Beauty Queen in Tears

Life had become painfully domestic for me. I'd go to work, come home and shower, watch TV and eat dinner with Anna, and then go to sleep and repeat it all the next morning. I didn't know how to feel about it and actually considered going out on a limb and doing something insane like going to a Real World casting call - just so the days wouldn't go by so slow. To make matters worse I hadn't seen or heard from Vic since that 'little moment' we shared, which made me go into overdrive wondering why he hadn't shown his face around the Campbell household. Could I have possibly scared him off with the fact that I was an actual human being who genuinely felt things other than annoyance and disgust? Vulnerability wasn't something I openly showcased to others - if I had any self-control in the matter then I always chose to remain stone-faced, as if whatever happened didn't affect me in the least bit. It usually worked - years of pulling a poker face while living with the tyrant that was my mother helped prepare me in shutting people out.

Either way, it didn't sit well with me. I told that fucker things I wasn't planning on indulging anybody with.

In the kitchen, I could hear the sound of pots and pans rattling - meaning that I was no longer alone. I perked up, slinking out of the patio seat I had been lounging on for the past hour and a half. Through the glass french doors, I could see Anna poking her head in almost every single cabinet. I pressed my face against the glass, knocking on it a few times in hopes of garnering her attention. Anna popped up instantly, slamming her head on the edge of a cabinet door. She rubbed at the crown of her head, flicking me off in a moment of rage. With a laugh, I pushed the door open, wandering inside the house. "Well, hello love monkey." I drawled, trying my hardest not to break out in a fit of maniacal laughter.

Anna didn't look very pleased, her eyes glazed over with tears. "Fuck off, Syd. Don't you have better things to do other than torment my life?"

I shook my head and I could see her hand twitched. Without having to read her mind I could tell that she was contemplating whether or not to throw a pan at me. "Nope. You're my only friend other than..." I cleared my throat, cutting myself off right there. No need to say his name. Anna was already growing suspicious that there was something going on between Vic and I. "Yeah, you're my only friend." She looked at me and I couldn't figure out what she was thinking, although at this point she stopped rubbing her head and began laying something out on the counter.

"I thought you were friends with the guys," she said with a simple sigh.

"Yeah, but they're not around to bother now, are they?"

Anna stopped what she was doing and let out an agitated groan. "They've got lives too, y'know." With a shake of her head, she moved to the refrigerator and pulled out a tray that held some type of meat - probably dinner. "They're on tour, anyways."

I stared at her weirdly, my eyebrow raised in curiosity. "Tour?"

She nodded. "Tour."

"What? Are they in like a mariachi band or something?"

I managed to get a small laugh out of her. "Nah, they make, um - you know, I actually don't know what genre they fall under or even if there's a name for it. Everyone else calls it post-hardcore but it doesn't seem fitting." She shrugged her shoulders, "they're pretty good."

I bounced up from my spot against the far wall, all but tumbling over to lean against the counter - all wide eyes and slacked jaw. "What's the band name?"

Anna didn't look up at me but continued dusting a baking pan as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. "Pierce the Veil."

"Thanks." I pushed myself off of the counter, jabbing my thumb towards the hall. "I'm gonna use your laptop and look them up, alright? Cool." I didn't bother to wait for her approval, Anna didn't really mind me mooching off of her belongings. I already took possession of her couch, so borrowing her stuff whenever I felt like it wasn't much of a step up.

I practically skipped towards her bedroom, my eyes having to take a moment to adjust to the dim lighting. Her laptop was sitting on top of her bed, the silver of her mac book standing out against the zebra patterned bedspread. I flopped onto her bed, wasting no time in making myself comfortable. Her TempurPedic mattress was heaven compared to her couch - which is exactly why I needed to start sneaking in while she was asleep to claim the other side of her bed.

I pulled open her laptop and put the password in, being met with her wall saver which was a collage of pictures. Most of them were of the both of us, but every now and then I'd spot a picture of her and Jaime and she was beaming in each and every single one of them. She had it bad and it was beyond me how nobody else realized it.

I opened up iTunes hoping that she'd have some of their music already at my disposal, which luckily she did. Selfish Machines, I hummed out loud, clicking on the first song off of the album which was Besitos. Whatever the fuck that meant.

Right off the bat, my ears were met with an explosive rhythm that I could only describe as Mariachi music infused with what I guessed was the 'post-hardcore' aspect of it. While the music was playing I decided that just listening to them wasn't enough, I had to know more. So naturally, I opened Google up and put them into the search bar. Instantly I was met with over five million results in the time span of twenty-three seconds. I was impressed. Obviously, they were a lot bigger than I initially thought they'd be. Part of me felt like an absolute creep for looking them up on the internet instead of just calling and asking but this was a lot easier and more discreet. I learned a bunch of new things - like who did what and how long they'd been a band, etc.

