The Movies Make It Look Easy

Chapter 58

Mark’s P.O.V:

I yawned as I quietly opened the door and slipped inside. Who the hell had invented mornings anyway?
I flicked on the lights in the living room and glanced around; it was exactly the same as when I’d left yesterday. Shannon obviously hadn’t made a spontaneous reappearance – not that I’d actually expected her to.
I was careful not to make any noise as I made my way over to Nick’s room. It would be just my luck to knock something over…probably something breakable as well.

I silently opened his door and looked inside. He was…hold the phone; where the hell was he? I let the door swing open completely and stalked inside. Nope, no sign of Nick.
I cursed as I stepped back out into the living room – I should have known he’d go out as soon as I went home. He shouldn’t be left to his own devices, I thought; he was too self-destructive.
I had a strong urge to hit something, but repressed it. Instead, I stomped back into the living room, racking my brains trying to think where Nick would have gone. I came up blank. I mean; it was after nine in the morning.
Could he – no, I thought, he’d have to be extremely desperate to go to class…then again, he seemed to be pretty desperate.

I stood, tapping my foot impatiently against the floor; my eyes scouring the apartment as my thoughts whizzed by at 90 miles an hour. It was then – mid-tap – that I noticed Shannon’s door.
It was the same dull brown wood, streaked with age and use, as usual; except that it was closed. I distinctly remembered it was flung wide open yesterday (as if Shan had left in a hurry) – exposing the dark shadows of her room.
But now it was closed. Without thinking, my feet pulled me over to the indiscriminate door.

I quietly pushed it open only enough that I could stick my head into the darkened room. With the light from the door filtering in, and the cracks in the curtains, I was clearly able to make out the shape of Nick curled up in the middle of Shannon’s bed.
One arm was tucked beneath his head; the other was clutching a pillow close to his chest. I sighed at the sad sight and quietly retreated; returning to the couch.
I flicked on the TV and lowered the sound. I was prepared to wait until my best friend woke up.

Shannon’s P.O.V:

Class was a bitch. I’d been in two minds about whether or not I would bother going in today at all. Part of me (the depressed part) couldn’t seem to care about class, and believed that my current situation warranted a few days off – the pain of betrayal a dull ache within me.
However, the other part of me (my pride basically) was determined to go in, knowing I would see Natalie, and wanting more than anything to show her that I didn’t care – that she hadn’t hurt me…even if it was a lie.
My determination won out.

Other than the satisfaction I’d felt though, when Natalie’s face had dropped with disappointment, class had been intensely boring. It got to the point where my eyes began to feel dry and itchy, as the heavy weight of sleep settled over me like a thick blanket.
I’d tried to surreptitiously slap myself to stay awake, but all that had resulted in was weird looks being thrown my way.
Thankfully, I didn’t have Art History. I don’t think I’d be able to cope with having to see Lee, who no doubt had long since heard the good news from Natalie…there was no telling what he’d do or how he’d react.

When I finally made it back to Nikki’s that evening, I headed straight for Alyssa’s bedroom - sending a dull greeting Nikki’s way. I saw her lips purse slightly with disapproval, but she didn’t say a word. I collapsed onto the already rumpled sheets, my mind and body drained of energy.
I slipped easily into sleep, the pain easing from my chest.

When I woke up the next morning, it was to a loudly grumbling stomach. I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten. I lay in bed for a while, and could distinctly hear the sound of voices coming from the living room. Female voices. I presumed the strange voice I could hear conversing with Nikki was Carla.
The sound of her high-pitched giggle travelled through the door, and I winced; the throbbing ache in my head making itself known. I had yet to meet the elusive Carla. She never seemed to be in the apartment when I was there, but I presumed it was just a coincidence as she had no reason – that I knew of anyway – to avoid me.

