Spare Time

Baby, you gotta party. Before I take your body...

She walked alone on the dance floor, pressed bodies jumping and dancing, making the floor shake. Bass pumped through my veins, when it dropped I felt no pain, I felt numb. The absence startled me, but I continued on. Continued watching her.
Oh, how Sharon shouldn't have left me single..

Your bodyguard is gone, so lover's taking this song....

She didn't dance through the crowd, she walked, gracefully. She moved through the masses like a snake, gliding through the maze of drunken idiots that were gathered here tonight.
I felt a soft twinge in my chest, and before I knew it, my feet were carrying me towards her. I panicked. There was no way I could possibly court her, not tonight. I wasn't ready, not even a tiddly bit. The doctor's note floated behind my eyelids, the printed words had been given a voice, they replayed over and over again.

Is not to have social interaction, under any circumstance. Is not to have social interaction, under any circumstance. Is not to have social interaction, under any circumstance...
But my body didn't seem to care about that. My body didn't seem to care about the orders my brain was giving it, not a care in the universe. She belonged to my body. Her body belonged to mine. She belonged to me.
No matter what anyone said.

So I followed her, willingly now.
But I didn't have to follow her for long, her long legs crossed and swiveled, turning to me.
"Why are you following me?" She demanded.
"I-I'm not following you?" I stuttered out, my statement sounded more like a question, and I mentally slapped myself.
"Yes, yes you were. And you were watching me too. Are you stalking me?" She crossed her arms over her perfectly sculpted chest and smirked.
"Stalking... Hmm, I'm not so sure I know what that means, sweetheart." I retorted, regaining my composure. Crossing my arms as well, somehow by doing that it felt as if I was infinitesimally leveling the playing field.
"So you're not stalking me, and you don't know who I am, or what my name is? Am I correct?" She asked, tapping the toe of her metallic blue stiletto rhythmically.
"Yes, completely correct. But, since we're already on the subject, what is your name?"
"Annalise."
"My name is Richard, and please don't call me Dick." I smiled towards Annalise, and realized that I was falling quickly into my old patterns, but at the same time realizing that I didn't care. She was a perfect specimen that I just couldn't bear to pass up. So I slowly dismantled the mental wall my therapist and I had erected with such dedication.
"Don't worry, I won't. Hey, stalker, care to have a smoke with me?" She offered, along with the insult that I promptly ignored. I nodded, simultaneously looking her over. A Ramones shirt, slit from the armpits down to her waist; A pair of skin tight blue jeans ripped tastefully from her thighs down to her knees. Along with those shoes she had been tapping at me, I found no place for her to be able to put a pack of smokes. But I walked outside with her anyways.
I took mine from my left pocket, the package a little crushed from the tightness of my own pants. But the cigarettes inside were still perfectly intact.
I lit one solemnly and turned to offer her one, but noticed that she had already produced her own from some invisible place on her person. I shrugged and continued on staring at the streetlights a few yards in front of the club. "So, Annalise, you feel safe?" I asked, lowering my voice to a barely audible whisper.
"No, but I never really do. The trick is to know how to defend yourself, Richard." She gave me a smart wink and looked away again. I became confused then, out of all the conquests there had never been one like her, not yet. But maybe she won't be so different from all the others, maybe she's just a very good talker, I'm a very good talker, and so is my therapist.
I chuckled softly, my whole demeanor suddenly changed, a little less guarded. "I bet you've got a whole arsenal of defense mechanisms up your sleeve, am I right?" I asked, I honestly didn't even care, the only thing I cared about was the song they were blasting back in the club, the sound was muffled, but every time someone opened the door I could hear the ridiculous lyrics with perfect clarity. I wished they would change it.
"Not at all, I have no sleeves. See?" Annalise tugged at the sides of her shirt making each side flap like she had black cotton wings. The wind made her wings flap momentarily by themselves, I could see her bare sides and a little peek at her bra strap. "Ah, you're right. A bit chilly out tonight?"
I had realized I resorted to chatting about the weather, I thought of how stupid she must think I was. But she only laughed, a sweet twinkle, and nodded in agreement; I smiled widely in relief. The smile made my mouth hurt, I never smile, I knew this was a bad idea. I couldn't take her, not now at least, not until I saw Martin. I quickly tried to think of an excuse to ditch her so I could escape home. "Care to go back inside? I'll buy you a drink." I gave a smaller smile this time, as to not pain my face any more than need be. She took a long drag and exhaled slowly, "Actually, I was wondering if you'd like to come back to my house with me?" I stood there frozen, in some kind of shock, she only stared at me awaiting an answer..
"Um, no I don't think I can. I've uh, got a long drive in the morning."
"It is the morning. Come on, I'll even make you some coffee." She smiled a crooked smile, and I was instantly reminded of myself, her smile reminded me of a predatory smile, like I was her prey. What an interesting girl after all. My charm flowed back like the water flows back into a river when the dam's broken, "Sorry, my dear. I must drive my cousin back to her house a few states over, she stayed with me this weekend. But, if you wouldn't mind, I'd love to have a way to contact you?" I cocked an eyebrow at a frown she probably thought I hadn't noticed, I notice everything. "Yes, of course, here's my number." She took out a pen from her back pocket and wrote her number on my arm, big and bold, so I wouldn't forget.
"Well, It was very nice meeting you, Annalise. You'll be hearing from me soon." I told her, she nodded and smiled, we both turned to leave at the same time, she went right and I went left. Perfect synchronization.

