Drunken Kisses
Dorcas flipped their board, rolling down one of the large ramps and up another. They didn't have a full-time job, instead competing in skate competitions to win prize money and taking a few odd jobs, usually house cleaning or helping out in independent stores for a couple of days if they were short on staff. Dorcas didn't really have any money; but being best friends and now living with the heir to one of the most wealthy families in Britain who refuses to spend his family's money on anything other than things his parents would disapprove of, that meant unlimitless money thrown in their laps. Dorcas happened to be just that.
So they were easily able to spend most of their time practicing at the skatepark. Usually, they were able to concentrate extremely well, but every turn and jump was a little clumsy and they found themselves increasingly distracted as the minutes ticked by. All due to the extremely attractive blonde girl standing nearby the ramps and continually taking pictures of them. It was a little creepy when they realised the pictures were solely being taken of them.
They pulled themselves up and out of the park, kicking their skateboard over to the girl who was preoccupied with checking over a photo she had just taken.
As the board hit her, she looked up.
"Can I help you?"
"Why are you taking pictures of me? You're not even trying to hide it."
Marlene stared back with a slight smirk, "Should I have been?"
"Probably. People don’t take too well to having a stranger stalk them.”
Marlene stepped closer to Dorcas, "And what are you going to do about it?"
Dorcas took another step, "Nothing, if you tell me why you took them."
Marlene slung the camera around her shoulder and grinned after a moment, "Do you like coffee?"
"What?"
"Coffee. Do you like it?"
Dorcas shrugged, "I guess."
Marlene grabbed her camera and took yet another picture of them before turning to grab their bag, "Great. Let's go."
"I never actually agreed to get coffee with you!"
"But you like coffee. And I'm buying."
Dorcas sighed, "Fine. But quickly, I've got practice to do."
"Really? You looked amazing when I was watching."
They looked at Marlene, inspecting her, "Why are you just blatantly admitting to watching me?"
Marlene shrugged, "What would be the point? I was watching you. I'm not going to deny the things I do in life. I watched you because I felt like it. Do you ever just follow your impulses?"
Dorcas bit their tongue, thoughts of the heat coming from a warm fire, the smell of smoke surrounding everything, "I guess."
"Impulses are what it means to be human. To be alive."
"Sure, but it also means you could die."
"You could die at any moment from practically anything. What's the point in living afraid, when the end result is the same?"
"And if you hurt someone else?"
Marlene hummed in thought, before grinning without reply and running into the ongoing traffic.
Dorcas yelled after her in a sea of panic, as the loud horns of cars boomed from the road. Cars abruptly stopped, swears echoing through the windows, and passerby's stopping to watch what was happening.
A few seconds later, Marlene happily waved from the other side of the road. Dorcas waited till it was safe to cross before reaching Marlene.
"What the fuck was that?” Dorcas frowned as they reached her, “I thought you were about to get run over!"
Marlene just laughed and walked onward to a small cafe, "Calm down. It's just death."
"Sure, just Death."
"People die everyday."
Dorcas scoffed, "Doesn't mean you should kill yourself."
Marlene's grin disappeared for the first time, "I'm not suicidal."
Dorcas tilted their head to look at her, "Sure doesn't seem like it, from the way you ran into a bunch of cars."
Marlene frowned, "I'm not suicidal."
They were reminded of the many times they had to defend themselves from the 'pyromania' accusations. Dorcas wasn't a pyromaniac. They were just clumsy… sometimes angry, and a little vengeful. But using fire as a tool for revenge didn't equal pyromania. And people should really stop accusing them of being something they aren't.
"I believe you. You're just a little… impulsive."
Marlene's grin came back as if it had never gone away, "You know me so well, stranger from the skate park."
"Dorcas. Meadowes."
"I'm Marlene Mckinnon."
“Want to go get that coffee now?”
Marlene tapped her chin in thought before grabbing Dorcas’ hand and starting to run, “Nope! When was the last time you had coffee?”
Dorcas went along, “Well I drink it every morning, but the last time I went to a cafe was like two days ago.”
“And when was the last time you went clubbing?”
Dorcas stopped, causing Marlene to be pulled back with them. Marlene frowned.
“You want to go clubbing? It’s midday, no club is going to be open.”
