Purity
Chapter 3
My phone began to beep loudly from the other end of the room. A strategic placement to get me up. It was a torturous idea and I silently cursed past me for thinking of it. Despite the uncomfortable nature of my sleeping bag, the cocoon was a lot warmer then the cold New York air. It was bad that I found myself grateful for only having a freshman introduction today. Personally having it today rather than on the first day made no sense to me. I unwillingly wriggled out of my cocoon and slid over to my suitcase which had half of its contents scattered across the floor. I searched around for a pair of black skinny jeans that didn't have words scribbled on them in chalk, a surprisingly difficult task. I then just grabbed a basic white and black striped shirt and an over-sized blue jumper that was perfect for the weather. Groggily I shuffled into the bathroom, taking in the wreck that reflected back at me through the slightly rusty mirror. Thick black stripes of eye-liner sat under my eyes reminding me I had forgotten to take it off the previous night. My light brown hair was dishevelled mess from my habit of tossing and turning constantly in my sleep. I began to attempt to untangle it with the sliver comb I'd had since I was little, initially having the sentiment of originally being my mothers, but as I slowly grew up it began to lose that sentiment and just became simply a pretty comb. My hair spiked slightly, its cropped style slightly damaged due to a lifetimes worth of trashing it in the surf. I hadn't gotten it cut for quite a while but it was holding up surprisingly well, sitting just below my ears.
Tonight, Tonight began to play from my phone in the other room. It took me a moment to realise that someone was calling me. I quickly ran into the bedroom and found my phone.
“Hello,” I answered, slightly puffed.
“Good morning Miss Rose,” Ezra practically sung through the phone.
“Good morning Ezra, Starbucks in an hour?” I suggested presuming that was why he had called.
“You got it baby doll,”I rolled my eyes at his cheery mood,
“Right well, see you in a bit then,” I couldn't help but laughed as he sang goodbye. In such a short time Ezra and I had become rather good friends, which was surprising because before New York I was very closed off. I guess a lot was changing now.
I urgently slid back into the bathroom, removing my war paint from the day before and reapplying a thick coat of eye-liner and mascara.
I wasn't willing to spend another small fortune on a taxi driving out here, so I settled on walking. It wasn't to far, only a 15 minute walk at the most. Walking out to the living room reminded me tonight I had to buy furniture. Maybe it would distract the eye from the clusters of yellow nicotine stains. I quickly slid on my lonely, worn out pair of converse. They had once been bright blue, but now resembled more of a blue-gray shade. Comparable to the over cast weather I was greeted with outside. I made my way down the broken drive-way, watching my feet carefully because I had a habit of falling over at the best of times. My concentration was broken rather quickly by the call of my name from across the road.
“Rose,” A rough voice called. My head whipped up to see Ray waving, his large afro bobbing slightly with each movement.
“Morning Ray,” I grinned, reciprocating his gesture.
“Would you like a lift? I'm headed towards the Uni if that's where you're going,” He shrugged, patting his faded blue Chevy. His was similar to my old Ute back in LA. I considered his offer for a second before nodding my head. It was a lot better than having to walk through George avenue, regardless of it being daylight. I consciously walked across the road towards the Toro home. Some how the house ,although comparable to the rest of the street, seemed more homely then its carbon copy neighbours.
Ray graciously opened the passenger door, a wide grin on his face.
“Why thank you kind sir,” I laughed, sliding into the warm leather seat. The insides smelt like burnt woodland and cinnamon, an unusually pleasant mix. Ray slid into the drivers seat, his large mass of curls caressing the roof of the car. He didn't say anything as he inserted the set of keys into the old car and let it roar to life along with the stereo quite clearly blaring out Astro Zombies by the Misfits. Ray quickly fumbled for the volume, turning it down to a comfortable background noise.
“Sorry about that,” He laughed, slightly embarrassed. An expression that looked odd on a man clearly in his late twenties, yet somehow made him look years younger.
