The Hills

"Uh oh we got some stripers over here." They all looked in the direction Keo was staring and located the stripers. Their hair was spiked high, gucci sunglasses and the striped shirts made famous by Jay-z and Kanye. Technicolored cloaks of conformity, the colors differing from person to person but the overall look was spot on. They had expensive designer jeans and the guys thought they could smell the strong cologne from across the room.

"Why are they wearing sunglasses inside?" Grant asked already knowing the answer. "Because they are fucking rockstars man, look at those jeans, that hair, that waxy spikeyness, it just screams I am a rockstar." They all chuckled at Red's joke before scanning the rest of the room they had just jumbled into.

"Dude check this bitch out." Both the other guys looked thinking Keo saw something good but they were immediatley dissapointed when they located who he was talking about.

"She has those fucking windowpane glasses, that shit big enough?, those things could protect you from a nuclear explosion. Who decided it was cool to take an entire window and use it to shade the sun from one eye." They all despised the sungalsses and the people that they protected from uv rays.

"She probably got them out of her Laguna Beach survival kit, perfect for those days when you don't do shit and just sit around in daddy's jacuzzi," Red said truly disgusted. "I am surprised she doesn't have a fucking von dutch hat, or are they over that by now, fucking trucker hats." They picked the party apart, everybody's stabs at fashion relevance were dissected by the three unfashionable guys in the corner. "Have they stopped doing that skirt thing with the snow boots yet?" Grant immediatley laughed as he nudged Keo on the arm, and there she was miss snow boots and a skirt, right on cue.

"Fucking beautiful," Red could barely contain his smile. If she saw him she would think he was smitten but she would be wrong.
"Fake plastic people, manufactured fashion mannequins, our generation." Keo bowed after he recited his stanza and the others just stared at him.

"What the fuck was that man?" Red still stared at him. "Just a little improv, i was inspired by this room full of clones."

"Yeah well save that shit for the cafe and your hippy friends." Red and Grant laughed while Keo left to get another drink

The house was huge. It rested atop the hills. The windy roads passing the mansions, the stars, and the lights of the city. They arrived in a car train that climbed towards the sky, the steep incline of wealth. The poor huddled below in the valleys, the rich always seemed to occupy the hills, away from the hustle and bustle, protected in their tree forts of superiority. The hollywood hills, the berkely hills, every place had it's own version of the hills. Keo looked out at the city below, the lights small blips of relevance. he breathed in the air of the rich, it seemed cleaner up here, the smog settling low, the pure air reserved for the hill dwellers. The same people who created the smog in their suv's and expensive muscle cars. Air polluting, gas guzzling, trophies of status. Keo didn't know if he wanted to be a part of this. He stood away from the crowd that overflowed out of the house and onto the patio. Looking into the sky and watching the stars as they winked at him. He took another sip from his drink and looked into the crowd. He tried to figure out what look they were going for. There was the obvious ones, the overly tan girl in the black cocktail dress, she said I am an out of work actress, but I can act like i have a stylist like a real actress. There were the stripers, ex-frat boys and young business men, their eyebrows too sculpted, their shirts too unbuttoned. The artistic types, which meant former high school nerds, black jeans with some sort of button up shirt tucked in. You are all walking costumes Keo thought, we should all be naked, he changed his mind when he spotted the overweight girl who made up for her weight by turning her personality up ten decibels. She was the life of the party, begging this cruel social order to look past her physical and see the humor and likeability she forced out of her pores with so much effort she was perspiring. he felt bad for her, swimming with the sharks and trying to sing and dance them until they forgot they were hungry.

"Hey what the fuck are you doing out here? You just up and vanished like a fart in the wind." Red said as he popped up behind him and cheersed his drink. The glasses clanked and Keo had to pull himself back into his body.

"Oh I just needed some air, too much expensive cologne in there, it smells like the fragrance section at macy's."

Grant straggled up drinks in both hand, "wuddup, how's the scene out here?"

"Fat chicks always have good personalities," Keo said in between the guy's conversation and somewhere else.

"Did you just say you love fat chicks?" The other guys chuckled as they waited for his response.

"What? oh nah I was just saying, fat chicks have the best personalities."

"Annnnd why are you saying this?" Red made it seem like Keo was speaking blasphemy.

"Fat chicks know what it's like to suffer," Keo said knowing this wasn't what he meant.

"Doesn't look like they suffer in the hunger department," Grant chided him.

"Nah that's not what i meant, I just meant, well look around this place. These people have never had to work for anything, they are born rich, they are insulated up in these hills, everything is easy for them."

"what the fuck are you talking about," Red mumbled as he stared into the social orgy.

