About a Girl

After a few afternoons, I came into the apartment after walking aimlessly for hours. It was something I enjoyed almost as much as coffee which was saying a lot. I found the alone time refreshing. Being alone, and not worrying if someone was passing judgement, was a rare treat.

Setting my keys on the counter, I picked up the newspaper and began to read an article on the benefits of nuclear power when I heard strange banging noises. Feeling a little like Nancy Drew, I put the paper down and followed the sounds. It didn't take much sleuthing to figure out they were coming from Heidi’s room. I could hear her high-pitched giggling mixed in with a few enthusiastic moans.

I shook my head in disgust; there was other people living here she should do that somewhere else. And besides her actions made me angry though I couldn’t pin down exactly why.

Realization struck me and I sighed; Heidi had finally gotten Kurt in bed.

The noises got louder and I switched on the television, trying to compensate. It helped to drown them out, but did nothing to ease my mind. Almost an hour later, the bedroom door unlocked.

Heidi walked out hand in hand with some guy I had never seen before.

Heidi's prey was a young man in his early twenties. He looked like the polar opposite of Kurt. A shaved head shone under the living room light. The reflection helped accent the fact that part of his eyebrow was missing from an earlier shave. It was in the awkward, semi-grown stage now.

“What the hell?” I said loudly.

“Oh.” Heidi stopped in her tracks. She didn't even have the decency to be flustered. “Hey, Ally. This is Jay.”

Jay stood awkwardly and half-waved to me. "How's it going?"

I ignored him completely. “Sounds like you two had fun in there. It'd be a shame if one of you were cheating on another person."

Subtle, I was not.

“Jay, why don’t you wait outside for me?” Heidi suggested. “I’ll be out in a minute, baby. Girl talk.”

Jay turned, following instruction like a robot, and walked dopily out the door.

“Heidi, what are you doing?”

“Having fun.” She replied, hand on her hips. “I can’t wait around for some guy to make his mind up. Who the hell doesn't want to have sex when it's offered? Jay is just here for my… physical needs.”

“You’re cheating on Kurt.” I said, bluntly.

Heidi shrugged her shoulders, uncaring. “How is someone supposed to go without sex for that long? You would know, right?”

Ouch. Low blow.

“Just pretend like you have a broken leg or something.”

Heidi laughed humorously. “If I had a broken leg I would find a way, honey. Believe me.”

I shook my head, getting a sick feeling in my stomach. “That’s just so wrong. If Kurt finds out about this--.”

“But he won’t find out, right?” Heidi grinned at me. “It’ll just be our little secret. I’m going somewhere with Jay tonight and I really don't want to think about this bullshit.”

“Isn’t Kurt coming over?”

I remembered answering the phone earlier this week when Kurt had called. We had talked on the phone for over an hour before I put him on the line with Heidi. Just the thought of him getting hurt made me feel sick.

“Tell him I can’t make it. Just make something believable up.”

“What’s Kurt’s address?” I asked her, making a snap decision.

“Why? Just call him. It'll save you a lot of trouble.”

“I feel like walking. Is that a problem?”

Heidi had rarely seen me angry, and she looked taken aback by my bold words.

“No.” She answered, surprised. “Here.” She scribbled down an address on the back of a grocery receipt. “I’ll see you later tonight, maybe sometime the next morning depending upon how this goes. Remember… make up something believable for Kurt.”

She sauntered off to meet Jay in the hall, swinging her hips the entire way.

I couldn’t believe Heidi. Even for her this Jay bullshit was a new low. Destroying people was her favorite extracurricular activity. The emotional destruction was like her own high-powered addiction. A thrill she just couldn't shake.

Changing my thoughts, I glanced at the address and recognized the street name; I could get over to the road quickly on foot. Even though I was already tired from walking earlier, I really had to clear my mind. Grabbing my sketchpad, I simply left.

Stormy wind hit me and I shivered, making my way a little faster on the road.

Soon I turned down a little side street that was home to old, but very nicely kept houses. The one I was searching for came into view rather quickly, and I stopped in front of it.

It was, at the simplest, a white house. Looking closer, its paint was chipping a bit and needed a new coat. The trees surrounded the house had been calling it home for many decades, and stood looking grand. The house itself appeared very quaint from the outside.

Double-checking the address, I started for the front door.

After knocking twice, I heard someone coming to the door. The man who answered had long brown hair, flowing past the shoulders. It matched mine for length. His eyes were kind, and seemed alit with laughter, like he had just told a humerous joke. Placing him quickly, I recognized him as Dave.

“Hey. I'm here to see Kurt. Is he here?”

“Do you mind if I ask who are you?” Dave asked, a little suspiciously.

“Ally.” I replied.

Dave smiled with some recognition though I'd never spoken to him before. “Ah, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Opening the door wider, he let me into the home.

“Good things, I hope.”

“Kurt, get down here!” Dave yelled at the top of his lungs and then in a normal voice he added. “He’ll be down eventually.”

“Alright.” I replied, laughing a little.

For a moment, I studied the picture in the hallway. The swirls of colors were blended beautifully. Crafted together, several people seemed to be emerging from one central being. I smiled; Gustav Klimt's "The Maiden" had always been one of my favorite paintings, and seeing it hanging on the wall was like being greeted by an old friend.