Making a split-second decision, I rolled out of bed and headed for the bathroom. It was a mess of towels, makeup, and little bottles. I was momentarily glad that I didn’t share a bathroom with another girl; it would never be clean…then again, Nick wasn’t much better.
My thoughts quickly turned sour after that.
I hurriedly jumped in the shower, my mind turning to other, more random things.
When I was washed and dressed, I wandered out of the room I was staying in – glad to be looking at something other than pink. It started to give me a headache after a while, but then; beggars can’t be choosers.
I followed the sound of voices through to the kitchen. I stopped in the doorway, feeling slightly awkward all of a sudden. I wasn’t a big fan of meeting new people.

The kitchen had an island in the centre, and Nikki stood on the far side, facing me. She looked up from the bowl of salad she was eating, and smiled. I raised my hand in a small wave, my eyes already moving on to the other girl in the room. She had her back to me, and obviously only realised somebody else had entered when she saw Nikki look up.

She was a little taller than me, and had dark hair to her shoulders. She’d highlighted her it with streaks of colour more yellow than blonde. I’d seen a lot of girls with the same style but I couldn’t see the attraction; but then, that was just my opinion. Her eyebrows were heavily plucked and I could faintly see acne scars dotted across her cheeks, but I couldn’t be sure because her makeup was about an inch thick.
Despite the thickly clumped mascara and dark eyeshadow, she had really pretty sea-green eyes. She also had her nose and tongue pierced. Overall, she was…not pretty, but still attractive. Nikki had told me a little about her and apparently she had…loose morals; but maybe that was a bit harsh.

“Hi” I began quietly, still standing in the doorway.
“I’m Carla” she said, “and you must be Shannon.”
Her voice was loud, and I could tell that it was her natural…decibel level. I contained a flinch. I was used to a quieter environment. I nodded instead, though it hadn’t been a question. She scrutinised me, a look of almost disbelief on her face. It made me feel…small. “You’re the one who was going out with Nick King, right?”
“Not going out, no” I said, my mouth suddenly dry at the mention of his name. I looked over at Nikki. Had she told Carla? No, she was looking at her roommate with evident curiosity.
Carla followed my gaze. “Don’t worry; Nicole hasn’t been spilling all your little secrets.” She smiled in a rather nasty way. “A lot of people have taken an interest in you, Shannon.”
“In me?”
What the hell? I knew I had friends (and enemies) in college, but I wasn’t what you’d call a social butterfly…who were these people who had apparently taken an interest in me?
“Yes. You’re the one who tied Nick down, the one who made him unavailable.” Her disdain was practically palpable.
I raised one eyebrow as I leant casually against the doorframe, my arms crossed over my chest. Amusement pulled at my lips. “Tied him down?”
She rolled her eyes; “got his balls in a vice, whatever.”
Wow, she was crude.
“I don’t think that’s the same thing as two people liking each other.” I was trying not to smile. It was all I could do.
“But you weren’t going out?”
Didn’t we just go over this?
“No, but we were…together” I said hesitantly, not wanting to talk about it anymore.
“But you’re not anymore.”
It was a statement, not a question, but I answered it anyway. “No.”

Any trace of amusement I’d felt fled when I saw the look of satisfaction on her face. I turned without another word and walked over to the couch; slumping onto it with a sigh. So much for being in a good mood.
Nikki sat down beside me. “I’m sorry about her. She’s possibly the most insensitive person to ever walk the earth.”
I sighed again. “I guess I’m just going to have to get used to it.” It sucked but I was just going to have to live with it.
“So, are you coming out tonight Shannon?” Carla’s loud voice preceded her as she stepped into the living room carrying a bottle of wine and a packet of biscuits.
A bottle of wine? I didn’t know what to make of this girl. “Tonight?”
She nodded around a mouthful of biscuit. “Yeah, Alyssa is coming back later and we were planning on going out.”
Nikki smiled at me apologetically. I couldn’t help but wonder what I was going to do when Alyssa came back – I wasn’t ready to go home, not yet.
“If you don’t feel up to it Shan, I don’t mind staying with you” Nikki offered.
Carla snorted but otherwise didn’t contribute – just took a swig out of her bottle. I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “It’s okay, I’ll come” I said suddenly, not giving myself time to think about it. Surely it would be good for me?
Nikki looked at me sceptically and Carla just stared at me as if she’d underestimated me. I was glad.
“You sure?” Nikki asked quietly.
I nodded, smiling weakly. “I can’t promise I’ll be good company though.”

