To Be Broken

"SHIT PISS FUCK CUNT COCKSUCKER MOTHERFUCKER TITS FART TURD AND TWAT. SHIT PISS FUCK CUNT COCKSUCKER MOTHER-"

Bing. The alarm was slapped off.

A groan escaped her lips as she pulled the covers further over pounding head. If there was anything she hated, it was this 'morning after' feeling. Opening her eyes felt like a useless, shameful waste of time. With one eye open, she turned back to her phone to check the time.

It was nearly 11. Several indecent words left her mouth as she flopped out of her bed with an intense lack of grace and dragged herself to the bathroom.

She didn't even want to look at her reflection in the mirror. This morning was lost from the minute she opened her eyes. Slowly she splashed water on her face, trying to wake up and scrub off all the emotion. At last she admitted defeat on trying to please herself appearance wise and left the bathroom, walking across her apartment to the kitchen to face the lump sitting there.

"Well, good morning sleepy head."

With a roll of her eyes, she proceeded to the cabinet and pulled out the box of Mini Wheats.

"Not even a good morning kiss, Claire bear?"

Another eye roll. "Why are you still here?"

The boy sitting at the table let out a short laugh. "It's Memorial Day, babe-"

"Don't call me that."

"-so I was thinking we could go out, maybe catch the parade downtown? Could be fun, Claire bear."

Claire looked down at her coffee before nodding her head slowly and smiling back at the boy. A smile soon appeared on her face as she walked over to the door.

"That sounds amazing, let's go." She grabbed his arm and led him to the door. "We can have bundles and bundles of fun and joy and laughs oh golly Brian, what an idea-"

"-We should maybe get changed-"

Claire opened the door swiftly and pushed the boy into the hallway. "I'll meet you there!"

With that she closed the door and locked it, ignoring the cries of attention coming out of his mouth from the other side of the door. She didn't need him this morning in the same way she didn't need him ever. Brian was a waste of space, but he was a waste that never left.

"Come on, Claire bear! We had so much!" He paused, a breath escaping his lips. "Can I at least have my pants?"

She laughed, shaking her head softly. Claire was good at making people squirm. At the same time, there was something very contagious about her, something guys like Brian couldn't resist. But it didn't matter to her, it didn't matter how much someone wanted her. Because Claire wasn't someone who easily let herself be tied down. She was dependently independent.

"Alright, alright. I'm going. I'll be awaiting your call." Brian said it like he knew she was going to. As bad as it sounded, there was truth to the statement. It wasn't that Claire loved him or even felt attached to him, but sometimes all she needed was a warm body to fall asleep next to. That was the purpose he served, there was really nothing more.

Quietly she waited for the footsteps to get farther and farther from the door. When she heard the soft ding of the elevator, Claire walked back to her bedroom to get changed. The world was starting to seem a bit better after he left, she was calming down, and the day suddenly got brighter.

And in a few minutes she was ready for work. Claire loved her job, it was what she always wanted: working behind the music scene, writing, and just being involved. She had recently started her on music magazine, and it was taking off in ways she would have never imagined in her wildest dreams. With a smile on her face, she arrived at the small building her new business was centered in.

"Late morning?"

Claire rolled her eyes at her assistant, Lila, and sat down on one of the couches. "Sorry, I was just out last night and Brian called-"

Lila zoned out after the mention of Brian, as she had heard this story time after time. She constantly wondered how many empty one night stands it would take for Claire to realize she deserved better.

"Do you want to hear the big news or not?"

Claire tilted her head, a soft smile on her face. "Big news!? Fuck you, tell me!"

"Now," Lila set out her hands, her smile growing by the minute, "it's not completely set it stone. But I heard they were going to be in town, and I thought it would be huge for the magazine-"

"Alright, spit it the fuck out."

Lila let out a breath, ready to deliver the big hit. "A moderately large band has agreed to appear on the cover, and give us the newest details on their newest album."

"And that band is?"

Claire was already excited, as the magazine needed this to be taken seriously. It needed a big band and it needed the big news before anyone else had it. This could be the break she needed, this could be everything. This could be the finalization of her biggest dreams.

What Claire didn't know was that this would bring more than just her professional future. This would bring back a memory, almost a fantasy, she had forgotten months ago. That night had been shoved to the back of her mind: it was a fun, thoughtless moment that Lila was tired of hearing about again and again. Claire was ready to drop it.

But it was a memory the universe was not quite set up for her to let go. Claire knew this the moment the next three words fell from Lila's lips:

"All Time Low."