Makeout Club
Part Two.
Her heart was beating like a frenetic boom box inside her chest. Breath stung her throat. Anxiety and panic was tightening around her windpipe. She couldn't breathe. She was falling. Faster and faster. And faster and faster. The ground was closer. The air was thinning. A hand to grasp. Couldn't reach.
"Ahh!" Shalisa screamed, and woke from her tremors. Sweat trickled down her brow, and she sat, up surveying the room around her.
"What, what?" Dru rushed in, holding a piece of toast in one hand and a coffee in the other, dressed in a loose fitting satin nightie. "What is it sweetie?"
"It was, nothing." she sighed.
"You have a visitor, by the way, he's been waiting in the lounge room for you."
"Who?"
"William."
"How long has he been here?" Shalisa's voice became hurried and frantic.
"Almost an hour."
"Why didn't you wake me?!"
"He told me not to."
"Oh."
"Come on, you, get dressed." But Shalisa didn't bother. She walked into the lounge room, where William was waiting, patiently, playing with loose thread on the worn out lounge.
"Morning." he smiled. Shalisa's insides churned. "Can we talk for a bit?" They hadn't talked for a while. Alix had made sure of it. His tone was serious - she didn't have time for serious.
"Not now, William, maybe later?"
"No I want to talk to you now. Lately you haven't spoken to me at all." his nose scrunched up in concern.
"Why don't you go talk to Alix."
"She's out with Pete."
"Fucking him in a public toilet somewhere, no doubt." Shalisa rolled her eyes.
"She isn't like that!"
"She's just as bad as Audrey and Jac were."
"You're jealous," he was becoming defensive.
"Of what? Her? Oh please, William don't insult your own intelligence."
"Well what is it then?" he grabbed her arm, "Why do you hate her so much? She makes me happy, Shal, why can't you be happy for me?"
"Because I want it to me me!" she half-wailed, "I want to be the one who makes you happy, Will, I want you to love me like that," she started to sob, his arms wrapping around her and pulling her close.
"I - I didn't know."
"Yes you did." He held her at arms length.
"If I had of known I wouldn't have let you go!" she shoved him away.
"I can't do this again, William," she choked, "How many times do I have to say it before it sinks in?"
"You left me! Do you not remember? You walked away."
"And you didn't follow," she turned her head to the side, smiling sadly, tears streaming down her face, mixing with sweat, and resting on her lips.
Dru walked in, still eating, looking slightly confused.
"Is everything okay?" she looked at Shalisa, then back at William.
"Sure. I was just leaving." he walked passed her, and kissed the top of her head softly, before walking out the front door, leaving her once again. She started to cry.
**
The question of who the father was was never raised. Shalisa just knew, and never asked questions. Gabe stopped coming around anymore. No one expected him too either. God knows how many other children he has - women that he's destroyed.
At night you could hear Dru's sobs shaking the walls. Her whispers of his name. This girl wasn't mentally fit to raise a child. She was having enough trouble raising herself. The affects and mood swings of the pregnancy were wreaking havoc with her Bipolar - one minute she'll be calm, collected, and you'll think, 'hey, this is going to be okay', and then she walks into the bathroom, opens the vanity, and begins to hack up her arms because she feels dirty.
"Dru I think we need to talk about this, baby thing."
"Whats there to talk about?"
"I think that," Shalisa took a deep breath, "I think that you should get rid of it."
Dru looked up at her from the table. They hadn't really had any sort of real conversation since William was over 3 days ago.
"What do you mean 'get rid of it'? I have a child growing inside of me!"
"A child that you won't be able to take care of!"
"I'm nearly 6 weeks gone! It has a heartbeat, and a pulse, and a nervous system, it can feel things, it's living!"
"It won't be living very long the way you're going, Dru! You still manage to drink a whole bottle of vodka to yourself! Just yesterday you made me go to the store to get you more cigarettes. You're killing yourself, Dru, as well as your child."
"I am not having an abortion."
"Yes you are."
"No, I'm not, and you can't make me."
"Well then stop being so reckless and start taking care of yourself better, Dru, Gabe isn't coming back, he doesn't care, he never will care."
"You're lying." her voice was bitter and remorseless.
"Why won't you just see it, Dru?!"
