She's Killing Me

For the first time in quite a while, he was alone in the bed. Most people would enjoy the extra room. Usually, he would have, but not that night. He had the extra space, yet it was supposed to be filled.

His brow was creased in his sleep, his arms wrapped tightly around a pillow. The sheets were wrapped around him. A muscle in his leg tensed, and he jolted awake. He sat up quickly, his breathing a bit heavy. He looked around the dark room, sighing when he realized that she was still gone. His elbow on his knee, he pressed his hand against his forehead before running it through his hair with a yawn.

He laid back down and when he did, he caught a glimpse of his phone, lying face down on the end table. He thought about reaching for it and trying to call her again, but he had a gut feeling that she’d simply send him to voicemail. He shook his head to clear away the thoughts, pressing his face into the pillow.

He fell asleep again quickly, to his surprise. He had only been asleep for ten minutes when his phone began to ring like mad. He groaned, rolling towards his phone and reaching for it blindly. He looked at the bright, bright screen, squinting. He didn’t recognize the number, but it was local.

“Hello?” he grumbled into the phone, his voice scratchy.

“Kennedy, I fucking ran out of gas,” his girlfriend snapped on the other end of the line.

He jolted up in bed. “Em, where the fuck are you?” he demanded. His senses were heightened and his heart was racing.

“Did you not hear me? I ran out of fucking gas. My phone is dead and I’m at some shitty gas station off of I-19. I was able to make it to the gas station, it’s not like I had to walk,” she paused, cursing under her breath. “This is all your fault!”

“How the hell is this my fault, Em? You’re the one who started the fight, and you’re the one who ran off!”

“No, moron. You drove my car, and you didn’t put any gas in it!” she argued.

“I drove your car two fucking weeks ago, Em. Why the fuck should I have put gas in it?” he demanded. His temper was running wild then. His ears were hot with frustration and his jaw was locked.

“Because you drove it, Kennedy!” she yelled at him. He could hear her take a quick, angry breath.

“Well, why can’t you use your own money for gas? Are you that fucking dependent on me?” he snapped at her.

“I...I don’t have any cash on me. And I left my debit card at home.” She paused to lick her lips anxiously. “Are you going to come get me, or are you going to let me stay at this fucking gas station all night in the cold?”

Kennedy rolled his eyes. “Call your brother.”

“I already did. Cori’s not feeling very well, he needs to stay with her,” Em explained quietly. Kennedy could hear a hint of desperation in her voice, hidden well by the anger.

“Fine, fine. What exit is it?” he asked, throwing back the sheets. He got to his feet, yawning into the phone.

“Exit 23, I think. I don’t know. I’m at a Texaco station, about an hour and a half from home,” she told him, starting to sound irritated.

“Jesus Christ, Em,” Kennedy cursed under his breath, running hand through his hair. He searched for a shirt, pulling it on as quick as he could. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. J-just don’t get kidnapped. Lock yourself in your car or something.”

“I’d planned on it. I’m not stupid or anything,” he heard her grumble before he hung up.

He wanted to scream as he shoved his feet into his slippers. He reached for a sweatshirt and pulled it on, yawning again. Kennedy grabbed his wallet and his keys before heading for the kitchen. He pulled a bottle of water out of the refrigerator and took a long drink before leaving the apartment.

He didn’t realize that it was nearly 1 AM until he climbed into his car. He cursed as he turned the key in the ignition. He backed out of his parking spot, cracking a window and turning the radio up to keep him awake on the drive. He left the complex parking lot and turned onto the main street. He merged onto the highway and tried to think about what had even started their fight.

He honestly couldn’t even remember what they had fought about, only that it escalated rapidly. In the blink of an eye, they were screaming at each other, both red in the face. Em had thrown pillows at him in her fury, like she always did. She had yelled, “Fuck you!” before storming off. He simply stood there until he heard the front door slam. After that he strongly resisted the urge to punch the wall. Instead, he took a few drinks of Jack to calm his nerves before going back to the bedroom, pushing her pillows off the bed. He curled up and managed to fall asleep quickly.

It took him just over an hour to get to the gas station that Em had said she was at. He was relieved to see her car parked in front on the building. He parked beside her and didn’t even bother to get out of the car. She scowled at him from her car before opening the door. She slammed the door of her car shut and walked over to his, opening the back door and sliding into the back seat.

“Aren’t you going to put gas in your car?” he questioned, turning to look at her. She rolled her eyes.