Marlene grinned, “Expect the unexpected, Meadowes!”
“I don’t think that applies to business’ being open at strange times.”
“It applies to everything! Live and die by it!”
“You’re insane.”
“So what?”
Dorcas grinned back, picking up the face so the two were running down the road hand in hand, side by side. Other pedestrians were scrambling out the way of them, shouting and swearing at them. Dorcas would usually yell and fight back, but with Marlene laughing and smiling next to them, they easily ignored it. Content to just run with her, wherever Marlene wanted to go. Dorcas would follow.
Marlene abruptly stopped, she looked up at a thin black building, labelled only as ‘the Crowd’, and appeared to be shut.
“See, closed.”
Marlene ignored them, instead going up to the door and heavily knocking over and over again.
After a minute of it, and crowds of strangers glaring at the two, a woman opened the door and stared at them.
“We’re closed. Come back in the evening.”
“I’m in a band, we wanted to know if we could perform him at some point, and check the place out a bit. We thought you’d be too busy to talk in the evening.”
The woman stared at them for a moment before opening the door wider to let them in, “You’re in luck. Our usual band quit, so we’ve got an open slot on Saturdays. What kinda music do you perform?”
Marlene shrugged lightly, “Mostly rock, a mix of covers and our own original songs. Some punk, we can do pop.”
The woman smiled, “Great, I’d say to do about 80% covers and 20% originals, people like to sing and dance to things they know. No slow songs.”
“Sounds great, where would we perform?”
“Right through here” the woman ushered them, showing a fairly small stage.
“We’d fit fine on there, it’s me and three other guys; singer, two guitars, and drumset.”
“Most of the bands we get are about that size. I’m Emmeline Vance.”
“Marlene Mckinnon”, she shook her hand.
“And you are?” Emmeline turned to Dorcas.
“Dorcas Meadowes, I’m not in the band.”
Marlene nodded, “They’re our manager”, she looked around and noticed the bar, “Do performers get discounted drinks.”
Emmeline nodded, “One free drink, then the rest are a twenty percent discount price, only on nights you’re performing.”
“Sounds perfect.”
“Alright, just give me your contact details and I’ll get in touch.”
Marlene winced, “One second, Emmeline. Would you mind if I just got more of a sense of the space? I’d just appreciate it so much. Maybe I could just sing one song on the stage?”
Emmeline nodded, “No problem, go ahead.”
“Thank you so much.” Marlene jumped up onto the stage, Emmeline heading over to turn on and adjust the microphone.
And Marlene performed, over and over. Emmeline joining in, the two swinging their arms around each other as they sang ABBA at the tops of their lungs to a single person clapping in the crowd. And after the tenth song was sung, Emmeline jumped off the stage, a huff in her voice but a grin on her face.
She turned to the two, “Who wants a drink?”
Marlene grabbed Dorcas by the arm, making their way to the bar. Emmeline had gotten behind it and started performing her bartending skills for the two. Cocktail glasses spun in her hands, bottles pouring from metres away, and two glasses slid their way across the counter to stop just in front of Marlene and Dorcas.
Soon the three were jumping on stage, multicoloured lights turned on and spinning, drinks spilling in their hands, songs being sung from their lips, their minds light and drunk. Emmeline tripped, rolling over and laughing as she slowly pulled herself up, stumbling back over to the bar. Dorcas stared at Marlene, completely in her own world. Her hands spun as if following the lights, her drink loosely in her grip, a smile spread across her face as she sang so sweetly. She had shed her jacket and now danced in her vest, muscled arms, and various tattoos on display and shining from the lights and sweat. Marlene turned her gaze, staring right back at Dorcas. She stepped closer and closer before grabbing them by the neck.
“Having fun?”
Dorcas grabbed the back of Marlene’s head and pressed against her, their lips clumsily connecting.
Emmeline stumbled back to the stage, and spotted the two making out right in the center.
"That's not going to end well for the band", Emmeline shook her head, gulping down her drink and heading back to the bar.
After a moment, Dorcas pulled back slightly.
Marlene tilted her head in question at the sudden stop.
"Are you even in a band?" They asked.
Marlene snorted, "No."
Dorcas laughed, leaning against Marlene's shoulder, Marlene laughing with them.