“It's fine. Great music taste anyway,” I complimented, attempting to defuse the crimson in his cheeks. Ray smiled, his eyes focusing on the road in front of him. The rest of the car trip was a comfortable silence between the two of us with the gentle hum of the stereo. Looking out the window, there was an ever present gradient effect from where the city starts and George avenue finishes. The houses slowly got taller and the number of broken windows faded out to a comforting zero. Before I knew it, Ray was pulling up in front of the giant university.
“Here we are.” He grinned, his mouth looking oddly large in comparison to the rest of his face, yet like his other odd features they all seemed to fit him rather well.
“Thank you again for this,” I thanked, genuinely grateful I didn't have to walk through the avenue.
“You shouldn't be walking through that area. I go past here to work everyday, I'll give you a lift on weekdays” He said more as a statement then an offer, his face full of concern, but quickly brightening up “Now shoo, I need to pick Stacy and Sanity from the doctor before work” I laughed sliding out of the warm Chevy, waving him off as he glided through traffic. It amazed me how nice Ray was being to almost a complete stranger. As if on queue my phone began to vibrate in my pocket. I didn't have to check caller id to know exactly who it was.
“I see your hot ass from across the street. Your yoga friend's here already and she has bought a drink as red as her hair,” Ezra teased. I could hear Melissa in the background hitting him and I couldn't help but laugh. I was ecstatic that my two first friends got along.
“As you can probably see this hot ass is heading directly towards you.” I sassily began to walk across the road, not paying enough attention. Suddenly I feel arms roughly pull me back onto the pavement and before my eyes a large bus sped past. I turned around quickly to recognise the boy from literature.
“That hot ass needs to pay more attention,” The boy raised his eyebrow, still holding me at my waist rather close. His deep brown eyes looking right through me, a smug smile plastered on his face. Suddenly he let go and winked before heading towards the opposite direction. It occurred to me I was still on the phone by both Mel and Ezra screaming.
“Guys, I'm okay. Jeez” I laughed, hanging up the phone this time before crossing the road. The flirtatious ass hole playing on my mind.
Ezra and Mel had made themselves comfortable in the seats myself and Ezra had occupied the day before, giving them both a perfect view of the busy street in front of them and perfect view of my embarrassing lack of perception. As soon as I placed myself on the bright red stool directly across from the two, they began their freak out.
“Oh my god! That boy was smoking” Mel squealed, making me laugh. I could not think of the last time I heard someone use the word smoking as an adjective.
“Ugh I know right. Did you see how tight his ass was?” Ezra fanned himself to push his point and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. I wasn't intending on admitting my agreement.
“Okay, okay. Lets keep this family friendly Ezra.” I laughed “It's nice to see the two of you have had no trouble getting along” I smirked. Ezra put his hand to his heart as if he were insulted.
“Are you kidding me? I would never associate myself with a soulless being,” Mel rolled her eyes,
“How original,” I shook my head at the both of them. Their banter was rather entertaining to watch. “Okay so literal breakfast club, what's every ones plans?” Mel clapped her hands together.
“I don't have any classes today so after this assembly I'm going to scour out a source of income.” I considered how I was spending my first free day in New York “Exciting, I know”
Ezra took a bite from a rather large chocolate biscuit I hadn't noticed he had until that moment.
“Well aren't you mature Rose. Looking for work instead of sight seeing, what a grown up” He teased, sticking his pinky up as he took another bite from the over-sized cookie. His mocking tone making me laugh.
“Well while your job hunting, I'll be in 3 consecutive psychology classes.” Mel let out an annoyed sigh.
“I'm sure you'll survive princess” Ezra rolled his eyes. I began to notice a few of the students leaving the coffee shop all at once, so I checked my phone.
“Guys, we've got to go” I announced, sliding out of my chair. Subconsciously I check my reflection in the mirror to make sure nothing was to out of place. I came up fine, so I began to follow Mel and Ezra to the assembly hall on campus.
