Going Alone

“Hey guys, what’s up?” Alex smiled, walking into the hotel room.

I turned around just in time to see Zack give him the sliced-neck sign. He quickly stopped when he saw I saw him, and clasped his hands tightly together and shoved them between his legs. I rubbed the tip of my shoe into the ugly floral carpet.

“I don’t know, Alex.” I said,

“What’s going on?” He asked, suspicious.

Jack slowly turned off his Halo game and leaned with his back against the wall.

“Oh, not much.” My back was still turned to him.

He quietly closed the door and walked cautiously to the couch, “Uh, okay?”

“I think… Uh.. Kara’s going to call me.” Rian said quickly and rushed off to his room.

Zack just slowly lifted himself off of the bed and followed Rian, running when he was past me. Jack still sat against the wall, but hugged his knees into his chest.

“Some things have been brought to my attention.” I said, sucking in my lips and breathing out through my nostrils loudly.

“That’s cool.” Alex nodded his head, looking at the dirty carpet.

“Is it, Alex?” I burst, “Is it cool?”

“Whoa, what are you talking about?” Alex said, his head snapping up.

“I know you fucking smoked pot, Alex.” I said, crossing my arms.

“Jack, what the fuck?” Alex shouted.

“I wasn’t the one who said anything!”

“What the hell!”

“Don’t pin this on anyone else!” I yelled, shoving Alex back down.

“What do you want me to say, Mae? Do you want me to beg for your forgiveness, or something?”

“Are you kidding me?” I jutted my head out.

“What?”

I groaned in annoyance, “You just act like nothing matters. It’s like you don’t care that you demoralized a woman, got wasted, underage no less, and then smoked pot!”

Alex leaned back on the couch, clearly pissed off.

“Do you even care that you probably broke multiple laws? You could go to fucking jail, Alex? Do you understand? You have a kid on the way! This thing is coming out in 4 months.” I pointed an angry finger at my stomach.

“I know that, I’m not retarded.”

“Are you?” I asked, squinting my eyes, “Because you act like it! You’re going to be a father. Fa-ther. This kid is going to look up to you. It’s going to do whatever you want. Do you understand? I’m not going to raise a little shit face that smokes pot and hires strippers!”

I finally glanced at Jack, who was looking between us, bewildered. I snapped my head back to Alex, who was seething at Jack. I snapped my finger and he looked back at me.

“I do…” He took a breath, trying to calm himself down, “What I want.”

“Fine. Great!” I oozed sarcastically, “Then as long as you smoke pot, then you wont be around my baby.”

“That’s so unfair!”

“I let the drinking slide, Alex. I just can’t stand the pot.”

“You can’t do that!” He yelled.

“I do what I want!” I yelled back, “Sound familiar?”

“That’s illegal!”

“You’re illegal!” I yelled.

“Maybe you should leave.” Jack said calmly, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“Fuck you, Alex.” I glared at him, then stomped out of the room.