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"Okay, okay, let's try this one."
Giggling was heard all throughout the house, accompanied by a movie long forgotten by all the girls on the living room. Well, all except Bibi, who still seemed interested by the low quality thriller playing.
"Shh, guys stay quiet," Bibi tried shushing them to no avail, as she reached for some of the popcorn Janet didn't want anymore. She sat on the floor with her back supported by the couch, all her focus on the movie as the protagonist struggled to open a car door.
Emz was laying on Bibi's lap, double checking the million selfies she had taken earlier the night, while it was still a somewhat clear outside. "Yeah guys, you're gonna get us in trouble with Jan's dad," the mummy hissed, extending one of her legs to kick Janet on the back as she continued to cherry pick the pictures.
"Stu sleeps like a rock, it's Bonnie who we need to worry about," Penny added, taking some of the pillows stolen from Janet's room and placing them on her lap.
"Sure, now stay quiet," Janet pulled Penny's hand in front of her. A pool of blankets, pillows, and plushies from Janet's room separated them, Penny pushing some of the mess to the side as she was brought closer to her friend.
Penny's fingers were colored, their previous "color tests" still prevalent on her hand, unbothered to wiping the color and rather just try a different one on another nail and then wipe them all to do so again. Janet tried applying the red polish to her best of her ability, despite her vision slightly swirling.
She wouldn't say she was drunk per se, even though denying that the alcohol she had drank had shown some effects on her would be obvious lying. Still, she only had a glass, or two? She told Penny it was a bad idea to bring that bottle!
Janet shook her head and squinted her eyes to clear her vision, trying to focus on the fingers before her and not on the warmness that the hand she was holding radiated, or how the world seem to wiggle around her. She stroked the brush as delicately as she could, but it didn't prevent her from painting a little of the other girl's finger.
"Shit, I told you to stay still..." Janet tried wiping the nail polish away with her own finger while it still was wet, smudging the paint even more and making a mess out of the other girl's hand.
"I am still," Penny slurred her words, as she lift her glass to drink more of the concoction she had prepared, "you're the one shaking." She watched Janet giving up across from her, closing the nail polish with a pout on her lips, as she licked her own and raised the glass to her mouth.
Bibi stood up, taking the drink away from her and spilling it on the sink, before returning back to lie on the couch. "I was drinking that..." she hummed, a disappointed tone to her voice as she frowned to her sister.
"Womp, womp."
"The hell you mean womp- hey!"
The pirate got pulled by her arm again, Janet now holding two other nail polishes to her face. "Which one do you think?" She asked, inquisitive of the girl's opinion.
"For you?" Penny held her chin on her hand as she squinted her eye, an exaggerated gesture to show she was thinking. She hummed in thought, examining the tiny bottles before her.
They looked the same to her, a blurred spiral of green and yellows, but she knew that was probably her mind betraying her. "That one," she pointed to the one on Janet's left —or her own, it was anyone's guess at this point—, before taking it out of her hand and opening the bottle. "You'll be as pretty as a, umm, Christmas tree? Yeah!"
Janet nodded in approval, scooting closer to the girl and crisscrossing her legs. "Christmas trees are pretty, right?" Janet asked to no one in particular, looking down to find Penny painting her nails effortlessly.
The feeling of the tiny brush strokes against her nails and the gentle touch of Penny's hand on her own felt inexplicably funny, sending a slight shiver all across her body. Like a person sitting under a willow tree, caressed by its leaves as they tried to follow the course of the wind; she couldn't explain it in a way that made more sense if she tried.
The pirate was basically digging her head down Janet's hand, which was resting on the floor, her back bent in an impossible fit instead of holding the girl's arm up. She could feel the girl's breath against her hand, the hot air entangling with her finger's in a way that warmed her from the inside.
"What d'ya think?" Penny suddenly asked, sitting up straight and releasing the performer's hand.
They stared into each other's eyes, Janet's sight turning tunneled, obscuring everything around her, only able to focus on her friend sitting across from her. On her skin; effortlessly clear, adorned here and there by some barely visible freckles, product of long sun exposure. Her incredibly long lashes, paired with that smudged black eyeshadow, calling attention to the unnatural deepness of her brown eyes. Her pink hair, tied now on a low ponytail, so much brighter than her own. Her side bangs always framing her face —now mere inches away— which shined brighter than the sun on its hotter days.
Janet's mind was stunned. She felt like her brain had been reduced to a pool, long gone flesh having melted, now utterly incapable of producing a single thought. Her body burned, like a million rockets were just set off inside her stomach, waiting for the moment when they'd fire off to the sky through her skull.
A couple stray hairs poked close to Penny's eye, seemingly impeding her vision as she squinted, her gaze lost somewhere on her own face. Words stumbled on Janet's throat, unable to form a coherent answer to the question asked to her. Because she was asked a question, wasn't she? Yes she was, she remembers being asked a question.
