Jay sat, slouching, arms folded, on the plush mauve couch in Holly J's rec room. He tried to ignore the horrendous grin on her face as she sat beside him. With the lights low and the projection screen lowered, he squirmed uncomfortably in his seat as he was forced to watch Holly J's pretty boy dance in front of the screen.
When his performance was finished, Blue bowed. Holly J clapped. Jay coughed loudly.
"Right," said Holly J, hopping out of her seat to turn the lights back on. "So that's how Blue asked me to the Black and White dance. Impressive, right?"
Jay furled his brow as Holly J and Blue gazed expectantly at him, grinning like a couple of Brady kids. "You… did that? To ask a girl out? In front of the entire class?" he asked, unable to mask the horror in his voice. "And Ho-J didn't punch you in the face?"
"Tuh! What's that supposed to mean?" Holly J huffed.
Jay slunk deeper into his spot on the couch, sighing with boredom. "I mean, I know chicks think it's romantic when a guy embarrasses himself in public to get their attention, I've seen it in all the movies… but didn't that humiliate you? I can't believe you didn't smack this guy around at least a few times. You assault me on a daily basis for far less."
Holly J felt uncomfortable with the way Jay only addressed her. Acting as if Blue wasn't there at all. When she'd planned this creative thinktank session, she hadn't expected things to be at all awkward. Blue and Jay were two of her favorite people, and she loved spending time with both of them. She hadn't expected spending time with both of them at the same time would leave such a horrendous tension in the air.
Rolling her eyes dismissively, she ignored Jay's sass and tried to keep things in motion as planned. "Stop being negative for once, Jay. Manny would piss herself if you danced with a power point for her and you know it."
"I don't do dancing. We've established this, Holly."
"And I don't care, Jay, surely we've established that, too."
"Well, gee, I'd like to see things from your point of view, shortstack, but unfortunately I can't seem to get my head that far up my ass." Jay stood up, using his height as leverage as their banter escalated.
Holly J folded her arms and stepped closer to him, not flinching for a second at his domineering position. "Oh, Jason, ever the wit you have on you. You've got a tongue like razor… and intelligence like a meat cleaver to back it up."
"Hey, Holly J, explain to me… if you're still alive, then why are your parents in mourning?"
"Hey, Jay, when you go to a mind-reader, do you get half price?"
"Hey Holly, trade faces with an orangutan lately?"
"Hey Jay, give VD to half the school lately?"
"Hey cuntface—"
"Hey retard—"
"Hey vir—"
"JAY IF YOU SAY ONE MORE SYLLABLE I'LL PUNCH YOU SO HARD YOU'LL HAVE TO UNZIP YOUR PANTS TO SAY HI!"
Jay grinned, clearly pleased to have gotten a rise out of Holly J, as she now stood perched on her tip toes, clutching the collar of Jay's t-shirt threateningly. In stunned silence, Blue hovered awkwardly in the background, bewildered by the interplay he'd just witnessed.
Leaning dangerously close to Holly J's angry face, Jay smiled and exhaled. "Hey now, honeycakes, no need to get violent in front of company." He shrugged off Holly J's grip and smoothed out his shirt. Smirking sarcastically, he turned to Blue. "Alright, fagotron, let's get cooking. How do I win Manny back?"
Still startled by the yelling match he'd just witnessed, Blue eyed Jay suspiciously and cleared his throat. "Um, well," Blue began. "Performance art is all about conveying a message in a way that's larger than life. Saying something like, 'I love you,' can sound trite all on its own."
"Oh, well, heavens, I certainly wouldn't want to sound trite," Jay interjected with seething sarcasm. Holly J glared at him.
Blue continued, looking noticeably uncomfortable. "Right. Well, um, performance art lets you capture the feeling of 'I love you' with more than the words alone can express. So if you want to let this Manny girl know you care, you should try and create an atmosphere that makes her feel like she's in a kind of romantic fantasy."
Jay snorted loudly. "Fantasy, eh? I gotta say, guy, I've given Manny a fantasy or two if you catch my drift, and I can't remember it ever coming down to a power point…."
Frustration burning in her cheeks, Holly J reached out and gave Jay's ear a harsh yank for good measure. "Cooperate, Stinko," she commanded.
Blue sighed impatiently. He was having a hard time understanding why Holly J had begged him to help someone who didn't seem even remotely interested. "Manny likes theater, right?" Blue continued, struggling to stay optimistic when Jay was being so resistant. "So I was thinking you could create a kind of monologue for her."
Jay nodded. "Uh-huh. I guess I could do that. Now, tell me, do I have to act like I'm thinking about doing the nasty with dudes while I'm performing?"
"Um, what?"
Jay shrugged innocently, in contrast to the devilish smirk on his face. "I just thought that was the key. I mean, that's what it looked like you were doing during your… ah, performance piece."
Holly J bit her lip nervously as she watched Blue's face grow visibly red with anger. "Hey, dude, I'm just here as a favor to Holly J. You don't have to be a dick about it."
"Well, I won't argue that. You certainly look like a man who knows his dicks…"
"Dude, why are you making this thing so hard?!" Blue seethed.
Jay shrugged coolly. "Funny, you know, those are the exact words your mom was telling me last night…"
"ENOUGH!" Holly J snapped, stepping in the middle of the two boys. Scowling at Jay, she reached instinctively for his ear and dragged him out of the rec room, back into the foyer. After shutting the door behind them, she propped her hands at her hips and glared daggers at Jay. "Just what is your problem, asshole? That happens to be my potential boyfriend in there, and you're being a total jerk."
"Hey, I didn't even want to be a part of this fag-fest," Jay snapped back. "And really, Holly J, boyfriend? That guy? You've got to be kidding me."
Holly J folded her arms and narrowed her eyes defensively. "He likes me, okay? And I like him. I'm finally starting to get good at this whole dating thing and you have to rain all over my parade!"
"Don't kid yourself, Holly J. The only thing you're good at is making people hate you."
The pain glistened sharply in her eyes as he hit her where it truly hurt. His over-the-top hostility was inexplicable. "Tuh! You're one to talk! If we were to kill everyone who hates you,it wouldn't be murder, it would be genocide!"
Jay started pacing slightly, his anger growing. He found himself stumbling over his raving thoughts, unable to explain what was upsetting him so much. "It's just… I mean… Are you telling me you honestly fell for this hokey performance art crap?"
"I… well… It's nice. Sometimes guys do nice things for girls, Jay, and they like it. Or didn't you ever try that one? It's hard to believe Manny hung around as long as she did, the way you treat girls."
Jay's nostrils flared as anger and hurt coursed simultaneously through his veins. She had struck a low blow. "Oh just shut up for once, okay, princess? Shut your incessant yap because you have no idea what you're talking about. You don't know the first thing about Manny and me, got it? Our shit was complicated, okay, and some middle school romantic faggot-ass bull shit isn't going to bring us back together. We had an actual relationship, kiddo, something you wouldn't know the first thing about. So just… just back the hell off. Leave me alone. What do you think we are, friends? Nah. Screw that noise. You and me, we're not even on the same planet. Get over it."
Holly J's face went ghost-white as Jay's barrage of harsh words pounded into her. For once, she had no snappy response for him. She could only watch in agonizing confusion as he stormed out her door.