The building itself was a rather large dome shape; covering a good portion of the grass area. It was clearly built to accommodate the entire student body. Although I couldn’t think of an occurrence that would require the entire university to attend an assembly. The hue of the igloo like structure was comparable to the rest of the campus, It had clearly once been a toasty brown but suffered a similar fate as its comrades. Dark spotted mould stains cover the building like a sickly disease. The appearance however didn't affect the high spirits of the freshman covering the front grass area of the hall. The hundreds of excited discussions happening simultaneously created an unintelligible buzzing. The vibe however radiated from miles away and both Ezra and Mel were wearing grins that covered their entire faces. I personally was never a huge fan of large clusters of people all in one room. Don't get me wrong I was no stranger to a concert or two, but there was a different vibe there. Everyone’s come for the same purpose, to see a good band play, not to be measuring up each individual person in the room. I guess I should rephrase. I am not a fan of large clusters of judgemental people. Clearly this meeting wasn't going to be enjoyable. That being said I couldn’t help but smile a little at the way my two new friends towed me along excitedly. I felt like a mother taking her kids to Disneyland, which was strangely endearing. The two argued about where to sit, Mel claiming she wanted to sit in the back to remain inconspicuous and Ezra arguing that he wanted to be up front so he could see. Ezra was taller than me by a head, However in comparison to Mel we were both elves. Her long legs seemed to go forever, her ever present confident stance heightening her that much more. Eventually I suggested we sit three rows from the front to stay covered however putting Ezra on the aisle seat so he could see. This seemed to please them both to an extent.
“So, Rose.” Mel raised her eyebrow suggestively, grabbing my attention as we made ourselves comfortable in preparation for the next hour or so of droning speeches. “Got anyone special back home?” I scoffed at her question, my thoughts darkening slightly.
“Special is a very complicated word,” I murmured as my attention became drawn to the small pot-bellied, middle aged man who hid behind the tall metallic mic stand. “But no, not anymore” I murmured in an attempt to cut the conversation short. The mans hair was receding to the near point of non-existence making him resemble that of Danny Devito. I was rather thankful for his perfect timing. As much as I was convinced myself and Mel would continue to be good friends, I'd only just met her the previous day and I had a track record of making bad judgement, particularly in the area we had just come dangerously close to discussing.
“Welcome to our newest student body.” The microphone boomed, carrying out the small man's scratchy voice. “My name is Mr Demole and I am the head administrator here at NYU. We have arranged today to have the head of every course introduce themselves and provide and outlook of this semesters courses.” It was at this point that I decided to tune out. A rather popular option among the sea of freshman clustered in the giant dome with a serious lack of heating. I seemed to be the only one shivering, something I brushed off as being the only one from a hotter climate. What had initially been a light drizzle had now began to compete with the old-aged physics professor; the poor man having to shout through the surprisingly ineffective microphone. I cursed not bringing a heavier jacket. The pelting rain knocked on the dome, demanding an attention that was only given by a select few. Personally I'd always liked rain. It contrasted itself being so menacing in its actions but then bringing life simultaneously. The way it clung to the windows in the early hours of the morning was a scene I was very familiar with attempting to capture.
My attention was abruptly disturbed by the last of the teaching faculty to stroll onto the stage. He caught my attention for a couple reasons. For one, this man was a lot younger than the previous: Late 30s- early 40s at most. His child like smile giving him a more youthful quality. Secondly his attire was something you'd take a second glance at if you saw him in the streets. This man bravely wore bright leopard print tights with bulky combat boots and a dark purple, satin button down; the top button casually left open exposing a small amount of pale skin. His raven black hair, streaked with bursts of pale blue. Naturally this man caught everyone's attention, but unlike the several snickers I could hear from various areas of the room, I had great respect for this man. The way he held himself in front of a much older faculty and still managed to be confident enough to wear such statement clothing was something I certainly admired.