I didn't know what she went home to that night, I hadn't wondered. My night was busy after I left that club.
I walked into the door of my third floor apartment and I barely got to take my jacket off before Tara rushed me. "Where were you? I tried to call you to tell you, you have no more ice cream." She looked down at her feet sheepishly, ashamed that she ate the rest of my ice cream. "Oh, sweetheart. It's fine! Don't worry about it, I'll pick up some more after I drop you off tomorrow. You alright?" I ran a hand through her hair to try to calm her, she looked like she was close to tears, and I knew it wasn't because of the ice cream. "No." Her voice cracked.
My voice softened to an understanding tone, "I'll go and make some tea, you go and sit on the couch." I directed her towards the lime green pleather couch I had bought some time ago, my mother assured me I was on some kind of drug at the time. I wasn't.
I went into the kitchen and put the kettle on high, took two mugs from the cupboard and leaned against the counter. Tara had showed up at my door, Friday night at ten at night, mascara smudged, dark circles under her eyes, suitcase in hand and tears in her eyes. I found out a few hours after talking to her and calming her down, that her boyfriend of two years had just broken up with her. She was heart broken, but she never told me why. And I assumed, by her consumption of all the sugary treats in my kitchen and her current despair-ridden face, that something new had happened.
The kettle screamed and exhaled steam rapidly, I quickly shut off the burner, made the two cups of tea and sat down next to Tara. I handed her the beverage and waited for her to spill the news. "So, what happened?"
"He called me an hour ago." She sipped her tea, I gaped. "Tara, you need to tell me why he broke up with you. I need to know to understand what him calling you means."
"Richie! You know what? Fine. Keith came to my house a few days ago saying that he needs to tell me something, I said okay. Then we went into my room and sat on my bed, I didn't know what was going on, but I didn't think it was serious because we had such a good time at the carnival the night before. He said 'Tara, I think it's time we split up.' I was like 'what? why?' and then he told me that he had been cheating on me for three months with Jonie Harold, that slut from my English class? Yeah, that one.
"And he just broke up with me for her! He just dropped me like I was nothing. I went a little crazy, and I feel really embarrased about it now that I'm telling you. I shouted and screamed and threw him out of my house, I asked if she had better pussy, I asked if she let him do whatever he wanted, and I made a complete fool of myself. But two years, Richie. Two Years. You can't do something like that to someone after two years of supposedly 'loving each other'. You just can't."
I listened to her intently and my distaste for the boys my cousin dates grew and grew, and now I was extremely interested in what Keith had said when he called.
"Did you answer him when he called?"
"No."
"Good, I'm assuming he left a voicemail?"
"Yes, a very long one, I assume you'd like to hear it?" She smiled at me, I was nodding rapidly. Yes, I do want to hear that voicemail. I'm very protective over my cousin, she's like my sister. We're not that closely related, but we should be.
She laughed and pressed play, I had a feeling she had been listening to it over and over before I got there.

