Come Wake Me Up

“Dude, I’ve never cut you off before, but that’s enough,” Jack interrupts, yanking the bottle of Captain Morgan from my hands. “Go to bed.”
“No, Jack. I’m fine,” I object, my words slurring together horribly.
“You’re not fine. Go the fuck to bed.”
“Fuck you,” I grumble, turning around and marching away.

Cold water splashes over my body, instantly waking me up. “What the fuck!” I shoot up in bed and wipe my face. Jack stands next to the bed, extremely unentertained. “What the hell is wrong with you, man?”
“What the hell is wrong with me? Do you even know where you are?” I take a glance around, and it sinks in that I’ve got not a single clue whose house I’m in. “Let’s go. We’re already late.”
I pull myself from bed and follow Jack outside and into the bus parked against the curb. “There he is, the man of the hour,” Matt greets. I can hear the slight anger in his voice. I completely disregard him and continue to my bunk.
“Let it go,” I hear Rian mutter. “If he wants to be an asshole, let him.”
My phone buzzes next to me, and the screen reads a name I’m unfamiliar with.
Call me when you’re in town again for another great time ;)
“Fuck.” I drop my phone back beside my bed and pull my curtain closed. I don’t sleep the whole bus ride, just lie there and think about how fucked up everything in my life is. How fucked up my friends think I’m not.
The curtain of my bunk gets yanked back. “We’re home,” Zack informs me. I roll out of the bunk, silently grab my suitcases, and lug them into my room.
“Dude, I don’t know what to do anymore. I don’t feel sympathy for the way he’s acting,” I hear Jack argue from the living room.
“He really cared about Danielle, Jack,” Rian defends.
“If he really cared about her that much, he wouldn’t have done what he did. It’s one thing if he was single and acting that way, but he wasn’t.”
“It’s not like you haven’t—“
“I have never ever cheated on anyone,” Jack snaps back.
It kills me to admit that he’s right, but it is. I know I crossed the line, but I had to. He doesn’t understand.
I continue to listen to Jack and Rian bitch it out until I’ve had enough. I grab my keys, leave my phone, and head out of the door.

I find myself sitting in a corner booth of my favorite coffee shop about fifteen minutes away. It’s always helped me clear my head, but today it’s not working. I watch customers file in and out—couples, working men and women, and teenagers just out of school for the day. I watch a girl about my age walk in and her boyfriend chase after her.
“Babe, come on,” he pleads. He snags her by the hand and turns her to face him. “I’m sorry, really.”
“I’m not doing this here. You’re causing a scene,” she responds emotionlessly. She proceeds to the counter, and I continue to watch the fight.
“V, come on, babe. You know—“
She ignores him. “Can I have a large coffee? Black.” She pays for her coffee and waits for it as her boyfriend keeps talking at her.
“It was an accident!” God, this guy won’t give up.
That last sentence seems to set her off. “And accident? You don’t accidentally break someone’s arm. You don’t accidentally punch someone in the face. You don’t…” She takes a deep breath to calm herself. “I shouldn’t have put up with this for as long as I did.”
“Virginia, I love you.”
Her eyebrows rise in an insulted matter. “That’s too bad, Jordan. I honestly don’t love you. Not after this.” His face starts pinching together and turning red, reminding me of a pit bull or some other ugly, angry dog.
He takes a deep breath to compose himself and storms out of the coffee shop. She turns to the barista and slips a five into the tip jar. “I’m really sorry,” she sighs.
“Oh, it’s not a big deal,” the barista assures. She turns to see me— now the only other person in the coffee shop. Staring right at her.
“Sorry you had to see that.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve had my fair share of fights, too. Just got out of a relationship myself,” I reply. She pulls out her phone and obviously ignores a phone call.
“Would you mind some company?”
“Not at all.” I gesture to the open table.
She smiles softly as she takes a seat across from me. “Thanks. I figure we could both just wallow in self-pity over failed relationships.”
I let out a laugh. “Whatever helps get us through it, right?”
She nods in agreement, lifting her coffee to her lips for a sip. “I’m Virginia, by the way.”
“Alex.”
“Are you from around here?”
I nod. “Yeah, but I travel a lot for a living. So, this is my first time home in a few months. What about you?”
“Moved here from SoCal for school.”
“UMBC?”
“TU,” she answers.
“No shit. I live fifteen minutes from there. What brings you all the way down to Thames?”
“Boyfriend.” She pauses. “Ex-boyfriend.” She rolls her eyes. “What about you?”
“My favorite coffee shop. I used to come here all the time just to think, and I’ve got a lot of thinking to do.”
She nods. “Coffee shops are definitely some of my favorite places to just calm down. Hence why I’m here. I didn’t expect Jordan to follow me.”
“Good thing my ex isn’t from around here.”
“Good thing,” Virginia laughs. “Where from?”
“SoCal, ironically.” Her eyebrows peak with interest.
“You don’t say. Interesting.”
I spend the next four hours with this girl, nonstop talking about nothing in particular and buying at least twenty-five dollars worth of coffee, tea, and pastries each. Finally, Jack calls to ask where I’m at. I inform him that I’ll be home soon.
“Well, my roommates are apparently waiting for me to go out tonight. So, I better head out.” Virginia looks at her phone.
“No such luck,” she laughs. “But it was great meeting you, Alex.”
“Yeah, you too.” She smiles as she collects her things and heads out the door. “Hang on!” I call after her. She stops and turns around. “This is probably crazy, and I know I just met you…” I stop. “Wow. That was definitely unintentional.” Virginia lets out a laugh. “Could I get your number?”
She smirks and takes the phone from my hand and puts her number into my contacts. “Call me maybe.” She walks away.