The Last Good Thing About This Part of Town

After practice, Nicolette drove us both to my house, giving us about 2 hours to put something together before Andy was coming to pick me up.We were listening to her usual pop station and Ellie Goulding’s ‘Love me like you do’ was playing and we were just jamming out to it until the radio finally went to commercial.

We just sat in silence and I couldn't help but think about what Andy had possibly planned out. I guess You could tell how excited I was because Erika noticed.

“Okay I know you're excited, but you NEED to calm down.” She said as she pulled into the driveway of my house.

“Is it really that noticeable?” I asked slightly embarrassed.

“Yes, and as you're best friend, I am genuinely worried about it.” she said laughing. “But can I ask a serious question?”

“Well you're gonna ask no matter what I say so shoot.”

“What is it about this guy that makes you so happy?” Erika asked with a straight face.

I really had to think about it. I’m not really sure why he makes me feel like this. What separates him from the other guys I’ve dated?

“I’m not really sure. But isn't this a good thing? I mean, haven’t you always told me that you wished I would find a guy that made me feel like this?”

“Yeah and I’m happy for you, but I was just curious about why him?”

Erika’s question kind of took me by surprise. Did she not like him? Is she seeing something I don’t? Or is she just genuinely wondering what about him makes me like him? I had so many questions going around in my head at that moment and I didn't know the answer to any one of them.

“Do you not like him?” I asked.

“No I do! He seems really nice but he just doesn't really look like any of the other guys you've dated. I mean come on he is covered in tattoos. Aaron can’t even handle a shot” she said.

“I know but maybe that was my problem you know? I always went for the same type of guy. Andy is just, different I guess”

We pulled up into my driveway and we got out, walking up to my door.

“Okay well, I’m happy for you. And I can’t WAIT to make you look hot for him” Erika said smiling and making kissy faces at me.

I just playfully shoved her and we walked into my house.

“Hey mom! I’m home!” I yelled when as I set my bag down next to the door.

“Hey hun! You got home quick!” She replied from the living room

“Erika Is here! She gave me a ride home!”

“Oh hi Erika!”

“Hi mom!” Erika replied as we walked into the living room where my mom was sitting down grading some papers and watching tv.

My mom was like Erika’s second mom. She was always at our house. Her mom and mine worked together and were friends but weren't like best friends or anything. But we would all go out together after meets or something. And my mom loved Erika. She thought she was a ‘good influence’.

“Okay mom well we’re going upstairs! I have plans tonight and I need Erika's superior sense of fashion” I said.

“Where are you going? You never told me you had plans!”

“Just out with a friend mom, don’t worry!”

“Yeah right” Erika chimed in. “She has a date tonight” Erika admitted to my mom.

“Shut up Erika!” I exclaimed

“WHAT?! Why didn't you mention this to me!?” my mom said looking surprised.

“Cause I knew you'd make a big deal out of it like you always do! And I kind of actually like this guy so I don’t want you to embarrass me quite yet.” I said

“Whatever, you're like head over heels for this guy” Erika chimed in once again.

“Do you ever stop talking?” I asked

“Nope!” She said with a smug look.

“Fine, I won’t make a big deal out of it. But be home by midnight! I don't want you out all night!” My mom said in her ‘I’m serious about this or you're never leaving this house again’ voice

“I will” I said, grabbed Erika's hand and dragged her upstairs to my room.

“Why am I friends with you?” I asked as we walked into my room.

“Because you hate everyone else in the school and well, because I’m awesome and you love me” she said confidently

“True” I said laughing

My room was my sanctuary. I had all my running stuff from my racing bibs, to medals, to posters of Steve Prefontaine and my old racing flats up on one wall above my bed. And on the adjacent wall, I had all my music posters, album covers and cool tapestry that matched the theme of it.

I threw myself down onto my bed and Erika immediately started rummaging through my closet.

“So do you know what you're doing tonight?” She asked

“I don’t know. All he said this morning was to wear something warm. Which is weird because its summer” I said

“Well how am I supposed to make you look hot when you have to be all covered up?” She complained.

“I believe in you my dear”

I got up off of my bed and walked over to my record player and played some Arctic Monkeys.

“Ugh, you listen to such weird music” Erika said, turning back around to look for something in my closet.

“I have great taste in music, thank you.” I said, joining her at my closet. "I don't complain about what you want to listen to do I?"

“Whatever you say. OOH! I found something!” She said pulling out an oversized dark red, over the shoulder sweater. She laid it on my bed, went over to my dresser, pulled out dark brown tights, and a plain black pencil skirt.

“This is why I need you in my life Erika” I said as I gazed down at the outfit she laid out. It was so perfect.

“Well I don’t really picture Andy worrying about what you wear so I didn't go all out sexy but this will definitely get his attention.” as she walked back over from picking out some short brown boots and leg warmers.

