When Forever Ends

Alcohol. Sometimes it’s my best friend, sometimes it’s my worst enemy. Right now, it’s an enemy. I blink feeling disoriented. Through my blurry vision I can make out a neon pink skateboard. I sigh in relief. I’m in Shayne’s room. I relax until I become aware that I am wearing nothing under the black comforter on Shayne’s bed.

Who, what, when, and why? I know where...my clothes were laying in a heap on the floor. This isn’t how I imagined on starting off my third day without Dylan. Alone, naked, and hung over in my best friend’s bed. I dress quickly and creep out into the hallway, the entire house reeks of alcohol. I try to slip away unnoticed.

“Hold it!” Ace demands, making me jump. I turn around to find him leaning against the door frame of the kitchen with a bowl of cereal in hand. “Have fun last night?” he asks with a knowing smile. I blush scarlet. Ace barks with laughter. “It’s alright, no one even knows who was in there with you, so we can’t tease you.”

“Thank God!” I say happily.

“Breakfast?” Ace asks, his golden drown eyes look at me for my answer as he shovels cereal into his mouth. My stomach does flips at the thought. My face must say it all because Ace chuckles and nods his head toward the kitchen, obviously wanting me to go in.

“Good luck, when she wakes up.” Ace grins and pats me on the shoulder then proceeds to throw his bowl into the sink with a clatter. Shayne stirs in her sleep, her body is spread out across the table. Food and plastic cups from last night lay all around her. Without warning, Shayne jolts up and gasps.

“Morning, slut.” Shayne grumbles and hops off the table. I pout, was she being serious when she called me a slut or was she joking? Sometimes it’s hard to with Shayne. “Hey, I was kidding.” she smiles apologetically at me.

“When we’re like really old we’re going to be in the nursing home calling each other skanks and sluts. You’ll be wreaking havoc on the place and I’ll just sit there an laugh.” I say thinking about how I see us in the future. Old and wrinkled, with white hair...knowing Shayne she’ll have a green mohawk.

“Fuck that.” Shayne replies. “We’re never going to a nursing home, we’re going to be the two most badass old ladies the world has ever seen! We’ll go out clubbing on my 90th birthday and get us some hot young men.” she laughs and pulls a cartoon of chocolate soymilk out of the fridge.

I can’t hide the smile when I think about why she drinks soy milk. Shayne is freaked out by cow’s milk.

“I can picture that! You’ll get me drunk and I’ll get up on the bar and start dancing, and I’ll fall and break my hip and I’ll need to get a plastic one.”

“There’s are future plans, babe. Remember them.” Shayne says with a smile and dinks straight from the cartoon. Gross. She adds another helping of gross when she burps loudly.

“Nice one.” a sleepy looking Jake shuffles in the room with his boxers hanging dangerously low on his hips. Shayne is used to it I guess, because I’m the only one who seems uncomfortable about this.

“Pick up your boxers. You’re making Marley blush.” Shayne’s lips twist into a mischievous smile. Jake gives me a sleepy smile and pulls his black boxers back to where they belong.

“After last night you have so much more to be blushing about.” Jake and Shayne howl with laughter. Did I really make that big of a scene?

“Oh my gosh! Who doesn’t know about that?” I ask hiding my burning face in my hands.

“Probably the people who were passed out during the entire thing.” Jake manages to say over his and Shayne’s combined laughter.

“Come one you guys! I feel like big enough idiot without you making fun of me!” I whine.

“Aw, I’m sorry.” Jake apologizes and pecks my cheek in the friendly manner before starting to dig through cabinets. “If we ever had anything besides fucking cereal in this house it would be a miracle.” he grumbles threw a box of Fruity Peebles on the counter.

“We have really moldy loaf of bread.” Shayne says hopping onto the counter with her carton of milk.

“No we don’t. I used it to kill a spider other day.” Jake pulls the fridge door open and growls. Turning back to Shayne, he pulls the chocolate soy milk from her hands and pours it into his Fruity Pebbles. Ewwww!

“Hey!” Shayne kicks Jake in the stomach and pulls the milk away from him before he falls onto the ground. Shayne laughs loudly while Jake lays on the floor gasping for air.

“Do you have anything for this headache?” I ask clutching my head.

“There’s a bottle of Tylenol on the table in my room.” Ace answers walking in th kitchen while pinning a name tag onto his green t-shirt. Work! Oh dear God! Work!

“Oh my God! I totally forgot that I said I’d go into to work today!” I yell in panic. I was already late. Jake stops rolling on the floor and sits up to watch me run around like a crazy woman. My headache is forgotten as I slip my shoes on and run outside to my car.

I cannot afford to be late, not again.