He Never Told Me What He Did for a Living

The shrill ringing of my cell phone broke through the static in my brain, long enough for me to open my eyes and realize that there was a person on top of me. Not just any person, either. Brett’s mouth was lingering on my neck, his warm hands pushing my shirt up impatiently.

Pushing myself up on my elbows, I tried to remember how I’d gotten here. Oh yeah- he kissed me.

Digging my fingers into my pocket, I tried to grab my phone. The jeans were a little too snug, and Brett was pressed a lot too tightly against me. “Brett,” I said, tapping his shoulder.

“Mmm,” he murmured against my skin. “Can’t it wait?”

I thought for a second, but maybe it was longer than that. I shook my head to clear it. “No,” I said. “It might be Gran.”

He pulled back and rolled over so that he lay next to me on the floral quilt spread over someone’s bed. It was a testament to exactly how loose I’d gotten- I didn’t even know who was throwing the party.

Once the phone was in my hand, I flipped it open quickly, not bothering to check the id. “’ello?”
“Josie?” Gerard’s smooth voice coming over the device pressed to my ear was like having a bucket of ice water thrown on my head.

“Hi,” I said softly, hoping he wouldn’t hear the unsteadiness of my voice or the music thumping in the background. Someone screamed, and I winced.

“What’s going on?” he asked. “Where are you?”

“Uh- nowhere.”

“Josie.” He said only my name, plain and simple- lovely, when it was falling from his lips without the tone in his voice that said he knew. He knew I was at a party, and he knew I’d been drinking.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

The door to the bedroom slammed open, and another couple stumbled in, oblivious to Brett and I.
Brett sat up. “Get out, this room is taken,” he said, his words only slightly slurring together.

The blond guy had obviously been hitting the hard stuff, and he staggered closer to Brett and said, “Make me.”

I recoiled from his sour breath, but Brett took the opportunity to bitch slap him across the face. One moment, his hand was at his side, the next, it was upside the guy’s face, the force of the blow slamming him against the wall.

The girl with him screamed and backed out of the room; her mascara was starting to run.

The guy got himself standing again, and he motioned to Brett. “You hit like a pussy.”

I was vaguely aware of Gerard’s voice in my ear, telling me to get out of there, to leave before it got dangerous. Brett had leapt from the bed and was swinging wildly, the other boy trying weakly to defend himself.

Numbly, I got off of the bed, only to be knocked to the floor when Brett was shoved by yet another person. I couldn't tell if he was trying to join the fight or break it up.

Angel was suddenly at my side, her clammy hands tugging at my elbow, begging me to get up. I finally made it to my feet but had to lean on Angel heavily.

“Tio!” she yelled, waving her hand at someone. “Tio, come help me get her to the car.”

A tall Hispanic classmate stepped through the room, the width of his shoulders alone making a path through the crowded room. With little more than a nod, he swept me off my feet and into his arms, cradling me like a child. Angel led the way to her purple car, which I thought was funny and collapsed into a fit of giggles. Seriously, who has a purple car?

Once I was safely buckled into the passenger’s seat, Angel thanked Tio and after he shut the door, looked at me.

My normally easy-going friend was unhappy with me, that much I knew. I held up my phone, showing her that Gerard’s call was still connected.

“Gee’s mad at me,” I said sadly.

Taking the phone from my hand, her frown deepened.

“Gerard? Yes, we’re leaving now…No, I haven’t been- look, it was my idea, but…calm down, she was just making out with some guy,” she said, their conversation flowing too quickly for me to keep up.

I looked at her with eyes wide in horror. What is she thinking, telling him about Brett?

I was so caught up in worry about how angry and upset Gerard was going to be that I missed the end of the phone call as the misery threatened to drown me.

But then I realized, it wasn’t misery- it was bitter, burning vomit.