"Oh em gee, girl," Emz hiccuped, hopping from her spot on the floor behind Janet. "Those look good!" She rested her hands on the other girl's shoulders, as she leaned over her to appreciate the pirate's work. "Can you do mine next?"
Janet's eyes fleeted between Penny and Emz, her brain seeming to slowly recompose and notice the world around her: the flashy smile of her purple friend, and the gaze of her pink haired peer, looking like a deer caught on the headlights. An uncomfortably long silence lingered, before Penny finally seemed to come down to her senses and said, "uh, I mean sure, why not."
The performer scooted to the side, making space for Emz alongside the innumerous blankets and pillows on the floor. The body of the mummy beside her holding an unnatural warmth to it.
Janet watched Penny's hands as she meticulously applied the nail polish, the swift calculated movements a striking contrast to her nails, which looked like an unorganized rainbow, smeared and scattered, like all colors were fighting for attention but none quite won. She noted to herself to clean Penny's nails later, when Emz's nails were done and she felt sober enough to not shower both of them on the acetone somehow.
Janet moved closer to the couch, noticing how the tv had been turned off already; Bibi fast asleep on the couch, her legs hanging on the armrests. Taking two blanket from the floor she covered her friend's body the best she could, and curled herself on her own, lying over a sleeping bag.
Janet tilted her head to the side, trying to catch a glimpse of the other two girls. Even though she couldn't hear her, she could tell Emz was vividly chatting by the way she gestured with her free hand, most likely about some newfound gossip she stumbled across. It didn't seem like Penny was paying much mind to her words, her tongue sticking out in concentration, all her attention seeming to be on the hand she was holding up a little too close to her face.
Janet closed her eyes, trying to ignore the feeling of her body melting, despite the shivers she was feeling: somehow cold and hot at the same time. She pulled the covers all the way up to her face, as she hugged a cloud shaped pillow close to her chest, quickly feeling herself drift away and the world dissipate around her, a slight coldness creeping under the covers as she closed her eyes.
Why was it so hot? A drop of sweat fell down Janet's Janet stirred awake, feeling a weight over her torso. She tried to sit up, only then noticing how the couch was empty and her friends had all curled up bedsides her.
She scratched her head, trying to figure out how to stand without waking anybody up. Penny shifted on her sleep as Janet lifted her hand from over her torso, rolling to her left side and hitting Emz on the face with it. She pulled her legs from under Bibi's, the movement causing her a pang on her bladder.
Janet stood up as slowly as she possibly could, not wanting to overwork her body, which was begging for her to just go to the bathroom already. She was careful as she rounded the group to not step on anybody, quickly getting out of the living room and making her way inside the bathroom.
Janet sat down allowing her release, the yellow light of the bathroom gentle on her eyes, surprisingly not making her feel like someone was drilling through her skull. She licked her lips, the taste of cheap wine and strawberry still lingering in her mouth. The girl doesn't remember drinking that much, and by how her body was reacting, she didn't think she'd ever drink again. No idea how Penny manages.
She stayed seated still after being done, taking some time to be away from everything as her mind cleared. The world felt so loud despite the quietness of the house, not knowing if she was actually hearing steps or if she was going crazy.
She splashed her face with cold water, suddenly feeling way less drowsy, but still somewhat tired, Janet felt like a rope had being tied to her head, and now it had been released. She was able to think much more clearer once she stepped out of the bathroom.
That's why she was confused when she heard giggling on her way to the living room. An artificial light leaked onto the hallway, coming from their kitchen. She dragged her steps there, to find Penny and Bonnie eating some cookies they had baked on the afternoon. Her friends had eaten most of them, refrigerating the rest for the next day, so Stu and Bonnie could have a taste of them, but seems like the little girl —after getting up to presumably get some water to drink— had stumbled upon the sweets and grown a little impatient.
Bonnie noticed her presence first, quickly shoving the cookie she was eating on her mouth, making a crumbling mess on he floor. Penny's back was turned to her, who asked Bonnie what was wrong after looking at her go quiet.
Then Penny turned around wide-eyed, a half empty glass on her hand, her face also a testimony to the mischief happening, with cookie crumbs on her cheeks and a chocolate milk mustache resting over her lips.
"Good mornin'," she gulped, finishing the little milk that was left on a glass she was holding.
"Bonnie-"
"Sorry," Penny cut off Janet's reprimanding, wiping her face with her hand making cookie crumbs fall all over her shirt, "we were just a little hungry. She'll be back to sleep now."
Both of the girls stared at Janet, as if waiting for a statement from her. Janet felt her ears burning despite the chill air coming from the fridge, only sighing once she turned to her sister. "Those were for you anyway Bonbon," Janet kneeled to wipe the girl's's face clean, "but you should've waited until tomorrow."
