Going Alone

“Alright. This is our last song.” Alex adjusted the microphone, “I just wrote it.”

He looked down to his guitar and placed his fingers on the right strings, then looked up and searched the crowd. His eyes locked with mine and he smiled slightly.

“This one is on out bonus album, which is available on iTunes.” He cleared his throat, “It’s called ‘Stay Awake’.”

Jack counted out the beat slowly and played the background. Alex’s head bobbed with the beat and he began strumming.

“Caught in a cold sweat, stuck splitting hairs.”

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“How was it?” Jack smiled, adjusting his shirt.

“It was pretty cool.” I nodded.

“So, you know Alex wrote that song about you.”

“He did not.” I scoffed, pushing open the door of the Guitar Center.

“Well, kinda. He wrote it about this whole… situation.” He picked his words carefully.

“But that’s not all about me.” I retorted, “That’s mainly him.”

“Whatever. You had a song written about you.”

“I’m hungry.”

Jack stopped walking and held his stomach, “Me too!”

“Uh, what was that?”

“I had to gauge my hunger.”

“You couldn’t do that while walking?” I asked.

“Uh, nope.” He smiled, “Let’s go to Denny’s!”

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“Can I have two eggs, over easy, four pieces of bacon, a thing of toast, three pancakes, and three sausages?”

“And you?” The waiter turned to me.

I was still in shock of what Jack ordered, “Uh… Just some orange juice and a stack of pancakes.”

He nodded and walked away, slipping the notepad into his apron.

“What the fuck was that?” I asked, leaning over the table.

“Uh, what?”

“What was the whole ‘can I have your whole freezer of meat?’ thing!”

“I’m hungry!” He shrugged.

“And…” I stopped to think about how bizarre this is, “You had to stop and gauge how hungry you are?”

“I always do that.”

“You’re freaking weird, Jack. Really weird.”

He smiled proudly, “It’s the Lebanese.”

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“Hey Rian!” I smiled, high-fiving him.

“Mae!” He smiled, “I didn’t know you were coming.”

“I told you!” Jack shouted, not turning his head away from the video game he was playing.

“It seems everyone forgot last night.” I said, glancing around suspiciously.

“It was the alcohol.” Zack said, monotonously.

“Zack!” Rian yelled.

“Oh, shit!” He said, his eyes widening.

“Alex is going to fucking kill you.”

“Why? What doesn’t he want me to know.”

“Everyone got totally wasted, smoked weed and they ordered strippers.” Jack said, still glued to the TV.

“Are you kidding me?” I ask, turning to the two boys.

“I don’t know, I can’t remember shit.”

“Why would you order strippers? No! Why would you smoke weed!” I shouted, “Especially Alex! He has a fucking baby on the way.”

“We were all shitfaced.” Zack tried to defend themselves.

“So? Ugh, don't even get me started on the weed. Do you know how demoralizing it is to be a stripper? Hang on, let me act sexy and pretend I like taking my clothes off while three shitfaced boys drool. That‘s-”

“Mae, we-”

“Did I breathe and give you the impression I was finished? 'Cuz I’m not! That’s so irresponsible! He should be taking all this time to prepare and shit! You know what? I don’t even care that you two got wasted, smoked weed, and then ordered strippers, your girlfriends or whatever are going to chew you out anyway.”

“Why aren’t you yelling at Jack?” Rian said, shooting a finger out to him.

“Because Jack wasn’t the one that got wasted and ordered strippers.” I took a deep breath in, “Wait, why weren’t you drinking?”

“I ran on the treadmill for like an hour yesterday and I was completely exhausted.” He said, still staring at the TV.

We all looked at each other, “Since when do you exercise?”

“There was a hot chick next to me.”

“Figures.” Rian rolled his eyes, while Zack laughed.