris

16

The weeks following starting at the record store were bland and monotonous. Anna went to school at 7 AM, went to work from there, went home at 6 PM, did her homework and went to bed just to do it all again the next day. Anna only saw Mo in sparing moments but she found that she was thinking about him a majority of her day. She battled her own mind to stay focused and present where she was. Drifting off in class, losing track of what she's doing at work, making stupid mistakes on her homework, Anna felt like she was doing everything twice. She decided she couldn't go on with the exhausting process any longer and collapsed on her bed on Thursday night and texted Mo.

A: Any parties this weekend?

Anna was about to set her phone down but text bubbles popped up almost immediately. She smiled and rolled over onto her stomach, her phone still glued to her face.

M: CEOs and Corporate Hos at Paul's Saturday

A: You're going?

M: I'll go if you're my partner in crime
M: I mean that literally
M: I'm bringing weed again

Anna laughed and shook her head. She needed to have a talk with Zeke, Mo definitely didn't want to be the weed guy.

A: I'm down :)

Anna had a painful flashback of her last night out and cringed. She didn't want to ruin another one of Mo's nights.

A: As long as you make sure I get capped off at 3 drinks

M: You mean you're not gonna piss yourself this time?

A: No comment

Anna smiled widely and dropped her phone. The girlish feelings that bubbled up inside her weren't unfamiliar but they felt as exciting as the first time she ever felt them. Anna was accustomed to wrangling in crushes before they got to this point and now it left her wondering why she ever did in the first place. Even though day to day she was exhausting herself thinking and daydreaming, she felt a sense of slow moving excitement at every passing moment that made her feel alive.

Anna heard Zeke arrive home and she opened her bedroom door to inquire about dinner. Holly stood in the kitchen with a pizza box as Zeke threw open the fridge and grabbed a beer. Holly smiled at Anna and opened the pizza box. Anna smiled back and hopped over to the cupboards to pull out the paper plates. They all sat around the table, the pizza slowly disappearing as the time passed. Anna noticed Zeke seeming distracted by his phone. Holly chatted away to the two of them, some story about her afternoon at work. Anna sensed Holly getting tense by Zeke's lack of interest and tried to make up for it. Anna struggled with feeling responsible for others negative emotions, even when they weren't her fault. Eventually Zeke tossed his phone into his lap and grinned up at the two girls. Anna took the opportunity to talk to him about selling weed vicariously through Mo with Holly as backup.

"I hear you're sending Mo to deal at another party Saturday." She raised her eyebrow at him.

"Oh, yeah. I got a lot of good shit, we're gonna make bank." Zeke grabbed the last slice of pizza and shoved it crust first into his mouth. Anna studied him, seeing for a moment his immaturity.

"Hold on, what? Deal? Like drugs?" Holly asked no one in particular. Anna started to tell Holly that Mo was selling weed to seniors when Zeke interrupted.

"Weed, pills, probably a few tabs if I can find them." Zeke said with a full mouth. Holly's eyes widened and Anna sighed.

"Zeke, I was concerned with the weed alone, he doesn't understand what he's getting into and I don't think you should be-" Anna rambled, shaking her head. She didn't know about this development and it alarmed her.

"Zeke!" Holly stood up, her chair scooting loudly against the linoleum. "What the fuck! Mo is a kid!"

"Woah!" Zeke shrunk in his chair, his hands thrown up defensively and shoulders shrugged. "Calm down, he's a smart guy he will be fine!"

Anna felt a pang of anger. Not just for herself, but for Holly, too. She was sensitive to being made to seem dramatic or like she was overreacting. Holly looked infuriated as she continued to argue with Zeke about it. Anna sat awkwardly, feeling stupid for thinking it was smart to bring it up in front of Holly. She may be on the same side but Holly berating Zeke surely won't convince him to change his mind.

Holly sat down after she said all that she was thinking and waited for a response from Zeke. Anna felt glued to her seat, like any movement might alert them to her presence and redirect the argument towards her. Like trying to become invisible to a passing predator, Anna froze.

"I know the kid, he pulled it off once and it was a massive success. A few more times won't matter. It's good for him, he's making friends!" Zeke rationalized. Holly huffed and leaned back in her seat. Anna pressed her lips tight waiting for Holly's response.

"Not the right kind of friends." Holly rolled her eyes, conceding quietly to the hopelessness that is changing Zeke's point of view. Anna felt the knot of tension in her chest begin to unravel.

"He'll have Anna. She's responsible, right?" Zeke gestured to Anna. Holly looked at her and back at Zeke.

"Clearly, she's the one that just told you this is a bad idea."

"Which is exactly why she has to be there to make sure he doesn't fuck up." Zeke smiled and stood, taking the pizza box. Anna watched the two of them clean up in silence, the heaviness still lingering in the air. The low buzzing of the overhead light becoming deafening.

Holly's face was tight and she was quiet. Zeke was himself, loose and unbothered, which seemed to exacerbate Holly's tension. Anna knew that the conversation wasn't over between them, she just hoped they waited for privacy. She didn't mean to drive something between them, but she couldn't help the feeling that there was already space growing there.

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Y'all!! It's been...over a year? Time doesn't exist to me. When I say my life fell completely apart I mean it. I went through some real shit and am (I hope) starting to come out of the woods. This post is my attempt to get back into the things I loved before because I haven't been a real person in a very long time and I have to relearn how to have hobbies and interests. I had deleted this app many months ago and I redownloaded today to see that I have thousands of reads on this story which was totally unexpected. I can't say I have the passion I used to for this, but I know that this story is niche and that the people who are interested in it would love me to keep working on it even if it's been some time. I do work 4 jobs now so who knows how this will go, but I'm here and I am determined to try and pick this back up. I truly appreciate everyone who's read, commented, voted. I just wanna make people happy with my little story.

Anyway I hope you enjoy the update and tune in for more!

Hannah