My Name is Driftwood
Bruises and Broken Hearts
"God, I haven't been called EM in, like, 6 years," she grinned.
"Hey, you were the one that left!" Matt cried.
She looked around the table and they were all there, Cleo, Matt, Katie, Tim, MacKenzie, and Jonathon. As blah as Omaha seemed, it was still home. She sat down, ordered a beer and it was like she never left. Tim sat back and just stared at her as Emilia interacted with their friends. Her brown eyes came to life as she spoke animatedly to her friends. She always talked with her hands. They had always been best friends since he decided that in the 7th grade. Now, here they were, 33 and grown, still friends, but they had begun to grow apart. Nothing seemed comfortable and everything had changed. She didn't laugh with him or look in his eyes.
Emilia pulled off her sweater and Tim lurched forward quickly grabbing her arm. He turned it over and fingered a large bruise, sickly yellowish and purple. He looked up, terror in his eyes.
"Where is Zach?" he demanded.
"In California," she said, uncomfortably pulling her arm out of Tim's grasp. "Look, I should probably be going…"
He was not happy with her sudden change of demeanor.
"Did he do this to you? Is this why you left?"
"Tim, it's ok."
"It's not ok!" he exclaimed frantically. "You're my best friend and…"
Emilia interrupted him quickly.
"Shut up, Tim. This doesn't involve you."
"It does involve me!"
Emilia got up and tugged on her sweater. Her eyes were wet and tears were dripping onto her cheeks. Tim flew up from his chair. Their friends sat there, wide-eyed, watching the angry exchange.
"No!" she barked, "Sit down! I'm going home. Tim, I don't want to discuss this here. If you want to talk, you can come over to my parent's house. I'm shocked you want to talk seeing as you've hardly talked to me in six years. You would have known what was happening if you had just talked to me!"
She turned to her friends, "I'm sorry guys, but I'm going home. We'll have to catch up later."
With that, Emilia ran out of the bar, obviously distraught. Tim buried his face in his hands.
"What did you do to her?" Cleo asked Tim, eyes wide.
Tim just shook his head.
"Fuck her," he snapped.
"Tim!" Matt exclaimed.
"God! What happened to you two? You used to be inseparable!" Katie questioned.
Tim shook his head again, his hands shaking uncontrollably.
"Look, I'm going to go see her," Matt said.
Tim looked up quickly, they could see the fear in his eyes.
"No. She said I could come, not you. You had better call her before you go over," he babbled.
"Why don't you want me going over there?" Matt asked skeptically.
"Nothing. No reason."
"Fine!"
Matt picked up his cell phone and stepped outside. Tim's heart pounded in his chest and he felt sick. He didn't want EM hanging around Matt again. It would just get her into trouble. He knew he needed to let go of his overprotective issues, but he couldn't.
"Hey, you were the one that left!" Matt cried.
She looked around the table and they were all there, Cleo, Matt, Katie, Tim, MacKenzie, and Jonathon. As blah as Omaha seemed, it was still home. She sat down, ordered a beer and it was like she never left. Tim sat back and just stared at her as Emilia interacted with their friends. Her brown eyes came to life as she spoke animatedly to her friends. She always talked with her hands. They had always been best friends since he decided that in the 7th grade. Now, here they were, 33 and grown, still friends, but they had begun to grow apart. Nothing seemed comfortable and everything had changed. She didn't laugh with him or look in his eyes.
Emilia pulled off her sweater and Tim lurched forward quickly grabbing her arm. He turned it over and fingered a large bruise, sickly yellowish and purple. He looked up, terror in his eyes.
"Where is Zach?" he demanded.
"In California," she said, uncomfortably pulling her arm out of Tim's grasp. "Look, I should probably be going…"
He was not happy with her sudden change of demeanor.
"Did he do this to you? Is this why you left?"
"Tim, it's ok."
"It's not ok!" he exclaimed frantically. "You're my best friend and…"
Emilia interrupted him quickly.
"Shut up, Tim. This doesn't involve you."
"It does involve me!"
Emilia got up and tugged on her sweater. Her eyes were wet and tears were dripping onto her cheeks. Tim flew up from his chair. Their friends sat there, wide-eyed, watching the angry exchange.
"No!" she barked, "Sit down! I'm going home. Tim, I don't want to discuss this here. If you want to talk, you can come over to my parent's house. I'm shocked you want to talk seeing as you've hardly talked to me in six years. You would have known what was happening if you had just talked to me!"
She turned to her friends, "I'm sorry guys, but I'm going home. We'll have to catch up later."
With that, Emilia ran out of the bar, obviously distraught. Tim buried his face in his hands.
"What did you do to her?" Cleo asked Tim, eyes wide.
Tim just shook his head.
"Fuck her," he snapped.
"Tim!" Matt exclaimed.
"God! What happened to you two? You used to be inseparable!" Katie questioned.
Tim shook his head again, his hands shaking uncontrollably.
"Look, I'm going to go see her," Matt said.
Tim looked up quickly, they could see the fear in his eyes.
"No. She said I could come, not you. You had better call her before you go over," he babbled.
"Why don't you want me going over there?" Matt asked skeptically.
"Nothing. No reason."
"Fine!"
Matt picked up his cell phone and stepped outside. Tim's heart pounded in his chest and he felt sick. He didn't want EM hanging around Matt again. It would just get her into trouble. He knew he needed to let go of his overprotective issues, but he couldn't.