Page I
i accidentally destroyed a paparazzi's car while staying with the boys. i had left a carton of raspberry sorbet on a ledge to soften and it fell from our eleventh story window, hurtling toward the windshield below. having gathered speed it shattered the glass and set off the alarms. strangers circled it in the hotel parking lot but did nothing.
without its owner around the melted contents spread behind the cars hood, bleeding over the engine. it muddied the dashboard, stained the leather seats and congested the air vents. i hadn't only destroyed the car, but reportedly blown its brains out. "it's like you made it hemorrhage," jerry said, laughing. "bam! execution style."
what we didn't know was that this paparazzi had been stalking _______ ______, an actor who had been staying down the hallway from us. after hearing about my "stunt" he threw a party for me in room 1102 although i hardly knew anyone there. my friend gabe lit several sparklers and placed them in an empty coke bottle, handing me a flaming bouquet among the revelers.
"to our little sis!" he shouted, raising his beer high. "fuck the paparazzi!"
everyone cheered.
later on another partygoer congratulated me. "it was an accident!" i insisted. by then the party had advanced well into the night and i was fixated on the idea of sleeping under a table, dreaming of old films and yellow piano keys.
Page II
"it doesn't matter!" he yelled over the noise. an ashtray exploded near his head as it hit the wall. "it punished someone who deserves it! besides, you've made us happy."
i knew this kind of happiness was fleeting. my bouquet of sparks didn't last long either, ending in broken glass and ash. i fell asleep on the balcony. it slipped between the rails and towards its own fate in the dark, the second sweetest thing i had lost that week.
