Crystal Ball
Past
“Do you want anything else to drink?” I asked Vanessa.
“No, I think I’m actually going to head home. This party is boring,” she complained.
“Do you want me to drive you home, babe?”
“Alex, you can’t drive. I’ll walk.”
“Are you sure?” She kissed the corner of my mouth as she shook her head, a laugh falling from her lips. “I’ll see you later, then.”
When she had left, I made another trip to the kitchen, refilling my plastic cup. Vanessa had been right; this party was a bust. Other than the decent selection of alcohol, there was nothing to keep us entertained.
Roaming the semi-familiar house, I tallied the remaining partygoers. Rian was sitting on the couch talking to Sarah Miller—a freshman that he had had his eye on. A couple was making out on the lazy boy in the corner, the girl straddling the guy’s lap. Two guys were passed out against the back door, drinks still in their hands. And another couple was making out on the back porch.
I hadn’t found Emma, though I knew she had not left. And now that I thought about it, I had not seen Jack since we arrived together. Suspicious, I took a walk into the first room off the living room, trying to see where either of them had wandered.
Opening the door to what looked like a bedroom, I found it empty. Still curious, I opened the next door, finding a girl hunched over a toilet, her head resting on the bowl. Closing the door quickly, I moved farther down the hall. The last door was another bedroom, though this one wasn’t empty.
I instantly recognized the brown curls falling down the girl’s back as she lay atop someone on the bed. “Emma?” I questioned. She jumped, revealing her unbuttoned top and a bare-chested Jack. “Emma!” I yelled, a little too-loudly.
“Alex?” she squeaked, rolling off a flabbergasted Jack. I folded my arms across my chest as I stared at the scene before me. My eyebrows felt as if they were touching my forehead as I stood, too stunned to move.
“It’s not what you think,” Jack rushed out, now moving to find his shirt.
“No, it is exactly what I think. Isn’t it Emma?” I asked, only looking at her. She bit her lip, not meeting my eyes as she rebuttoned her blouse.
“What do you mean? What’s going on?” a confused Jack asked as he looked between Emma and me.
“Nothing, Jack. Just get out.” He did not hesitate, practically running out of the room. Emma sighed once we were alone. “What were you thinking, Ems? Hooking up with Jack, at a party. Does he even know that you’re a virgin?” I knew my voice was harsh and a bit too loud than the situation called for, but I couldn’t seem to contain it.
“Alex, calm down.” I shook my head back and forth, unable to look directly at her. If I were honest with myself, I would admit that it was not because I was mad at her. It was because I was jealous. I was jealous that she had been about to sleep with Jack—our shared best friend.
“I’ve got to go,” I mumbled, leaving Emma in that bedroom as I made a beeline for the front door. I had just opened my car door when Emma had caught up with me.
“Alex, wait!” She was frantic as she tried to turn me around. “Alex, come on.” I shrugged her hand off my shoulder as I slid into the car. As I fumbled with my keys, she rounded the front of the car and got in the passenger seat. “You’re my ride, you know? You weren’t going to just leave me, were you?” Again, I shrugged, not trusting my voice to answer for me. “Come on, Alex. Talk to me.” She sighed as she slumped in the seat.
“What do you want me to say?” I asked, my voice once again too loud in the too small space. “Do you want me to tell you how stupid that would have been? Do you want me to tell you how stupid hooking up with Jack—your best friend, Jack—would have been? Or do you want me to tell you—”
“Will you please just shut up?” Emma exploded. I stared at her, stunned. “Yes, I know it could have been stupid,” she confessed, her voice cutting. “And yes, it was probably a mistake. But what did you expect me to do, Alex. You refuse to make up your mind and my only other option is to give up and just sleep with Steve already. So, sorry I thought that sleeping with Jack, even if we were both drunk, was an okay idea.”
We were both quiet, the silence deafening in the aftermath of our raised voices. I gave in first. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m sorry I drove you to think that Jack was your only option. You know,” I said, looking at Emma thoughtfully. “Just because I haven’t told you that I would, doesn’t mean I haven’t made up my mind. And if I haven’t made up my mind, it doesn’t mean I wont say yes eventually.”
“I’m not going to wait for you forever, you know.”
“I know. Just…can you at least tell me next time you make a decision like this?” I asked, motioning to the house in front of us. “Or if you decide to skip all the pretenses and fuck Steve after all.”
“Alex,” she scolded, most likely at my language.
“Please?” I asked, my voice desperate as I ignored her.
She smiled sadly. “Yes, I’ll tell you. As long as you tell me as soon as you make up your mind.”