"I'm leaving. I don't have to be told what to do by a child," Shalisa whimpered.
"Please, just talk to me."
"No," she scooped up her car keys in her hand, and walked out of the room.
"Ahh!" Shalisa screamed, and woke from her tremors. Sweat trickled down her brow, and she sat, up surveying the room around her.
"What, what?" Dru rushed in, holding a piece of toast in one hand and a coffee in the other, dressed in a loose fitting satin nightie. "What is it sweetie?"
"It was, nothing." she sighed.
"You have a visitor, by the way, he's been waiting in the lounge room for you."
"Who?"
"William."
"How long has he been here?" Shalisa's voice became hurried and frantic.
"Almost an hour."
"Why didn't you wake me?!"
"He told me not to."
"Oh."
"Come on, you, get dressed." But Shalisa didn't bother. She walked into the lounge room, where William was waiting, patiently, playing with loose thread on the worn out lounge.
"Morning." he smiled. Shalisa's insides churned. "Can we talk for a bit?" They hadn't talked for a while. Alix had made sure of it. His tone was serious - she didn't have time for serious.
"Not now, William, maybe later?"
"No I want to talk to you now. Lately you haven't spoken to me at all." his nose scrunched up in concern.
"Why don't you go talk to Alix."
"She's out with Pete."
"Fucking him in a public toilet somewhere, no doubt." Shalisa rolled her eyes.
"She isn't like that!"
"She's just as bad as Audrey and Jac were."
"You're jealous," he was becoming defensive.
"Of what? Her? Oh please, William don't insult your own intelligence."
"Well what is it then?" he grabbed her arm, "Why do you hate her so much? She makes me happy, Shal, why can't you be happy for me?"
"Because I want it to me me!" she half-wailed, "I want to be the one who makes you happy, Will, I want you to love me like that," she started to sob, his arms wrapping around her and pulling her close.
"I - I didn't know."
"Yes you did." He held her at arms length.
"If I had of known I wouldn't have let you go!" she shoved him away.
"I can't do this again, William," she choked, "How many times do I have to say it before it sinks in?"
"You left me! Do you not remember? You walked away."
"And you didn't follow," she turned her head to the side, smiling sadly, tears streaming down her face, mixing with sweat, and resting on her lips.
Dru walked in, still eating, looking slightly confused.
"Is everything okay?" she looked at Shalisa, then back at William.
"Sure. I was just leaving." he walked passed her, and kissed the top of her head softly, before walking out the front door, leaving her once again. She started to cry.
**
The question of who the father was was never raised. Shalisa just knew, and never asked questions. Gabe stopped coming around anymore. No one expected him too either. God knows how many other children he has - women that he's destroyed.
At night you could hear Dru's sobs shaking the walls. Her whispers of his name. This girl wasn't mentally fit to raise a child. She was having enough trouble raising herself. The affects and mood swings of the pregnancy were wreaking havoc with her Bipolar - one minute she'll be calm, collected, and you'll think, 'hey, this is going to be okay', and then she walks into the bathroom, opens the vanity, and begins to hack up her arms because she feels dirty.
"Dru I think we need to talk about this, baby thing."
"Whats there to talk about?"
"I think that," Shalisa took a deep breath, "I think that you should get rid of it."
Dru looked up at her from the table. They hadn't really had any sort of real conversation since William was over 3 days ago.
"What do you mean 'get rid of it'? I have a child growing inside of me!"
"A child that you won't be able to take care of!"
"I'm nearly 6 weeks gone! It has a heartbeat, and a pulse, and a nervous system, it can feel things, it's living!"
"It won't be living very long the way you're going, Dru! You still manage to drink a whole bottle of vodka to yourself! Just yesterday you made me go to the store to get you more cigarettes. You're killing yourself, Dru, as well as your child."
"I am not having an abortion."
"Yes you are."
"No, I'm not, and you can't make me."
"Well then stop being so reckless and start taking care of yourself better, Dru, Gabe isn't coming back, he doesn't care, he never will care."
"You're lying." her voice was bitter and remorseless.
"Why won't you just see it, Dru?!"
"I'm leaving. I don't have to be told what to do by a child," Shalisa whimpered.
"Please, just talk to me."
"No," she scooped up her car keys in her hand, and walked out of the room.