Anti Blue Skies

The only other thing I said to Harry at work was that Mary really liked his fried shrimp, I did it for her, not for me. I managed to not look at him though, I became really familiar with looking at the dark tiled floor every time we brushed by each other.

I was secretly surprised at what a great worker he was, but I was confused as to why he needed this job anyways. He had enough money to pay for college, so why wasn’t he off taking classes. Another thought confused me as I watched him chat up a few guys at the bar, he knew my dad owned this place, as if the name wasn’t obvious enough, so out of all the places he could have worked, why here?

Harry’s bouncy head of curls turned for the kitchen and I took it as my opportunity to punch out and head home. Even though home, wasn’t really feeling like home lately. My dad wasn’t breaking things, my older sister wasn’t bringing home random boyfriends or stealing my clothes, and my little sister wasn’t around to look up to me. What I did have, however, was a druggy rocker chick roommate who hardly ever left her room yet managed to make a huge mess everywhere else.

Before starting my truck, I relieved my phone of the glove compartment and slid open the lock screen, there was no new messages. I wasn’t surprised, usually any random text or voicemail came from my best friend Manny, but she was on vacation with her family and she had told me ahead of time that she wouldn’t get very good signal. She had been gone a whole two weeks already, it was safe to say I was going crazy without her. Everyday life wasn’t the same without her tell-it-how-it-is personality and Filipino appearance.

Tossing my phone in my purse, I started the engine and took off to my apartment. I went to unlock the door, but to my surprise it was already unlocked and ready to be broken into. We never left the door unlocked, especially not in the part of London we lived in. It wasn’t exactly the safest place to reside, what with the high crime rates, but it was the only place open and affordable.

When I stepped in, setting my purse on the counter, I looked to Quinn who was pumping a large keg in the middle of the kitchen.

“Why is the door unlocked?” I furrowed my brows, motioning back towards the door. “I swear I locked it when I left for work.”

She sighed standing up, a bead of sweat by her hairline. Her brown eyes, thick with eyeliner, stared at me with annoyance. “It’s unlocked because I unlocked it.”

I couldn’t help but scoff, “You don’t say.”

She rolled her eyes continuing to fidget with the keg. I stepped past her, my hand trailing along the cans of beer aligned on the table.

“Do you plan on drinking all of this on your own?”

It was her turn to scoff at me. “Are you kidding me, I’m having people over.” She approached me and started putting the cans of beer into an ice cooler. “That’s why the door is unlocked. They can enter as they please.”

She could have people over, I didn’t mind, it was her apartment just as much as it was mine. But by the looks of the keg and piles and piles of beer cans, something told me there was going to be more than just a few people. Parties didn’t set well with me, mainly because after what happened with me and Harry, people stopped inviting me to them, outcasting me on purpose.

Instead of standing still and watching her fill the coolers, I decided to help, taking two at a time and stuffing them into the ice. I could sense her staring at me from the corner of my eye, she probably didn't expect me to help her.

“I guess I’ll stay out of your way then.” I shut the cooler when it was filled to the top. She glanced to me as I started making my way for the hallway. “I’ll be in my room if you need me.”

“You don’t have to.” Quinn stammered on the right words to say. “You can, you know, hang out if you want.”

For what felt like the first time, I turned to her and smiled. “Okay.”

I went to the bathroom and started the shower. Looking at myself in the mirror felt disgusting, I had that dirty feeling, like I was still sticky with frosting and Lucy’s tears. After today, I just wanted to have a good night and let myself go.

After showering, I blow dried my hair and put on a pair of ripped jeans and a clean white, long sleeved shirt. I would’ve put on the same outfit I had worn to work, but the stain of dirty dishwater told me that wasn’t much of an option.

Faceplanting on my king bed took away every ounce of stress I had been feeling from today. My oversized mattress devoured my body, comforting and soothing my tense limbs. I wrapped myself in my floral bedspread, turned on the lamp that was positioned on top of my side-table, and stared at the white, endless ceiling.

I heard faint voices outside my door in the kitchen, but I was too drowsy to get up and join the conversation. I hardly managed to turn my head enough to look at my alarm clock.

12:07

I felt the sleep taking over, and I regretted ever getting dressed, I should’ve just thrown on some sweatpants and called it a day. The lids of my eyes flickered shut, the rapid movement of my ceiling fan was almost hypnotizing, drifting me into a deep slumber.

I was rudely awaken by the sudden light emerging from the hall as my door swung open, and a couple whose lips were glued to one another’s tossed themselves on top of me.

