Clarity
She Fell and No One Caught Her
“Ok, I’m wearing this,” I said, walking out of my room to show Caity what I was wearing on my date with Michael.
She looked up from her phone, her jaw dropping. “First off, where’d you get that dress? I’d never wear it, but it’s gorgeous!”
I shrugged. “I think I got it at Urban Outfitters, I don’t remember.”
Caity rolled her eyes. “Ok, well, anyway, I gotta talk to you.”
“Oh, lord,” I muttered under to my breath.
Caity grabbed my wrist and pulled me down onto the couch.”Ok, so where are you guys going?”
“I don’t know, he said it was a surprise,” I replied.
She nodded. “Can I talk to him before you guys-”
“NO!” I shrieked, knowing exactly what she was referring to.
Her eyebrows furrowed and she gave me a look. “I just want to make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid!”
“Caity, he’s a nice guy, he won’t do anything. And if he does, I’ll be fine, I can handle myself,” I laughed at her overprotectiveness.
She shrugged. “Ok, well, Carl’s coming over here with him and we’re gonna hang out here, so if you guys are gonna go back and do it, do it at their place.”
I laughed and shook my head, then took out my phone. Caity had put her laptop on her lap on was scrolling through Twitter and Tumblr, silently reblogging pictures of the Rangers. It was 5:37, and Michael said he would pick me up at 5:45. I continued scrolling through Tumblr while I waited, snapping myself back to reality when I heard the doorbell.
Caity was already up, her laptop next to me on the couch. As I heard her open the door, I stood up and smoothed down my dress, then consciously checked my hair in the mirror hanging on the wall.
“Alright, Del Zotto, I got a few ground rules for you before you take out my best friend, and you’re gonna listen,” I heard Caity say. “You hurt her feelings, I’ll punch you. You make her cry, I’ll punch you. And if you ever touch her in a way that isn’t nice, I will make sure you’re hospitalized.”
I immediately rushed over to where she stood, a few inches away from Michael’s face, who looked pretty amused.
“Hey,” I exclaimed, pushing Caity back to where I was.
“Hi, Elena!” I heard Carl say from out in the hallway.
I laughed, watching as Caity’s eyes lit. “Hey, Carl.”
Michael sighed, moving out of the way so Carl could come into the apartment. “So, um, we’re gonna go now,” he smiled at me, making room so I could walk over to him.
“Michael, I swear to god if you hurt my best friend-” Caity began, but I pulled Michael out of the apartment before she could finish her statement.
“So,” I said, following him down the stairs. “Where are we going?”
He laughed as we made our way into the parking lot, towards his SUV. “I can’t tell you, it’ll ruin the surprise.”
I sighed. “Are we getting food? Cause I kinda haven’t eaten since like, 1 o’clock, maybe.”
“Yes, we’re going out to eat, don’t worry,” he said, backing out of the space.
I nodded. “Alright, good, you’re making a good impression.”
He smiled, “So, how was your day?”
“It was good, Caity and I watched the recaps of last nights games,” I told him.
He nodded. “Oh, so you watch hockey, now?”
I shrugged. “I gotta admit, it’s really cool.”
“Good, good,” he smiled.
We arrived at the restaurant about ten minutes later, and got a table within two minutes thanks to Michael making a reservation in advance. We were put in a booth, and there weren’t many people around us, which was great.
“This place is nice,” I commented, opening my menu.
He looked over at me and smiled. “I picked it myself.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Oh, really now?”
He nodded proudly. “With a bit of help from Hags.”
“I expected a bit of help,” I said.
He laughed a bit. “So, what are you thinking of getting?”
I bit my lower lip, scanning the menu. “Probably just like a grilled chicken caesar salad, I think.”
Michael frowned. “Is that like a girl thing?”
“What do you mean?”
He shook his head. “Like, always ordering a salad when they’re out with guys. I don’t get it.”
“I just like salads,” I trailed off, my voice getting quieter.
“I think it’s stupid,” he remarked, his eyes going through the menu.
