I'm too tired to end the war

 It didn't sit well with Crystal that Nico was moving out on his own. He'd be moving into the apartment over Joe's garage, where he worked full-time, but he washed dishes at the Coffee Shop on the weekend.

"Why are you so worried?" CW shrugged about the matter. "It's not like he's your kid or anything."

He spoke so openly to her now. It left her a little gruff. "What's the matter with you boy?" She knew she was harsh for no good reason. After all, he was everything to her lately. "If there's any child around here, it's you." She hugged herself and stomped away to the kitchen for a glass of cold water. CW followed.

"What's the matter with you?" He tilted his head as if he hadn't been listening to her at all. "You get so crazy."

"It's the heat." She fanned herself with the cheaply decorated fan CW kept getting her. She heaved a sigh as if she really wished he'd get out of her face.

"You haven't had a period in months."

His words alarmed him. How did he know? She looked at him as if he were bringing up some kind of ghost.

"Why won't you go to the doctor?"

She sucked in a breath as if it might keep her from listening, but that's when he confessed that he knew she was bipolar. Crystal scrunched a frown. This was off limits. So was her menstrual cycle, but he stood in the middle of the kitchen wanting to know. 

"You need a haircut." She dragged out the kitchen chair as if she just might shave his head this time.

He told her he didn't need one, but she sat him down as if he were the only child she would ever need.

"I have periods that come and go. So don't be alarmed. It's nothing." She told him, combing through his greasy hair. For a moment, she thought about what was causing this greasy hair. Soon, she decided this was what happened to fry cooks.

"Why can't I worry? Huh?"

She started to snip at his hair. It was just a trim. Actually, she liked the length of it. Suddenly, it occurred to her if they had a child it would end up with her nappy hair. Still, she didn't want to get ahead of herself. There was the coffee shop to worry about. But it was late July now. Things were slowing down. Next month, school starts. Time marched on.

She closed her eyes for a second. Her body began to sway. The scissors dropped to the floor. Crystal felt as if an earthquake was about to happen. Or maybe her spine was cracking. A  gush of water flooded the kitchen floor.

CW jumped up. "Holy Shit!"

Crystal sighed and told him, "No swearing allowed." It was the least she could do as she staggered toward the bathroom, but CW was on the phone with 911.

Crystal stared at the commode. She was too constipated to think.

Thought that was a good solution

Amy knew her parents would be upset when she told them she broke up with Eli. After all, Eli worked for her Dad at the Music Center in Old Towne just a block away from the Coffee Shop. But they were OK  with it. Just when she thought she might be a bad girl, they turned it around, inviting Nico over for dinner.

"I like him," her mother said. "He's really sweet." She made it sound as if Nico was a keeper. After all, he'd brought Amy lunch from time to time. In fact, he never let her run at night [which was the coolest part of the day to get her two-mile run in to keep up with her distance running]. "He cares about you, and he's got like two jobs, doesn't he?"

Her mother didn't talk about the fact that Nico wasn't in school anymore. She liked that he did things with her. "You make sure to appreciate his efforts. Maybe sometime, you could bring him lunch."

Amy gritted a smile. Yes, she was still in high school, and she was in angst mode less and less thanks to Nico. Still, he'd say to her from time to time, "You gotta chill more." Of course, later, as they got closer over the summer, he always added Babe to these one-liners, which gave way to her smiling more.

"Now, if you'd just get over this, whatever it is with Junie, well..." Nico shrugged.

"Well, what?" She was back in envy mode.

"Friendships are important," Nico said there was no need to be angry with Junie. Besides, he could tell it was a relief to break up with Eli. "I know you two go way back."

"She's changed." Amy found herself yelling at Nico as they walked off one of the summer runs down at the park after dark.

He took her hand and clasped his fingers between hers.

"You've changed too." He reminded her that Junie did ignore her when she met that Connor fellow. "I bet she regrets a lot of things that happened."

"Well, she left me out," Amy pouted. "We were best friends."

"Yeah, yeah, as long as she was there for you about every little thing, but you-"

"What?" Amy snapped.

"You're a funny girl," Nico smiled with a chuckle as if he knew something she'd have to find out for herself. "Now, just chill, Babe. No need to get worked up about it."

Amy sighed, knowing he was right. Actually, a lot of things worked her up in life. Her mother came back into her life. Her father and mother started a new family. It was so easy to find something to sulk about, yet it was taking a toll on her health. There was a time when she'd go without eating for days, and no one seemed to notice. 

She looked at Nico, finding his laughter infectious. She kissed him on the cheek. Finally, it felt she had someone on her side.

 

Junie & Eli

 

Junie wanted to say the 4th was spent with family, but who was she kidding? If Eli hadn't been there, well, there would be no thrill.  She couldn't help but smile about it now. Of course, most of the night was walking and talking in the humidity and soot of the 4th. Somehow they'd made their way down to the river. 

Now she kept wondering if she deserved this. The whole time, she kept switching the conversation back to what she'd done and what kind of fool she was for ending things like she did with Darry.

"How long are you going to carry this burden?" Eli looked at her as if a friend would, and then he took her hand. "Don't you know, not everything is about you."

His quote made her laugh. He grinned. Junie found herself smiling too. She coughed, then, in the smoke of the fireworks, and they ran through the streets of old town to the old bar where they shouldn't have been, but the air was refreshing, where the old-timers sat at the bar, and they made their way to the back booth in the dark of the neon lights.

Junie looked around, thinking they shouldn't be here, but soon enough, Eli told her the cheeseburgers were great here.

"Cheeseburgers?" Junie thought they only served alcohol, but she soon found out the vanilla Coke was exceptional, and the fries weren't even greasy. She hadn't realized this was the VA hall. 

He mentioned his dad was a member, and they knew him. She nodded, learning something new about Eli. Still, she had to ask, "Did you ever bring Amy here?"

"No," he cracked up with laughter. "Do you think she'd eat here?"

Junie shook her head, no as she dipped a fry in ketchup. She didn't want to bring up Amy. She didn't want to think about friends who didn't want to know her anymore. It was best not to mention it even if a lump of emotion lodged in her throat. She could barely eat even if she wanted to enjoy the meal.

Later, they went down to the park on the river. It was a short walk on the main street. Junie was quiet, letting Eli lead the way. She thought about not moving forward, but there was a certain rhythm that connected with Eli. His stride was a dance of life that she needed.

Yes, he was the friend she never knew she had. It was baffling and endearing. She didn't want to overthink it. Besides, she even wanted to know where it might go. And there at the water's edge, she knew. She knew she was more grown-up now. And when he put his arm around her, she knew she didn't want to go anywhere. She liked this closeness. It felt as if they were equals. And this was just the beginning. 

She reached up and pulled him toward her. "Are you sure we can just be friends?"

When his body shook with laughter, she knew then nothing was going to tear them apart.

The 4th is coming

 1. Damn, if those fireworks are ruining my week. The smoke is giving me headaches.

2. I have to work extra this week just to have Friday off. 

3. Can't watch the news. D.C. and the president are on the brink of God knows what, and I'm afraid he's just bluffing, as usual.

4. This holiday just isn't what it used to be. You know, poke cakes, and other cold treats with a backyard BBQ. 

5. It's just too hot to do anything. And I think that will be what July has in store for us. That is, if the state doesn't burn up with grass fires.

Yeah, not exactly what I was hoping for. Be careful out there.

-Crystal