Dichotomy.

I wake up in an amazing mood, despite having spent the night alone and regardless of the bruise I’m sporting on my left cheekbone.

It was just my luck Kellie was wearing a ring last night.

The truth is, I deserved it.

After all, I was smiling while I broke up with her.

If that doesn’t scream Asshole! then I don’t know what does.

Then I decide to go see Tina.

I get in my car, to drive over to her house.

I don’t really know why.

I’m not an idiot. I know she’s not going to throw herself at me or anything like that.

The truth is, I’m doing it partly to annoy her, seeing as it’s still pretty early in the morning and I know it will piss her off to see me so early in the day. A smirk takes over my already grinning face at the thought.

…I really don’t know what’s wrong with me.

I don’t know if I’ve changed at all since Ryan and Jon left, or if I’ve always been this way, and she’s just bringing out my worst.

I ring the doorbell, that insanely stupid smile plastered on my face from last night, one that could probably scare small children.

The smile slides off my face like a runny breakfast egg as soon as the door swings open.

“What’s up?” some guy squints at me, looking as if I woke him.

I’m speechless, wondering if I got her apartment building right, and he’s shirtless, waiting for an answer.

“Is Tina here?” I finally ask.

“No,” he says, yawning briefly. “I can tell her you stopped by, uh…”

“Brendon,” I tell him, and he nods sleepily.

The door’s closed in my face for the second time in 24 hours before I can say another word.

I turn and walk right back to my car, the smile wiped clean off my face.My heart stings and I can’t help but feel like she’s betrayed me.

It’s such an idiotic feeling.

If she has a boyfriend, it’s none of my business.

Hell, if she wants to bring random guys home to fuck, it’s not my concern, either.

All because of a stupid almost kiss.

A stupid, almost kiss that I stopped before it could happen.

The truth is, I’m a fucking idiot.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Twenty minutes later, I’m on Spencer’s doorstep.

Don’t ask me why.

I ring the bell five times in a row, just because, and I start to wonder why I have to be so damn obnoxious this early in the morning.

He answers the door a few minutes later, shirtless and with a horrendous case of bedhead. His eyes are half closed and I realize him and Haley have probably been going at it all night, so why am I here again?

Like I need a reminder that I’m the only one not getting any.

“Hi?” he says, dragging it out with a yawn.

“Hi,” I say stupidly, forgetting why I came over in the first place.

He squints, frowning.

“Dude. What happened to your face?” he asks, still slightly disoriented. I instinctively reach up to touch my cheek, confused by his staring, and then I remember.

“Oh,” I say, explaining, “I dumped Kellie. So…then she smacked me.”

He stares at me for a few seconds, processing my words.

Then he bursts out laughing.

I patiently wait until his hysterical laughter at my expense dies down and he finally composes himself enough to say:

“That’s what you get.”

“Yeah,” I agree, shrugging.

I go home, letting him get back to sleep.

What else am I supposed to do?