"Sorry," Bonnie pouted, her innocent eyes pleading for forgiveness to her now clearly annoyed sister.
The sight softened Janet's gaze. "It's okay, I'm not mad," she cooed, stroking her sister hair as she lead her into the dark hallway, seeing her disappear as she made a turn to Stu's bedroom.
Janet turned around to be met by the same white light again. She glared down at Penny, who was walking towards the sink with yet another glass on her hand. "What? I can't drink water now?"
Janet huffed and rolled her eyes to the pirate, the ghost of a smile resting on her lips as she closed the fridge. She grabbed Penny's hand to drag her out of the kitchen, with little protest on her friend's side. Their hand's stayed linked together longer than needed, Penny sharing her coldness with Janet's warmer hand.
They walked in silence, their steps slow, none in a hurry to be back to sleep. Penny squeezed her hand gently, her nails clawing on Janet's skin in a way that felt right, the electrifying sensation making a pool out of her brain.
Janet was pulled out of her head when Penny stumbled after hitting the couch's leg with her own. She lost balance, almost falling to the ground and pulling her friend down with her, which didn't happen only because of Janet's grasp on her strengthening.
"Ouch," Penny complained, letting go of her friend's hand to grab her own. Janet's face dropped as she watched her friend walk away from her, brows furrowed as she lied next to Bibi, with not even a glance back.
Janet closed her hand on a fist, finding herself missing touch, but not lingering to much on it, being quick to follow her friend's steps. The sleeping bag cold to the touch as she lowered herself onto it, mindful of Emz's breathing not wanting to disturb the fragile peace of the night.
She opened her mouth to say something, before choosing against it. Her eyes stayed glued to her friend, who was facing the ceiling as she fiddled with her fingers.
Janet tucked her hands under her head, mimicking a pillow and resting on them. "You're... okay? Hurt yourself?" she whispered, a slight tuck of her eyebrows as she did so.
"No, no, yeah. I-" Penny's voice came out with a slight rasp, not bothering to turn around and look at Janet as she spoke, "I just-" she trailed off, huffing a puff of air before pulling the cover up to her chest.
Janet shifted slightly, resting her head over her right arm. She exhaled softly, just loud enough to be heard in the quiet. Penny broke the stretching silence, lifting her right hand to showcase a space between her fingers. "I just, burned myself.. when we were baking?"
Janet squinted, barely being able to make out the reddish skin from the rest, her eyes fleeting ephemerally to the girl's nails. Something tugged inside her, begging to ask why didn't she told anyone sooner. Why didn't she notice it sooner. But it all felt pointless now.
"Also, sorry about your sister." Penny spoke up again, a soft chuckle accompanying her words, as she
"It's okay, really. Don't sweat it," Janet reassured, choosing to believe that the little girl fell back asleep already, or would do so soon enough.
"Yeah..." she mumbled, pushing some hairs out of her face. "I- I feel like my brain just won't shut up sometimes," she spoke slowly, as if deciding to carefully choose her words on the spot. Janet let her eyes linger on Penny's profile, the way she'd run her fingers through her hair, the way her brow tensed, The way her mouth barely moved as she spoke. "Y'know?"
Penny turned her head around, just enough so that their gazes could finally meet. For a moment Janet felt her ears buzzing, a growing warmth taking over her body as she noticed the minute distance between them. She hummed in sympathy, not really getting at what the girl was getting at but not wanting to push it. Anything she didn't understand before, she was surely not going to understand now at three in the morning.
Penny's eyes were still on her, and Janet felt like the girl could stare straight into her soul. She felt studied, the girl's eyes exploring all of Janet's face, but ultimately, making a stop at her light blue eyes. She gulped, her cheeks burning a soft pink when she noticed Penny breathing in, almost as if she would break the silence again. Instead she pulled the covers over her head, turning her back to Janet and croaking out a muffled "goodnight" from under the blankets.
Janet could only blink, turning on her back herself to stare into the ceiling. She started fiddling with her fingers, immediately stopping when she caught herself picking her nails. She hovered her hands close to her face, a smile on her face as she brightened by the sight, still impeccably painted.
She turned her head to the side slightly, hearing the irregular breath of Penny under the cover, accompanied now by soft snoring coming from Bibi. She hummed contently, resting her hands over her stomach, enjoying the feeling of the soft fabric of the blanket on her digits, how it reminded her of holding the girl's hands.
Janet closed her eyes, the bodies of her friends shifting besides her, Emz turning around and drapping her arm over her. She allowed herself to relax under the touch, slightly hugging her friend back and feeling the soft curls tickling her face. She decided she liked this, not wanting to feed her desires of rather hugging a certain someone else.
She liked sleepovers.