by Joni Bing
****
“To fit in with these guys...” Reno laughed as he took a moment to think over a full explanation. Smoke spewed out of his mouth in the form of a perfectly straight line.
“What?”
“You ready?”
“Yes, will you tell me already?”
I tried to imagine that Reno and I were having the conversation in the start of a bright morning on the sidewalk outside our flat, giving me the ability to see every detail of his face, the sun rise shining behind him, and the comfort of that wide awake feeling because I had hours of sleep. However, living in OYZ Stats didn't make moments like that possible. He offered me a drag of his cig, and I shook my head in rejection of it. I hated drugs. I hated what they did to people.
“To fit in with these guys, you're gonna have to something crazy.”
“Something like...?”
Reno thought for awhile and took a few more drags as he did. He looked forward across the street and I took in the moment. It would've made a great screenshot.
“You still got that gun?”
I took the gun out of my pocket and felt luck overwhelm me when I noticed that it wasn't locked. “Uh, yeah, but Reno, no!”
“What?”
I locked the gun. “I'm not!” I looked around when I heard my echo and leaned in to him so I could whisper. “I'm not gonna kill one of them.”
“No, girl! Not that crazy!” he voice broke as he laughed. “Just something that'll scare 'em. Something that'll make 'em leave you alone.”
“I'll need your help.”
“You've got it. Anytime.”
I rose my knees up to my chin and held my legs as I gave his suggestion some thought. Whatever the plan, it had to involve Z. I had to get him back after what happened that night.
Reno interrupted my thoughts. “Anything yet?”
“...Yeah, but it would take Mar and Lary being in on it. Everyone except Z.”
“No problem! The boys are always up for pranks. Well, except Z, which is perfect.”
“Perfect,” I repeated.
He took another drag, and this time the smoke spewed from his nostrils. I told Reno the plan and he furrowed his eyebrows.
I caught on. “What?”
“...Just don't get caught up, okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“Just...don't let whatever he does convince you he has feelings. If I haven't observed anything else living here, one thing I have is Z's dangerous lack of any true emotion.”
I nodded. “I've noticed.”
But, it's not gonna stop me from changing that, I thought.
We sat there another moment longer and walked back inside the commune. I realized then why everyone loved hanging out in the sitting room. It evoked such vivid imagination.