(9) More Red

                                    

                                          
CHAPTER 9
                          
            When CM said that we’d paint the town red, I had no idea that he meant literally, with actual paint. We leave the bar and he drives us to the nearest Wal-Mart. His car had been sitting outside of the Walgreens where I’d first met him, so we had to walk back from the bar to get it. I ask him why we didn’t just drive to the bar in the first place.
                          
            “I figured you wouldn’t want to get in the car with a complete stranger, Blue Eyes.” He tells me in response. “And I wanted to take you to that bar.”
                          
            When he says this, my stomach sort of flips upside down. Why would he want to when we just met? Did he find me interesting? Or did he really just want to talk to me, the way I wanted to?
                          
             I smile at him. When we get to Wal-Mart, it’s nearly ten-thirty. This worries me. I’m aware that I snuck away from school, and then I snuck away from the bonfire, which means I’m now completely off campus. What if someone notices I’m missing? I have no idea if that bonfire is over or not, and maybe Libba and Libby realize that I’m gone and are worried? What if they go to Principal Sachler, or call the police and report me missing? What if—
                          
               Fingers snap in my face and I look up to see CM staring down at me expectantly.
                          
               My mouth is sort of hanging open, the way a fish’s would. I blink at him. “Huh?”
                          
               “You’re in the way.” He answers me. I move to the other side of the aisle. CM reaches over and grabs two buckets of red paint.
                          
                Frowning, “What is that?” I ask, furrowing my eyebrows.
                          
                He glances at me, then holds up the buckets. “It’s paint, Blue Eyes.”
                          
                Feeling a bit stupid, “I mean, what are we going to do with paint?”
                          
                CM licks his lips, which I’ve noticed is a habit of his, something he does quite often, and then he shakes some hair out of his face. “I told you we’d paint this town red, didn’t I?”
                          
                “Oh,” I say. He walks up the aisle and grabs two paint brushes, which I take from him, because he’s carrying enough. I should’ve gotten a cart when we were in the front. I don’t want to ask him more questions, because I’ve already asked a million, but I can’t help it. “Is two buckets of paint going to be enough to paint an entire town?”
                          
                At first, he just turns around to look at my face (which I’m guessing looks very serious) then, as if he can’t help it, he lets out a small laugh, and it actually reaches his eyes. “Yeah, Blue Eyes. I think it’ll be enough.”
                          
                At a cash register, he puts a Monster energy drink on the counter with the paint. I make a face. It’s hard not to tell him that I read somewhere that those energy drinks are bad for you, but I manage it. He’s in control of his life, I remember him telling me this.
                          
                At the last possible second, I grab a mini cup of Oreos. “Could you get these? I don’t have any money…” I trail off, scratching the back of my neck sheepishly. I feel bad, spending up all of his money, but I always have a sweet tooth after hours. This is why I should be asleep in bed. He already paid for my dinner at the bar, and now this. Next time, I’ll definitely bring my wallet…
                          
                But he doesn’t seem to mind, he just hands over the cash to the woman behind the register, and we leave the store. “It’s a good thing Wal-Mart is open twenty four seven.” I comment, mostly to myself, and he smiles at me.