slamming

Eric wasn't so sure about this. Yes, he's promised Steve about the poetry slam. He hated to be a no show. He'd never hear the end of it from him. Yet, he felt naked showing up at the coffee house all alone.

"Where's Ellie?" Steve was at the door waiting for him.

"Couldn't make it," Eric thought it best not to share his personal problems with him, especially, since this was Steve's night to shine. "Sorry."

"Dang," he just said. "You been sick?"

"No."

"You're too skinny." Steve told him as he showed him to a table.

"I'm just working on that girlish figure of mine," Eric tried to joke, but obviously Steve didn't get it. He parked Eric next to someone Steve went to school with. Eric thought he might come undone having to go solo. He did notice the girl next to him. Olivia.

She had such full lips and her long lashes fluttered sleepily. Her dark hair was a bit haunting, but he knew it must have been natural, the way the light shined on her hair. Of course, she was awful quiet. He hated to be alone with her. He was certain she'd immediately know what an ass he was or perhaps just a snob. Really, he felt out of his element as the place began to fill up with people. Why had he come? What was he supposed to do?

He bit a fingernail then, but he caught her staring at him so he decided he'd just sit on his hands. Really, he was a stranger here. God, he hoped Steve never did this again. It would possibly take forever to get through the twenty poets.

"It never last long," she said to him with a lisp. It was possibly worse than a lisp. He hadn't an inkling what she'd said. He was sitting by someone mentally challenged, he assumed. This frightened Eric even more. He gave her a startled look.

He kept his eyes on the stage then.

There she went talking again. He was lost. What was she saying? Maybe she didn't even know.

"Uh huh." That was all he could give her, doing his best not to make eye contact with her.

The first girl on stage was complete Gothic in her Lolita outfit who raged on about personal demons in her closet. Eric hoped he wouldn't be tested on this afterward. Naturally, when she was finished a vacant quietness prevailed.

Then a geeky boy got up to do a rap of some kind that Eric thought was completely pathetic. He couldn't imagine anyone giving any of them a prize. He guessed getting a free cup of coffee here for the next month was as good as it got.

The next thing he knew, Olivia was bringing him a foamy hot drink. He hadn't expected that. He wasn't sure if it were coffee or hot cocoa. He took a taste. It was coffee. It left him with a bit of a foamy mustache. She smiled politely. Eric licked his upper lip then. He felt like an idiot for not thanking her, but it was too late because Steve was on.

His voice was like thunder, and it woke everyone up. He was angry about love about everything, actually. He certainly had Eric's attention. Steve hated everything. Evidently. He talked of a black crow taking his pain by pecking his eyeball out. It was horrifying.

"Good, isn't he?" Olivia grinned.

"Yeah." Eric smiled back.

Steve talked to her a bit afterwards. They walked out together into the cold. She then went by herself to her car to drive home. Eric just squinted in amazement. Wasn't there something wrong with her?

"Is she OK?" Eric asked Steve.

"I think so."

"I mean, she has-"

"Oh that, something about the cracked cleft pallet that almost grew back together. She's hair-lipped."

"Really?" Eric hadn't even noticed.

"Yeah, its this straight line on her lip right under her nose." Steve told him as if he'd tell him where all her tattoos were if he'd just ask.

"I didn't know." Eric shrugged. He doubted he remembered her name tomorrow.

"She works at the movie theater," Steve said.

"Good, maybe she can get you in free, sometime." Eric shrugged.

"I wouldn't ask her to do something like that," Steve looked at him a bit angry.

"Of course, not." Eric did his best to somehow get out of the conversation without ruining it. "I'm glad I came. Really I am. You're quite good." Eric meant it too.

"Then maybe you can come to the next one," Steve said.

"I dunno." Eric had his doubts.

"You know, you don't have anything better to do." Steve told him. Eric hated it when he was right.