Outside the Box

by H. M. Montes

  “Are you okay Lexi, you don’t look like your feeling too good.”

  “I might have drank a little too much wine last night after work.” I told him as I dug through my bag for the phone. There was a new message from Jasper;

  J: Ignoring me isn’t going to fix anything. It’ll just piss me off more.

  “Ugg!” I said and threw the phone back in my purse.

  “You okay back there?” Joe asked.

  “I’m fine, I’m so ready for next week. I need a break!”

  Joe smiled but didn’t say anything.

  The first part of the day dragged on, mostly because I was still fighting a headache and my stomach was empty since I didn’t think I could actually hold any food down. By the time lunch time came around I was starving so I called Joe to bring me a sandwich from the deli.

  I jumped up from the steps that I was sitting on when I seen him pull into the parking lot. “Thank you SO much, I’m starving.” I said and leaned against the car while I unwrapped the sandwich.

  “Let’s go over to the picnic table, I’ll eat with you.”

  I smiled as he walked beside me to the table.

  “Tell me what brought on the drinking binge last night kiddo.”

  “What’s the different between love and lust?” I asked then took a bite of my food and waited for him to answer.

  “Well…this is just my opinion, I think lust is you like the idea of the person for the time being. You like the now of it all, when you try to picture a future with them (he shrugged a shoulder) you just can’t form the picture. If you love somebody, you can’t wait to talk to them, tell them about your day, you can be just you in front of them. Even when you think that you look your worst you’re still comfortable being around them because they make you feel special and beautiful no matter what.”

  I raised my eyebrows, “Wow, that was pretty deep.”

  He laughed and shrugged his shoulders, “That’s just my opinion, it may not be right, it may not be what the next person thinks, but you asked me. Why do you ask?”

  “What if a relationship is only about the sex?”

  “Ah, is this about your time inside the Box?”

  I bit my bottom lip and lightly nodded my head ‘yes’.

  “I’m not going to ask with whom you’re questioning but I will ask you this. If you take away the sex…if you can only talk do you still feel the chemistry?”

  “There’s not a whole lot of talking that goes on in the Box Joe.” I said with a small laugh.

  “Does the guy know how you feel?”

  I nodded my head, “He feels the same way.”

  “Well about the only thing you can do is, you both quit and try to have a relationship, if that’s not what you want then you’re just going to have to enjoy your time together in the box until you both move on. It really does complicate things when you are limited with what you can know about your partner in there.”

  “I know.” I put my face in my hands. “Maybe over my vacation things will sort themselves out.” I looked at the clock on my cell phone, “Crap I have to get back in there! Thank you for the talk Joe…please don’t tell anybody about it?”

  He stood up and took my trash, “I won’t, anytime you need to talk you just start talking and I listen.” He hugged me with one arm and smiled.

  I smiled, “Thanks.”

  I turned and ran to the building so I wouldn’t be late. The rest of the day went fast, luckily the teachers postponed the tests for the following week since so many of the students were absent.

  After class was out for the day I called the tattoo parlor about the tattoos that I had in mind to get. The artist had a cancellation and told me that if I wanted to get started I could come down. Joe gave me a questioning look when I told him where I wanted to go. I showed him the ideas that I had, “Oh ok, I was trying to picture you with some kind of skull and crossbones on your neck.”

  I laughed, “No, I’m having man trouble not a life crisis.”

  He pulled into a parking stall, “Would you like me to stay?”

  “You don’t have to, I’m going to call Destiney and let her know I’m here.” I told him.

  I called her but she wasn’t able to come sit with me but insisted I send her pictures.

  “I’ll stay, my wife is working the night shift. I don’t have anything better to do.” Joe said.

  We walked in to the tattoo parlor, “Welcome to Inkling can I help you?” a lady with short black hair asked.

  “I’m here to see Falcon, I called earlier.”

  “Cool, follow me.” She led us over to a leather dental chair. “He’s in his office I’ll go get him.”

  A few minutes later a tall guy with tattoos covering his arms, part of his neck, and his legs walked up to me. His eyes were a deep shade of blue and his voice was so deep I could barely hear him. “I’m Falcon.”

  “I’m Lexi.” We shook hands and smiled.

  “So, do you have a picture of what you have in mind?”

  I pulled my cell phone out and showed him the pictures, “Right on, let me get the two smaller ones drawn up. Sit tight.”

  Not even ten minutes later he came back to where I was sitting talking to Joe, “Okay, here they are.” He smiled and handed me the papers, the drawing was exactly like the picture.

  “Perfect!”

  He applied the stencil to my left wrist first and asked me if the placement was where I wanted it. I nodded my head, the very second I heard the tattoo machine kick on I tensed. “JEN!” he yelled. The lady that was working the front desk came walking back, “Go grab my ear buds out of my desk please.”

  She returned a couple of minutes later, “Put these in and relax, it’s not as bad as what you’re thinking.” She told me, patted my shoulder and smiled before walking away.

