The Lust That Hides The Love

Sixty-Seven-Open Heart

Lapis's pov

Growing up, I'd always wanted to be pushed through a grocery store in a shopping cart. One Friday afternoon, that wish came true.

"You m know, I've always wanted to do this," I said, flipping through a magazine I'd grabbed on the way in.

"Yeah?" Red asked, grabbing a box of crackers and placing them on my stomach. My legs were hanging out over the front of the cart and older shoppers sent us the occasional disapproving look.

"Yeah. I never really liked the child seats, but this is cool." Red laughed.

"I feel like I'm learning more about you already."

"What else do you wanna know? Ooh, get some cookies!" Red grabbed the cookies.

"Uh, any weird kid things?" I laughed.

"I was the epitome of weird kid things. Uh, wait, actually I don't think I was that weird." He chuckled. "I used to play the viola. I stopped a few years ago though."

"Really?" He asked, turning the aisle.

"Yeah, that's how I first met Pearl Baroque, I guess. But you probably don't know who that is." Red shrugged.

"I've heard the name. Something about her almost dying or something?"

"Yeah, but whatever. You have to tell me one weird kid thing about you now!" Red chuckled and rubbed his neck.

"Uh, when I first got adopted I pretty much just followed my parents around everywhere."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I felt kinda weird just doing my own thing in their house, so I just acted like I was a guest."

"Was it the same house?" I asked.

"That I live in now? Yeah. But back then I wasn't in the basement."

"You weren't?"

"Nah. The twins weren't adopted yet and my oldest sister was still at home... Yeah. So I shared a room with my brother."

"So you moved to the basement when the twins got adopted?"

"Nah, not right away. I don't think I actually moved down until my sister moved out. The twins got her room and I decided I didn't want to share a room with my brother anymore." I nodded.

"So you have five sisters?" Red nodded.

"Five sisters and a brother. So for a while there were four to a room, the twins with Icy and Imp, and they had bunk beds."

"Why didn't they just share with your other sister?"

"Mystic? She didn't want to share a room. She moved out as soon as she could anyway." I shifted in the cart.

"I'm like ninety percent sure you've told me this, but why?" He shrugged.

"So like... My brother's the only one of us who's not adopted. When Myssy found out that she was adopted too she got super pissed that they didn't tell her."

"How did she find out?"

"Some sort of family tree project at school in tenth grade. She had to track down traits that had been passed through the family and nothing sat right with her, so she confronted them later."

"Yikes. And I thought my family was fucked up." An older woman who appeared to be shopping with her grandkids gave us a harsh glare.

"Excuse me, this is a grocery store. You hooligans can go mess around somewhere else." Red sighed.

"I'm sorry, ma'am." He pushed the cart away. "Alright, I think we've got everything." I groaned.

"Oh no, does that mean you have to release me from my wheeled prison?" I dramatically brought my hand to my forehead. "Oh the humanity!" Red laughed.

"Nah, luckily you're covered in snacks. Or had you noticed?" I looked down at my stomach, which indeed was covered.

"Touché, Mr. Quartz." I thought for a minute. "Hey are you related to Rainbow Quartz?"

"That bitch? No, not at all. At least, not that I know of."

"Hmm." I smiled a we pulled up to the register and Red began unloading the cart. "Hey, help me out of here before you put the bags in!" He edged around the cart and picked me up, placing me down on the floor. "Hey!" I stood up and dustef myself off.

"What, you didn't say I had to put you down on your feet." Red laughed as he paid. "Jesus, you're expensive."

"It's the cookies, I knew it." He rolled his eyes and started putting the bags in the cart.

"Okay, let's go."

In the car, I rolled down my window and let the warm May air rush past.

"Are you even allowed to drive me yet?"

"Technically? Yeah. I've had my license for a couple weeks now so I can legally drive one person under the age of twenty one."

"Oh, cool."

"You have your learner's permit, right?"

"Yeah, so I guess you'll be doing the driving this summer." Red smiled.

"What a pity." I stretched and sighed in relief.

"I wish these next couple of weeks could go by quicker. I just wanna get out of here." Red smiled.

"Hey c'mon, you can wait a couple more weeks, Lappy. Besides, we can leave right after school ends."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Or, if you're interested," I glanced over at Red.

"Interested in what?"

"I heard there's going to be a big party that night," He explained. "If we go to that we can dip out in style."

"The plan is to go quietly." I reminded him.

"And what better way to do that than to leave while everyone's distracted? Think about it, if we leave after school while tons of people are on the road at the same time as us, they'll have an idea of where we're going. But if we leave during a party where most of the school is drunk and high and will have no idea when or where the last place they saw us was? It'll be amazing. A true vanishing act." I thought about it briefly, then opened my phone to text Mangano.

Are you going to that party after the last day?

It didn't even take her a minute to respond.

Yeah. Designated driver.

I looked back up at Red, who was smiling as her watched the road ahead.

"Let's do it."