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The day after his seventeenth birthday, Benny Weir takes the fifty dollar bill he got from his uncle, goes to the drugstore, and buys as much makeup as he can fit in his messenger bag. When he gets home he spreads it over his bed and stares at it for longer than he cares to admit, holding it in his hands, taking it out of the package and then putting it back like it burned him. He hides it in the back of his closet under a box of old comic books that he knows no one will ever go in, mumbles a protection spell under his breath. Safe and sound.
Drumming his fingers on his leg, he texts Erica, asks her to come over alone. She calls him almost immediately, and when he picks up he can hear her let out an exhale. “Is this, like, a date? Because I am not going on a date with you. Sorry. Not happening.”
He laughs, a little bit. “No. I just need your help with something? I don’t know who else to ask.”
She makes a little noise under her breath. “Yeah. Cool. Be over in two shakes.” The phone clicks off and as soon as he puts it down there’s a knock at his door. Sometimes he takes for granted how strange his life has gotten.
He opens the door and she steps inside, asks, “What is it you need?”
His ears flush. “Can you just come upstairs?”
She raises an eyebrow, and he just gives her a look like dear god please I promise I won’t make a move. She nods and follows him upstairs.
Erica sits on his bed while he rustles through his closet. When he turns around, hands full of eyeliner and cheap lipstick and eyeshadows, she stares. “Huh?”
“I need your help figuring this stuff out. I got it and I have no idea what I’m doing and when I look it up it just confuses me,” he says, avoiding eye contact. Slowly, she nods.
“Yeah, totally. I mean, we all know I’m the best looking. I was definitely the right choice. Hand that over, I’ll show you how it works.” She reaches out a hand, and Benny feels such overwhelming relief he wants to cry. He hands her the biggest pieces, and she backs up on the bed so he can put the rest between them.
“Okay,” she says, rubbing her hands together. “This is totally not your shade, but you’re new at this, so it’s forgivable that you’re totally inept. I’ll go with you and we can find one that works better. I think that with your coloring....” She talks with her hands, grins with her fangs, and Benny feels protected, almost. Safe, almost.
When it gets too late and Erica has to go home, Benny walks her to the door. She looks at him for a second, then grabs him in a bear hug. “You call me whenever, okay?” She whispers.. He nods, color filling his cheeks. It’s been a long day. It’s all too much. She seems to sense him getting overwhelmed, so she pats his back, perhaps a little too hard, and leaves faster than he can blink.
Two days later Erica comes over to his house and doesn’t say anything before walking over to his closet and grabbing pants out, checking the labels. When he asks what she’s doing, she stares at him for a second and offers a long-suffering eye roll in response. “I need to figure out your size. You’re tall, but, like, lean? So I’m not sure. I figure if we wanna get some new clothes we should at least make sure they fit.”
Benny nods, wonders if he mentioned buying clothes to Erica, or if she somehow developed a vampiric ability to mind-read. When she figures out the sizes, she walks with him down main street and helps him pick out a few outfits. Basics, she says. Staples.
She spins around on his desk chair while he tries them on. He gives her the go-ahead to look and she grins, ear to ear. “Come over here, I have an idea for this eyeshadow situation that’ll make it perfect.”
He sits on the edge of his bed and she does the vampire thing, hovers a bit above him so she can get more control. She uses brushes she brought from home, finishes one eye, and talks him through doing the next. It’s subtle, but fun, and she was right -- it does match his outfit.
He finds himself hanging out with Erica kind of a lot. After a while, it ended up being less about the makeup and more about the company. They paint each other’s nails. Erica calls them girl’s nights. Benny isn’t sure how to explain how good that makes him feel. He doesn’t have the words, really. Erica gets it. She saw his face the first time she said it and now it’s everyday lingo - hey girl, girlfriend, girl’s night, whatever. She calls him a witch. He wonders how he missed how understanding she is, how everyone seems to miss it. And she’s a total geek under all the honey-blonde layers. She’s kind of the best person Benny knows.
She comes up to him while he’s walking to class with Ethan and elbows her way into their conversation. “Hey, do you wanna go see that new Dusk spin-off? I know you’re not like, a fan, or anything, but I have two tickets?” She gives him some brilliantly well-executed puppy eyes, and he laughs.
“Sure. Text me with the time? I’ll pick you up.”
She nods, flashes her fangs. “Awesome.”
As soon as she’s out of earshot, Ethan turns to him and raises his eyebrows shockingly high. “Uh, what was that? Did Erica just ask you out?”
Benny laughs a little bit. “Dude, no. Friend thing, I promise.”
Ethan doesn’t let up his staring. “Since when are you and Erica friends? Is this why you’ve been avoiding me? Oh, don’t give me that look. Of course I noticed, idiot.”
Benny avoids his gaze. “I didn’t mean to avoid you. It just kinda… happened.”
“Yeah, well, stop it. You’re my best friend,” he says, rolling his eyes. “You don’t have to keep things from me.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
Benny comes home from the definitely-not-a-date with Erica and Ethan is sitting on his bed, rolling a horrendous joint. Benny rolls his eyes from behind his back. “Hand that over, asshole. You’re pathetic.”
Ethan exhales a laugh, makes room for Benny on the bed, and says, “Well what am I supposed to do? My knight in shining armor is on a date.”
Benny finishes what Ethan started, gestures for him to hand over his lighter. It has Luke Skywalker on it. Benny thinks it’s sexy. He is maybe a little bit in love with him. “It’s not a date. She wanted to see the movie and Sarah was busy.”
Ethan stares at him. “You’re wearing makeup.”
Benny goes a little cold, but then he remembers who he’s talking to. “Uh, yeah. It’s not too much, is it?” He lights up, inhales deeply. He’s fucking with him a little bit. Wants to see what he says. Benny isn’t sure what’s up with him and the pushing. Maybe he’s just sick of secrets.
Ethan grabs the joint back, avoids his eyes. “How am I supposed to know?”
“You’re such a dude.”
“And you’re not?” Ethan raises his eyebrows.
“I don’t think I am, actually. Not, like, all the way.” Benny blinks. He didn’t really know that’s how he felt, but that’s it, isn’t it?
Ethan nods, slowly. “Is that why you’re hanging out with Erica so much?”
“At first, yeah. But then we became actual friends?”
“And you weren’t on a date?”
Benny shoves his shoulder. “You’re kinda fixated on the date thing. Sarah was busy and I needed girl help.”
Ethan smiles, slowly. “Okay, good.”
“Good?”
He puts the joint down and flops backwards into bed, pulling Benny down with him. “I think you look nice.” He’s staring at him a bit intense, like a dare.
Benny grins. He’s nothing if not up for a challenge. “Just nice?”
Ethan goes red, but doesn’t break eye contact. “Shut up. Really nice. Asshole.”
Benny grabs Ethan’s hip, pulls him closer. “I may be a girl but you’re still gay if you kiss me,” he says.
Ethan’s eyes go wide, go dark. “Yeah, don’t care,” he mumbles, leaning in.
The next day, Erica comes over early in the morning and barges in his bedroom. Benny shoots up in bed, a side effect of all the supernatural murder attempts. He really should see a therapist.
“What’s up?”
She whistles, laughs. “Girl, what’s up with you? Run into a stray vamp last night?”
He opens his mouth, then closes it again, brushing the hickey on his neck. “Is it that bad?”
She smiles. “I’ll show you how to cover it up. All part of being a girl.”