Pink Bubble Gum

Pink Bubble Gum

Lacey chewed pink bubble gum as she changed into pink sweatpants, her pink lips twitching as her jaws worked the pink gum. She spoke towards the pink iPhone on her desk, which was located in her pink room.

“Mack is, like, suicidal or something again. This time it’s something about the internet and no human contact or something, I don’t know. I never know what he’s talking about. He thinks he’s so much smarter than me and Ma, but he isn’t really. He’s just an old grouchy pants.”

“He’s your brother, Lace…maybe you should drive down and visit him?” a static voice from the phone said. Lacey rolled her eyes.

“He does this like every week. Every time it’s, like, the same shit. He just cries for five minutes and tells me about how he wants to die or whatever and it’s just like—ugh!” Lacey gave an exasperated sigh, “I just, like, don’t know why he can’t be happy with what he’s got, you know? I am…”

“Is he seeing someone?”

“Like a girlfriend? Yeah, but he says he’s way smarter than her and he hates her and he just doesn’t know how to break up with her or something."

“No, I mean, like, a therapist. Is he seeing a shrink?”

“Oh.” Lacey paused for a moment, thinking. “No I don’t think so. I mean he’s never said. I don’t think so though.”

Lacey plopped into her computer chair, picking up her phone while at the same time taking it off speakerphone and moving it towards her ear. She put her socked feet up on her pink bedspread, the pink socks covering her little pink toes with each toenail painted a different shade of pink.

“But anyway yeah” she said, changing the subject, “did you hear about what some rando dude said to Tori at her New Year’s party las—oh hold on, someone’s on the other line. One sec, don’t hang up.”

She moved the phone away from her head to look—Mack was calling. She swiped left to reject.

“Hey you still there?” she spoke again into the receiver. “Yeah so anyway like I was saying, this guy comes up to Tori and starts, like—ugh! Hold on again, another call.”

Mack again. This time she answered.

“Hey Mack, now’s not really the best—”

“Lace, this’ll only take a second. Promise.”

“Okay sure, just a second though.”

“Promise. I just wanted to tell you how proud of you I am. Watching my little sis grow up has been amazing. And I wanted to say I’m sorry for always calling and complaining. I shouldn’t have put all that baggage on you—that was wrong. Even earlier today, I’m sorry. I just want to tell you that I feel happy all of the sudden. I feel okay. Normal, you know? I mean of course you know. But you know what I mean—normal for me. I feel pretty happy today. And uh, yeah. I just wanted to tell you that I’m proud and that’s all.”

“Mack!” Lacey exclaimed, “That’s so sweet of you…thank you! I have a friend on the other line so I have to go but like, hey, we should get lunch sometime soon or whatever. Let me call you back tonight and we can make plans.”

“Okay Lace” Mack agreed “Call me back tonight and we can make plans”.

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Sante Fe Police Department

Incident Number: 12894-43

Public Report:

On 1/2/14 at about 0840 hours Mr. [name withheld] came to the victim’s address to perform electrical work. Walking along the west wall of the house, he looked in the ground-floor window to see the body of the victim hanging by noose from the ceiling fan. Mr. [name withheld] called 911 immediately and a dual response of SFFD and SFPD was dispatched.

 No life saving measures were attempted by the SFPD. Scene was secured by SFPD. On arrival Officer [name withheld] untied the victim’s body from rope and laid him on the ground. The victim had left a note on the floor beneath the fan (reproduced below). Following a routine inspection, Officer [name withheld] found a second note in the victim’s mouth, suspected to be addressed to the victim’s sister. Officer [name withheld] reports that the note became nearly illegible after the victim’s saliva had blotted the ink.

Officer [name withheld] observed that the French doors at the opposite end of the room were blocked by a stool to prevent entry.

End Report