In The Spotlight

Leafy- Replay Relive Reborn

The amount of new things I'm experiencing at the moment is a bit overwhelming.

It starts with Bubble. The room feels so empty with her gone. I've been playing music out loud to trick myself into thinking I like the peace. Who am I kidding? I'm not really a loner, am I? Plus, I try to listen to a playlist, but nothing quite feels right except one particular song, so I just keep playing that one. I'm not even sure it's making me feel better, but whatever. It's the only thing it feels like I can do.

Then there's the streaming.

We got picked up by some platform. Oh joy. Let's get put somewhere everyone on earth can watch us over and over, no matter whether they recorded our spot.

The only way for me to be okay with it is to ignore it.

So now I sit at my desk in this ghost of a room, pitying myself and getting some remote work done.

I really hate this. I'm hours and hours away from San Diego. Why should I have to do any of this crap? I remind myself I only have one more week.

I quit my job. Well, technically I 'stepped down.'

Was it a stupid decision? Maybe. But I have this for some money for a while, and I kind of dreamed of moving somewhere far away even in the old days. Somewhere quiet, where everybody knows everybody.

Cities have begun making me sick.

I feel bad. I know Clock will do just fine in his management position, but it feels very unfair to just thrust it upon him. I've started calling him Bossman over text. He says he hates it.

He's lying.

Back home, my record player sits, collecting dust. It would be much better suited in a little house than an apartment. The window slightly ajar, an early autumn breeze complementing the music. I can see myself, nestled between pillows, reading a book.

Gone will be the days when my sleep is interrupted by beeping horns and blaring sirens. Hello to the countryside.

After about 3 more loops of the song, a knock came to the door, accompanied by a sing-song voice. "Hello? There's some mail for you on the floor."

"I'll get it later. Thank you for telling me."

"Oh! Well, I am your new room mate, and they haven't re-coded my key yet." She said, now a little bit annoyed with me.

I opened the door. The woman holding my mail was Puffball, complete with her rainbow leg warmers. "Hi. Sorry."

"It's fine. Here's your stuff." She let go of the envelopes in her arms and they cascaded into mine. I plopped them onto my bed, making a silent note to sort them all out later.

"Thanks."

She sat down on what was Bubble's bed, and looked at me with a friendly smile.

The awkward silence that ensued rivaled the days in elementary school when your teacher got a bad report from the substitute. It felt the same too. I messed up and now we're just staring at each other.

"So." Oh thank god. "You and Firey, huh?" Oh lord no.

"Yep."

We decided to tell people, you know, since secrets hadn't exactly worked out for us in the past. I guess I hadn't thought too much about the repercussions. Like this, even awkwarder silence.

She got up and began arranging her stuff, and I got a glimpse of her wardrobe. "Nice sweater." I wasn't sure if it came out like a compliment or a sarcastic retort.

"Thanks."

Again, I had nothing to say. This felt very, very wrong for me. I'm supposed to be a people person, and right now I feel like a run-away-and-hide-from-people person.

Another knock came and again I opened the door. "Hey, Firey. What's up?"

He wore a hoodie that looked kind of old, and fingerless gloves probably designed for people younger than him.

"Nothin' much. I was bored and now here I am."

"Riveting," I joked. "I have some mail, can you help me go through it? It's probably all garbage but-"

"I'd love to." He was smiling. Like I'd asked if he wanted to go to Disney World, not sort through junk mail.

He sat down beside me, and quickly the atmosphere shifted. It was still quiet, but comfortably so. For once, I didn't feel like I should be saying something.

Soon enough, we had gone through the pile- it had all been trash- and moved on to helping Puffy get her stuff together.

She put on some music (that was not the song I'd been looping for two days) and it actually was really good! We were half folding, half dancing. And laughing a lot too.

Firey began speaking to Puffball just as one particularly upbeat melody died down. "So, what's with all the rainbow? Don't get me wrong, I can dig it, you just don't see it too often," he said.

I can dig it. Who says that?

Firey, I guess.

She laughed, and while hanging up a scarf, looked at him, seemingly confused. "I guess there isn't really a reason. I just like all the colors. It's hard for me to pick."

"If you absolutely had to choose, what's your favorite color?" I chimed in.

She thought long and hard about it, even scratching her forehead like a cartoon character. "Pink."

Firey looked almost possessed, turning on his heels with a horrified expression. "You're crazy."

I looked at him with disbelief. "Don't tell me you're a pink-hater."

He held up his hands. "I'm not! I swear! It's just... out of them all, you chose the one main color that isn't in the rainbow."

"Duh." Said Puffball, rolling her eyes.

"How is that duh? It's very counterintuitive!"

She shrugged. "If my two favorite colors are pink and rainbow, then I get all of the colors."

"Fascinating. I need to get a psychologist to study you."

I woke up that night around midnight. I searched for my water with my hand, since I was parched. Though I eventually found it, it was only after discovering a piece of paper. I snatched it and sleepily navigated to the bathroom.

The room went bright as my eyes became accustomed to the light. Once I could see again, I was able to tell it was a letter.

A letter from the person I'd really wanted to hear from.

It seemed like, after all these years, I just might have a pen pal again. And I didn't even feel like a child.

I was just happy.

(1106 words. Short again. Not on purpose. Just kinda happened. Happy spooky season! I'm going to write a little Halloween treat in the side book, so check it out if you want. I had a really hard day, so it was nice to be able to return to a positive energy source in this book at the end. See you all next week, where we- finally- have another episode of the game show. I don't know why it's been so long. Song for the day: Live and Die- The Avett Brothers)