The rest of the day passed by rather uneventfully. We’d decided we weren’t going out until twelve or so – Alyssa wasn’t due back until around nine – but it couldn’t have been much past eight when Carla flounced off to begin getting ready.
Nikki just laughed at my obviously shocked expression when Carla left the room. “She’s high maintenance” she summed up before burying her nose in her magazine.
I shook myself slightly. I honestly couldn’t decide if I liked Nikki’s roommate or not. Sometimes she was really sound and she’d have Nikki and I in stitches, but more often than not she’d come out with the harshest comments that would leave us staring at her in horror.

Alyssa, on the other hand, was impossible not to like. She bounced – literally - into the apartment like a bubble of happiness. She’d pulled me into a tight hug when introduced, and brushed off my protests when she said I could continue to stay in her room for as long as I needed.
She was small and extremely slight, but had such a big personality that she was well-balanced. I found myself smiling and laughing a lot more when she was around, and more importantly; Nick was pushed almost completely from my thoughts.
So when we finally went out, I was in the best mood I’d been in for days.

I’d decided on a more casual look for the night. The thought of wearing a dress or skirt made me shudder, so I settled on dark skinny jeans, a tight black top and heeled black boots. I’d borrowed everything – including jewellery and makeup – from Nikki. The clothes I’d grabbed when leaving my apartment were hardly sufficient for anything more than slouching moodily to class.
Even my makeup was practically non-existent; I’d rimmed my eyes lightly in black and put on a little red lipstick for colour – I didn’t want to look to too depressing in practically all black – and that was the sum total of the makeup I was wearing.
I hadn’t missed the raised-eyebrow look Carla shot me when she saw how little of an effort I’d made.
I pulled my hair back into a high ponytail as we waited for Alyssa to lock up the apartment. I’d been relieved when Nikki told me that it was just us girls tonight. I knew that if Jay appeared, it was more likely that…other people would too, and I just couldn’t handle that.

We made our way to the front entrance of the building, and the taxi idling at the curb.
Nikki and Alyssa were both wearing dresses; Nikki’s a slash of black against her pale skin, and Alyssa’s a cute pink with a sweetheart neckline that made her look absolutely adorable.
Carla, well she was the complete opposite – she’d obviously dressed with one intention and one intention only; pulling. She was fake-tanned to within an inch of her life - oompa loompa style – and was wearing a gold bandeau top with a barely-there black skirt.
It was my opinion that she wasn’t quite skinny enough to pull off the slutty outfit. I realised as we settled into the slightly beat-up taxi, that I’d sound like a raging bitch if I verbalised my thoughts. I wasn’t intentionally trying to be a bitch though, after all; I had nothing against the girl. It was just a dispassionate observation.
Who knew, maybe I was just a prude. Either way, something told me that if I was to tell Carla what I thought; not only would she not change her outfit, she’d instantly hate me. God knew I didn’t need any more enemies.

With a soft sigh, I laid my forehead against the cool glass of the window and shut my eyes as the streetlights cast light over the car’s occupants at regular intervals. My brief period of respite was over; Nick was back in the forefront of my mind.
I could picture him clearly, as if he was right next to me. I could see his soft dark hair in its usual sexy mess; the arch of his raised eyebrow; the hint of a smirk pulling at the corners of his soft lips; the striations of green and gold in his brown eyes - which only ever appeared when he felt some strong emotion.
I only now realised how often I’d seen the flashes of colour in his dark eyes over the past few weeks. We’d been happy. Not anymore though – he’d seen to that.
I felt tears well up and I squeezed my eyes tightly shut. I was not going to cry. I felt my good mood slowly draining away, and I was glad when the taxi came to a stop.

