buzzcut season

4.

"I think maybe you should get X-rays," Kate says. She wraps my hand in a cloth.

Her apartment is a lot larger then Mal and I's.

Her's has got two floors and a huge white stairwell leading upstairs.

I'm not even sure if this is an apartment or good enough to be considered a penthouse.

"Mal has always been an attention seeker," Kate says.

I swallow and look to the ground.

I didn't tell Kate what happened but just that I'm mad at Mal.

"To be honest I'm sad this is the result of you punching a wall not her face."

"Kate, I would never punch Mal. Sheesh what's gotten between you two?"

"Nothing she's just a bitch."

I never understand those two. One sec they're all excited to see each other and when they do it's like they haven't seen each other in a decade. Then sometimes I'm worried I should call the police.

I just sigh as a reply.

"What should we have for dinner. I can put a lasagna in the oven?"

"Sure," I say learning back on the couch.

She walks into the kitchen and pulls a lasagna out of the freezer. She puts it in the oven before turning on the tv.

"Watch whatever you want," she says. "I'm going to go shower."

I nod my head and she makes her way upstairs.

Then I'm left alone with nothing to do.

Of course I don't want to watch Netflix. My head is spinning and my hand is aching.

Anger is slowly turning into sadness and I just feel gloomy. Like I want to grab a blanket, crawl up under it and stay there forever.

I eye a blanket on the other side of the couch but really don't feel like getting it. I don't want to move at all so I just sit there. I don't even pick up the remote so the Netflix screen just sits waiting for me to pick an account.

I eventually move when my phone goes off a million times.

Mal: I'm sorry
Mal: please answer me
Mal: can we at least talk about it
Read 7:43pm.
Mal: Luka is sorry too. C'mon this isn't a good way for you guys to see each other again

I want nothing to do with either of them.

I don't even know what to do. I already hated everything about my miserable life. My job, pathetic family, sad apartment but at least I had Mal.

Kate makes her way downstairs. She's in light pink silk pyjamas and her dark brown hair is wet.

"What do you have for alcohol?" I ask.

"Not much," she says when she finally reaches the bottom of the stairs. "I'm underage, I only have what people have left here."

"That's fine."

"Here, follow me," she walks up to me and smiles lightly. "I'll show you what I have."

The two of us spend the rest of the night drunk, eating lasagna and watching friends.

I wake up the next morning on the couch next to Kate who's got a melted bowl of ice cream in her hand.

The pain in my hand reminds me of my swollen hand, and all of yesterday's events.

I slowly untangle myself from the blankets and walk to the bathroom. I clean up a bit before exiting. I check my phone to see Mal left more messages.

Mal: please come home
Mal: Im really sorry

The next thing to catch my attention is that it's one pm.

I need to get home and shower. I've also gotta grab new clothes and I've got work tomorrow.

Her apartment is so bright and it makes me want to crawl into bed.

I miss my bed.

I hear Kate groan in the other room so I walk back to where she is.

"Good morning sunshine," she laughs rubbing her forehead.

I nod my head.

"Is this a double a sleepover?" She asks.

"Probably. I'll go home after Mal goes to work tomorrow. She leaves before me."

Kate slowly nods her head before throwing the blankets off her and grabbing the bowl.

"How's your hand?" She asks as she walks by.

I look down at it, still wrapped in a cloth.

"Sore."

"I've got some Advil in the bathroom if you want some."

"Yeah okay," I say before making my way to the washroom.

"Want oatmeal?" I hear her call.

When I return she sees my facial expression. Oatmeal is disgusting.

"What? Oatmeal is so good!"

"Oatmeal." I say judgementally.

"Okay fine. I've got Cheerios or we could could go to the Starbucks across the road."

"Starbucks."

"Of course. Okay," she says shutting the cupboard. "Let me go grab a bra and then we're going."

"I'm your pyjamas? What happened to 'have you ever seen me outside of the house in something other then this' or whatever you said'?"

"As long as I look cute in my pyjamas it's fine. They're silk and probably more expensive then what other people are wearing."

"People can take pictures though?"

"Oh please. Ellie is the only person the media cares about in this family besides my mother."

Kate runs upstairs leaving me to think about our families.

My father, as a CEO of a business corporation inherited by his father, is quite rich. He spends 80% of his life in other cities doing business but a lot of it is in L.A.

I however, am only known on the media for apparently being good looking and attractive to teenage girls with daddy issues? Why? Because I'm a fuck up and there's way too many newspaper articles that have sent my father into a frenzy. I'm surprised he hasn't paid to have me killed.

For Mal, the same thing.

It's weird hanging around Kate. She's a richer, more put together version of my best friend. It's like I'm hanging out with Mal in an alternate universe.

"Speaking of the media," Kate starts as she begins down the stairs. "Have you heard about our fathers?"

"No?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary but they're in the headlines for whoever bothers to read about that shit."

"Okay," I say as we exit her apartment and she locks the door. "So maybe I'll just blackmail my father into giving me money by saying I'll propose to you or Mal if he doesn't. Hah imagine that. He'd have to be stuck around your father all the time."

"Laurence and Marcus. Hanging out like old times," Kate laughs. "Except this time they must hire people to kill each other."

"All fun times. We can bet on who will do it faster."

Kate laughs.

We all grew up with too much money and too little time with our family. I barely ever saw them in my mansion. I was basically raised by several nannies.