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Authors: Cath Crowley
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later.’
‘Did you forget to evolve?’ she asks, struggling to get off the couch. I laugh because I like how she’s feisty, when it’s not aimed at me. Before she finds out what other parts of him are extendable I haul myself up and drop inside. ‘She’s with me, Gorilla.’
‘I don’t see your name on her,’ he tells me, and she looks mad and he looks like he wants a fight and I know I can’t take either of them so I end this quick.
‘Trust me. Find someone else. This is the one that broke my nose.’
‘Shit, she’s all yours.’
I fall onto the couch. ‘You hear that? You’re all mine.’
She flicks her wristband. ‘There’s a guy in the kitchen giving people tattoos. You want to go get your name on my arm?’
‘Later, maybe.’
‘Did you come through the window?’ she asks.
‘All other exits are blocked,’ I tell her, and sit there trying to think of something to say. It’s hard to think of small talk in a sea of couples that are slowly tattooing themselves all over each other. She can’t stop looking at them and that’s a bad idea at a party like this. ‘Don’t look,’ I tell her.
‘It’s like the sun during an eclipse. It’ll blind me but I have to look.’
‘If you keep looking at that girl she will blind you.’
‘What you need is a camera,’ the girl says to Lucy.
‘No, what I need is a hose.’
‘Okay.’ I cover Lucy’s eyes. ‘No one’s looking anymore.’
The girl goes back to her business. I keep my hand where it is just in case. Nice and close to her mouth.
I watch her so I’m not tempted to watch anyone else. She moves her head and feet around in time to the music. ‘You enjoying yourself there?’ I ask.
‘More than I was. It’s not as bad if you can’t see it.’
I cover my eyes with my other hand. ‘You’re right.’
‘Do you think that’s someone chewing gum?’ she asks.
‘Uh-uh,’ I say. ‘Is that you heavy breathing?’
‘I’m trying to have an out-of-body experience.’
‘Do not leave me here alone,’ I tell her, and we laugh, and in the dark she could be a different girl and I could be a different guy. We could be two people swimming through painted music.
‘What are you thinking?’ she asks.
‘I’m thinking this party sucks.’
‘I’m pretty sure that there’s someone beside me actually sucking. Shadow wouldn’t be at a party like this.’
‘This is exactly the sort of party Shadow’d be at.’
‘You know him too?’
‘I catch a glimpse of him, every now and then.’
‘I’ve almost seen him. And Poet,’ she says, and I want to say, you have seen him and you didn’t want him.
‘Oh yeah?’ I say instead.
‘Yep. He was at the glass studio where I work. My boss texted me when he saw them. I arrived tonight five minutes after they’d gone.’
It’s strange that I’ve seen that old guy a few times and never seen Lucy once. I watch him sometimes, through the window of his studio, melting glass and changing its shape. ‘Did your boss get a really good look at them?’
‘He said they were young and scruffy.’
‘Shadow didn’t look scruffy last time I saw him.’ That old guy’s scruffier than Leo or me.
‘So how come you’re not mad at me anymore?’ she asks.
‘Who says I’m not?’
‘You’re not blocking my airway.’
‘It’s a crowded room. Lots of witnesses.’ I think for a bit. I’m not as mad when I’m not looking at her. Both of us stay quiet for a while and let the music weave around us. ‘We can’t stay like this much longer,’ I say after three songs have gone by.
‘Worried it’ll get awkward?’ she asks.
‘More worried someone’ll steal our wallets.’
‘Jazz is pretty keen to hang around. She said this place is perfect material for her drama audition. She’s doing this Shakespearean monologue, so I don’t know what inspiration she’s planning on getting here.’
A bottle smashes somewhere close by. ‘If she hangs around long enough someone’s bound to
‘Did you forget to evolve?’ she asks, struggling to get off the couch. I laugh because I like how she’s feisty, when it’s not aimed at me. Before she finds out what other parts of him are extendable I haul myself up and drop inside. ‘She’s with me, Gorilla.’
‘I don’t see your name on her,’ he tells me, and she looks mad and he looks like he wants a fight and I know I can’t take either of them so I end this quick.
‘Trust me. Find someone else. This is the one that broke my nose.’
‘Shit, she’s all yours.’
I fall onto the couch. ‘You hear that? You’re all mine.’
She flicks her wristband. ‘There’s a guy in the kitchen giving people tattoos. You want to go get your name on my arm?’
‘Later, maybe.’
‘Did you come through the window?’ she asks.
‘All other exits are blocked,’ I tell her, and sit there trying to think of something to say. It’s hard to think of small talk in a sea of couples that are slowly tattooing themselves all over each other. She can’t stop looking at them and that’s a bad idea at a party like this. ‘Don’t look,’ I tell her.
‘It’s like the sun during an eclipse. It’ll blind me but I have to look.’
‘If you keep looking at that girl she will blind you.’
‘What you need is a camera,’ the girl says to Lucy.
‘No, what I need is a hose.’
‘Okay.’ I cover Lucy’s eyes. ‘No one’s looking anymore.’
The girl goes back to her business. I keep my hand where it is just in case. Nice and close to her mouth.
I watch her so I’m not tempted to watch anyone else. She moves her head and feet around in time to the music. ‘You enjoying yourself there?’ I ask.
‘More than I was. It’s not as bad if you can’t see it.’
I cover my eyes with my other hand. ‘You’re right.’
‘Do you think that’s someone chewing gum?’ she asks.
‘Uh-uh,’ I say. ‘Is that you heavy breathing?’
‘I’m trying to have an out-of-body experience.’
‘Do not leave me here alone,’ I tell her, and we laugh, and in the dark she could be a different girl and I could be a different guy. We could be two people swimming through painted music.
‘What are you thinking?’ she asks.
‘I’m thinking this party sucks.’
‘I’m pretty sure that there’s someone beside me actually sucking. Shadow wouldn’t be at a party like this.’
‘This is exactly the sort of party Shadow’d be at.’
‘You know him too?’
‘I catch a glimpse of him, every now and then.’
‘I’ve almost seen him. And Poet,’ she says, and I want to say, you have seen him and you didn’t want him.
‘Oh yeah?’ I say instead.
‘Yep. He was at the glass studio where I work. My boss texted me when he saw them. I arrived tonight five minutes after they’d gone.’
It’s strange that I’ve seen that old guy a few times and never seen Lucy once. I watch him sometimes, through the window of his studio, melting glass and changing its shape. ‘Did your boss get a really good look at them?’
‘He said they were young and scruffy.’
‘Shadow didn’t look scruffy last time I saw him.’ That old guy’s scruffier than Leo or me.
‘So how come you’re not mad at me anymore?’ she asks.
‘Who says I’m not?’
‘You’re not blocking my airway.’
‘It’s a crowded room. Lots of witnesses.’ I think for a bit. I’m not as mad when I’m not looking at her. Both of us stay quiet for a while and let the music weave around us. ‘We can’t stay like this much longer,’ I say after three songs have gone by.
‘Worried it’ll get awkward?’ she asks.
‘More worried someone’ll steal our wallets.’
‘Jazz is pretty keen to hang around. She said this place is perfect material for her drama audition. She’s doing this Shakespearean monologue, so I don’t know what inspiration she’s planning on getting here.’
A bottle smashes somewhere close by. ‘If she hangs around long enough someone’s bound to
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