I Can Be Super-Productive When I Have Other Things To Do

[rachelleneveu]

Case in point: I should've been doing more research for my American Labor History essay. Or sleeping. Something normal and healthy. Instead, I'm here. Doing more short writing nonsense. In a room. With a dog in my lap who keeps licking my elbow for no apparent reason.

Five 100-word drabbles. Prompts are from Set #5, same place as before. I fully realize that most of these will make sense only to me, but right now I am going to go to sleep, then wake up and finish this stupid paper before 11:55 PM if it kills me.

Lies:

"...and it sucks, 'cause I really like him, but he's..." Kate traces a pattern in one of the wet rings her glass left behind on the table. "Anthony's too nice, y'know? Like, he doesn't get how some stuff just means nothing. I mean, you don't wanna jump into bed with me or whatever, and you've seen my boobs way more than he has!"

Joe nearly spits out his Coke. "Thanks," he laughs, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Kate grins from across the table. "And that's a total lie -- I've only seen 'em twice. Three times, tops."


Kiss:

They're playing spin-the-bottle because they're all secretly twelve, apparently, and at Laurie's turn the bottle lands squarely on Simon, who glances nervously around the room. It's a quick kiss; she leans over and Simon meets her halfway, chastely pressing his lips against hers. Kate claps him on the shoulder as everyone laughs and when Laurie settles back against the couch, Joe takes her face between his hands and pulls her closer, kisses her, too. No one else seems to care; Simon's next and Andy's already looking increasingly uncomfortable.

"What's that for?" she asks, and he winks.

"Just making it even."


Hurt:

She shows up with a split lip and bruised cheek and the first thing she says when she sees him is, "This really wasn't as fun as it looks."

He just stares at her, at first -- because Jesus, what the hell happened to her, and Christ, why wasn't he there? -- but Laurie brushes past him and slinks into his apartment, making a beeline for the bathroom and immediately rifling through his medicine cabinet for the first-aid kit.

"Casey and I had some words."

"Some?"

She grimaces at her reflection in the mirror. "Okay, we had a lot of words."


Money:

Laurie's dumbass ex-boyfriend owes her, like, $400 on top of all the other crap he put her through, and the first time Joe meets this dick he's kind of buzzed and really angry on her behalf, even if she keeps telling him to let it go. They're in a bar and the guy keeps rolling his eyes, and Joe's about to flat-out punch this asshole right in his stupid smug face when Laurie grabs his sleeve, tells him, "It's not worth it." She pleads with her eyes, tugs on his arm until he follows her. "Seriously, he's not worth it."


Tease:

"I am not drunk," Laurie announces to no one in particular, and Joe tightens his grip on her arm, leading her down the sidewalk, towards his car.

"Whatever you say, Queen Drunkface."

"I'm not!"

"Uh-huh. Walk in a straight line without me carrying you, and then I'll believe it."

"You're mean. And we are in public," she hisses loudly, "Stop looking at me like that!"

"Like what?"

"Like you're thinking something -- something dirty!"

He laughs, gently moving her to the side so he can unlock the car. "Yeah, well, when you wear dresses like that, it's pretty much Pavlovian, now."