Flash Fiction Friday -- Shawna's Choice in Flash Friday

Prompt: She eats donuts with a fork

Barb and Shawna sat down at a small table near the window of the coffee shop. Barb brushed her dyed black bangs out of her eyes and reached across the table. Shawna took Barb’s hands and gave them a gentle squeeze.

“How are you?” Shawna asked. “I haven’t seen you in so long.”

“I’m good. The band’s doing good. Everything is good. But how are you?” Barb replied. “You sounded so upset on the phone.”

“Oh, it’s not as bad as I made it seem,” Shawna fiddled with the bracelet on her left wrist. “It’s just Artemis being Artemis. I really shouldn’t let her bother me when she gets into one of her moods.”

“No, don’t do that,” Barb insisted. “You always talk yourself out of being mad. It’s OK to get pissed off sometimes. Tell me what happened.”

“Well, OK. Phil was over. He was showing us some pictures he took at his exhibition,” Shawna said. “He was really proud of the show. Bragging about the turnout. And Artemis was, like, ‘Oh, really? People came out to see that? I guess Philadelphia is just full of heteronormative, bourgeois posers who would go for that kind of derivative crap.’ and on and on like that.”

“Why does she always have to be so stuck up?” Barb asked. “Does two years of photography at Parsons mean she’s an art critic now, too?”

“She had an opinion. I’m fine with that,” Shawna replied, “but it was embarrassing. I thought Phil was actually going to cry right there.”

“Oh, no. You don’t mean Phil with the little haircut, do you?” Barb whined. “I love him. I’m going to kick Artemis’s ass for him.”

“Yeah, Phil with the little haircut,” Shawna said. “I’m just so sick of Artemis belittling my friends, you know? I swear, Tina and Kyle don’t even take my calls anymore because of her. Everyone I like, Artemis has a problem with them.”

“Seriously, what is her problem?” Barb asked. “Why are you even with her? You are so cool and so funny and so smart. You are gorgeous woman. Artemis is such an angry little rat faced troll. She doesn’t deserve you.”

“Artemis is so passionate,” Shawna said. “I love that fire about her. She doesn’t just talk the talk. She really puts herself out there because she really cares about so many things. I care more about things because of Artemis.”

“I hate to say it, but yeah, I like Artemis’s politics and I like that she’s such an activist,” Barb conceded, “but she still treats you like shit. She always has. I hate the way she talks down to you. Whenever you express an opinion about anything, she cuts you off and makes fun of you.”

“It’s not like that,” Shawna protested. “I mean, she does kind of talk down to me sometimes, but you know, I’m not really smart about politics or culture. Sometimes I dumb down the discussion. If I took the time to read more...”

“Oh my god,” Barb interjected. “Do you even hear yourself? ‘If I took the time to read more’ what? Stupid underground magazines? I’m just going to say it, Shawna. You need to break up with her.”

“I’m not going to break up with her,” Shawna replied. “Artemis and I have history. She’s one of the best things that ever happened to me.”

“You haven’t even being going out for two years,” Barb pointed out. “And Artemis is not that great. I mean, I like her I guess, but you can do so much better. Artemis is a whiny loser propped up by her mommy’s money. All the stuff you actually like about her - the passion, and the activism and all of that? - she wouldn’t have the balls to do any of it if she didn’t have her mom to watch her back. Let a cop look at her the wrong way and mommy’s firm would be all over it. Must be nice to not have to be accountable for anything. And she’s such a special snowflake.”

“She is not a special snowflake,” Shawna countered.

“She eats donuts with a fork,” Barb offered. “Even other special snowflakes find that pretentious and annoying.”

“Look,” Barb continued, “I know it’s hard to break up with someone. And it’s even harder when you live with them, but you don’t need Artemis. She may be fun to hang with sometimes, but she sucks as a girlfriend. You can always stay at my place until you get settled with a new apartment. Even if this isn’t the time -- and it should be -- but even if it isn’t, that offer always stands.”

“I don’t know, Barb,” Shawna said. “Maybe it is getting to be time.”

Suggested prompts: rain, hole in the fence, paper towel