“No need to worry I'm the last one.” The man assured in a strong British accent , shining a Cheshire like grin. “I'm Mr Fields and I teach Art 101, mostly painting though.” He introduced. “Right, well I'm not going to keep you any longer because you've all chosen your majors and I would hope that the art kids already know what a paint brush is other wise I may just have a heart attack.” and just like that Mr Fields slid off the stage, leaving me with an overwhelming sense of curiosity as to how my first Art class would go.
We were met with some parting words by the Danny Devito impersonator and then promptly dismissed.
“That went painfully slow,” Ezra moaned. I nodded in agreement simultaneously with Mel.
“The Head guy looks like Danny Devito,” I giggled as we shuffled our way through the sole exit, something I could only imagine was a huge fire hazard. Ezra burst in to a small laughing fit. Mel rolled her eyes.
“He said the same thing to me when the guy came on stage” she laughed. I winked at Ezra in agreement.
“ Don't you two have class?” I ask furrowing my eyebrows. The both of their heads shot up in a single moment, eye widening in realisation. “Run,” I laughed hustling the two forward as they sped off to their classes.
I began to wander out of campus, my eyes silently taking note of each minuscule landmark in hopes I could remember where I was going later on. My phone began to vibrate in my back pocket.
Mikey: I hope you're free cause I need a hand today
At that moment I was struck with the reminder that I had managed to land a job yesterday.
Rose: Free as a bird. Can I get a lift though?
Mikey: Sure thing, meet me at the car park.
I mentally thanked Mikey for suggesting the car park which was rather close to where I was already.
The crowd had thinned out substantially as most of them had made their way to their course of choice, so I had no trouble spotting the tall brunette. He was facing towards me talking to someone. The figure was around the same height with dishevelled raven hair. His stance quite tense in front of Mikey. Despite the figures rather intimidating demeanour Mikey seemed utterly at ease with this character, a contrast to what seemed like a heated discussion the two were partaking in. I hung back not wanting to interrupt. The figure ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Something he said made Mikey stiffen, snapping back a remark that caused the raven haired boy to storm off. I wasn't entirely sure what I had just witnessed but as I began to walk towards the brunette in question, I didn’t really want to ask.
“Hey Rose, sorry about that” Mikey called, his face going slightly crimson “Brothers huh” I laughed slightly at his comment, not really being able to sympathise. I'd always longed for a big brother to protect me when I was young.
“So where is this music store anyway?” I questioned not that I was really that bothered, I just noticed how uncomfortable Mikey seemed to be as if preparing for me to ask what the scuffle with his apparent brother was about. He noticeably relaxed as I asked the question, confirming my suspicions.
“I've always been more of a show not tell kinda guy,” He smirked, whipping around and opening the passenger door. Before the move no one had ever opened a door for me and now two in one day. People in New York were so nice. I happily slid into the large black Jeep. Mikey eagerly put the car into ignition, unlike my old car their was no back fire to be heard.
“You know, you haven't even interviewed me,” I stated. It had only just occurred to me that we didn't really know each other he just thought ; nice girl in a coffee shop, she doesn't look like a serial killer. I'll hire her. Mikey didn't seem to be bothered by it at all.
“Alright I'll interview you now.” He smirked “Favourite colour?”
“Blue” I shot back at him. Mikey thought for a second,
“Favourite food?”
I had been trying to keep a relatively straight face, it wasn't working out to well. “Pizza.” I shook my head “These aren't exactly relevant questions” Despite that fact he continued.
“Favourite band” He shot
“Smashing Pumpkins” a wave of nostalgia swept over me as I remember times I had spent with Blu in our bedrooms listening to the smashing pumpkins while discussing the days events and whatever else. Mikeys eyes widened as he turned to face me.
“You're joking,” He stared in awe, as if I were some kind of rare bird.
“Eyes on the road” I called urgently.
