Other Side of the World

Nathan had a sudden urge to laugh sardonically as he tried to remember how on Earth he ended up in a bed with a girl he didn’t even know. Try as he might, he couldn’t make sense of what happened the night before. All he got out of thinking that morning was a gigantic headache. He slid off the bed quietly, trying to make his way out of the garbage-filled room but he accidentally slipped on an empty plastic cup in his daze. He stumbled forward, hugging the bed post. And that was when he realized that apart from the girl, there was someone else on the floor.

He blinked. Okay. Nothing good ever came out of being drunk.

“Oh, hello there,” the girl muttered, nearly giving Nathan a heart attack. Nathan, still hugging the bed post for his dear life, looked at the girl slowly. She was smiling sultrily. It was odd. It was as if she looked guilty at the same time. “I’m sorry for last night.”

His gaze went back to the jock he knew as Jamie McFinnegan who was passed out cold, sprawled on the floor. He looked as if he fell there in the middle of his slumber and couldn’t be bothered to get back up. And at that moment, Nathan decided that yes, he seriously wanted to know what the heck happened last night rather than drive himself insane of not knowing.

So he shot the blonde on the bed a look that prompted her to continue.

“Don’t you remember? We crept in while you were asleep. In the middle of banging on this bed, you…kind of woke up and kicked Jamie off of the bed before sleeping again.”

“So I didn’t sleep with you?” Nathan said, feeling a flood of relief washing over him. And a second wave of disgust as he realized what the couple did on the bed he slept in. Damn it, he needed to take a shower. And probably, burn the clothes he was in.

But not before he called Haley back.

He stopped in his tracks as an idea came to him.

Or maybe…
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

“So, how’s the boyfie?” asked Belle.

“Dead.”

Then realizing what she said, Haley immediately corrected herself and said, “I mean, figuratively you know. Okay, no. Dead is such a horrendous word. Let’s go with AWOL or MIA.”

Belle looked at her weirdly before shrugging. Haley linked arms with her as they walked towards the exit. Honestly, she couldn’t think of Nathan’s whereabouts. He could be dead as far as she knew, quite literally dead. She wouldn’t want to believe that. She tried wishing him a happy birthday, but he didn’t reply. And then about 5 days after that, she tried wishing him a happy graduation, but he didn’t reply. Honestly, she had no idea what to do. It was the start of September and honestly, with all the hectic moments because she was still trying to settle down in the new place, Nathan slowly slipped out of her mind.

“Do you reckon he’s got someone else by now?”

Haley gasped, appalled that Belle – the passive, normally optimistic Belle – could think of something that could shoot Haley down in one second. Realizing this, though, Belle hurriedly added, “I mean, I wouldn’t know. Long distance relationships seem tough. And you guys did admit your feelings just before your flight to Australia. I just…okay never mind I should shut up now.”

Haley’s shoulders drooped in defeat. She didn’t like to think that Nathan was cheating somehow. Or dead. But what other explanation…?

Then she remembered the days when they were hanging out. When they were talking or doing something and his phone rang, he just ignored it. Sometimes, Haley found out, he kept it on silent. The only times she saw him answering his phone was when Alex, his cousin, called. Other times, he would just ignore it. The first time Haley met him, he didn’t seem very friendly either. He was the complete opposite of easy-going and friendly when she first met him. So a phone to him was just a gadget he could live without. The guy didn’t even have Facebook.

But he always answered her calls before. Everything just didn’t make sense!

“So call me to confirm about tonight?” Belle said, smiling. Haley cringed at the word ‘call’.

Haley rubbed her forehead and nodded. To be honest, she wasn’t up for any sort of party. But Belle insisted she needed to know more people since there were already rumours about her being an uptight American who needed to “get that stick out of her ass.”

Great. Just darn great. All the worrying about someone over the other side of the world was making her cranky and ‘uptight’. Well, she didn’t want to worry anymore.

It had been a while since she attended any party. She was going to let loose that night and have fun.