“Just have a seat in here with us.” Dave said, after I stopped drooling over Klimt's work.

Walking into the adjoining room, I saw Krist sitting on the sofa, stretching out like a cat taking its afternoon nap

“And who’s this?” Krist asked, looking at me as if he was supposed to recognize the stranger walking into his home.

“Ally.” Dave answered.

They exchanged knowing glances, and I had the feeling I was missing something important. In light of recent events, my mind was too frazzled to be too worried about it.

“So you’re the one that’s taken our little Kurt’s fancy, eh?” Krist grinned.

“I think you’re talking about Heidi.” I corrected, taking a seat on the sofa too.

“Right, right.” Krist said and looked at Dave again, as if they were sharing some private joke with each other.

“What’s the yelling about?” Kurt spoke, entering the room. Hair tussled around his face like a bird's nest, he looked like he just woken up. His half-asleep eyes caught mine and widened a fraction, “Ally? What are you doing here?”

“I came to deliver a message from Heidi. I guess I should have called first instead of coming here, but I felt like getting out.”

“No, it’s fine. But if I knew you were coming I would have cleaned this place up.” He joked. “What did she want to tell me?”

“Can I see that?” Krist interrupted, taking my sketchbook out of my hands.

“Ah, yes. Kurt did mention you were an artist.” Dave said looking in Kurt's direction. “He mentioned some other things about you too…”

Kurt slapped Dave on the back of the head, before repeating, “What did she want to tell me?”

“She can’t see you tonight because,” I paused. 'Something believable', those words from Heidi rang in my head once more. “she’s out hunting.”

“Hunting?” Kurt asked in disbelief. “Like, furry woodland animals?”

“Must be. That’s just what she told me at least.”

Kurt laughed. “I would never have expected that from her, but then again she did always seem a little blood thirsty.”

I sighed; if only Kurt knew exactly how right he was.

“These are good.” Krist complimented me, as Dave and he paged through my sketchbook.

“Oh, look Kurt on stage. And Kurt sitting down… Kurt by a lake… I notice a pattern here.”

Kurt and I both turned a slight bright pink, but didn't comment.

After a few awkward moments, I broke the silence, “Well, I better get going.”

It was hard being around Kurt knowing he could get hurt by Heidi. I had come to his home with plans to tell him what his girlfriend was doing behind his back, but looking into his hopeful blue eyes, I couldn't.

It wasn't loyalty to Heidi which made me hesitate. It was thinking of Kurt having to deal with the bullshit she had brought into the equation. It wasn't fair to him. I also figured it wasn't fair for him not to know about Heidi cheating, but I couldn't bring myself to speak.

I choked back the words threatening to overflow and stood to leave.

“Right now?” Kurt asked, sounding a little disappointed. "You just came in the door. I was about to put a pot of coffee on if you're interested."

“That's hard to turn down, but I'll have to pass. I want to finish a painting at home I've been working on. Getting the right shading on it is going to be a bitch, so I have to get started now.” I lied.

Kurt motioned for me to follow him out of the room and away from Krist and Dave. He stood by the door, lingering in the path. “Do you want me to walk you home? It’s getting late already.”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

I could see Kurt was hurt by my words; he turned and looked away from me. “Oh, okay.”

“It’s just…” Grabbing his arm, I tried to explain what was happening without telling him about Heidi. “I don’t think I’ll be very fun right now; I’m in a bad mood.”

“Why?” Kurt asked, shifting the full attention of his eyes on me.

“It’s just this painting. It won’t turn out right… and I need it to. I don't know if this makes sense, but I have to get it just right.”

“Alright. I know you will. Just take some time. Maybe you just need a break from it, and to start fresh in the morning.”

“Thanks for the advice. I'll see if it helps. And I’ll talk to you later, Kurt. Thanks for the coffee offer too; it was tempting.”

Laughing, Kurt held the door open for me, “Bye, Ally.”

“See you later.” I paused a second, and turned, “Hey, tell Krist and Dave I said bye.”

Kurt chuckled. “Will do.”

Turning, I stumbled down the stony driveway and onto the road. I rubbed my bare arms with my hands; I had forgotten to bring a jacket in the chilly weather and just had on thin tank top.

Headlights as the only warning, a car drove by me and honked at a rapid speed. They yelled something I couldn’t understand out the window as they passed. “Assholes…” I muttered under my breath, feeling like I was a stature on display.

The dark car turned into a driveway and circled around so I would have to walk by it. Taking a breath, I prepared for an onslaught of wolf-whistles and name calling. To my surprise and fear, the three guys in the car exited holding beers in their hands. The group sat on the hood of the car.

As I passed by, all of them encircled me.

“Where you going, baby?” One guy with crooked teeth grinned evilly.

I ignored him and kept walking forward.

“Aw, you ain’t gonna talk to us? That's not very nice. We gotta teach you a lesson then."

"Leave me alone."

Gripping my arm, one man worked against my resistance to pull me toward the wood foliage. Leaning in close to me, I watched him scour my body with his gaze in the dim moonlight. His eyes were bloodshot, the red cracking like spiderwebs. The stench of alcohol hit me almost as soon as his frightening words did.

"C'mon, honey. We'll take real good care of you."