I bobbed my head to the music and glanced around the room, spotting Anna's iPhone sitting on the edge of her nightstand. I reached over to grab it, surprised to find out that she didn't have a password on it. Not like I was going to snoop through her messages, I just wanted to text Vic without having to get up to grab my phone from the living room.

[text: to Vic] Skyyype me loser
[text: to Vic] ps it's sydney and my skype is squidney
[text: to Vic] ps don't ask

I laid back down on the bed from the kneeling position I was in, my head resting against her pillowcases. I logged out of her Skype and into my own on her phone, laying the device on my stomach as I waited for a reply or something. I was surrounded by the soothing sound of some song that was about saving yourself for someone and sharks, almost at the point of dozing off when I heard the ever familiar ringing of a Skype call coming through.

I unlocked Anna's phone and answered the call quickly, Vic's bashful face appearing on the small screen. I grinned almost immediately and without missing a beat Vic said something that wiped the grin right off.

"Squidney, really?"

I closed my eyes in a disapproving manner, a sigh slipping past my parted lips. I held the phone up at an angle, hoping and praying I wouldn't make the mistake of losing grip and letting the device fall on my face. "I told you not to ask."

His laugh reached my ears and suddenly I felt better. "As if I could resist."

A few moments of silence passed while we just watched each other, probably miles away but connected through technology. "Good taste in music." He commented, a hint of a smirk on his lips.

I scoffed. "Anna told me, asshole." I ran my fingers through my knotty hair in an attempt to get rogue strands to stop tickling my nose. "Why didn't you tell me you were in a band? A kind of famous one at that."

He shrugged, the sound going out momentarily - still his lips moved, the words he spoke being distorted. I sighed, "The connection fucking blows. Where are you?"

Vic spoke to someone off camera, before turning back to me. "South Carolina. It's raining outside."

I let out a small whine, rolling around on the bed careful not to knock over Anna's MacBook. "I'm so jealous. It's been super hot lately. When do you get back?"

He threw his head back, leaning against a white wall I assumed had to belong to some sort of dressing room. "Just a few more days." He raised an eyebrow, "Why? Do you miss me? It's only been like eleven days, Sydney."

"It's not as fun just picking on Anna. You react a lot funnier."

He laughed, "Lucky for you - we're not doing a full blown tour, just a few dates to keep the fans happy."

"Should I feel special or something? Y'know because I'm speaking to a celebrity."

Vic shook his head, "Barely."

I would've settled for just staring at him through the confines of Anna's iPhone for however long time allowed. I had no problem admitting to myself that I missed him - mostly because he was one of the few friends I had in San Diego. He allowed me to be myself around him, no matter how 'rude' I got, and he never got offended by my harmless comments. Vic was there for me unconditionally; regardless of his feelings for me - that he accidentally let slip got stronger and stronger as each day went by. He didn't let that get in the way of our friendship and I appreciated him for that.

"What're you thinking about?"

"How depressing your music is," I said with a small smile.

He rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to reply (with something terribly 'witty' no doubt) when something off screen caught his attention. Turning back to me, he let out a (disappointed, maybe?) sigh. "Twenty minutes to show time."

"Go kill 'em, tiger."

He gave me a two finger salute and winked at me before ending our Skype call, leaving me lonely and reeling. I had no idea what came over me as I started fishing through Anna's phone - going through her texts, most importantly the ones between her and Jaime. It wasn't until I saw that she had sent him five messages with no reply that I realized just why she wasn't in her usual chipper mood. Instantly I felt terrible for betraying her trust and trespassing her privacy, but at the same time, I felt enlightened - knowing that she wouldn't have let it known any other way. The guy she was in love with (in like?) made absolutely no effort to get back to her when all she wanted (needed?) to know was that he was doing okay. I knew I couldn't say anything on the matter without raising any red flags but all I wanted was to make her feel better like she had done for me all this time.

I made the split second decision of jumping off of the bed, not before placing her phone in the exact position it was before, and running into the kitchen. As expected she was busy drowning her brooding emotions in an elaborate dinner, her face flushed with a thin layer of sweat. I hugged her from behind, placing my head against the curve of her back. "Wuv you, Anna. Sorry I made you hurt your head."

She laughed, "It's alright, babe." Anna turned her head in an attempt to lock eyes with me before throwing in - "But don't think I'm not gonna get you back for that, you bitch."

Notes

:3c