"I mean I think that going through shit like being, poor, fat, ugly, you know non status quo, shit like that, it helps you form a complete personality."

"Uhhh who the fuck cares about a personality, if you are looking for a personality this is not the place," Grant and Red looked at each other confused.

"See that's just it, these people they have never had any reason to form a personality, they are given a pass, because they are hot, or they are rich. Fat people have to be funny as a defense against discrimination. They are forced to not rely on looks, they have more layers because they have experienced things these people will never know."

"Who the fuck are you man, hey buddha tell Keo we are looking for him," Grant said to Red as they both started to chuckle.

"You guys know I am right, just think about Leela."

"Leela isn't fat dude," Grant shot back.

"No but she is dumb and annoying," Keo said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah but she is fucking hot," Red almost yelled as he leaned too closley to Keo. "That's exactly my point man, would you tolerate her annoyingness or her stupidity if she wasn't hot?"

"Why would I hang out with a chick that wasn't hot?" Red asked

"Yeah what would be the point of that, you gonna share recipies? fucking decorate together?" Both the guys did very good impersonations of sexist masochanists.

"See so for an unattractive person to be your friend they would have to have a better than average personality."

"They better be good at something, if I can't just stare at them then they better cook, or be able to do shadow puppets or something."

"Haha shadow puppets huh? is that all it takes to win you over Red?"

"Well it is definitley up there, shiit we have to be able to do something after our luuuv sessions," Red smiled the smile of a mischevious child.

"Ok that's enough i just pictured you in bed laying with some chick and watching her make shadow puppets on the ceiling," Grant looked disgusted.

"Was my chest glistening? How was my hair huh huh? was the chick hot huh?" Red bombarded Grant with questions moving closer and closer with each one. "Did you like what you saw big boy, you wanna make some shadow puppets tonight?" Red was laughing heartily now and the others joined him.

"I think we are cool on the puppets man save it for your fat chicks."

The guys all turned their attention back to the party.

"So is their anyone do-able out here?" Red seemed to ask this question in any location he happened to be in, he asked at gas stations, libraries, even at the place he got his oil changed.

"I dunno man what about this one right huur." They all looked at the girl in question. She had a Aesop rock shirt on and a kangol like hat tilted sideways so it covered part of one of her eyes.

"Underground, me likey." Keo nodded in agreement as Red stared at her from across the patio.

"So what is your assesment of her Buddah?" Grant asked.

"Poetry chick, political, battling for the impovershied, sick of the commerciality of modern society." Keo rattled off as he too was drawn into her presence. She talked freely with two stripers, one of them had his collar popped up, Keo wanted to go put it down for him.

"So this one is hot with a good personality?" Grant was still not sure what Keo had meant earlier.

"Yeah she has a chance, shit if she can listen to Aesop, she either has some intelligence or she likes to pretend she does."

"What do you mean?" Red chimed in.

"You know those people who you ask them who their favorite author is and the say hemmingway?"

"Yeah so what if it they like Hemmingway."

"Well I just wonder how many people really like Hemmingway for his craft and the stuff you should like him for and how many just say Hemmingway because if you are intelligent you are supposed to like Hemmingway."

"So who should they like?"

"Well see that's the other thing either people pick the safe ones or they pick the obscure ones to flaunt their intelligence even more." Keo leaned back and finished the rest of his drink.

"So there is no winning with you," Red said looking back at the underground girl.

"No I mean just don't act like you like stuff because you are supposed to, or to be obscure, you know those indie rock people who just list off groups like milking lizards and bepto-abysmal and just leave you standing there confused while they piss on your head from their pedestal of weird band knowledge."

"Uhhh you do the same shit with underground groups dude."

"Yeah he is right you do." Grant and Red stood together solid in their agreement.

"Yeah but I actually like those groups i just don't list shit that i don't really like just to seem underground or independant."

"Yeah well maybe mister indide rock really likes flapping hemroids or the piston monkies you don't know man."

"Yeah you don't know man." Keo faced the duo happy to be having an intelligent discourse amongst the clones and bronze goddesses of the hills.

"Alright I am pre-judging but for real there are people that just say shit because they think they should or they want to appease or be accepted. Alright if anybody says they like Jane Austin they are lying"

"What are you talking about dude I fuuucking loooove Jane Austin."

"Yeah she is fucking hot."

The guys laughed their laughter floating above the rest of the party noise, drifting up towards the skies.

"So maybe you should go ask that chick who her favorite author is, if she says Austin or Hemmingway fucking hit her," Red said.

"Nah fucking head butt her and then sweep her legs out, ninja style."

