Life After You

He coughs and splutters as the whisky burns his throat, a warmth gathering in the pit of his recently empty stomach. He had been composed when he first left Steph, but as the news sunk in it started to fester. Jeremy had vomited into the gutter, hit the steering wheel with his fists and cried into his hands. After three years together he figured he knew her. He figured that she loved him just as much as he loved her.
Jeremy taps out a cigarette and lights up, watching the blue smoke curl and twist in the air. He gulps down an ice cold beer and orders another with a whisky chaser. Jeremy feels that familiar buzz tingling through his body. It's friendly and warm, dangerous and satisfying. It's his best friend and worst enemy all at once.
Steph's is playing over in his mind like a black and white movie reel. He regrets not saying that he could forgive her, but it would have been a lie. He couldn't forgive her because she hadn't only just slept with someone else, but she conceived a child with her mysterious new boyfriend. He orders another round of drinks. He doesn't want to feel anymore.

The night club is noisy, smoky and full of people dancing and drinking underneath strobe lights. Kelly watches from a distance as Rosie introduces herself to a guy at the bar. It's the normal for Rosie to put herself out there like a piece of meat. They had been to two bars before joining the excited queue outside the Oden, had drank a few glasses of wine and Rosie had moved onto double spirits and shots. Kelly knew from the first mention of shots that Rosie would need to be physically carried to a cab and put to bed. Another familiar routine that she had to endure every time they went out.
An hour passes and Kelly decides to call it a night. She pushes through the clusters of people and grabs Rosie by the hand, dragging her away to a quieter area where they could talk. They had met another group of people they knew and had spent most of the night together.

"I'm going to go home" Kelly says loudly over the music.

"It's only twelve" Rosie protests" Don't be a killjoy"

"I'm working tomorrow. I'll give you a call"

Rosie reluctantly accepts that her friend is leaving. She returns to the party with the rest of her friends and continues to drink and dance into the early hours of the morning. There is no doubt in Kelly's mind that Rosie would wake up with a headache and queasy stomach. Even the joys of partying has its let downs.