I began to get frustrated, trying to ignore it, thought it was bothering me. “And why do you think that?” I asked him, not looking up.
He peeked over his menu at me. “Because they try to lose weight so they can become stick thin so guys will like them, and when more guys do, they just look like a slut.”
I closed my menu as calmly as I could and looked at him. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
He froze, his eyes slowly moving to meet mine. “Nothing,” he said quietly.
“So because I’m ordering a salad, it means I want to lose weight, which means I’m going to become a slut?” I demanded.
He shook his head, putting down his menu. “No, that’s not the only way they’re a slut. They’re really good at dancing in clubs, like you are. And they’re easy.”
I raised my eyebrows and crossed my arms. “So you’re calling me a slut?”
“No, I’m just saying you’re good at dancing in clubs with guys,” he said, then realized what he said, slapping his forehead.
“Listen, I’m not a slut, and I’m definitely not easy. So when you remember how to talk to girls, you can talk to me,” I snapped, standing up and walking towards the restaurant doors.
I hailed a taxi, considering Michael had driven me to the restaurant, and told the driver my address. We had barely been gone a half an hour, and who knows what I’d be walking into when I got back to my apartment.
I unlocked the door, wiping my eyes lightly and walked in, slamming the door. Caity was sitting on the couch with Carl on opposite ends, facing each other. Caity looked up at me, and seeing my upset face, she stood up immediately.
“Am I gonna have to kill someone?” she asked.
I shook my head. “No, it’s fine.”
Carl stood up and walked next to Caity. “Was it my douchebag of my friend?”
I sighed and nodded. Caity gasped. “What did he do? Can I go punch him?”
“Caity, you don’t have to punch him, he just made a stupid comment that pissed me off, it’s fine, really,” I told her.
Caity’s face fell, her eyes following when mine went to the ground. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
I nodded, adjusting the purse that was on my shoulder. Caity smiled sadly. “Just call me if you need anything, and if you want me to beat him up, I’ll gladly do it.”
I nodded as I walked towards my bedroom silently.
Now that’s what I call a best friend.
She looked up from her phone, her jaw dropping. “First off, where’d you get that dress? I’d never wear it, but it’s gorgeous!”
I shrugged. “I think I got it at Urban Outfitters, I don’t remember.”
Caity rolled her eyes. “Ok, well, anyway, I gotta talk to you.”
“Oh, lord,” I muttered under to my breath.
Caity grabbed my wrist and pulled me down onto the couch.”Ok, so where are you guys going?”
“I don’t know, he said it was a surprise,” I replied.
She nodded. “Can I talk to him before you guys-”
“NO!” I shrieked, knowing exactly what she was referring to.
Her eyebrows furrowed and she gave me a look. “I just want to make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid!”
“Caity, he’s a nice guy, he won’t do anything. And if he does, I’ll be fine, I can handle myself,” I laughed at her overprotectiveness.
She shrugged. “Ok, well, Carl’s coming over here with him and we’re gonna hang out here, so if you guys are gonna go back and do it, do it at their place.”
I laughed and shook my head, then took out my phone. Caity had put her laptop on her lap on was scrolling through Twitter and Tumblr, silently reblogging pictures of the Rangers. It was 5:37, and Michael said he would pick me up at 5:45. I continued scrolling through Tumblr while I waited, snapping myself back to reality when I heard the doorbell.
Caity was already up, her laptop next to me on the couch. As I heard her open the door, I stood up and smoothed down my dress, then consciously checked my hair in the mirror hanging on the wall.
“Alright, Del Zotto, I got a few ground rules for you before you take out my best friend, and you’re gonna listen,” I heard Caity say. “You hurt her feelings, I’ll punch you. You make her cry, I’ll punch you. And if you ever touch her in a way that isn’t nice, I will make sure you’re hospitalized.”
I immediately rushed over to where she stood, a few inches away from Michael’s face, who looked pretty amused.
“Hey,” I exclaimed, pushing Caity back to where I was.
