Glitter, Guts, Glory

Daisy hates me. She hates me and can't understand why I'm still around. And truthfully, I don't know why either. If her cell phone could talk, it'd probably tell me to fuck off and stop calling.

"Day-zee," I moan and groan some more. I haven't even attempted to look like a socially civil human being. I haven't shaved for a week and don't even remember if I put on deodorant. I sit with my back against the door and bang my head against it. "You can't ignore me all day."

No answer. But, I've been expecting that. A little Asian boy peers out at me from two doors to the right. "My mom thinks someone's dying out here," he says, sitting across from me.

"Dying of a broken heart and stupidness, maybe," I tell him. He's wearing a wife beater and these red high top shoes that look way too big for his feet. It's kind of amusing. I vaguely recognize him, but I never really paid too much attention to the neighbors.

"Oh. What'd you do, stupid?"

Great. Even this kid now knows I'm an idiot. "See, kid, I really love this girl. But I was stupid and didn't appreciate her at the time. I made a mistake and now she's never going to talk to me again."

He looks thoughtful. But sitting there, with his enormous red shoes and scrawny arms poking out of his wife beater, I can't take him seriously. Plus, he's like ten. "You should buy her flowers. My girlfriend Cindy likes daffodils. I pick her some whenever she's sad or mad or just because I want to."

"You have a girlfriend? How old are you, anyway?"

"I'll be nine in three months," he smiles proudly. Damn. An eight year old gets more action than I do.

"I've tried bringing her flowers. She doesn't want them."

"Oh. You should write her a poem or draw her a picture. I drew a picture for Cindy and she hung it up in her room. It was a picture of a unicorn 'cause she likes them a lot."

"I don't know, kid. I don't think anything I write will show her how sorry I am."

"Oh. Then you should just tell her you like her a lot and give her a hug."

I chuckle. "I wish it was that easy, but it's not." I suddenly land flat on my back, my head landing on the soft carpet. Daisy stands over me, looking at the boy.

"You should go back home, Marcus," she tells him. God, I've missed her voice. I'd close my eyes and savor it but I'm too busy looking at her face. He scampers off with a "Bye, Daisy!" and she looks down at me. I haven't tried getting up, though the back of my head hurts.

"Have you resorted to harassing eight year olds now?" she stands with her arms crossed. I stand up in the doorway so she can't slam the door in my face again.

"I've been trying to talk to you," I tell her. She doesn't look as terrible as I do. She smells nice, like she always does.

"I know."

"I've been trying to explain-"

"You can explain shit, Leo. It's not my fault."

"I know, but-"

"You don't know anything, obviously. Why can't you take a hint? I don't want to see you."

My arms hang limply at my sides. I'm not giving up yet. "Fine, fine. But I know you, Daisy. I know you miss me too and even if you deny it, I know you still love me too. I just- I'm sorry, okay?"

She's about to shut the door and I retreat into the hallway. It seems like she isn't going to say anything, so I take a step towards the stairs with a heavy heart.

"Hey, Leo?" I turn around. She loves me, I tell myself. I knew it.

"I slept with Jake."

Boy, this is a familiar scene. The door slams shut.