"Tara? ... It's Keith. I'm so sorry baby, I-I miss you so much. I'm so stupid to have broken up with you, I love you, and that should matter, right? I know you probably don't want to hear from me, but I needed to tell you that I love you, and that I will never stop loving you. You are the only one for me, and I fucked up real bad. She was only using me to get John Faith back, that quarterback you had a crush on in ninth grade. I made a mistake, please forgive me... sniffle... Click"
I stared at the phone. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Tara looked at me confused, I reeled. "Don't tell me that you actually believe that shit face?" I asked, I was shocked, that was complete and utter bullshit, and not even decent bullshit, I've bullshitted my way out of a lot of things, and he does not know how to do it correctly.
"I love him, Richie."
And then I realized that my cousin, my oh, so, naive cousin was still in high school, and she probably couldn't tell how fake he was. I pinched the bridge of my nose, I thought I might have to give her a speech.
"Tara Vera Fawns, I know you love him, or that you think you do. But let me ask you something, are you honestly okay with your boyfriend cheating on you for three months, breaking up with you, then calling you two days later asking to make up after the girl he cheated on you with, doesn't want him anymore?"
She contemplated my words and sat with a thoughtful look on her face for a while, I tried to calm myself down in my head, no family member of mine should be as stupid as that. Stupid enough to do the same thing over again and expect different results. That would mean she's insane, and I already earned that chair at the family reunions.
"...No?"
"See, the fact that you have to guess makes me sad, Tara. I'm going to tell you something, Keith only wants you back because that slut doesn't want him anymore, that means he's settling for you. Do you really want to be settled for? No. You deserve better, you deserve to be wanted. You deserve someone who only has eyes for you, someone who tries his hardest to make you happy every second that you're together. You deserve someone who says they love you because they mean it, not because it seems like the appropriate thing to say because you've been together for so long. Tara, don't you shake your head at me, it's the truth." She was shaking her head in denial, tears were already streaking down her cheeks. There was no way in hell that I was going to let her be played like a violin right in front of my face. "Richie, you don't know him like I do. He's just confused. He-"
"No. Shut up. I get it, you're grieving right now. But, no. Give me your phone. I'm not letting you do this to yourself, you should be more mature than this. You're seventeen, and I wish you had more self-worth."
"No! I will not give you my phone! And what in the hell do you mean, I have plenty of self-worth!"
"No you don't! Because if you did, then you would know that you deserve better, that you're much better than him."
"I can't do any better! Keith was hard enough to get!" Tara shrieked at me, standing up now, her arms waving around helplessly, I balked, standing up as well.
"You shouldn't have to get anyone! The fact that you had to get him in the first place should say something about him!"
I snatched the phone from her shaking hands and scoffed at his picture, he was the first on speed-dial. I pressed one. and listened to it ring once, twice..
"Hello?" Said a breathless and excited Keith.
"Yeah. Hi, Keith. No, this is not Tara. Nor will it ever be, the last time you spoke to her will be the last, and mark my words, you stupid dickhead; You will learn from the gigantic mistake you just made. Before you go around fucking other girls who don't even want you, think of the girl that loved you, the girl that tried her hardest to make you happy, the girl who has more beauty on the inside and outside than Jodie does in one acrylic nail. And think of how royally you fucked her over. No-Shut the fuck up! Shutthefuckup! You feel the need to call me names, go the fuck ahead. But, you try and call this number again, I will travel hundreds of miles during the middle of the night, break into your house, and pierce your dick in the least proffesional way I can manage. And Keith, I don't know how to pierce anything. Good night, Keith."
I was about to hang up, "Can I just please talk to Tara?"
"No, never again." I hung up.
I turned around slowly, hoping not to see her crying. I honestly hoped she understood I did that for her own good. She was staring at me wide-eyed. "Tara, I-"
She rushed me with a very tight, very long hug, she was crying into my shirt, chanting "Thank you, thank you. Oh my god. Thank you." I sighed in relief and hugged her back. I finally did something right for once.