Microplastics (1/3)

 

June sat on the bed, staring at a photo on the wall. July was roaming around the room, opening every drawer and going into the closet multiple times over. The bathroom door was open, and the sink ran for longer than it needed to. June squinted; the more she looked at this picture, the more it irritated her. It was an old photo of herself and what used to be Carter, a little after they got together.

Carter’s gravelly voice came from the bathroom. “Let me guess: cameras all over the place?”

July groaned from the corner. “It’s so bad now. It’s like every move I make is being recorded on some rando’s Instagram.” She paused. “They're gonna start coming into the bathroom with that soon.”

They had been talking about their trip to the gym today. June and July liked going early in the morning, when all of the influencers were still getting their makeup on. Today, though, June’s car broke down a few blocks away from home. And for once, it was something she couldn’t fix herself. She opened the hood and found that her oil had seemingly been replaced by peanut butter. That’s what the substance on the dipstick looked like, at least. She was forced to wait by the side of the road for a while. The one upside was getting looks of “admiration” from people passing by, marveling at the woman with melon-sized shoulders. July offered to take a massive detour and pick her up, which meant that by the time they arrived, the place was overrun by people, ring lights, and cameras. So many cameras.

“Hopefully it didn’t get in the way too much,” Carter said.

July made a noise that screamed otherwise. “What did you think, June?”

June gave her a sideways glance. “It was fine enough.” She immediately turned back to the photo. “Not the worst workout I’ve ever had.” She used to be so small. She stood under a mass of baggy fabric in the photo. You wouldn’t even know there was a body underneath if it weren’t for the skinny arms at the sides. Carter was only barely taller than her, but in this picture the difference in size was so obvious. He wore a broad, black jacket, standing with his chest high and his arm slung around her tiny shoulder. Her waist was drawn towards him like a magnet, and she kept her head down ever so slightly, looking up at the camera as she smiled.

July spoke again, probably next to the bathroom door. “How’s, uh, cooking been going? June told me you’ve been getting into it lately.”

There was a splash of water. “Well, the last thing I put together was a German chocolate cake. I used a bit of my mom’s recipe and one I found online. One of the best desserts I’ve ever made, no contest.”

July sighed. “That sounds amazing, Carter.”

“There’s still some left in the kitchen, you know. Because June here won’t stop prattling on about ‘my diet’ every time she takes a bite.” They both laughed. June let out a quiet courtesy laugh, though she still didn’t turn to look at them.

Carter went on. “I’ve gotta say, I really didn’t expect to like cooking as much as I am. Someone at work recommended a class the other day, and I might start going.”

June finally pulled her eyes away from the frame on the wall and looked at the window. It was really more of a dark mirror at this hour. She saw herself sitting, unrecognizable from the girl in the photo. Her exposed arms were thick and muscular, her hair was short and unkempt. Her legs struggled to hide their bulk under her jeans. A bright pink hat sat on the dresser behind her, almost being worn by her reflection.

July wandered into view behind her. She had a tank top on as well, with some anime characters on the front. Instead of jeans, she had on shorts that left little to the imagination. They exposed a tattoo of an upside down forest circling around her leg. She had been making good progress at the gym. July never wanted to be as bulky as June was, so she chose to keep a perfectly toned body instead. 

“Does he always take this long to get ready?” July asked quietly.

“Yes,” June said. She stood and did a stretch. “Some people might say too long.” She made sure that was loud enough for him to hear.

“You can’t rush perfection, June,” he said, unbothered. Finally, he stepped out of the bathroom. His hair was always what held him up; what used to just be a blonde mop on his head was sculpted into a ponytail. He left a few tendrils falling down the side of his face—to draw attention to his earrings, he said. His face was smooth, with no acne in sight and no dry patches. He had on loose-fitting, baggy pants, and a jacket that stopped just under his ribs. He raised his hand to fix part of his bangs and revealed a metric ton of bracelets running down his arm. June and July stepped aside as he grabbed his small tote bag from the bed. “Shall we?” he said. He made for the bedroom door.

The walls in the hallway were decorated with more picture frames, most of which were paintings. Carter and July kept talking while June got lost in thought again. She never liked these pictures. Carter was the type who was into “abstract” messes of color and shapes. June said she didn’t have a preference when he went out to buy these, a decision she regretted whenever she passed them. 

They were nearly out the door when Carter stopped to point out the remaining half of his cake. June had only had about one and a half slices. Carter went into the kitchen to gloat about his recipe while July practically drooled over it. June leaned against the wall, watching them out of the corner of her eye. She tapped on the loose floorboard by the welcome mat.