Unfortunately, my good mood was swiftly being replaced with sadness and heartbreak. I didn’t pay attention as we went inside. All I knew was that, according to Carla, the club was ‘the place to be’. Whatever.
All I gathered from my cursory glance around when we were admitted was that it was dark, hot and sweaty, with plenty of flashing neon lights. It was just your generic club; with no unique or original qualities – that I could see anyway.
Jeez, maybe I was PMSing in top of everything else. I clearly wasn’t in the best mood tonight.

We headed in the direction of the bar but I politely refused when offered a drink. I had agreed to come out tonight in the hopes that it would take my mind off everything – but drinking was never part of the plan. It brought back too many memories – both good and bad.
So instead, I stood a little away from the crowd at the bar while the girls got drinks; ignoring any attempts, made by both guys and girls, to start a conversation.
Nikki and Alyssa reappeared soon enough, glasses in hand, but Carla it seemed, had already deserted us in favour of friends of the male variety. I turned my back on the view of her alternately whispering in some random guy’s ear, and rubbing his arm while laughing flirtatiously.
I looked at Nikki and Alyssa expectantly and allowed them to lead me past the dancefloor, and outside. I passed many familiar faces from both college and work. It seemed this really was ‘the place to be’…though I still couldn’t see the attraction.

My mood deteriorated as the night progressed, a throbbing headache beginning in my temples. Though I did have quite a lot of fun with the girls on the dancefloor. There’s something to be said for just losing yourself in the music, just moving with the beat. I didn’t have to think or worry, and there wasn’t the added stress of men. I could just be. It was almost therapeutic.
We were taking a break, our feet aching, and had just managed to shoulder our way through the crowd outside, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and was captivated by a pair of blue eyes. I felt a sudden sense of déjà vu, but ignored it as I stepped forward to hug Ben.
“Hey” I said with a smile. A real one too, not the fake one that I seemed to paste on too often these days.
“Hello yourself, Darling” he replied with his usual cocky grin.
God, it seemed like so long since I last saw him on the street that day we’d run into Lee. In fact, it had been over a month ago.
He kept his arms tightly around my waist when I tried to pull away. He grinned at my expression – he hadn’t changed at all. “I’ll let you go for a kiss?” he bartered.
I shook my head with a slight smile; “no deal.”
He sighed but let go. I couldn’t help but wonder if there was much point; there were so many people that we ended up being pushed together anyway. I was glad I always felt relaxed around him or the situation could get very awkward.

“So, where is Nicholas this fine evening? I presume he’s here somewhere.”
I blanched slightly but tried to hide my reaction by averting my gaze and shrugging one shoulder.
“Trouble in paradise?” he murmured, having moved closer without me realising it.
I looked up, meeting his eyes. “I don’t want to talk about it” I told him firmly.
I thought I heard him whistle under his breath, but I couldn’t be entirely sure because of all the noise.
“There’s definitely a story there” he said, more to himself than me.
I didn’t get a chance to say anything because without warning, I was knocked flush against Ben. His arms immediately came up and around me, and I saw him glare at somebody over the top of my head. I turned to look, but whoever had bashed me had already melted into the crowd. There was a sudden flash of bright light that left me blinking. What the hell?
“Come on; let’s dance” Ben murmured, obviously not having noticed the light…that or he didn’t care. Taking my hand in his, he led me inside.
I belatedly remembered that I’d been with Nikki and Alyssa when I ran into Ben, but they were nowhere to be seen.
I let myself be led over to the dancefloor. “Keep it PG” I shouted over the music, but besides grinning widely, he didn’t reply.
Crap.

