Cheaters Never Prosper

Breakfast was interesting. It turned out that Mariza and her family had moved from, well they’d moved a lot, but most recently from New Zealand. Her father did some sort of engineering thing which caused the family to travel a lot. What I found most interesting was she could speak three different languages and was studying her fourth. In a way, her accomplishments made me feel like I should have gone to college, for more than one semester anyways. We’d ended up at iHop where Tabby and Luke had ordered chocolate, chocolate chip pancakes, which I was certain my mom would kill me for later. Mariza ordered fruit topped pancakes and I found myself drawn to cinnamon swirl pancakes. As we waited for our food Luke and Tabby entertained themselves by drawing on the children’s menus.

“So, are you going to college here?”

“Yea I’m hoping to get my degree in interpreting and be of use to society. I’d rather be on the road though traveling. I guess kind of like what you do, only I don’t want to perform. Major stage fright, it’s bad.”

“It can’t be that bad,” I said.

She shook her head, “the last time I was in a play or on stage in general, the front row was where I landed,” she said with a shrug.

“You feinted into the crowd?”

“Not just feinted, she like dove into that front row. It was crazy, dad has it on camera!” Luke said quickly. She turned and snapped her finger at him before blushing.

“No career in performing arts then,” I said. “Are you the oldest?”

“Middle child, Travis is older by like a year if that and then Luke, he’s eight. I’m the only girl, so I suppose that makes me the oldest girl,” she said with a shrug. Her face was still red with her blush and she turned her head away to try and hide it. “What about you?”

“Oldest. I think they meant to stop and then Tabby happened. It’s not that we don’t love her. It’s just I’m pretty sure she was an accident.”

“I heard that!”

“Hey, stop drawing your food’s here,” I said as the waitress showed up with plates piled high with delicious looking food. I couldn’t say my mouth didn’t start watering as soon as I saw it.

“Oh my gracious I love pancakes so much I’m dying now!”

I got a chuckle out of what Mariza said. She pulled her plate towards her as soon as it was set down. It was nice to see a girl that actually had a healthy appetite. It was something that never got old. I hated seeing girls that were too freaked out about their weight to eat foods they might actually be in love with just because they would “gain weight” or something like that. It was crazy and messed up. Really none of it made sense.

“Hungry?”

“Sorry, I have this inability to let food sit in front of me without eating it. I swear when my metabolism quits of my I’m going to be so fat and ugly.”

“I doubt that, you won’t ever look ugly,” I told her. She looked up her face as red as ever. “You blush an awful lot don’t you?”

“It usually only happens when I’m really embarrassed, but thank you. That means a lot to me. I haven’t always been what people consider beautiful. You might say I was the ugly duckling. Some people just bloom slowly I suppose. Not everyone can grow up beautiful. Anyway, I just get a little self conscious about myself now.”

“You shouldn’t be.” I said. She bit her lip and nodded shrugging a little before going back to her pancakes. With a sigh she looked back up at me curiosity in her eyes.

“Does it bother you? Being on the road so much?”

“Not so much being on the road as it does that I can’t be here for my sister if she needs me. I don’t like that I miss all my friends and my girlfriend. I guess being on the road is the fun part, it’s the missing out on life part I’m not a huge fan of.”

“That girl you were with yesterday, that’s your girlfriend isn’t she?”

I took a bite of my food nodding instead of saying anything. Marley really didn’t need a statement, what you saw was pretty much about what she was. Well, what I saw anyways. I made it my duty to not let everyone see her as, what I called, a misguided lover.

“She’s…nice,” she said hesitantly. I nodded letting the conversation fall to the side. The clink of the silverware was about the most we talked after that awkwardness. Once we were done I was just ready to get out of there. I couldn’t put a finger on it but I just felt out of place or something.

“Jay your phone is ringing,” Tabby said bringing me back to earth. Looking at the number I recognized my best friend, John’s, number ringing across the screen.

“Sup man what’s going on?”

“Not much, just up in Mesa visiting my cousins. I don’t mean to like alarm you or anything dude but there’s this chick flirting her ass off up here, and she looks just like Marley.”

I rested my forehead against my hand thinking of what to say. He was silent for a while as if he knew I wanted to find a way to explain it. Mariza looked across the table waiting for me to make a move. With a sigh I went on with the conversation.

“Don’t worry about it John,” was all I could really come up with.

“Jared, it’s not…that fucking bitch. Why didn’t…”

I hung up before he could really say anything else. If I wanted to have a lecture on dealing with a cheating girl I could get that from myself every time Marley came to me begging for forgiveness. Grabbing the ticket I walked towards the cashier and paying. As emotionally mixed as I was I wasn’t about to make them pay for their food. It was, as I said before, my treat. Loading everyone back up I started the not so long drive back home.

“Thanks for breakfast Jared.”

I shook my head, “any time. Really, it was fun. I hope I get to see you around.” I said pulling into my driveway. She smiled getting out and collecting her brother. Tabby begged to go to his house and truthfully I only let her because I really just wanted to be alone. Turning to head to my house I knew that wasn’t a possibility anymore. My hand rubbed the back of my neck when I saw Garrett, Pat, and Kennedy waiting patiently by my door. Oh how interesting things would turn. “What, no John?”

“He’s on his way,” Garrett called out. “Man, what…”

“Don’t even fucking start Garrett, I really don’t feel like dealing with fucking lectures today alright? Just leave me the fuck alone!” I said still standing at the end of the drive looking from them to up the street making sure Tabby wasn’t on her way back or anything. I didn’t need her showing up for a profanity ridden conversation. The silence that followed was seemingly golden. With a sigh I started towards the door, the heat wouldn’t do any tempers a favor. “Come in, I mean it’s not like you won’t anyway,” I said leaving it open for them to follow. Maybe in the cool of the house things would make sense and I could focus on excuses, or make some up.