‹ Prequel: These Days
More of These Days
These days I seem to think a lot
"Hey Brett, want to go on a run for me?" Karen asked, padding into his room in her bathrobe and brushing out her wet hair.
"You're 21, you can do it yourself, Karen." Brett grunted. He looked up from his computer only briefly before going back to typing.
"But I need to get ready! It's not everyday Delta Sigma Phi has The Mountain Goats come play a show."
"It's not like you're planning on seducing one of the Mountain Goats." Brett said. He stood up, stretched, and then walked out of his room, Karen following him as he passed her.
"Oh c'mon, Brett, it's just one bottle of tequila and I'm paying for it myself, I just need to get dressed."
"Tequila is always a bad night, Kar." Brett said. "Besides, what are you doing drinking to tequila? One way or another it will lead to body shots and then look who will be stuck with a guilty conscience about Sidney." Brett found a binder on the counter in the apartment kitchen and started walking back towards his bedroom. Once again Karen followed as he passed her.
"First of all tequila doesn't always lead to body shots. Second, Sidney won't talk to be, so it's not like I owe him anything. He's not even my boyfriend."
"Karen, relationship advice isn't really my thing. If you want to talk about Sidney it's not something you should talk to me about. Talk to Ellen or Hannah or someone. " Brett sat down at his desk and looked at Karen fully for the first time. "Did you come all the way here without shoes on?"
"I live down the hall, Brett."
"But it's an apartment building. Worse, one owned by the school. You're going to get staff infection, put shoes on." Brett made a face at her.
"Well someone is in a sour mood." Karen pouted. Brett looked up at her.
"I'll see you at Delta Sigma Phi later." Brett said shortly.
"Is that your way of telling me to leave? Because I really want to talk to you about Sidney-"
"Karrr," Brett whined, "I have an essay. You go get Ellen and you go on a run with her and get your tequila and then when we're both good and drunk I'll listen to you talk about Sidney. I can't do that when I'm sober, it makes me feel gay."
"Fine. I'll see you when we're drunk."
"See ya later, K." Brett called as Karen slunk out of his room.
Brett was a guy's guy. He wouldn't put up with Karen's nonsense. Unless he was drunk. He was the best friend in the world when he was drunk so Karen decided that she would buy Brett a bottle of the most expensive tequila so they could talk. It happened.
Three hours later and twenty minutes into the Mountain Goat's set later Brett was loose and juiced. He and Karen sat in the back of the living room of the frat on a heater, while on the opposite end of the room the band rocked out on the stage that had been set up.
Brett had one arm throw over Karen's shoulders and the other clutched a beer."Liquor before beer, you're in the clear," he said, before knocking back the beer.
"So about Sid," Karen started.
"Lay it on me," Brett said loudly over the music. A friend of his walked by and they "WOOO"ed at each other. Karen began after Brett finished laughing at his silly friend.
"He won't answer my calls," Karen said just softly enough that Brett didn't have to strain to hear her.
"He's a guy." Brett answered.
"No, Brettski, you don't understand. He's not just some guy," Karen moaned. "I really like him!" Brett peered at Karen who had thrown her head against the wall and was staring at him.
"Then maybe let him call you. If he's not taking your calls he has a reason. And if you're as special to him as he is to you he'll call. And if he doesn't then he isn't worth it." Karen, who wasn't expecting a heartfelt response from Brett gasped at his sensitivity.
"You really mean that?"
"Don't get used to it Kar, you've got me good and drunk." He squeezed her shoulder. " And just as he was leaning in to give her a reassuring kiss on the cheek Karen's roommate Molly Eskoff snapped a picture.
"C'mon guys, let's take some posed one!" She drunkenly giggled. Brett nudged Karen. She shot him a lopsided smile.
"Sure, why not?" And the two hopped off the radiator. Before the posed for their first goofy pic Brett nudged her again.
"He'll call."
"You're 21, you can do it yourself, Karen." Brett grunted. He looked up from his computer only briefly before going back to typing.
"But I need to get ready! It's not everyday Delta Sigma Phi has The Mountain Goats come play a show."
"It's not like you're planning on seducing one of the Mountain Goats." Brett said. He stood up, stretched, and then walked out of his room, Karen following him as he passed her.
"Oh c'mon, Brett, it's just one bottle of tequila and I'm paying for it myself, I just need to get dressed."
"Tequila is always a bad night, Kar." Brett said. "Besides, what are you doing drinking to tequila? One way or another it will lead to body shots and then look who will be stuck with a guilty conscience about Sidney." Brett found a binder on the counter in the apartment kitchen and started walking back towards his bedroom. Once again Karen followed as he passed her.
"First of all tequila doesn't always lead to body shots. Second, Sidney won't talk to be, so it's not like I owe him anything. He's not even my boyfriend."
"Karen, relationship advice isn't really my thing. If you want to talk about Sidney it's not something you should talk to me about. Talk to Ellen or Hannah or someone. " Brett sat down at his desk and looked at Karen fully for the first time. "Did you come all the way here without shoes on?"
"I live down the hall, Brett."
"But it's an apartment building. Worse, one owned by the school. You're going to get staff infection, put shoes on." Brett made a face at her.
"Well someone is in a sour mood." Karen pouted. Brett looked up at her.
"I'll see you at Delta Sigma Phi later." Brett said shortly.
"Is that your way of telling me to leave? Because I really want to talk to you about Sidney-"
"Karrr," Brett whined, "I have an essay. You go get Ellen and you go on a run with her and get your tequila and then when we're both good and drunk I'll listen to you talk about Sidney. I can't do that when I'm sober, it makes me feel gay."
"Fine. I'll see you when we're drunk."
"See ya later, K." Brett called as Karen slunk out of his room.
Brett was a guy's guy. He wouldn't put up with Karen's nonsense. Unless he was drunk. He was the best friend in the world when he was drunk so Karen decided that she would buy Brett a bottle of the most expensive tequila so they could talk. It happened.
Three hours later and twenty minutes into the Mountain Goat's set later Brett was loose and juiced. He and Karen sat in the back of the living room of the frat on a heater, while on the opposite end of the room the band rocked out on the stage that had been set up.
Brett had one arm throw over Karen's shoulders and the other clutched a beer."Liquor before beer, you're in the clear," he said, before knocking back the beer.
"So about Sid," Karen started.
"Lay it on me," Brett said loudly over the music. A friend of his walked by and they "WOOO"ed at each other. Karen began after Brett finished laughing at his silly friend.
"He won't answer my calls," Karen said just softly enough that Brett didn't have to strain to hear her.
"He's a guy." Brett answered.
"No, Brettski, you don't understand. He's not just some guy," Karen moaned. "I really like him!" Brett peered at Karen who had thrown her head against the wall and was staring at him.
"Then maybe let him call you. If he's not taking your calls he has a reason. And if you're as special to him as he is to you he'll call. And if he doesn't then he isn't worth it." Karen, who wasn't expecting a heartfelt response from Brett gasped at his sensitivity.
"You really mean that?"
"Don't get used to it Kar, you've got me good and drunk." He squeezed her shoulder. " And just as he was leaning in to give her a reassuring kiss on the cheek Karen's roommate Molly Eskoff snapped a picture.
"C'mon guys, let's take some posed one!" She drunkenly giggled. Brett nudged Karen. She shot him a lopsided smile.
"Sure, why not?" And the two hopped off the radiator. Before the posed for their first goofy pic Brett nudged her again.
"He'll call."