If You're Looking for a Show

I stormed into my boyfriend’s apartment, slamming the door behind me. I heard a loud thud and realized it was Malcolm falling off the couch he had been sleeping on and onto the floor. “Jesus Christ, Gia!” he yelled, rubbing the back of his head, which had hit the corner of the coffee table. He inspected his hand, trying to see if there was any blood on it, but there didn’t appear to be any.

“Do you have something you’d like to tell me?” I asked, not giving him any sympathy whatsoever, as I crossed my arms over my chest and looked down at him.

“What would I have to tell you?” he asked me, slowly getting up off the floor.

“I don’t know. Want to tell me what you did this past weekend?” I questioned, raising an eyebrow at him. I, of course, already knew exactly what he had done this weekend, after getting several calls from his friends, saying they were sorry to hear that Malcolm and I had broken up, something that was news to me.

“I…I went…I went out with Justin,” he stuttered, and if I didn’t already know that he was already lying, he would have just given himself away.

“Really?” I asked. “Was there anyone else there with you?” I wanted to know.

“Well, there were other people at the club,” he began, and I began shaking his head, and he quickly changed his answer. “What do you want to know, Gia?” he asked me desperately.

“I want to know why you felt the need to cheat on me. God, Malcolm, we’ve been together for six months, and I go away for two days, and you’re shoving your tongue down some other girl’s throat? What the hell is that?”

“That’s not what happened,” Malcolm claimed.

“Oh, really? Well, why don’t you tell me what happened,” I told him, staring at him, waiting to hear what ridiculous story he could come up with.

“I went out with Justin, and some guy there was paying for everyone’s drinks for the night. So, I might have had a few too many drinks,” he shrugged his shoulders. “I was drunk, Gia. It didn’t mean anything.”

“You know, I never thought that you would be the one acting like a slut when I was gone,” I practically yelled at him. “Maybe you shouldn’t kiss and tell. You really should’ve kept it in your pants. I’m hearing dirty stories from your friends,” I said rather calmly.

“Gia, they’re lying” he tried, reaching out towards me, but I instantly backed up, refusing to let him touch me. He knew it was hopeless. There was no way I was going to believe him.

“Fuck you, Malcolm,” I told him in a low voice. “In case you can’t read between the lines, I’ll spell it out for you. We are through. I never want to see your fucking cheating face ever again,” I told him before proceeding to smack him across the face and leaving his apartment.

I could hear him calling my name as I walked down the sidewalk towards my apartment, and I immediately regretted not driving to his apartment. I continued to ignore him as I quickened my pace, wanting to get as far away from him as fast as possible.

His yells soon silenced, and I assumed he had stopped trying to chase after me, but I refused to turn around to see for sure. I made my way to my apartment building, climbing the stairs until I reached my door. I unlocked it, slamming the door behind me, still furious at Malcolm. I collapsed on my couch, wondering if there was something wrong with me. Was that why he had cheated after we had been together for six months? Or was this not the first time?

I stopped thinking about it when I heard my cell phone start ringing, and I glanced at the caller id, refusing to pick it up if it was Malcolm. Instead, I saw my best friend’s name displayed. “Maggie, what’s up?” I asked her, leaning my head against the arm of the couch.

“Did you dump that dick?” she asked me, wasting no time at all. She had always hated Malcolm, and when I had told her all the stories I had heard about him, she was the first one to encourage me to break up with him.

“Yeah,” I sighed.

“Please tell me you’re not regretting that decision,” she begged.

“Nah,” I said. “I shouldn’t be with someone like him anyways.”

“Exactly,” she said, and I could practically hear the smile in her voice. “Hey, so I think you and I should hit up the town tonight and celebrate your newfound singleness,” she said.

I thought about it for a minute. I knew that Maggie liked to go out and party, and I wasn’t exactly sure what she had in mind. “Where are you thinking of going?” I inquired.

“Just this place downtown. You’ll love it. I promise,” she assured me. “I’ll pick you up at ten tonight. Dress sexy,” she added before hanging up on me. I leaned my head back once again, wondering just how crazy my night was going to get.