The Greatest Love Of All.

“That Nick wasn’t that much of a good kisser”

Elliott was talking to me but I wasn’t properly listening. Although I was managing to pretend I was. She came back late from Warped the day before and I was sleeping already when she entered the room, totally wasted. Apparently Nick helped her. It was nice of him, but anyway Elliott wasn’t really into him.

“I was drunk, duh! A lot of stuff happens when you’re drunk”

“I suppose so”

She gave me a weird, questioned, look.

“Annie, have you ever got drunk?”

I shook my head.

“Where did you live?! In some kind of straight edge community??”

I didn’t get why she was SO astonished. I was proud of my behavior. My parents grew me up in a safe and healthy family. Even Madison tried to get me drunk once with no results.

“I just don’t find any amusement in throwing up, you know”

“You don’t have to vomit every single time”

“Uh, you’re trying to tell me that you didn’t yesterday?”

She puffed and changed topic. I laughed a bit because I knew I was right. Elliott was a good girl, now that we were getting along a little more, but I still didn’t share her ideas of having fun.

“We should go out together sometimes”

“We did, yesterday”

“We didn’t. You were lucky that I saw you”

“Ah! I was the lucky one, deff. You are so full of yourself”

She laughed. I threw a pillow at her and we started fighting like children do. It was nice to have another girlfriend, over than Madison.

“So…Halvo gave you his number, huh?”

I nodded and let her see the piece of paper with the number on it. She smiled with a strange grin on her face. I knew what she was going to say but I interrupted her.

“DON’T SAY ANYTHING”

“Ohhh c’mon Annie! He clearly wanted to stay in touch with you!”

“No, he asked me to let him know when I’ll post the review of his band on my blog”

“It was a fucking excuse, don’t you understand!?”

“Whatever, Elliott. Now get off of me”

We stopped fighting and then we sat one in front of the other on my bed.

“Annie, can I ask you a question?” I nodded “have you ever…you know?”

“Of course I don’t know, if you don’t talk. What do you expect me, to read your mind?”

“I mean…have you ever…HAD SEX?” I shrugged my shoulder.
It was an evident sign of denial.

“Let me get this straight…” she started saying “you’re 21, you never had sex…you don’t get drunk and I bet you don’t do drugs. Have you ever had a boyfriend…or have you ever kissed someone!?”

“God, what are all these questions all of a sudden?”

“I’m just worried about you, my dear virgin friend”

“Listen” I stood up and started walking nervously back and forth in the room “I never had a boyfriend, I never kissed anyone, I’m a complete freak and I just care about music and my career, ok? Is that so bad?”

“Do I have to answer the question?”

“Elliott! C’mon!”

I became really nervous. What was wrong with living life that way? I was happy. No drama, no boys around, no broken heart, no problems… I was free.

“Annie, this is college, ok? We’re not in your little wonderland at home. Boys like girls, girls do what they want, boys do what they can…that kind of stuff. Have you ever watched Greek? They have fun. Cappie has fun. He’s with Casey. They love each other. They HAVE SEX. They have parties all the time. And they still study. So, why don’t you take that as an example and start LIVING?”

“I know what Greek is, thanks”

“awesome. I just want you to have fun! Sometimes I wonder if you like to be all alone”

“I don’t have a lot of friends back home”

“exactly. Here you can have a lot of friends. You can do whatever you want. I’m just trying to open your eyes, I don’t wanna force you doing something you don’t feel right but I doubt you like the way you live right now, no offence”

“No, go on, you’re just destroying my way of living saying it’s total shit, but thanks”

“I want to help you. College is a great experience. You can follow your dreams having fun too. You’re too determined. It’s not a bad thing, but a nice and gorgeous girl like you should go out and live her life at best”

I smiled. The things she said totally melt my heart, after all. I never tried to live in a different way because I thought I liked my life back home, but now that she made me think of… she’s kind of right. I have never been to a party…I have never been to my high school prom either. I always stayed home or with Madison, or at my dad’s shop. My life was a continue routine. I changed it by coming to college…but I didn’t change at all, actually. Elliott took Halvo’s number and my phone.

“Send him a text”

“What?”

“You heard me. Send him a freaking text. He wants to go out with you”

“What if I don’t want to?”

“What do you have to lose? Do it”

I sighed and started writing something on my phone. I had Elliott’s eyes on me. Halvo was a good and cute guy…but now was I was looking for. But Elliott didn’t give me a choice, so I guess I had to.

“Hey Eric, it’s Annie, the girl from Warped. I still have to write the review on the blog, but I have it on my Mac now. If you want I can e-mail it to you. Let me know! It was nice meeting you! Bye :) xxxx”

“Good girl” Elliott looked at her watch “God, it’s so late! I promised Nick to go out with him”

“I thought you didn’t like him”

“Do I have something better to do?”

“That’s mean!”

“I know. But as I said…girls do what they want” I guess she was right, after all “have fun, lonely!”.

She closed the door, leaving me alone again. I sat on the floor, with my back leaned on the bed’s right side. That line Elliott’s said wasn’t big news. I remembered then, that it was from a song I heard at Warped.

“Girls do what they want…boys do what they can! Of course!”

It was a song from The Maine. It was a song sang by John.
He was still in my thoughts, after all. In one way or another.