“Hi, Elena!” I heard Carl say from out in the hallway.
I laughed, watching as Caity’s eyes lit. “Hey, Carl.”
Michael sighed, moving out of the way so Carl could come into the apartment. “So, um, we’re gonna go now,” he smiled at me, making room so I could walk over to him.
“Michael, I swear to god if you hurt my best friend-” Caity began, but I pulled Michael out of the apartment before she could finish her statement.
“So,” I said, following him down the stairs. “Where are we going?”
He laughed as we made our way into the parking lot, towards his SUV. “I can’t tell you, it’ll ruin the surprise.”
I sighed. “Are we getting food? Cause I kinda haven’t eaten since like, 1 o’clock, maybe.”
“Yes, we’re going out to eat, don’t worry,” he said, backing out of the space.
I nodded. “Alright, good, you’re making a good impression.”
He smiled, “So, how was your day?”
“It was good, Caity and I watched the recaps of last nights games,” I told him.
He nodded. “Oh, so you watch hockey, now?”
I shrugged. “I gotta admit, it’s really cool.”
“Good, good,” he smiled.
We arrived at the restaurant about ten minutes later, and got a table within two minutes thanks to Michael making a reservation in advance. We were put in a booth, and there weren’t many people around us, which was great.
“This place is nice,” I commented, opening my menu.
He looked over at me and smiled. “I picked it myself.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Oh, really now?”
He nodded proudly. “With a bit of help from Hags.”
“I expected a bit of help,” I said.
He laughed a bit. “So, what are you thinking of getting?”
I bit my lower lip, scanning the menu. “Probably just like a grilled chicken caesar salad, I think.”
Michael frowned. “Is that like a girl thing?”
“What do you mean?”
He shook his head. “Like, always ordering a salad when they’re out with guys. I don’t get it.”
“I just like salads,” I trailed off, my voice getting quieter.
“I think it’s stupid,” he remarked, his eyes going through the menu.
I began to get frustrated, trying to ignore it, thought it was bothering me. “And why do you think that?” I asked him, not looking up.
He peeked over his menu at me. “Because they try to lose weight so they can become stick thin so guys will like them, and when more guys do, they just look like a slut.”
I closed my menu as calmly as I could and looked at him. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
He froze, his eyes slowly moving to meet mine. “Nothing,” he said quietly.
“So because I’m ordering a salad, it means I want to lose weight, which means I’m going to become a slut?” I demanded.
He shook his head, putting down his menu. “No, that’s not the only way they’re a slut. They’re really good at dancing in clubs, like you are. And they’re easy.”
I raised my eyebrows and crossed my arms. “So you’re calling me a slut?”
“No, I’m just saying you’re good at dancing in clubs with guys,” he said, then realized what he said, slapping his forehead.
“Listen, I’m not a slut, and I’m definitely not easy. So when you remember how to talk to girls, you can talk to me,” I snapped, standing up and walking towards the restaurant doors.
I hailed a taxi, considering Michael had driven me to the restaurant, and told the driver my address. We had barely been gone a half an hour, and who knows what I’d be walking into when I got back to my apartment.
I unlocked the door, wiping my eyes lightly and walked in, slamming the door. Caity was sitting on the couch with Carl on opposite ends, facing each other. Caity looked up at me, and seeing my upset face, she stood up immediately.
“Am I gonna have to kill someone?” she asked.
I shook my head. “No, it’s fine.”
Carl stood up and walked next to Caity. “Was it my douchebag of my friend?”
I sighed and nodded. Caity gasped. “What did he do? Can I go punch him?”
“Caity, you don’t have to punch him, he just made a stupid comment that pissed me off, it’s fine, really,” I told her.
Caity’s face fell, her eyes following when mine went to the ground. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
I nodded, adjusting the purse that was on my shoulder. Caity smiled sadly. “Just call me if you need anything, and if you want me to beat him up, I’ll gladly do it.”
I nodded as I walked towards my bedroom silently.
Now that’s what I call a best friend.