You Kill from the Inside

James was in a simple predicament.

He was lonely. Sure, he had his friends, with whom he could watch sporting events and play video games.

But he wasn't lonely in that sense. He needed a girlfriend, and he wasn't the only one who thought as such.

His parents had been bugging him ("James, we want grandchildren!") and his friends and teammates had been making rather inappropriate comments about his current relationship status.

Frankly, it all had been rather annoying to the young forward; these events were the catalysts that made him want to get a special lady friend.

For weeks, he didn't really do anything to find himself a companion, but rather he thought about his ideal mate, which turned out to be either Charlize Theron or Scarlett Johansson. Of course, this was unlikely to happen, so he moved on to find some more attainable people.

His teammate Jeff Carter was notorious for "hooking up" with the ladies, so he went to him for some help. Unfortunately, all he offered was tips on how to get a one-night stand (because that's just how he was) so his aid was utter and complete crap. This failed attempt made him turn away from the rest of his teammates for help, and decided to delve into his relationship troubles on his own.

After weeks upon weeks of parties, online dating and even bouts of speed dating, James was at a dead end. Either he was too picky, or the females he found were too unattractive. Most of his friends, when told about it, thought the former. This opinion annoyed him to no end and somehow made him feel even lonelier.

It took him awhile to accept the fact that he failed. He tried more online dating websites over the next couple of days, until finally, he found someone.

Her name was Lauren. She lived pretty close to Philadelphia; more precisely, central New Jersey. They met up at a movie theatre halfway in between their homes for their first date. James overdressed and had an aura of overconfidence that was a bit overbearing for the woman. However, they successfully set a second date, and numerous dates after that. Three months later, James could call Lauren his girlfriend.

They lasted for another ten months after that. James didn't know what had happened to his relationship with Lauren. He always made sure to come home right after their games, and called her and said good night when he had away games. He was being what he thought constituted "the perfect boyfriend". But something happened to Lauren, and she became almost unbearable to live with.

For whatever reason, her personality dramatically changed for the worst. She became overly defensive when she didn't need to be, she was snarky, and was always angry about something. James could barely tolerate these traits, but he loved her, so he never said anything. With gritted teeth, he remained in a relationship with the temperamental woman.

Eventually he broke up with her. She became unbearable with her constant whining and her clinginess. James said she needed to work on those aspects of her character.

With a simple shrug of her shoulders, she told him that she couldn't be sorry for who she is, and walked out of his life for good.

James thought that, after his relationship with Lauren, he'd need a break from the female population. It was easy enough; he just forgot how to love.