This Modern Love

I looked at Scotty, who slowly nodded and removed his arm from around my shoulder.

Shaun grabbed my hand and led me through a crowd of people and into the bathroom. Surprisingly, there was no one in there.

Shaun sat on the sink and started fiddling with his hands.

“Look, I just wanted to thank you for talking to Natalie’s dad for me. It really means a lot to me,” he told me with a sincere smile.

I shrugged and put my hands in my pocket.

“You’re welcome. But I want you to know, Shaun, that this is the last favor I’m going to do for you concerning her,” I admitted in a stern voice.

Shaun twisted his big lips to the side and nodded.

“I know. I feel bad for even asking you to do that. But I’m glad you did,” he replied with a faint smile.

“Shaun, I’m serious. I’m not doing anything for you until she is gone. That means lying, giving your girlfriend rides, feeding you, letting you borrow my shoes, all of that. I’m not doing it,” I explained.

Shaun furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head.

“So are you saying that we aren’t going to be friends anymore?” he questioned in a confused manner.

“No, I’m just saying that I’m not going to do you any favors until she is gone. Shaun, I shouldn’t be you errand runner. I’m your best friend, and you seem to take my love for you for advantage.”

Shaun shook his head and bit his lip.

“That is untrue. I do not take you for advantage,” he barked.

“So you are telling me that you didn’t ask me to do that because you knew I would say yes?” I asked, folding my arms.

Shaun hung his head and rubbed his eye.

“I did it because I thought you cared about me enough to be happy,” he answered quietly.

“Shaun, you know that I want you to be happy. But it’s hard to make you happy when I want you to be happy with me. I want to be with you, and you say you want to be with me. Why do we keep doing this? I just want to be happy. Me bending backwards for you to be with someone else is not making me happy,” I admitted, trying to keep all the attitude from overflowing.

“I know, I know. I’m sorry this is upsetting you. I just have to do it for me. Are you still waiting for me?” he asked, looking up at me.

I felt a knot appear in my throat. I had told Scotty that I was threw with Shaun. I loved Shaun, no doubt, but I wasn’t sure if I still wanted him.

“I don’t know,” I mumbled and shrugged.

Shaun’s face turned from concerned to angry.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” he roared, making me flinch slightly. “First you’re saying that I need to hurry up and get done with my relationship with Natalie, when you aren’t even waiting for me anymore? What kind of bullshit is that?”

“I don’t want to be the last resort!” I yelled, clapping my hands together. “I am so sick of waiting for you! Every day you ay you are closer to breaking up with her, and each day you are lying to me! I hate feeling like shit all the time when it doesn’t affect you at all!” I could feel a tear racing down my cheek.

Shaun jumped off of the sink and stood inches away from me.

“So are you waiting for me or not?” he asked darkly.

I wiped my tear off of my face and cleared my throat.

“I told Scotty that I wasn’t waiting for you anymore. I’ll give you two months to break up with her. If you decide that she is the one for you, and then I’m done waiting,” I answered.

Shaun stuck his tongue inside of his cheek and nodded.

“Alright. And what about this whole virginity business that seems to be a big deal? Do you still have rights to it or can I finally do what I want?” he spat.

I felt my heart rip into pieces. I hope he was saying that just because he was mad, not because he was serious. He had just said that he didn’t want me to be his first.

“You know what, Shaun? You can do whatever the fuck you want.” I yelled in his face.

He shook his head and sighed.

“I hope you’re happy with this,” he grumbled, and walked out of the bathroom.

I hit my back on the wall and slide down to the floor. I started crying my eyes out, not sparing a single tear.

Someone hit my foot with the door, and I refused to look up.

“Oh, baby girl, what’s wrong?” Joanna asked, rubbing my knee.

“Shaun White is a frizzy redheaded fuck!” I spat in between gasps for air.

“Ohh, it’ll be okay sugar. I promise. Scotty is so much better than him. Shaun made his choice, and is an idiot for not choosing you,” she hiccupped.

I looked up at her. She had on a goofy grin and her eyes were droopy.

“You’re drunk,” I told her.

She rubbed her hand on the top of my head, messing up my hair.

“Yeah, I am,” she whispered.

I started laughing at her goofy appearance and she laughed with me.

“We’ll get through it, Boo! But let’s get out of here,” she said, tugging me by my wrist.

We left the bathroom and charged back into the crowd. Louie was on the staircase holding a beer high in the air.

“Attention everybody!” he yelled, obviously drunk. “I am now going to become a man!”

The room erupted in claps and cheers. They started chanting “Louie!” over and over again. I saw Kevin clapping proudly beside Mason.

Louie stumbled up the stairs and ran the best he could down the hall.

“Boys will be boys,” Scotty whispered in my ear. He wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his head on my shoulder.

“Do you want to get out of here?” he asked, kissing my neck.

“I think that would be a good idea,” I giggled.

“First off: I'm drunk so fuck you. Second: you weren't a bad girlfriend. Tres: that’s 3 in Spanish. Number 4: fuck 3 Doors Down,” Apolo yelled in some girl’s face.

Scotty and I started laughing. Apolo tried to storm off, but ended up tripping over someone who was lying on the floor taking a hit from a beer funnel.

“I think,” Scotty began, leaving a trail of kisses up my neck, “that we should go to Mason’s house.”

“Let’s go then,” I chuckled, grabbing his hand and running out of the door.