Just Hate Me and We'll End It Here
Your Pick
Bailey
“Here,” Alex says immediately, putting Georgie on my lap. “I doubt it’s legal to have him on my lap, so you can hold him.”
“Whee,” I mutter dryly, but I take the dog anyways.
The ride goes quietly with some CD in. I start humming along softly through the middle, even though I don’t really know it. After a while, I start really paying attention to the lyrics… and the voice…
His voice?
I lean forward, curious and trying to hear it. “Is…” I quickly clamp my mouth shut, stopping the question. I mean, it’s not like it matters. And it would make him wonder and think that I might be starting to like him, or at least enjoy his company. But I can’t, cause I don’t. I mean, hello, its Alex. Ugh. I don’t like being around him, obviously. Psh.
“Is what?”
Dang it, he picked up on it. I lean back in my seat. “Nothing, nothing.”
“Aw, come on. You can ask me anything,” he offers nicely.
“No,” I tell him.
“If it makes you feel better, I’ll ask you something after you ask me,” he offers.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“Yes it does. Here, let me explain. You can ask me something, it can be personal, I don’t care. And then-”
“Fine,” I snap, “but I’m not stupid!” I take a breath. “I- you know…” I scratch my head and look out the window, trying not to look interested, just… casual. And all. “Uh- the… CD. Is… it… you know. Your…?”
“Band?” He finishes. “Yeah,” he nods after a second. “How’d you guess?”
I shrug. “Sounds like you,” I mutter barely above a whisper.
“I would hope so,” he chuckles. And then, as we get on the freeway, it’s quiet. We’re going across town cause I’d told him the best Petsmart was a little farther away, but he wants ‘the best’ for Georgie, so… yeah.
That, or he’s just kidnapping me.
Alex clears his throat. “So… I have a question for you.”
“Oh really?” I raise my eyebrow. “Well… what is it, then?”
He shifts a little and scratches his ear. “Well, I… I was just… cause, I mean…” he falls silent for another minute, before shoving it all out quickly. “What happened to your brother?”
My mouth opens, and my windpipe seems to have stopped working. After a minute, I choke down a deep breath and turn back to the window. “Uh…” I bite my lip. “How do you know about him?”
“You,” he admits. I furrow my brow. “You, just… I guess, when you’re drunk… you sort of get emotional.”
My hands tighten on my seatbelt. No more drinking, then! I swallow hard. “Nothing. It’s nothing. I… it’s got nothing to do with you,” I manage to force out. “And you don’t need to know anything. It’s part of the past.”
“Come on,” he starts softly. “Don’t you think its fair I know some about you? And- I just. Bailey, I want to help you. You know you can talk to me, right? And I’d like to know, so that I can help you in any way I can.” He looks at me as we stop. Looking around, I see we’ve arrived.
I give him a look. “It’s too late for you to help. So Just. Drop. It.” I climb out of the car with Georgie.
Sighing, Alex trails after me as I march into the store. “You should get a cart,” I tell him in a monotone voice. “Meet you in the leashes section.”
He nods and leaves. Swallowing hard, I shuffle to the needed aisle and start roaming the leashes Georgie- at least he has his own collar, so that’s cool. I clear my throat as Alex arrives. “So? They have the best brands, so you have your pick.”
Hesitating, Alex glances at me but then grabs a black leash. “That’s fine,” he mutters. Then he looks at me. “Bailey? Please, I just- I mean, you were crying…”
I march off to the next aisle, ignoring him. “Georgie’s still pretty young, so you’ll want some small dog food. For treats, you have your selection; he should be good with all of them. If he isn’t, you’ll know. And don’t worry, he’s trained to go outside.”
A large bag of food lands in the cart and we start looking for some bowls. Alex tries again. “I’m not being nosy, Bailey. I care about you, okay? And… and something bad obviously happened in your past. I just think that it’s best to talk about it, okay? So it won’t hurt so much.”
“It doesn’t,” I snap.
“Yes it does, I see it in you,” he responds.
“You don’t know me.”
“I’m trying to, Bailey. And I’m sorry for your loss, really. I also want to be there for you, okay? Why can’t you just talk to me?”
“Why can’t you just leave me alone?” I shoot back, putting Georgie in his arms. Taking a deep breath, I grab some bowls. “These should be a good size. And a little rug underneath is always nice.” I grab one shaped like a bone and shove it in the cart.
“Bailey…”
“If you try talking about my baby brother again,” I have to stop my voice from cracking, “I’m going to leave.” I stand there, my back to him. He doesn’t respond. Taking a deep breath, I turn around. Unable to look him in the eye, I push the cart around. “Do you want any toys for him?” I ask in a subdued tone.
Sighing, Alex grabs some rubber balls, ropes, and another thing or two- including a rubber chicken that Georgie quickly puts in his mouth happily, wagging his tail. It makes me smile momentarily, almost forgetting my misery.