I actually had a really good time, though I had to stop Ben’s hands from wandering more often than I would have liked. However, he would just laugh it off every time and wink at me. Other than that though, we had ‘the bants’. That is, until out of nowhere, a copious amount of icy liquid was poured over my head.
I whipped around to see a figure with long hair disappearing into the tightly knit crowd. I’d happily bet money on who the culprit was. Before I could do something stupid like follow her, Ben gently turned me back around; concern in his eyes as he began trying to mop me up.
I felt tears sting my eyes and was instantly annoyed with myself. My new goal was to go a full day without crying.
“I can see if they have a cloth or something at the bar” he offered as he looked me over with anger in his eyes, as if I’d been hurt; not just humiliated.
We’d attracted more than a few curious stares. The incident had apparently appeared intentional to everyone who’d seen it happen – as I knew it had been.
I just shook my head; finally looking up. “I just want to go home” I said dully.
He nodded and led me swiftly towards the entrance. I was slightly amazed. I mean, when I tried to walk anywhere, I had to duck and dodge, and invariably got elbowed at some point. For Ben, the crowd just seemed to part before him. The advantages of height and muscle.

It took practically no time to get outside. I shivered in the chill wind, my clothes sticking to me uncomfortably.
Ben glanced at me apologetically, his warm hand engulfing my own. “I’m sorry; I don’t have a jacket to offer you.”
“It’s fine.” My teeth were beginning to chatter. I wished summer would hurry the hell up.
He hailed a taxi and I hurried over gratefully when the car came to a stop. I opened the door but hesitated before getting in; instead turning back to Ben. “Thanks” I told him.
He just shrugged, “it was nothing.”
“I mean for everything. For making me have a good time. For helping me to forget…even for a little while” I trailed off lamely and felt a blush rise in my cheeks.
Ben didn’t say anything, just stepped closer, scrutinising me curiously. I was glad he didn’t ask questions. I shouldn’t have said anything.
Without a word, he lowered his head and kissed me; his lips pressing lightly against my own. I gently but firmly pushed him away. “Ben” I said in warning.
As if a spell had been broken, he grinned happily. “Can’t blame a guy for trying, Darling.”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop the small smile that suddenly appeared on my face. Though the feel of him kissing me had been utterly wrong, I still really liked him; he was a good friend.
“Have lunch with me?” he asked impulsively.
I nodded slowly and was rewarded with a smile that would surely melt the heart of any girl. Just not mine. “Sweet, I’ll be in touch. Now, go home; you look freezing.”
I slipped into the taxi and he pushed the door closed behind me, saluting me cheekily. I smiled once as the car pulled away from the curb.

I gave the driver directions and sat back as he drove me home – well, to my temporary home anyway. Nikki had shown me where they kept the spare key so I wouldn’t have any trouble getting inside.
That reminded me…I pulled my phone from my soaking pocket; glad to see that it was still fully functional. Flipping the relatively dry phone open, I quickly texted Nikki to let her know where I was, so she wouldn’t worry.
I settled back into my seat, my eyes falling shut. I was glad the driver didn’t start talking; I wasn’t up for conversation right now.
I thought back to feel of Ben’s lips against mine. No, it still didn’t feel right.
Would I ever get over Nick?
A sigh escaped me with the thought. What more would he have to do, how many more times would he have to break my heart before I finally got the message and stopped wanting him?

The journey back to the girls’ apartment seemed to take no time at all; and for that, I was glad.
I read Nikki’s reply to my text as I fumbled for their spare key above the light over their door. It was hot to the touch. At least their building was relatively warm.
When I finally got inside and shut the door behind me, I switched on the lights. I sighed as I looked around the apartment. I wanted to see my own apartment, and sleep in my own bed. I wanted to go home. Unfortunately, that meant seeing Nick again.
Weighing up the pros and cons, I made my decision as I headed for the shower; tomorrow I would go home.

When I finally curled up in Alyssa’s bed – I still felt bad that she was going to have to sleep on the couch or with Nikki or Carla – I let out the tears that had been stinging my eyes for most of the night.