These Days

“I didn’t do anything wrong! Neither did she! Our relationship was perfect.” Kris’s head was in his hands. Tyler was patting him awkwardly on the back. Tyler made a face across Kris’s head at Gonchar who shrugged.

“Kris, it’s impossible to have a perfect relationship.” Tyler said. Kris looked up at him and rolled his eyes.

“Ours was. Geno and Violet’s is.” Kris chugged the rest of his beer. Gonchar shook his head at Tyler.

“I don’t think Geno and Violet’s relationship is so perfect. Otherwise her crazy friend wouldn’t be running around giving Geno commands like he’s a dog.” Tyler scratched the back of his head. Kris ignored him.

“No more to drink.” Gonchar said to the bartender while pointing at Kris. “You should get him home.” Tyler nodded and he and Sergei attempted to lift Kris out of his seat. Kris resisted until Tyler let go of him and then he got up and walked to the door.

“Are you coming?” He shouted. Tyler said goodbye to Gonch over his shoulder and followed Kris out. They drove home in silence and Kris walked straight to his room and slammed the door. Tyler followed him. He knocked on the door.

“Kris, come out.”

“No. I need to go to bed.”

“Kris, you need to talk about this.”

“Our relationship was great! We can get back together I know it!”

“Kris, you’re in denial! Your relationship was dysfunctional and she’s moving on. You should too.” Kris’s door flew open.

“I’m going to bed. Good night. Stop talking to me. ” Kris slammed the door in Tyler’s face. Tyler sighed.

“Fine,” Tyler grunted. “You psycho French Canadian.” Kris muttered something in French in a reply and Tyler had a distinct feeling they were all bad words. Tyler shook his head and walked to the kitchen. He sat down at the table and went to get a water bottle. He wondered how things were going for Kayla at the bar.

Kayla was busy flirting and sticking her chest out for tips. She was texting Evan. She was planning a weekend to go back home to Montana and see if she could do something with Evan again. She was trying to get him to say yes to her staying with him. He was resisting, informing her time and time again that her family lived in Missoula as well. She thought that he was being flirty and wouldn’t mind having her stay.

But that’s what she thought. Evan minded. Evan minded a lot. Evan called his sister, Karen. “I saw Kayla when I was in Pittsburgh.”

“Kayla? Slutty Kalya? Ewy Kayla?” Karen asked. She was standing in front of a mirror getting dressed for a hockey bros and trophy-wife ho’s party. She was dressed in Sid’s jersey. “What is she doing in Pittsburgh?” She was going as a hockey bro.

“Apparently bar-tending, and sleeping with a Penguin,” He heard Karen gasp. “No, I don’t know which one so please do not ask. And on top of that, she wants to stay with me when she comes back to Missoula.”

“Ugh, screw her. Stay with you? Doesn’t like, her entire family still live in Zoola? I’m going to find out which Penguin she’s sleeping with. I’ll have Sid do some investigative work.”

“Well, that doesn’t really matter to me, but if it’ll please you go right ahead. When do you come home for spring break? Maybe I’ll tell the whore to come then so I can be like ‘Sorry can’t hang out with you…my sister is home’.”

“Ooh, like two weeks from now? AND YES DO THAT. I’m also bringing my best friend Brett home with me…and he’s never shot a gun before so we can go out to the country and teach him.”

“Kar, the entire state of Montana is ‘The Country.’” While Evan and Karen were whooping about how they would be able to take a newb out shooting Evan got another text from Kayla.

“Old whore, texting again.”

“Read it to me, brother-dear.”

“Sososo watcha up to now? Can I like call ya later?]/i]”

“Wow, isn’t she an eager beaver?” Karen asked as she grabbed a hockey stick from her closet, completing her look. “Next time I’m visiting Sid I’m totally going to that bar and pouring a vodka tonic on her head.”

“Not if I do it first.” Evan snorted. “I’m telling her that she can call but I won’t answer because I’ll be sleeping.”

“It’s only five in Montana.”

“She’s retarded, it’ll be fine.” Evan assured his sister.

“If you say so. Text me new developments.”

“Alright, love you Karen-dearest.”

“Love you Evan-dearest.” Evan hung up and stared at his phone. Kayla had replied that he should try and stay up to talk to her. He shook his head and turned the phone off sounds and vibrating and put it face down on his dresser and walked into his bathroom to take a shower. Once he finished he left his phone on the dresser and went out to have drinks with some old buddies.

Kayla tried calling him twice, to no avail. She sighed, he must be sleeping. She’d text him and tell him that she would call in the morning. She remembered his texts to her when they were dating and how he always gave, gave, gave to her in bed. Well, she would give, give, and give to him in bed if she could net him. She left the bar at three that morning.

She was positive that she would get him in her bed, with persistence. And it would be okay. She and Tyler weren’t serious about each other, and who says Tyler has to know? It’s not like she and Tyler share everything with each other anyway. They weren’t exclusive.

Not in the slightest.