Vision in Vermilion

I had my earbuds in, so I didn’t hear her come up behind so much as feel her breathing down the back of my neck. She swipes my earbuds out of my ears. I disentangle the cord from my hair. “God, Valeria, what?” 

Swinging herself down, she flops onto the couch. “Watching that trash vampire show again?” She props her chin in her hand, taps bright red nails against her cheek. “If you’re going to binge watch something you could at least watch something good.” 

I sigh and close my laptop. “Just because you’re a weirdo who doesn’t appreciate mindless binge watching doesn't mean I can’t.” 

“Hey I’m not judging. Just sayin there are better things you could be doing with your time.” 

“Sure.”

“Come on. I’m so bored. Let’s do something.” 

“Nah. I’m busy.” I open my laptop again. 

She sits back against the couch and drums her fingers against the leather. “Let’s go for a walk.” 

“No.” 

She exhales impatiently. “Talk to me. How’s living at home during college? God I can’t even imagine how boring that would be.” 

I don’t look up. “Well better in college than moving back home after when you can’t find a job.” 

“We’re in a freaking pandemic, how the hell am I supposed to find a job right now?” 

“I dunno.” Valeria  drove me crazy in high school, with how fast she moved, always restless. Being back home again with her, especially in quarantine is ridiculous. I was fulling planning on never having to live under the same roof again, but every time I sit down to work she seems to be there. I’m always slumping along behind her tall, ballerina figure. 

Her hand snakes over the top of my laptop and shuts it again. “Come on. We never do anything together anymore.” 

“What do you want to talk about?We’ve been sitting at home for the past month.” 

“I don’t know. Ughh.” She flopped back against the couch. 

I open my laptop again, and replace my earbuds. Beside me, her leg taps impatiently. On my screen, the shadowy figures of the Vampire Diaries unfreeze. I watch for about two second before she gets sick of examining her red-tipped fingernails.

She slides closer to me, peering over my shoulder. When I keep watching, she tugs an earbud out of my ear again. “Can I watch?” 

“Fine. As long as you don’t bother me.” 

“Geez, ok. But don’t you like to talk during a movie?” Her hand hovers next to her ear, strangling the cord of the earbud.

“Not really.”

She huffs. “Ok, then just tell me what’s going on.” 

“It’s vampire diaries.” 

“Well, I knew that.” 

“I don’t feel like explaining. You’ll figure it out.” Talking over the voices issuing out of my earbud in my right ear and trying to keep track of what’s going on is grating. 

She puts the earbud in, and then takes it out. “I’ll take Gran her groceries later if you do something with me now.” 

“Val, it’s your turn anyways.” 

“Aw crap. Why are we watching this? Let’s watch something better” 

She picks at her nail polish.  Visions in Vermilion, I think the color was called. I bought it for her last year. It drives her crazy that I always pick the colors for their names, not the shades. It’s kind of a nasty color, to be honest. “Go facetime Brent or something.” 

Pursing her lips, she tilts her head to the side. For a moment, she’s still. “I think I might break up with Brent.” 

The sounds of the show in my ear quickly snap into a drone of background noise. “What?” 

“Should I break up with Brent? God, weren’t you even listening?” She waves her hand in front of my face. “You get this weird glazed over look when you’re watching TV.” 

My heart thumps wildly for a second inside my chest. Brent got back from school about a month before Val came home did, and they were broken up at the time. We were still friends though, cutting through the alleyway between our houses to hang out in the evenings, like when we were kids. And it happened slowly, both of us, I guess, noticing, but saying nothing, when we started sitting closer, letting our hands brush as we walked, and that one breathless moment in the alley where on purpose or by accident we tried to walk through the gate at the same time and ended up inches from each others face. It was close enough to smell his woody scent, and we stood, breathing each other in until I reeled away. I knew Val was coming home  the next week, with her shimmering mane of hair and sashaying hips. As soon as she got bored of being home, she began walking by his house, smiling over her shoulder until he agreed to go out with her again. “Break up? Why?” 

“I don’t know. I’m bored.” 

A prickle of something crawls up my spine. “Hmm, yeah.” 

She curls her legs up on the couch. “He doesn’t seem that into me anymore.” 

I try not to sound as breathless as I am. “Really? Do you know why?” 

She scoffs. “You don’t have to sound so interested in my crappy love life.” 

“Sorry.” 

We watch my laptop, which is still playing Vampire Diaries. 

“Why do you even watch this stuff? It’s not even realistic.”

I glance at her. Her eyes are fixated on the screen. As I watch, her face sags for a second, as if all that energy inside her is just weighing her down. 

“I think you should break up with him. And, it’s a show, it doesn’t have to be realistic.” 

She snaps back, rolling her eyes across the ceiling. “You’re crap at giving advice.” 

“You asked, what do you want me to do?” 

“Just be supportive for once.” 

“I just gave you my opinion! Sorry if you don’t like it.” 

“God, ok, fine. I’m leaving.” She slinks off the couch.

“Break up with Brent.” I call after her. “He’s not right for you.” 

Pausing, she studies me. “Go outside more, you’re paler than that vampire on the show.” 

“If you want me to do things with you stop hating on my life.” I put my earbuds back in. 

She whirls away from me, tossing  her hair over her shoulder, and disappearing into her room, gives me the finger with one, scarlet tipped nail the color of blood.