Diamonds and Why Men Buy Them

“I don’t think she’s good for you,” Vic states with a frown.

“But I love her,” I say using probably the lamest comeback ever.

“She could do like voodoo and shit on you,” Tony injects as he throws a couch pillow at Mike’s head.

Mike, who was busy having a stare down with a little plastic hairy cat we all called ‘Sheepcat’, looks up annoyed at Tony, “What?”

Tony laughs in victory as he shouts, “You lost.”

Mike rolls his eyes. “I don’t see the problem. He says he likes her. She sounds cool. I mean she’s like fucking Harry Potter!” Mike shouts the last part excitedly.

“Thank you,” I say in a finally-someone-agrees-with-me tone.

My phone goes off signaling the end of our conversation. It’s Angel. A smile spreads across my lips as I hit the green button.

“Angel,” I say receiving an annoyed look from Vic and Tony and a rather high one from Mike.

“Can you meet me outside? I, uh, need to talk to you.”

“Sure,” I say as I stand and rush to the door so the peanut gallery has no room for comments once the call ends.

As soon as Angel arrives and meets me on my driveway she looks disgusted. Oh no, here we go again. I watch her carefully as her face phases through many different emotions before settling on upset. Her face is pinched up and red like she’s about to cry.

“What’s wrong?” I ask reaching out to wrap my arms around her but she swats me away.

“I can’t do this anymore. I’m in so much trouble if they find out. I’ve already done too much damage so I can’t undo this. No. No. No!” She shouts her last word.

“Angel, explain this to me.”

She pauses, staring at me with so much hatred. “Don’t say my name like that,” She growls then shakes her head while sniffling, “I broke it. I broke the one code I live by. ‘An it harm none, do what ye will.’ I hurt you Jaime. I did something very bad. I did it with out your consent.”

“Did what? Angel, speak to me. Come on fill me in here.”

Angel composes herself, taking a few deep breaths and closes her eyes. Her face looks so gentle as she calms herself. Maybe I was wrong about Angel being my medication, she’s more my disease.

“Jaime, what happened the first night?”

I think back to Soma, everything replaying in my mind. “We watched the lunar eclipse then you took me to that cabin and you disappeared.”

She opens her eyes, looking very normal except the tiniest bit annoyed. “Before that.”

“You walked towards me.”

“What did I say?” She presses.

“I—I don’t know. What did you say?” I snap. Instantly I regret snapping at her like that but she doesn’t seem the least bit phased by it.

“I said a spell in Latin. Remember now?” I nod as she continues, leaving me no room for a real response. “It was a love spell. I did it without at least asking you. You were the one that was supposed to ask me to do it but I did it for selfish reasons and by not asking you I hurt you therefore breaking the one code I live by.”

I try to take this all in but it doesn’t stick. “What now?” I ask.

“What do you think?”

“I don’t know. You sound like you’re disgusted just being around me, like this was all a mistake, like we were the mistake.”

“We’re better off that way,” she says.

I stand there shell-shocked. So this is it? This is the remedy? This so called remedy is worse than the disease. What if I still wanted her? Then I wouldn’t be hurt. But this? This is hurting me. Is this what it’s like? Losing? I don’t voice any of my argument afraid of it being too overly dramatic.

In my pause Angel takes the time to turn her back to me and disappear down the street.

I turn, heading back into the house. Vic, Tony and Mike are all piled by the front window when I walk in. They pretend to be holding a casual conversation like they were not just watching my confrontation with Angel.

“Okay say it,” I say over their conversation.

“Say what?” They all look confused or at least pretend to be.

“I told you so.”

“I’d never say something like that,” Vic says as he walks over to me and puts his hand on my shoulder.

“I’ve got an idea!” Mike states as his hand raises though the air. “I will give you a hint it rhymes with risky.”

Everyone smiles and agrees before heading off to find my alcohol stash. After a few bottles I was feeling much better and was drunkenly singing Michael Jackson with Mike and forgetting everything that happened before my drink.