Midnight

Inside, the party was still in full swing. Couples were attached at the mouth, lining the hallways and covering the couches, and still more people were dancing. The thick odor of marijuana and booze floated through the air, carried on the breath of the burnouts and the drinkers as they paraded through the halls of the apartment. Music pounded out of the speakers on the far side of the living room, shaking the glass in the windows. I forced my way through the throngs of people easily; Marcus hung on the back of my shirt.

“Hey, have you seen Adam?” I asked someone. The guy smirked before pointing towards the far hallway with a fat finger.

“Down that hallway, the last door on the left. I’d wait a few minutes, though.” He winked at me with a bloodshot eye before disappearing into the crowd again. I took a deep breath before reaching back to take Benjamin’s hand in mine and advancing through the crowd.

“Are you really sure you want to walk in there right this second?” Ben asked as we turned down the hall, the thumping music shaking the floor; my chest pounded with anticipation and anger.

“No. But I’m going to do it anyways in the hopes that I will make it a breakup that he will always remember.” I replied, edging past a puddle of puke. The pungent odor of bile and alcohol invaded my nose; I pulled the collar of my shirt up and took shallow breaths. Benjamin squeezed my hand just before we reached the door to Adam’s bedroom.

“What can I do to help?” He asked in an almost desperate tone.

“Just make sure I don’t do anything too stupid, okay?”

“What’s too stupid? Like, punching him in the nuts, or trying to rip his dick off?”

“More the second option, though I’d like to do that, too, I guess.” I paused for a moment, trying to detect anything from the other side of the door. I couldn’t hear anything over all the partying going on down the hall.

Before I could change my mind, I lunged for the doorknob and turned, unsurprised when it turned in my hand. The door was propelled backwards and collided with the hall, leaving a large dent in the wall. The two figures on the bed jumped, coming apart. Dan fell back and threw a corner of a blanket over himself before squinting towards Benjamin and me. Ben wrapped a reassuring arm around my stomach.

“What the fuck, man? There’s another room next door.” Adam’s voice was slurred with intoxication; the room reeked of weed and an almost empty bottle of whiskey sat on the bedside table next to a small stack of open packages of condoms. I felt my stomach flip and Ben’s hand tightened around my waist.

Slowly, I removed the comforting hand from around me and ventured further into the room, making a beeline for Adam’s exposed physique. He leaned forward, still trying to decipher who I was.

“Wait... Shit, Les.”

“Adam, you deserve so much more than this, but I’m going to let you off easy because you’re fucked right now.” Without really thinking, I balled up my fist and swung, landing a clean blow to the center of his face. Blood spurted out from underneath my clenched fingers and began to run in two dark rivers down the front of his face and chest. A muffled scream came from the pillow; I turned slightly to face Marissa, raising my voice to be heard over the din coming from the living room.

“He never did figure out how to put one on right. I always had to do it for him.” I took note of the used condoms lying around the edges of the bed. The horrified look that came over her face was enough to make me smile. I heard Ben laugh from the doorway before turning back to Adam.

“We’re over, Adam.” I turned on my heel and sauntered out of the room, pulling the bedroom door shut behind me.