I let out a high squeal from the sudden pressure and unwanted body heat. The rather large man, who was practically sweating through his shirt tilted his head up, once his glossy eyes met mine, his mouth fell open in realization.

“Take her, and get off of me.” The woman with raven black hair craned her head to suck ferociously on the sweaty man’s neck. Clearly, she wasn’t listening to me. “Now!”

I wanted to cry from embarrassment, but he nodded his head and lifted his lady over his shoulder, running out of my room. Never in a million years did I think something like that would happen to me. It was strange, but it helped me remember Quinn was having people over.

Well, I was definitely awake now. I tossed my covers off of me and strolled over to the mirror to fix my hair and makeup. I left my room without making my bed, something I rarely did, but I was too desperate for a drink to care.

I forced my way through a crowd of people standing in the kitchen, the keg so close in my reach. I grabbed a solo cup from the counter and pourd myself some well deserved beer. I only got the chance to take one sip before it was knocked out of my grasp by someone’s forearm.

Once again, my utensils fell straight to the floor.

“Shit.” I heard the man pronounce as beer spilled by his feet. His brown boots.

“Look what you did?” Harry hissed, spinning around, his fingers pointing down to his shoes.

“What I did?” I wasn’t going to try and avoid him this time, he was accusing me for something he clearly did on his own. “You’re the one who was flailing his big gorilla arms about.”

He shook his feet, frowning. “Lydia, what are you even doing here?”

“I live here.” I turned my head around, trying to fill myself another cup, but Harry grabbed my wrist, forcing me to glare up at him.

“So you’re Quinn’s roommate then.” His tone had settled, like he had completely forgotten he was yelling at me.

“What’s it matter?” I asked, feeling weak and exhausted. “Let go of me.”

His hold on me loosened enough for me to tear my hand away.

“She told me about you.” He took a step away from me to lean on the counter, giving me an arrogant look I wanted to slap right off his face. “You’re the neurotic, control freak, roommate who never has any fun and needs to get laid.”

Not going to lie, those words stung a bit. I knew Quinn wasn’t very fond of me but I didn’t know she was off telling people I was a complete drag, that was cruel to hear, especially after the slight shift of respect towards me she showed earlier.

How did she know Harry anyways?

I turned on my heels, wanting to get as far away from him as possible. But the apartment was very small, making it very easy for him to follow me into the living room. I plopped down on the couch, staring at every stranger and grimacing at the smell of cigarettes.

Harry sat on the coffee table placed directly in front of me. He ran a hand through his hair before ripping my drink out of my hand and chugging it himself. I looked at him astonished that he would have the guts to do something like that.

“What is your deal?” I asked him desperately, but he just looked at me with the same bland expression.

“I just want to talk to you.” His emerald eyes were bloodshot and I knew he had been drinking all night. He wasn’t sober but he seemed pretty good at holding his liquor, but what did I know? I sure as hell didn’t know Harry like I thought I knew him.

When I didn’t come up with a reply, he took it as his chance to come up with something of his own.

“Me and Jen broke up.” He rested his head on the palm of his hand. When I heard her name leave his lips, nothing but horrible memories came to mind. I wanted to forget all about her just as much as I wanted to hate Harry.

“Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?” He shook his head at my rhetorical question. “Because I don’t.”

We sat in awkward silence, and I knew I should have kept my mouth shut, but silence always led to me filling it. “Can I ask you something?”

His droopy eyes looked to me, fixing his posture to sit up a little straighter.

“Why me?” He shut his eyes, sighing. “Out of all the girls you had kissing at your feet, why did you use me?”

“Do you want the honest answer?” His tone was soft, but it still pained me to hear it as I nodded my head slowly. I would kill him right then and there if he gave me anything but the truth.

He drew in a steady breath, “Because you were a nobody.”

It was like he drove a knife straight through my heart and twisted it.

“Right.” Tears formed in my eyes, threatening to fall and causing my voice to shake. He made me a somebody, and that’s why I hated him so much.

“Lydia I-- ” Harry was about to say something to me when Quinn appeared from nowhere, propping herself on his lap. She handed me her cup so she could pull at his mocha curls, his face was a torn expression but it lit up as soon as his eyes were met with Quinn’s.

I took the empty cup from her hand, defeated. One tear ran down my cheek as I heard her whisper into Harry’s ear.

“Why are you talking to her?”

He laughed and placed a passionate kiss on her lips.