“If I try to drive home now, I’ll fall asleep at the wheel. I’m exhausted,” she said. Irritated, she pinched the bridge of her nose, pressing her forehead against the cool glass of the window. “I already talked to Josh about it. He’s picking me up tomorrow and bringing me back here.”

“Oh,” Kennedy said quietly.

“Just drive,” she grumbled from the back seat.

He didn’t argue. He reversed out of the parking spot without another word.

Em fell asleep in the backseat quickly and Kennedy was very grateful. They made it home in an hour, past 3:00 AM. He took his seatbelt off, turning to wake her up.

“Em,” he said loudly. Her eyes snapped open and she sat up, looking disoriented. “Take my keys. Go on in, I’ll be there in a minute.” He handed his keys to her and she nodded.

Kennedy watched as she got out of the car and made a dash for apartment door, slamming the door shut once she was inside.

“Shit,” he said, rolling his eyes. He left the car quickly, approaching the door. He twisted the door handle, only to realize that it was locked. He slammed his fist against the door, yelling for her. “Em, open the goddamn door!”

There was no response. Still pounding on the door, he pulled out his phone. He called her, remembering that her phone was dead when it went to voicemail. By the time he gave up, he was pretty sure that his hand was bruised. His voice was hoarse from yelling.

Inside, Em was still leaning against the door. Her jaw was locked, her head pounding. She was exhausted, a dull pain throbbing behind her eyes. When Kennedy finally retreated back to his car, she sighed. Tears stung in her eyes and she was still furious.

She couldn’t even recall the logistics of their fight, just that it had all really pissed her off. She kicked off her shoes, padding towards the bedroom. Before she’d left, she had been ready to climb into bed in yoga pants and an old t-shirt. She didn’t change, only dropped her belongings on the dresser before dropping onto the bed. She put her cell phone on the charger, knowing her brother would be calling her in the morning.

She scowled at Kennedy’s side of the bed, pushing his pillows onto the floor. She sighed loudly, rolling onto her side and trying to relax. After a few minutes of laying there with her eyes closed, she flipped onto her other side with another sigh.

Eventually, she did fall asleep. She tossed and turned for the entire duration of her rest, which wasn’t long. She had several random dreams, which disappeared from her memory the second her eyes opened.

A handful of hours after she arrived home, her phone rang across the room. She groaned, her eyes sore from so little sleep. She nearly fell out of the bed and made her way towards her phone slowly. She pulled it off the charger and answered it.

“Jobe, I really thought by morning, you’d meant noon,” she said with a loud yawn into the phone.

“Sorry, sis,” he apologized with a chuckle. “Cori’s finally asleep, so now would be the best time to go. I’ll be there in forty-five minutes.”

“Sounds good. And bring food,” she instructed before hanging up.

Em quickly took a shower, pulling on a pair of basketball shorts and an t-shirt, not even caring about her appearance. She shoved a few things into a draw-string bag, planning on spending the rest of the day at her brother’s.

She sat in the living room, waiting for the honk of a horn, to signal that he brother had arrived. She grabbed her bag and shoved her wallet and her phone into her pocket. Her keys in hand, she locked the door behind her, locking the door behind her.

She passed Kennedy’s car to find him sprawled out in the back seat, still asleep. Angry thoughts filled Em’s mind and she tried to clear her head as she approached her brother’s car.

“You look exhausted,” Josh told her as she put her seat belt on. She gave him a reproachable look and rolled her eyes.

“Well, have you looked in the mirror lately, bro? You’re looking pretty sleep deprived yourself,” Em informed him, the fuse on her temper growing shorter.

“Hey now, I have an excuse. I was up for most of the night with my sick girlfriend. You, on the other hand, have anger management problems,” he retorted as he left the parking lot.

“Why was Cori sick?”

“Stomach bug or something, plus allergies. She’s been getting sick quite a bit lately.”

“She’s not, y’know, pregnant, is she?” Em asked cautiously.

“No!” Josh said quickly. “W-we’re c-careful.” A blush rose to his cheeks quickly.

“Aww, Joshy, you’re blushing,” Em teased with a wink.

“Shut up,” he grumbled, looking away. Em couldn’t help but laugh.

They made it to the gas station pretty quickly, since Josh was an extremely speedy driver. The conversation was light and irrelevant. Josh didn’t ask about the fight, but she knew he would eventually. He asked what the bag was for, and when she said that she planned on spending all day at his apartment, he rolled his eyes. He called Cori to make sure it was okay with her.

While Em put a nice amount of gas in her car, Josh got them both coffee from the gas station. He stood outside her car with her, handing her the cup, which she took a few drinks out of quickly.