July returned with an icing stain on her lips. “He’s trying to fatten you up,” she said with a smile. June and July stepped outside and waited for Carter to check and re-check the locks on the living room windows. He walked back outside, locked the door, and ushered them down the stairs. The street felt overly dark. Most of the streetlights had been down for a while, and one flickered at the edge of the neighborhood. Carter’s house happened to be in the middle of a dark patch. Under the moon-less, star-less sky, it was like a building stuck in a void.

Carter hopped into the driver’s seat of his Nissan and June offered shotgun to July. She slid into the back seat and closed the door before any argument could start. Carter balanced his tote bag on the cupholders and pulled out his phone. June had to remind him to turn the car on for some air.

“I hope you ladies don’t have a preference for music,” he said. He tapped a button and Abracadabra blasted through the radio.

“Lady Gaga?” July said, half-condescending.

Carter put up a hand. “Princess of pop, my friend. I’ll hear no arguments.” He slapped the steering wheel to the music as he started driving. July, as she did with anyone who liked pop music, listed off a bunch of metal bands he should really consider listening to instead. That conversation consumed most of the drive, with Carter recommending his own girly pop bands and obscure techno artists. Every now and then, June noticed him watching her through the rearview mirror. Perhaps she was slouching too much.

“June, is everything alright back there?” he asked. She spent much of the drive staring out the window and reading the names of every building they passed. She’d had plenty of time to do it, with how sluggish traffic was tonight. “Do you need more air?”

“I’m fine,” she said.

The music stopped. “Hey, what was that song you were telling me about the other day? I can have Julia look for it.”

She waved away the idea. “No, Carter, I’m just…thinking about my car.”

June heard Carter’s back fall into his seat. “Ah,” he clicked his tongue. “Fair enough. We ought to get that sorted out soon.” He looked at her again, still concerned. She met the rearview mirror’s gaze.

“Stop looking so worried,” she said. “It’s annoying.”

He laughed. The music came back a second later, and he and July resumed their conversation. “Okay, are you totally sure you only want clean vocals?” she asked.

“Yeah, that growling doesn’t really do it for me.”

“I was the same way at first, but give it a chance, and…” June tuned them out. She started focusing on the sound of cars passing by. It was tough to hear them over the music, but possible. 

    They pulled up to the Wilted Angel, Carter stopping at the side of the road and quieting his music. The neon logo depicted a small angel leaning seductively against a wine bottle, holding her own glass in one hand. The street was overrun with parked cars, as were the sidewalks with people. Carter instinctively pulled open the mirror to check his face.

    “Thanks for driving,” June said. She made for the door handle.

    “Hey,” he said suddenly. “I’ve got a bit of time. Should I come in and say hi to everyone?” June didn’t immediately respond. “I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve seen most of your friends.”

    “Uhh,” June exchanged a look with July.

    “Carter,” July jumped in. “Haven’t you heard of a ‘girls night out?’ We’re here to get away from our men.”

    He chuckled. “Alright, alright. Just saying, you guys would have been welcome where I’m going.” Carter was having his own night out with his friends. They went to a different bar because the Wilted Angel almost never gave sports channels any love. Not that Carter or any of his friends actually cared about sports, but he claimed the atmosphere of the bar was better during a game.

    “It was nice seeing you again, Julia,” he said. “Hitting the gym has really been paying off, I gotta say.”

    “Aww,” she tucked her hair back in her usual display of coyness. “Your girlfriend’s right there, man, you can’t say things like that.”

    He shrugged. “I can’t compliment her gains anymore. It’s passé now.” They both laughed. July stepped out of the car and closed the door. June did the same, but the moment she took a step forward, Carter rolled his window down. “I’ll see you at home.” He leaned out the window. June leaned down and gave him a short kiss.

    “Stay safe,” she breathed. She and July walked across the street. Once they were on the sidewalk, they stopped and waited for Carter to disappear down the road. 

    July put a hand on her hip. “Wow,” she said. “You weren’t kidding.”

    “Yeah.”

    “Was he always like that? I don’t remember him being that…” she waved her hands around to get her point across.

    June hesitated. “He was always kind of feminine.” He just didn’t always broadcast it to everyone. It used to be some jewelry here, a spa day there, and Madonna when no one else was around to hear it. It was a gradual shift, but a shift all the same.

    The two girls turned and headed for the bar. July nudged her. “You don’t think—”

    June shook her head. “I’ve asked him a couple times.”

    “I mean,” July gave her a “come on” look. “I’m not gonna say anything, but I dated a guy who acted just like that—”

    “July, please.” She noticed a few heads turning at the door. “Drop it.” They pushed their way inside the warmly lit building. It was expectedly packed tonight, with every table in sight already taken. As soon as they entered, Bri stood up from across the room and waved her arms wildly. Caro sat with her and gave a much less excited wave. June and July pushed through the narrow space between chairs and June gave a quick nod to the bartender.