“Here,” Alex says immediately, putting Georgie on my lap. “I doubt it’s legal to have him on my lap, so you can hold him.”
“Whee,” I mutter dryly, but I take the dog anyways.
The ride goes quietly with some CD in. I start humming along softly through the middle, even though I don’t really know it. After a while, I start really paying attention to the lyrics… and the voice…
His voice?
I lean forward, curious and trying to hear it. “Is…” I quickly clamp my mouth shut, stopping the question. I mean, it’s not like it matters. And it would make him wonder and think that I might be starting to like him, or at least enjoy his company. But I can’t, cause I don’t. I mean, hello, its Alex. Ugh. I don’t like being around him, obviously. Psh.
“Is what?”
Dang it, he picked up on it. I lean back in my seat. “Nothing, nothing.”
“Aw, come on. You can ask me anything,” he offers nicely.
“No,” I tell him.
“If it makes you feel better, I’ll ask you something after you ask me,” he offers.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“Yes it does. Here, let me explain. You can ask me something, it can be personal, I don’t care. And then-”
“Fine,” I snap, “but I’m not stupid!” I take a breath. “I- you know…” I scratch my head and look out the window, trying not to look interested, just… casual. And all. “Uh- the… CD. Is… it… you know. Your…?”
“Band?” He finishes. “Yeah,” he nods after a second. “How’d you guess?”
I shrug. “Sounds like you,” I mutter barely above a whisper.
“I would hope so,” he chuckles. And then, as we get on the freeway, it’s quiet. We’re going across town cause I’d told him the best Petsmart was a little farther away, but he wants ‘the best’ for Georgie, so… yeah.
That, or he’s just kidnapping me.
Alex clears his throat. “So… I have a question for you.”
“Oh really?” I raise my eyebrow. “Well… what is it, then?”
He shifts a little and scratches his ear. “Well, I… I was just… cause, I mean…” he falls silent for another minute, before shoving it all out quickly. “What happened to your brother?”
My mouth opens, and my windpipe seems to have stopped working. After a minute, I choke down a deep breath and turn back to the window. “Uh…” I bite my lip. “How do you know about him?”
“You,” he admits. I furrow my brow. “You, just… I guess, when you’re drunk… you sort of get emotional.”
My hands tighten on my seatbelt. No more drinking, then! I swallow hard. “Nothing. It’s nothing. I… it’s got nothing to do with you,” I manage to force out. “And you don’t need to know anything. It’s part of the past.”
“Come on,” he starts softly. “Don’t you think its fair I know some about you? And- I just. Bailey, I want to help you. You know you can talk to me, right? And I’d like to know, so that I can help you in any way I can.” He looks at me as we stop. Looking around, I see we’ve arrived.
I give him a look. “It’s too late for you to help. So Just. Drop. It.” I climb out of the car with Georgie.
Sighing, Alex trails after me as I march into the store. “You should get a cart,” I tell him in a monotone voice. “Meet you in the leashes section.”
He nods and leaves. Swallowing hard, I shuffle to the needed aisle and start roaming the leashes Georgie- at least he has his own collar, so that’s cool. I clear my throat as Alex arrives. “So? They have the best brands, so you have your pick.”
Hesitating, Alex glances at me but then grabs a black leash. “That’s fine,” he mutters. Then he looks at me. “Bailey? Please, I just- I mean, you were crying…”
I march off to the next aisle, ignoring him. “Georgie’s still pretty young, so you’ll want some small dog food. For treats, you have your selection; he should be good with all of them. If he isn’t, you’ll know. And don’t worry, he’s trained to go outside.”
A large bag of food lands in the cart and we start looking for some bowls. Alex tries again. “I’m not being nosy, Bailey. I care about you, okay? And… and something bad obviously happened in your past. I just think that it’s best to talk about it, okay? So it won’t hurt so much.”
“It doesn’t,” I snap.
“Yes it does, I see it in you,” he responds.
“You don’t know me.”
“I’m trying to, Bailey. And I’m sorry for your loss, really. I also want to be there for you, okay? Why can’t you just talk to me?”
“Why can’t you just leave me alone?” I shoot back, putting Georgie in his arms. Taking a deep breath, I grab some bowls. “These should be a good size. And a little rug underneath is always nice.” I grab one shaped like a bone and shove it in the cart.
“Bailey…”
“If you try talking about my baby brother again,” I have to stop my voice from cracking, “I’m going to leave.” I stand there, my back to him. He doesn’t respond. Taking a deep breath, I turn around. Unable to look him in the eye, I push the cart around. “Do you want any toys for him?” I ask in a subdued tone.
Sighing, Alex grabs some rubber balls, ropes, and another thing or two- including a rubber chicken that Georgie quickly puts in his mouth happily, wagging his tail. It makes me smile momentarily, almost forgetting my misery.
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HYYYYYYPERRRRRRRRR