Adelei And Lucy: The Beginning Of An Odd Love Story

A cheerleader, a rebel and a hobby they never knew they had in common.

Adelei should be in class. Math class to be more specific. Instead she was sitting on the cold, dirty floor of the girls’ bathroom. She had never skipped class before. God forbid she be less than perfect. Or to be more more accurate, her mother forbid she be less than perfect. Her mother forbid she let Adelei be a normal teenager. Oh, no. Adelei had to be a cheerleader, like her mother always wished she had been herself. Adelei had to get straight A's, like her mother wished she had gotten. Adelei had to be perfect and popular and smart and pretty. Adelei really didn't care. Not anymore, at least. She had been just as impressionable as the next twelve-year-old and believed everything her mother had told her. But she wasn't twelve anymore. She was seventeen and she didn't want to listen to her mother anymore, but it was not an argument she wanted to start or finish.

 

Adelei had a headache just thinking about the whole situation and made her feel sick to her stomach. Actually, it was the most peculiar feeling-as if her skin were trying to crawl from her body. It scared her, yet at the same time she was in a sense of numbness. She didn't like the feeling one bit. She did the only thing she could think of.

 

Clutching the math compass tight in her right hand, she stared at the thin cut on her left arm. It wasn't that deep or that long and it wasn't bleeding that bad. In fact, it had already clotted. Oddly enough she felt better. She didn't know why, or how. Just that she did.

 

Then the door to the girls’ bathroom slammed open, hitting the wall hard and closing hard. Adelei dropped her compass, but it seemed to be at the same time the door hit the wall. She bit her lip as the clunking of shoes walked further in. She quietly stepped up on the toilet, hands holding her there by suctioning to the walls on either side of her.

 

There was rustling, an odd clicking sound and the distinct smell of cigarette smoke. It drifted up to the ceiling and rolled into her face. Adelei tried, so very hard, to keep it in, but she sneezed and the air in the room tensed. There was nothing to hide the familiar sound of another human being.

 

Adelei waited, hoping that who ever it was would just leave, not wanting to get caught for breaking school rules. But there were heavy footfalls and the bathroom stall door was forced open, banging haphazardly against the wall. Her eyes fell to the floor automatically. Heavy combat boots, dangerously untied, bare legs with scabs and bruises and bandages, black skirt with tears and burns and holes being held together with patches and safety pins. Overlarge zip up jacket, over a large t-shirt in the same state as the skirt.

 

Adelei finally got to the face, but she already knew-the short always messing black hair, the multiple silver appendages and the cigarette hanging from her lips.

 

Lucy

 

Adelei never had a run in with Lucy before. Of course she knew who she was. Everyone did. Lucy did what she wanted, when she wanted and hardly ever got caught. She was pierced and tattooed. Loud and opinionated. She was rough and tough. Lucy did whatever it took to win, meaning she fought dirty in every way. Adelei and Lucy were polar opposites.

 

Lucy stared at the blonde cheerleader obviously trying to hide in the small space. Lucy knew why Adelei was, too. Popular, smart, pretty. She was the girl that every girl wanted to be. Lucy took a drag from her cigarette and pulled it from her lips, staring at Adelei and exhaling the smoke right into her face.

 

"And what are you doing skipping class, missy?" Lucy smirked at her, leaning against the frame of the stall. Inhale

 

Adelei was at a loss for words. What was she supposed to say? She had never spoken to Lucy before. She had never cut herself before, never skipped class before and she felt very unprepared. She had no excuses or reasons.

 

Exhale.

 

Lucy's attention then found the compass on the floor and the shallow cut on Adelei's arm and it was an automatic click. Inhale. She chuckled and shook her head then reached up and pulled the necklace from herself and held it out. "Here, hunny, this works loads better than that thing. Plus it's more sanitary. Promise." Exhale.

 

Adelei stepped down from the toilet and shakily reached out. The necklace that Lucy dropped in her hand was made of hemp and was adorned with only one thing-a razor blade.

 

"But it's yours."

 

"I have tons." Lucy took one more drag from her cigarette before throwing it down on the floor and snuffing it out with her boot. "See ya around." and she disappeared.

 

Adelei didn't know what to say, but she just knew that this was important to Lucy. Without even knowing her, she knew that this was a big deal.

 

The following weeks would see Adelei and Lucy together more often than not. Adelei was quickly learning about her new "hobby", as Lucy called it. Cutting made Adelei feel in control and she was learning all about taking care of your cuts. Protecting them against infection, bandaging them and, for Adelei at least, hiding them.

 

Lucy was the master and Adelei was her student.

Author's Note

Written from inspiration from my roomie/bestfriend.