Spencer looked at the number written on her hand the whole ride home. Nobody had asked any questions about it but the girl doubted that anyone had even noticed. Everyone else was absorbed in their own little world to notice what had been going on in Spencer's.
The rest of the family's afternoon was spent filling the kitchen cabinets with the newly bought food, moving furniture around, trying to make the house feel more home-y. Every now and then though when Spencer got another look at the fading ink on her skin, her mind wandered to other things. Mostly she thought about taking up the black-haired girl on her offer. She did, after all, seem harmless. And this was a new town—who's to say that everybody would be as nice as she had been to her?
It couldn't hurt to make a new friend.
Still, though. There was something about that girl that Spencer couldn't quite put her finger on…
A week had passed and she still didn't call. But it was not because she decided not to hang out, actually Spencer almost completely forgot about the odd girl in the Wegman's parking lot. School started up for her and there were more important things to worry about than strange girls with monosyllable answers and unnatural black hair.
It was now Saturday morning/late Friday night. Her first week at school and she did not talk to anyone, let alone make any friends. This was the Carlin's sixth move in the last three years. After the third or fourth relocation the girl gave up trying to build a life. Surely California would be no different than any of the others.
The girl sighed heavily to herself.
Maybe it shouldn't be?
Spencer wasn't exactly sure how she ended up dialing the number she saved a week ago under 'weird wegmans girl,' but she had. Somebody picked up after two rings. "Uh… hi…?"
There was a chuckle on the other end. "Hi yourself."
Quiet dominated the next couple of seconds of the conversation. She checked the time on her home screen. 1:47 AM. it had read. The blonde could feel her face heating up with a blush "Oh fuck… I didn't wake you, did I?" She didn't realize it was that late already.
A rustling sound on the other end could be heard. "Nah. I'm usually up anyway because of my insomnia or some shit like that."
"Ah alright, I see."
Another silence took over. This seemed to be common between the girl with black hair and Spencer.
"So who is this?"
Oh right, didn't introduce myself. "Sorry, it's Spencer."
"Spencer…" the other girl asked more than said.
"Yeah, from the parking lot at the supermarket the other day." Maybe calling her wasn't such a good idea…
"Oh! I remember you, yeah—Barbie—yeah, haha. I didn't expect to hear from you." There was an easy laugh in her voice.
The blonde let out an imaginary breath. At least the other girl wasn't all weird about the situation. "Mhm just you know, decided to call you… a week later… at two in the morning... keep up the mystery thing."
She laughed at the girl's joke. "Couldn't sleep either, huh babe?"
"Nah." The other girl's laughing seemed to ease Spencer's tenseness.
"I'm Stacy by the way."
It wasn't until then that Spencer realized she still didn't know the black haired girl's name. "Stacy," the named rolled off her tongue.
"Yeah, but bleh, nobody calls me that besides my grandma."
"What should I call you then?"
"Red."
"Red?"
The black haired girl giggled. "Yeah, Red. That's what my friends call me and you're my friend, I've already decided."
Spencer leaned up against her bed frame. "You've already decided for me?"
"Ayup."
The blonde chuckled to herself. "Alright. So why do your friends call you Red?"
"Because of my hair… I uh, I mean it's black now, but at the time my hair was this like… this Hayley Williams red color."
"Wow, I can only imagine. I love Paramore by the way."
"Me too. Easy music to listen to. The hot and amazing lead singer is just a perk."
Spencer sighed dreamily. "Yeah, pretty amazing."
On the other end, Red raised her eyebrow. She was curious but decided it better not to ask what she was thinking. "At the moment, I am… looking through my friend's CD book."
"Is that what you normally do at three in the morning?"
"For the most part. What do you do?"
Spencer looked at the back of her hand. She decided to sit in her room tonight rather than in the driveway like she had for the past week when she couldn't sleep. Spice things up a bit. "Nothing really. Not much you can do, ya know?"
Red nodded her head then realized Spencer couldn't see her. "I feel you. That's why I usually just bug my best friend at her place." She laughed. "Say hi, pookie."
Spencer could hear the muffled voice of another girl in the background. 'Wha—who is this?' Then more clearly as the phone was probably brought closer to the girl, "Uh… hi Red's new friend."
The blonde rolled her eyes with an amused smile. "Hello Red's other friend."
Soon the more familiar voice of Red was back. "That was her."
"I realized." Spencer smiled. "Am I bothering you guys or something?"
"Nah." On the other end Red was looking over at Ashley. Currently the girl was still flipping through the giant book of CDs that sat between either girl. "Nothing much to do 'member?"
"Oh yeah."
There was a girlish squeal on Red's end. "Ashley found something she liked," she informed Spencer. "Just so ya know."
"I see," the blonde said with a content smile.
Muffled, again probably where the phone was pulled away from Red's face, Spencer could hear Red talking to what must have been Ashley:
'Pfft… Ashley, you really should stop that.'
A mumbled answer was her response.
'Fine. Whatever… I gotta pee, man.'
Spencer giggled to herself. She heard that part clearly.
'Could you talk to her real quick?'
Though Spencer could not tell because she couldn't see her, Ashley was giving Red a 'you got to be kidding me' kind of look. The black haired girl looked at her best friend with pleading eyes. Ashley's expression was confused, but still softened.
'Alright,' she sighed.
Spencer was completely lost to their silent exchange.
"Heyyy, Spencer?" Red spoke clearly into the receiver.
"Myup?"
"I'll be back real quick, so here—talk to Ashley."
"Okay…? Oh hi, Ashley," she added when she heard a sigh on the other end that didn't match Red's upbeat tone.
"Hey." Either Ashley was especially quiet or the music in the background was especially loud. It had probably been a combination of the two.
"So what are you listening to?"
On the other end, Ashley took a breath from her cigarette. Next to her, her stereo speakers were pounding out heavy but somehow still melodic beats. "Bullet For My Valentine," the brunette said nonchalantly.
Spencer leaned her head against her bed frame. "They scream," the blonde commented offhandedly.
A grin found its way onto the other girl's face. "Yeah."
"Cool."
And that was that. They fell into an easy silence. Not almost awkard like it had been with Red, but somehow… familiar. Comfortable.
A/N…sorry it's not better. Been a while.