  Joe handed me my phone, I turned Pandora on and listened to music while he did the tattoos, I was expecting it to be pretty painful but it stung a little bit and that was it. My eyes drifted shut as Paramore sang ‘The Only Exception’.

  “Lexi…you’re done.” Flacon had taken the ear buds out of my ears.

  “Oh my god, did I really fall asleep?” I asked completely embarrassed.

  “Hey, I’d rather have you fall asleep and drool on yourself instead of squirming all over the place and crying.” He rubbed some ointment on them then wrapped them. “Since you’re in hair school, try to keep them wrapped so you don’t get any slivers of hair in them or hair dye in them.” I followed him to the front so I could pay him. “I’ll get the other one drawn up a few different ways, I have another opening next Tuesday same time as today if that works for you?”

  “Sounds great! Thank you so much, you do excellent work. I’ll see you next week.” I paid him and gave a small wave before Joe and I walked out. We went straight to the warehouse, Joe waved when I walked to the door. I took a deep breath and walked in, got my time card and blindfold then entered the main building.

  Once I was in my room I pulled my closet doors open to find something to wear, there was a knock on my door. I put my blindfold back on and answered the door, Peaches smiled big at me. “How are you this evening?”

  “Good, how are you?”

  “Well, I need to talk to you, the other night I shouldn’t have been able to just walk in your room. You need to be sure you lock the door at all times, if we need in here we can use the key card. I would feel horrible if somebody got past the security and harmed you.”

  “Oh, ok…I’ll be sure to lock up.”

  She nodded her head and turned to walk out of the room, “I hope things go better for you in the Box tonight. I know the chemistry isn’t there with Sky like it is with Jasper, when you come back from vacation we are going to try you and Vinny together.”

  “Okay…I like Sky, he just…we don’t seem to click. I’m excited to meet Vinny.” I smiled at her.

  She smiled then turned and walked out of the room.

  Needless to say the night was pretty boring, I
tried really hard not fake having interest in Sky, he didn’t seem to notice. If he did he didn’t say anything. I was walking out of my room after the second session when Peaches caught up with me.

  “Ember, I’m so sorry that it’s not going good in there. I feel horrible for you.”

  I shook my head, “I’m trying I promise. He hits the spot for a few seconds then gets completely off and I get frustrated. I need to circle it I think.”

  We both laughed, “Do you want me to see if I can get Jasper to come in and finish the week with you?”

  “No…I mean it’s okay, I think I’m just getting wore out and with my period starting next week. I’m just tired.” I told her.

  “Okay, try to get some rest, if you want I can see about getting you a bullet or a vibrator for Sky to use on you as well?”

  “Bullet?” I asked.

  “It’s about this long, (she held her index finger and thumb apart a couple of inches), it can either be used with a cock ring or one of you can hold it against your clit. There’s no avoiding an orgasm with that little thing.”

  “I’ll try that, but PLEASE don’t tell him the reason why.”

  She laughed, “I won’t, I promise!”

  I left before she did, went back to the apartment and fell asleep the very second I laid my head on my pillow.

  I woke up rejuvenated and ready for another day at school. While in the shower I decided I was going to see if I could get one of the other students to add some copper highlights and a copper under color to my bottom layer of hair.

  I applied more crème to my tattoos and wrapped them again, as I was walking out of the elevator my phone rang.

  “Hello?”

  “Is this Alexia Davenport?” a lady asked.

  “It is…”

  “Oh good, this is Shelley from the college, we have an opening that you can have in two weeks if you’d like it?”

  “Absolutely! Thank you!” FINALLY, I thought to myself, it seemed like I had been waiting forever.

  “Great, you’re very welcome dear. See you then!”

  Shawn was waiting for me, “Well you look overly happy today?” He said with a big smile as he opened the back door of the car.

  “I just got the phone call that I get to start college in two weeks for the accounting program!” I said with excitement.

  He wrinkled up his nose, “I hate math, but I’m excited for you!”

  I text Destiney to let her know, she had been spending more time at Williams place since it was closer to her dads law firm.

  She called, “That’s great, I’ll actually get to see you more during the day now! We can have lunch together and you can keep me updated on everything in life. I feel like a shitty friend for not being home much lately.”

  “It’s fine, I totally understand. Anyways, I’m going to go get me and Shawn a coffee, I’ll text you a cool picture later.”

  “Huh?” she asked confused.

  “I’m doing something to my hair.”

  “Don’t you dare chop your beautiful hair off woman!”

  I laughed, “I’m not going too, gotta go, I’ll talk to you later. Love you.”

  “Love you, have a good day.”

  Julie was more than excited to do what I had asked her to do to my hair, “You’re going to be irresistible to any man.” She said as she started on my hair. “You can’t see until I’m all finished though, that’s including makeup.”

  Two hours later she spun me around to face the mirror after Marshall had applied my makeup, “Open your eyes.” Julie said.

  “Holy SHIT!” I quickly covered my mouth then apologized. I stood from the chair and walked closer to the mirror. “My eyes…whoa!” I turned and gave Julie and Marshall each a big hug and thanked them repeatedly.

