From the Mess to the Masses

02: Lasso

Kevin and Clyde convince Craig to drive them out to North Park for the big Spring Break party.

It was the dream again. The one where he was underwater, able to breathe, and sitting on a rock. Koi and clownfish circled him with one side of pieces of kelp and sea weed in their mouths while he held the other end. It made for a bizarre maypole but Craig's role was important – he was counted on by the fish to keep everyone under control.

He was also counted on to sing the maypole dance song.

He had just messed up the chorus for the third time and the fish were beginning to get mad at him. Three koi dropped their ends of make-shift rope and swam towards him with slow deliberation.

What, his dream self asked feeling incredibly uneasy under their steady stares.

All three wriggled to a stop a mere foot from his face simultaneously. He was about to ask again for them to talk to him, please, when they all opened their mouths and began making the most obnoxious, shrilling sound he ever heard. He cringed, placing both hands over his ears, while the rest of the fish dropped their lines and swam away. He kicked at the three koi, hoping to knock them back enough to figure out some other way of shutting them up but the momentum of his movement in the underwater gravity caused him to topple backwards—

—and land heavily on his back on his bedroom floor.

"Wha," he groaned and slowly opened his eyes. He waited until his eyes adjusted to the sunlight filtering into his room before freeing his legs from his bed sheets. Once he was free he climbed back into bed and sighed as he debated whether to go back to sleep or get up and dick around on his computer for a while.

A shrilly noise from the vicinity of his night stand made him flinch and he swore aloud. It was the same noise from his dream and turned out to be his cell phone ringing. His hand flopped out and hit the phone once before his fingers grasped it, hit the accept button, and brought it to his ear.

"This had better be good, Clyde," his voice grumbled, made lower than usual from being sleep-heavy.

"Aww, did I wake His Majesty?"

Craig growled in response.

Clyde chuckled. "Okay, okay. Listen, there's this party in North Park. Kev and I need a lift."

"No," Craig dug the palm of his hand in his right eye.

"Come on! We've got cash this time."

"How much?"

"$35," Clyde sang.

Craig groaned and sat up into a cross legged position on his bed. "What time do I need to get you guys?"

"About six? Kev and I are playing b-ball with these dudes from the rec center team," he could hear Clyde's grin over the phone. "It's going to be sweet."

Craig let out a colossal yawn and idly scratched his bare chest before sighing in defeat. "All right but I want to leave before midnight."

"Midnight! Come on, Craig!"

"Any later and that's six hours of sleep I'm missing out on, dipshit," Craig spat back bitterly and brushed some of his hair from his eyes.

"I'll throw in an extra five."

Craig rolled his eyes. "I'm leaving by midnight whether you're in my car or not."

"Come on, Craig," Clyde whined again. "You never know. Maybe something good will happen for you at this party tonight?"

Craig snorted. "Doubtful."

He hung up the phone.