“You planning on telling me why you were here last night in the first place, and why Kennedy slept in his car?” he asked as she spun the cap back on the gas tank.

“Nope,” she said, her lips popping the P. He scowled at her and she rolled her eyes. “Fine! We fought, I left, I ran out of gas, he came to get me, I locked him out of the apartment, and here we are.”

“You locked him out?” Josh questioned in disbelief.

“That’s what I said, isn’t it?”

“Damn, Em, that’s cold.”

“Just call me the ice queen,” she said under her breath before turning to face him. “Thanks, Jobe. I’ll see you back at your place?”

“Yeah, Cori asked me to stop and get her something to eat, now that she can keep things down, so you might make it there before I do.”

“With your driving, that’s not very likely.” Josh only shrugged with a laugh, before walking towards his own car.

Em sighed, sliding into the driver’s seat and turning the key in the ignition. She let the car run for a moment, leaning her forehead against the steering wheel. She finally put the car in Drive and pulled away from the pump.

She drove to Josh’s apartment slowly, going through things in her head. She realized that she, technically, had started the fight. She was the one who had the first word, and the last. She shook her head, flicking on her blinker to change lanes. She took her time getting back to Josh’s and he did in fact beat her there.

She parked rather far from the apartment and walked to the door slowly. She walked in and Cori and Josh were on the sofa. Cori waved enthusiastically before returning her attention to her yogurt and granola.

“Hey, Em,” Cori said after taking a bite. She was smiling, but looked exhausted. There were dark circles under her eyes and her hair was wet from a shower. She was leaning against Josh whose arms were wrapped around her.

“Hey, Cor. Feeling better?” Em asked, dropping her bag in an arm chair.

“Much,” she responded with a smile and a nod.

They spent the entire day watching movies on-demand and eating junk food. Cori dozed off a few times, and Josh held on to her. The way Cori and Josh interacted made Em’s heart ache, missing Kennedy.

She stayed until eleven, when Josh politely kicked her out so that he and Cori could get some sleep. She understood and let herself out. She walked to her car with a sigh, debating about going home or to her parent’s for the night. Sitting in the driver’s seat of her car, she gave in to the aching in her heart and headed home.

Kennedy’s car was parked where it had been where she left, yet Kennedy wasn’t in it. The front door was still locked and she frowned as she unlocked it with her own key. She pushed the door open, locking it behind her. She flipped on the light in the kitchen.

She was surprised to see a bouquet of daisies on the counter. She smiled and her heart melted. She clapped a hand over her mouth, noticing the jar of peanut butter beside the flowers, along with a corgi plushie. She dropped her bag onto the counter and walked into the living room.

Kennedy was asleep on the sofa, his arm draped over his eyes. As gently as she could, Em climbed onto the sofa. Kennedy grunted upon feeling her weight on him and wound his arms around her waist out of habit. His eyes finally fluttered open and he looked around disoriented.

“Fuck, I fell asleep,” he cursed with a sigh, dropping his head back down.

“You’re perfect,” Em blurted out, burying her face in his neck.

He laughed quietly, tightening his arms around her. “I take it you saw the flowers?” She nodded, clinging to him. “I hope the stuffed corgi is okay. I didn’t have the money on me to get you the real one, but we’ll go next weekend and pick it up.”

“What?” she yelped, sitting up quickly. “You got me a corgi?!”

“Well, not yet. Next weekend, I’m getting you a corgi,” he clarified with a knowing smile.

Em yelped again, throwing her arms around him. “I love you, you’re perfect, I love you.”

Kennedy laughed, sighing soon afterwards. “I missed you today.”

“I missed you too. Don’t even let me spend all day alone with Cori and Jobe. They’re just gross,” Em said with a scowl, leaning into Kennedy’s side.

“I think I can do that, as long as you don’t run off in the middle of the night again,” Kennedy agreed, looking down at her.

Em rolled her eyes dramatically. He rolled his eyes back at her and she placed her hand on the back of his neck. She pulled him down to her, kissing him for the first time in twenty-four hours.

“I love you,” he told her, his lips brushing over hers again. His hand was on her thigh, moving higher. She giggled quietly, kissing him again.

“Peanut butter time!” she said excitedly, standing from the sofa quickly, Kennedy’s lips tearing from hers.

She disappeared into the kitchen, still giggling. Kennedy pushed himself into a sitting postion and sighed in frustration. He leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling, knowing that Em would be the death of him.