"That would be real romantic guys, nah I don't know she is surrounded." Keo rested against the edge of the patio facing the hills. "That's another problem with these parties, it's so segregated."

"I see black people with white people look right there." Grant pointed with an upward nod of his head in the direction of a black guy and white guy chatting up Miss Snowboots with a skirt and another girl.

"That's not what i meant, i meant socially, it's like everyone rolls up in a bubble and the only people you talk to are the other people in the bubble you came with, you know what I'm sayin?"

"Yeah I can see that but you gotta just walk up to that other bubble and jump in."

"Let's see you do it Red, cmon man you have a sure fire in, just ask her if she went to that Aesop show."

"There was an Aesop show?"

"Hahaha I don't know but she would," Keo beamed as he nudged red forward.

"Yeah just start pissing on her head from your underground pedestal, see if she deserves to wear that shirt," Grant said playing cheerleader number two with Keo.

"Yeah and if she doesn't deserve that shirt tell her she must immediatley take it off because she is not worthy."

"Yeah I think she should lose the shirt either way, she has a nice rack from here." Keo looked away thiniking two sets of eyes on her rack were enough for her to feel, three would definetley get them caught.

"Yeah but how am i supposed to get in between the stripers and the eyebrow sculpted collar popping mannequins?"

"Just squeeze between those designer jeans and then throw a bottle of facial moisturizer over your shoulder they'll take off like racedogs after that hare."

"Or you maybe you could tell them there is a friends and family discount at Aveda."

"Ahhhh very clever fuckers," Red still just stared in her direction through the bubbles he wished he could pop.

"Just tell them their eyebrows need more mousse."

"Alright enough brilliant ideas, are there any real ones?"

"Yeah I think I might have an idea...go talk to her."

"You know I never thought about that, I think Keo's got it, just go talk to her Red." "Wait the stripers are leaving NOW IS THE TIME!!"

"Nah man I'm not really feeling very chatty right now, you know I don't want to have to put my game face on and be all witty and shit, one of you guys can go for it."

"Is Red scared of a little girl?" "Fuck you I guys I just don't want to get stuck in a conversation that starts to flatline, I would rather just chill and get drunk."

"You know for such a prolific player as you claim to be you seem to be kind of scared right now." Grant said teasing Red. "You acting real bitch right now, they just shot your cousin!!" Grant offered channeling the spirit of O-dog.

"Haha just hurry up and buy, nah man you know, some nights you just don't want to hassle with meeting new people that's all."

"Ahhh back to the bubble," Keo said smiling and knowing exactly how Red was feeling. Sometimes the hurdles of social interaction were too much of a burden. He figured that was why people huddled in their own seperate bubbles, the effort of reaching outside of that bubble too much. The path to new territories too dark to traverse causing them to shrink back and hide in the light of their well worn comfortable world.

"I think Keo should go talk to her, challenge her on her hip hop knowledge." Red said passing the buck.

"Yeah just go up and start quizing her, what was Aesop's first album, who are all of the members of the Orphanage, where is Aesop from?" Grant said pointing his finger and taking on the guise of interragator.

"You know to tell you the truth I actually have no idea what Aesop is talking about in most of his songs," Keo remarked.

"Whaaa...the scholar admits to this?" Red said his face a look of mock confusion.

"Yeah I mean he is a tight mc and I know he is saying some deep shit but god damn some of that shit is just an indecipherable reading of a thesaurus." Keo said admitting his defeat.

"Yeah for real, dayligt is the shit, but what the fuck is he talking about?" Grant asked.

"I know huh, what if he just put out a song that made no sense to him and people just loved it, you think that he even knows what he is talking about?"

"Well having only listened to him and never having actually read his lyrics we can't really say, I'm sure if we dissected his shit like and essay we could tell what he was talking about." Keo started thinking of indecipherable lyrics that he could make into a record. Skinning sleep walking sheep, inconstruiable with the beat, pummous gas clouds, cloud the chanting in the street, innocuous flow, causing my perpetual glow, shouting shiver me timbers, while sifting through the embers, waddling cro-magnons, wearing masks of the minions, slicing through the bunion of a rum speckled onion. He smiled to himself and wondered if it would sell. Maybe he should go recite it to the Aesop fan, she might think he was deep.

"Alright giddy up Keo the door is closing who knows when Abercrombie will swoop her up into his chiseled arms, you better make your move." Grant said interrupting Keo's recording session.

"Yeah you know what I think I will go talk to her." He said smiling and turning away from the other guys.

"Wow I didn't actually think that he would go, Keo is usually the timid one, when did he grow a pair?" Red asked looking at Grant.

"Maybe he stole yours when you weren't looking," Grant said laughing as he moved out of the way of a playful push from Red.