  “Girl, you were smokin’ hot before now…(Marshall clicked his tongue then whistled) HOTT with two t’s hot.”

  “Before I forget, I start college in two weeks. So I’ll have to come to class after school and on the weekends. I hope that’s okay?”

  “Nope, it’s not.” Julie said then stuck her bottom lip out.

  “Really?” I asked, I was worried it wasn’t allowed.

  “We’ll hardly get to see you! You better finish this course I have a spot saved for you at the shop!”

  “REALLY?” I asked again.

  She nodded her head and laughed when I hugged her and jumped up and down.

  For the rest of the day I couldn’t do anything besides smile, everything in life was going to finally be going like I had wanted it to.

  As soon as class was over I bounded down the steps from the building to the waiting car.

  “Good day?” Shawn asked.

  “You have no idea!” I beamed with a big smile.

  “You changed your hair, I like it!” He said.

  “Thank you! Guess what else.” I bounced in the back seat as he pulled onto the busy road.

  “Uhmmm…Let’s see, you’ve gotten two new tattoos, your hair looks great, and you start accounting school in two weeks. I’m not sure what else.”

  “Julie has a spot reserved for me in her salon!” I stomped my feet and squealed inside the car.

  “That’s great! Are you going to have to quit this job? I think I’ll actually miss you.” He said.

  “Yeah, it was only temporary. I’m going to call Peaches right now and tell her. I sure hope she’s not mad.”

  Shawn didn’t say anything else as he drove me to the apartment building. I pulled my work phone out, I remembered the text from Jasper. I never replied to it, if he was going to be mad that was fine. I had decided that what we had between each other was lust not love. I scrolled to Peaches name she answered on the second ring;

  “Yes my beautiful Ember?”

  “Hi Peaches, I have some news!”

  “Ohhkay? Hit me.”

  “I start college in two weeks!”

  There was a silence, “Wait, so you won’t be able to return after your vacation?”

  “No, I’m sorry.”

  Another silence, “Okay, well…This sucks, I really like you, the clients even comment on how your personality shows in the sessions. Are you sure there’s nothing we can do to persuade you?”

  “No, this is why I moved here, I’m so sorry.” I told her.

  “I understand, but you’re still going to finish your last three nights this week right?”

  “Absolutely. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

  “Okay, thank you for letting me know so soon. I’ll start looking for a replacement.”

  “K…I’ll talk to you tomorrow night.”

  We hung up, I pulled the message up from Jasper and sent him a text;

  E: It’s okay 

  Everything would be okay now that life was going to be more normal. I thought to myself and smiled as Shawn drove back to the apartment.

  Spencer

  ****

  “Are you expecting a phone call, is that why you keep checking your phone?” My mom asked from across the table.

  After I had arrived in L.A. and got everything at the beach house situated I called her to set up a visitation time that worked for her.

  “Kind of…So tell me how are things are going for you?”

  She smiled big and started telling me how much better she was feeling since she had finished detox. I could tell that she was honestly trying to quit the drugs that she had been addicted to, mainly meth and the occasional pain pill. I zoned out while she was talking to me, I hadn’t heard back from Ember after I sent her another text and I hadn’t been able to call Peaches to talk to her. I knew she would call if there was a problem, no news was good news is what I kept telling myself.

  “What do you think I should do?”

  Moms question brought me out of my thoughts, “Huh, sorry I just remembered that I didn’t give my assistant the hotel name.”

  “I asked what I should do, should I stay here and mentor at the facility or expand my horizon and move to another sta
te?”

  “That’s totally up to you, just take it one day at a time, don’t get ahead of yourself. You’ve relapsed too many times…”

  “Please don’t keep reminding me of my failures.” She said in a whisper and looked down at her plate.

  “I’m sorry.” I told her.

  She nodded her head, “It’s okay, you have every right to throw things in my face. I just want you to know that I’m going to be a better person when I’m done. I can’t make things up to you and Derrick…” my personal cell phone rang as she was talking.

  “Hello?”

  “Spencer Scott?”

  “Yes?”

  “This is Shelley from Columbia, we have called every single substitute and nobody is available. We are needing you in two weeks, for just a week. The other professor has to go have a medical procedure done, he’ll return the following week.”

  “Okay, I won’t be able to do it though if his leave extends to the following week, my schedule is packed the way it is.”

  “Great, Thank You so much!”

  “Not a problem, email me the schedule.”

  “Will do.”

  I hung up and put my phone back in the pocket of my cargo shorts. Mom and I finished our lunch, she said she had to get back to the facility for her therapy session.

  When the driver pulled up, I got out of the car and held out my hand to mom to help her, “Mom, I’m really proud of you. I think you’re actually going to beat it this time.”

  Her eyes filled with tears and she smiled, “You have no idea how much that means to me.” She hugged me tight then walked into the building.

  I spent the rest of the day lounging around the beach house, checking my phone non-stop. Finally I called Peaches;