Chapter Text
She hears Laura Lee’s quiet mumbling, even before deciphering the words Lottie guesses by the cadence that she is praying for mercy and a small smile draws itself on her mouth; it’s not really the moment to be doing so and she doubts anybody up there would care.
“Who the fuck are you praying to?” Tai asks in a hiss, and in the lull of the beer and stolen wine Lottie has to stifle a laugh, they’re hiding after all.
The party wasn’t a big one even, that’s why Laura Lee agreed to come and Mari brought her a sweet red wine so she could indulge with the team. Some guys with Jeff brought most of the cheap beer, the music was sustained by a little Walkman turned up to the maximum volume, and a couple of cars parked to create the seating. Although it was enough for whatever nosy ass neighbors who decided the abandoned backyard was too much of a public venue for the teenagers to get shitfaced. The police seemed more annoyed than preoccupied with decency and, so, they caught every youngster loitering loudly this fine Sunday night.
Taissa glares in her direction and Lottie shrugs, it's not like they are going to be found, most of the cops went for the ones that ran into the next three houses’ radius, not wanting to attempt a hot pursuit of so petty trespassing. Nobody is checking the alley two blocks away, much less between the dumpsters that only raccoons could think of diving in.
“I really don’t think JC boy is going to help us out.”
“The Lord is friends with whores and thieves,” Laura Lee retorts, barely interrupting her quiet spiel to the skies.
“And which ones are we?” Lottie asks promptly, fist over her mouth to control the laughter.
Taissa, who was previously about to throttle Laura Lee telepathically, can’t hold it as well as her, snorting some laughs before toning down to a giggle fit. A fit that seems contagious, since Laura Lee begins chuckling even when her fingers are still whitening in the prayer position. The three begin shushing each other, only adding to the general hilarity to the point that Lottie needs to hold her sides and Laura Lee doubles over herself, propping herself against the metallic side while Taissa glances over the dumpster in case somebody heard them.
“But, seriously, is there somebody to intercede for underage drinking?” Lottie inquires, sweeping a cheerful tear out of Laura Lee’s cheek, her eyes sparkling already with that opening.
“Don’t encourage her,” Taissa grunts but she still has the biggest of smiles on her face, her whole mood cheery with the aid of cheap alcohol and some adrenaline.
Laura Lee takes a deep breath, holding Lottie’s shoulder like a salesman: “In fact, beer has been tracked down to some miracles, especially in medieval life as the w-wise monks correctly averted a plagu…”
She is babbling , she has never seen her babbling before and the speed of her words makes the ideas trip over each other, some righteous critiques about temptation and laws mixed with the bravado of already drinking (sacramental) wine at 9 AM every week since first communion.
Lottie isn’t retaining any of the information she asked for.
She doubts Laura Lee is following her own train of thought, so she rather uses this chance of unabashedly conveying to memory this intriguing facet of her friend, reviewing the flushed cheeks, staring at glistening lips, charmed by dazzling eyes that are illuminated by the street lights as if the dead monks and virgins mentioned are approving her excited speech.
Lottie continues to look at her with matched intensity if not focus, eyes glazing sometimes with some inebriated somnolence but no less amazed; while Laura Lee continues talking her head off with little prompting, even after Van finds them and drives them home with her mom’s beaten up car.
Laura Lee is the first to get off, surprisingly confident in her ability to sneak quietly into her house despite her inexperience with such ventures. Before she finishes closing the car door, Lottie dares to hold her hand and reassures her that she enjoyed the talk, some drunken wisdom reminding her that hangovers can be real bitches when examining last night’s decisions.
“Oh,“ she gasps and poses her hand over Lottie’s, pausing for a second, mouth forming a perfect circle, before bowing over their joint hands. "May the Lord guard us through the night, and wake us with the morning light… Amen!"
“Amen! Though, the morning light is fast approaching,” Lottie giggles and pats her slightly ruffled hair.
“Thank you so much for listening, Lottie.” Laura Lee says before pressing a kiss right on the tip of her nose and running away.
Leaving Lottie more than baffled, looking through the window with little to no thought, only a serene smile partially covered by the hand that keeps brushing the tip of her nose absentmindedly.
Apparently, Tai has questions:
“Okay, what was that?”
“Are you getting converted, Lott?”
“Ah, nah, I don’t know. Never noticed she is kinda cute, when she… I mean, how she...—smiles, and can talk about those… things so excitedly.”
“Sssure…, I guess she can be kind of cu…” Van tries to agree before Taissa cuts her off with the same warning.
“Do not encourage them.”