Keo made his way towards her squeezing in between a girl with her jeans tucked into her cowboy boots and past a girl with a gigantic belt. "Hey you like Aesop?" Keo was a little jittery the words seemed forced like he blurted them out, the wrong volume and the wrong emphasis on the wrong words. She looked him over before responding, his body felt tense as her eyes scanned him like a terminator, green grid vision, the reading- life form hospitable. "Yeah I just saw him in Pasadena it was a tight show, did u go?" So she actually knew who he was, Keo was glad for that, she wasn't a poser but he hadn't gotten to her favorite author yet. "You know, I didn't even know he was having a show, did he do daylight and nightlight?" Keo felt like a schmoozer, dropping names reaching out for her accpetance. Sprinkle hints of his knowledge, outline himself in a flattering portrait. "No he didn't he just did daylight." She smiled and Keo's heart palpitated, she was an oasis in a sea of facades and paintings of paintings. "It's probably better that way, daylight is a classic." "Yeah it's one of my favorites..."

"Aren't we supposed to be over there being wingmen or something?" Grant asked looking at Keo and "Aesop."

"Nah man he's cool, why you want to go hold his hand and guide him through it?"

"Fuck you, I'm just saying usually you roll up with a support network someone to stoke the conversation fire it if it starts to go out."

"I dunno I think you only need support if she has support, if she was with other girls then we would have to go and run interferrance but since she is solo, it would be weird if we all just surrounded her, right?" Red took another sip as Grant began to answer.

"I guess so but that's a lot of pressure on Keo to keep a conversation afloat all by his lonesome, I would say you are the conversationalist, and Keo is more like the....I dunno what Keo is, what do you think he's saying right now?"

"No Keo is the conversationalist, he might be too much of a conversationalist. Probably somethig like in the ancient Karmic teachings it is stated that music is the path to nirvana, did you know that Aesop used a total of three different drums for Float, one made of pure mahoganey so that the acoustics were more realistic like the ancient war drums of Athens?

"Haha yeah you're right that fucker does get deep sometimes, but I know what you're conversation would be, something like this, oh I love Aesop tugboat complex is the shit, oh my god I love that song too its so meaningful, oh yeah I think so too, let's fuck."

"Yeah thats more like it, get right to the point." They both nodded in agreement still looking over at their friend and wishing him luck. "You know the other thing is if we had all rolled up it would detract from Keo, because she might fall in love with one of us and then Keo would have no one to do shadow puppets with."

"True."

"Too bad he swooped on the only acceptable choice out here." The guys both turned to scan the crowd again the clones all meshed together some swayed to music and outbursts of giggles and screams littered the sonic landscape.

Keo and "Aesop" who's real name turned out to be Jessica were still going strong in their conversation, running the obstacle course of getting to know you. "Ok I am going to be completley honest with you, most of the time I have no idea what Aesop is talking about." Keo said, wondering if she would be able to explain his cryptic lyrics or look down at him for not being able to. "I mean his delivery is so tight and I know what some songs are about, but a lot of it I am just like damn."

"You know what? I am right there with you, Aes is deep deep deep, either that or he just fools us all into believeing he is talking about something deep, when it is just a bunch of long words spit real fast." They both laughed and Keo relaxed knowing that they were on the same level.

"Yeah I mean a lot of the stuff is really inaccessible, like the beats are so abstract and it's hard to just nod your head and get into it, I feel like I should listen with a dictionary open and be taking notes or something."

"I feel the same way, at least with the studio stuff but at that show in Pasadena he was surprisingly engaging and his delivery was perfect, it was a really good show, you should see him live."

"Yeah I think I just might have to, he is still on the list of haven't seens." Keo tilted his glass back, the ice sliding up to meet his lips and clinking back down with his arm. "So what other groups are you into." Keo asked waiting to see the depth of her underground knowledge, hoping there was some depth.

"Oh so many groups, Atmosphere, Quannum, Zion-I, Hiero, you know underground stuff." Keo was exploding inside he was impressed by her list and she even shortened names showing a sense of familiarity. She said Quannum instead of saying Lyrics Born, Lateef, Latyrx, Dj Shadow, and Blackalicious, Hieroglyphics became Hiero, and Keo's mouth became a large smile. He looked her over taking her all in. He had ranked her before he approached her and had notched her at an 8-8.5 but the more that he talked to her the more her ranking climbed. The way she carried herself added 1 point and her personality sent her ranking off the charts. She was personable, the kind of girl that you could feel comfortable talking to right off the bat. The conversation flowed their shared interests obliterating the threat of awkward silence.

LOSING INTEREST IN THIS ONE WE'LL SEE