What It Took

I hadn't even been outside for 15 minutes before I'd managed to smoke two cigarettes. It was to much for me to be in the same place as "Him" at the same time. The expression on his face when it noticed it was me, was enough to send me into a cardiac arrest. It was enough to make me want a bottle of liquor.

It was beginning to get cold outside, and since my dress was not cut out for the breezy weather, I gave up and went back inside. I walked in the house and avoided the kitchen because that’s where all the alcohol was rotting. I began to feel a panic attack coming on so I sat on the steps with a bottle of water in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

“Oh, I’ve never met her before! Introduce me, Lola.” Ashley said, as she dragged herself and Lola towards me.

I heard Lola mutter, ‘That’s really not a bright idea!’ But Ashley didn’t seem to care because she picked up her pace and practically jogged over.

“Hey! I’m Ashley.” She said with an extended hand.

I ignored the gesture and kept my focus forward. I did nod my head in respect to what she said.

“Oh, looks like we have a quiet one! Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone. No need to be shy.” She said overly enthusiastic. Her pale arm reached out towards me to pull me up but I jerked my arm away.

“I fucking know everyone stupid bitch!” I yelled in her face before I walked off.

I saw her look down at her feet like she was really hurt. I was pretty sure she was a nice girl but I didn’t and don’t give a flying fuck what she is! I stormed off and saw Zack standing by a doorway and decided to go up to my guest room to get away.

I should’ve NEVER left my apartment.

I was in the room, unnoticed, for about an hour, until I heard a light knock on the door.

“Uh, is room taken?” I heard “Him” ask. I was to shocked to reply so he slowly opened the door.

“Oh I’m sorry. I’ll leave.” He said shyly.

“N-no, I’ll go, Zack.”

“Uh, Want to catch up?” He asked as he sat in the computer chair.

“What’s there to say?’ I asked starring at my feet.

He looked at me hurt, and walked out of the room without a word.

I walked back down to the party 5 minutes after he walked out of the room. Everyone that was there earlier, including Ashley, seemed to be there. But He was missing, He had left.

My best friends, were crowding around Ashley talking to her like she was royalty. Matt looked at her like she were his sister instead of me. Ashley seemed to have rightfully taken my place in the ‘family.’

“You have to meet Mel!” I heard Brian yell as he pointed in my direction. Matt gave Brian a ‘Shut the fuck up!” look and left the Ashley praisers. Matt walked over to me with his arms out.

“Come here, Let’s go out for ice cream.” He said, randomly.

He always new what was wrong.

We got in his car and no one seemed to notice we were leaving the party. We finally got to the ice cream place and sat down with our ice cream.

“Zack talked to me….About you…” He said as he watched me pick at my ice cream with a plastic spoon.

“Pssh I don’t want to talk about him!”

“Yes, yes you do. As a matter of fact I can tell you’re dying to hear about him.” Matt said picking up my every emotion.

“God! I can’t keep anything from you. What’d he say?” I asked, giving up all secrecy.

“He said beautiful.”

“What?” I replied.

“That’s what I said to him so he furtherly explained what he meant. He said he has never seen you look so beautiful, Mel.”

I looked away, ashamed because I had blown my chance to talk to him earlier. I heard an annoying ring of a phone and saw Matt quickly reach for his cell.

“It’s him…” He whispered.

A couple of minutes of hearing Matt mumble, ‘Mhmm’ or ‘Hmm,’ went by and then he finally hung the phone up.

“What was that about?” I asked as we walked to the car.

“He needs to stay the night…He says he can’t be around Ashley right now.” Matt said in all seriousness.

“What the fuck? I can’t be around him, Matt!”

“I know that and so does he. That’s why he’s sleeping in the pool house.”

We finally got back to the house and it seemed that mostly everyone had gone home. I was hoping that ‘He’ wouldn’t come over. Even if he was staying in the pool house, it was the fact of knowing that he was footsteps away that made me want to burst out in tears.