“Deal.”
“No, I think I’m actually going to head home. This party is boring,” she complained.
“Do you want me to drive you home, babe?”
“Alex, you can’t drive. I’ll walk.”
“Are you sure?” She kissed the corner of my mouth as she shook her head, a laugh falling from her lips. “I’ll see you later, then.”
When she had left, I made another trip to the kitchen, refilling my plastic cup. Vanessa had been right; this party was a bust. Other than the decent selection of alcohol, there was nothing to keep us entertained.
Roaming the semi-familiar house, I tallied the remaining partygoers. Rian was sitting on the couch talking to Sarah Miller—a freshman that he had had his eye on. A couple was making out on the lazy boy in the corner, the girl straddling the guy’s lap. Two guys were passed out against the back door, drinks still in their hands. And another couple was making out on the back porch.
I hadn’t found Emma, though I knew she had not left. And now that I thought about it, I had not seen Jack since we arrived together. Suspicious, I took a walk into the first room off the living room, trying to see where either of them had wandered.
Opening the door to what looked like a bedroom, I found it empty. Still curious, I opened the next door, finding a girl hunched over a toilet, her head resting on the bowl. Closing the door quickly, I moved farther down the hall. The last door was another bedroom, though this one wasn’t empty.
I instantly recognized the brown curls falling down the girl’s back as she lay atop someone on the bed. “Emma?” I questioned. She jumped, revealing her unbuttoned top and a bare-chested Jack. “Emma!” I yelled, a little too-loudly.
“Alex?” she squeaked, rolling off a flabbergasted Jack. I folded my arms across my chest as I stared at the scene before me. My eyebrows felt as if they were touching my forehead as I stood, too stunned to move.
“It’s not what you think,” Jack rushed out, now moving to find his shirt.
“No, it is exactly what I think. Isn’t it Emma?” I asked, only looking at her. She bit her lip, not meeting my eyes as she rebuttoned her blouse.
“What do you mean? What’s going on?” a confused Jack asked as he looked between Emma and me.
“Nothing, Jack. Just get out.” He did not hesitate, practically running out of the room. Emma sighed once we were alone. “What were you thinking, Ems? Hooking up with Jack, at a party. Does he even know that you’re a virgin?” I knew my voice was harsh and a bit too loud than the situation called for, but I couldn’t seem to contain it.
“Alex, calm down.” I shook my head back and forth, unable to look directly at her. If I were honest with myself, I would admit that it was not because I was mad at her. It was because I was jealous. I was jealous that she had been about to sleep with Jack—our shared best friend.
“I’ve got to go,” I mumbled, leaving Emma in that bedroom as I made a beeline for the front door. I had just opened my car door when Emma had caught up with me.
“Alex, wait!” She was frantic as she tried to turn me around. “Alex, come on.” I shrugged her hand off my shoulder as I slid into the car. As I fumbled with my keys, she rounded the front of the car and got in the passenger seat. “You’re my ride, you know? You weren’t going to just leave me, were you?” Again, I shrugged, not trusting my voice to answer for me. “Come on, Alex. Talk to me.” She sighed as she slumped in the seat.
“What do you want me to say?” I asked, my voice once again too loud in the too small space. “Do you want me to tell you how stupid that would have been? Do you want me to tell you how stupid hooking up with Jack—your best friend, Jack—would have been? Or do you want me to tell you—”
“Will you please just shut up?” Emma exploded. I stared at her, stunned. “Yes, I know it could have been stupid,” she confessed, her voice cutting. “And yes, it was probably a mistake. But what did you expect me to do, Alex. You refuse to make up your mind and my only other option is to give up and just sleep with Steve already. So, sorry I thought that sleeping with Jack, even if we were both drunk, was an okay idea.”
We were both quiet, the silence deafening in the aftermath of our raised voices. I gave in first. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m sorry I drove you to think that Jack was your only option. You know,” I said, looking at Emma thoughtfully. “Just because I haven’t told you that I would, doesn’t mean I haven’t made up my mind. And if I haven’t made up my mind, it doesn’t mean I wont say yes eventually.”
“I’m not going to wait for you forever, you know.”
“I know. Just…can you at least tell me next time you make a decision like this?” I asked, motioning to the house in front of us. “Or if you decide to skip all the pretenses and fuck Steve after all.”
“Alex,” she scolded, most likely at my language.
“Please?” I asked, my voice desperate as I ignored her.
She smiled sadly. “Yes, I’ll tell you. As long as you tell me as soon as you make up your mind.”
“Deal.”
♠ ♠ ♠
Reposted.