“Well first, I need to shower. It was hotter than hell on the run today.” I said. I grabbed the clothes and grabbed a towel in the hallway closet by the bathroom and hopped into the shower. I was in there for about 20 minutes and finally got out. Put on the clothes Erika had picked out for me and walked into my room with my hair still wet and no makeup.

“We need to do something about this face now” I told Erika when I walked into my room

“Don’t worry girl, I got you” She said, jumping up excited that she got to do my hair and makeup.

I had the longest and thickest hair on my team so it took about half an hour to blow-dry leaving us with an hour for me to get ready.

“I hope you know how to do this fast because we don't have much time”

“Don’t worry, you will look great and you will be on time!” Erika said as she gave me some lazy curls in my hair.

She finished my hair in about 15 minutes, which was probably a new record for me, and did my makeup which took about 30 minutes, leaving us with about 15 minutes left until Andy got here.

We went downstairs and just sat in the living room with my mom.

“Are you gonna stay here tonight Erika?” my mom asked

“Well I didn't really think about it since Nicolette wasn't gonna be here”

“You totally could. We could veg out and have a movie marathon while we wait for Nicolette to get back”

“That sounds so perfect, I’ll go let my parents know, I’ll be right back” she stood up and walked into the kitchen to call her parents.

“Oh god mom, please don't steal my best friend” I said laughing.

I checked my phone and It was already about 7:02, but I wasn't worried. He seemed too excited for this not to show up. He texted me about a minute later,

SRRY. LOST TRACK OF TIME. B THERE IN 5

I knew he wouldn't stand me up.

ITS COOL. C U SOON! :)

:)

“They said its cool! What movies should we watch?” Erika said walking back into the living room.

“Okay could you wait until after I’m gone to start planning your mother daughter bonding time with my mom?” I asked sarcastically.

“Fine” Erika said rolling her eyes

We talked for a little while until the doorbell rang. I wasn't really used to that though. All the other dates I've been on the guys just texted me that they were there.

“Okay thats him! See you guys later!” I said and basically started running towards the door before my mom could say anything.

“Okay well, remember home by midnight!” My mom yelled to me as I made my way towards the door.

“Got it!” I said, opening the door.

“Hey!” I said to Andy

He looked surprised. I could tell that my outfit threw him off a little because I usually wear jeans and T-shirts and little makeup to school.

“Uh, hey! You look er, different.” he said confused.

“Good different?” I asked

“Very good different” he said smiling, then looked at the ground and scratched the back of his neck “I, I mean, you look uh, real, uh really nice” Immediately regretting what he said the first time.

“Thanks” I said blushing, just admiring how embarrassed he was. He was wearing all black as usual, but he had a black jean jacket on over his usual T-shirt and skinny jeans. But I thought he looked better than when I usually see him and I couldn't stop staring.

“So uh, ready to go?” He asked pointing to the truck parked on the street.

“huh?” I said, pulling me out of my staring “Oh uh, yeah! Lead the way!”

We walked to the truck and he got into the drivers side while I got into the passenger side. As we drove, he turned on some heavy metal music that I’ve never heard before.

“What is this?” I asked

“Do you not like it?” he glanced at me

“No I do, I just haven't really listened to this type of music before”

“Are you lying? Cause I understand if you don't like this music, it's a little too much for some people to handle” He asked

“No I do. It’s actually really cool. It’s something new” I said with a smile on my face

He just laughed.

“So now are you gonna tell me where we’re going?” I asked

“Well, no. But it’ll be great. I promise.”

We drove out of town for about 20 minutes just talking and laughing until he made a right turn onto a dirt road that doesn't really seem to be an actual road. It was more like a trail.

“You’re not taking me somewhere to kill me are you?” I asked jokingly

“Dang it, now that you know the entire night is ruined” He played along

“Oh. I’m so sorry I ruined your fun for tonight”

“Well then I guess we’ll just have to do something else” He said, smiling at me.

We pulled up to the end of the trail and the sun was just starting to set. He put the truck in park and changed the music to something a little softer and got out, before he closed the door he asked “You coming?” with a smile on his face.

I smiled and got out of the truck and he was opening the door to the bed of the truck and he grabbed a cooler, a few board games, blankets and pillows and began to set them up.

“So this is what were doing tonight? Food and board games. Sounds wild” I said jokingly.

“Hey, don’t make fun of me. I got a lot of wild Friday nights coming up with my new band” he said

“You got it! I completely forgot to ask! Congratulations!” I hugged him.

“Yeah. You are looking at the new drummer for Fall Out Boy” He said smiling and moved into a superman stance.

“Well I can’t wait to hear you play” I said as I jumped up onto the bed of the truck.

“Yeah I’m pretty stoked for it. So, lets get down to business. What game should we play first?” he said while holding up Clue and Monopoly with a big grin on his face.

“Clue. Monopoly just takes too long and I get bored and never end up finishing it.” I said

“Oh thank god I hate monopoly” he said relieved, hopping up onto the truck bed.

We played clue until it started getting really dark, he turned on some lights he had set up so that we could eat the fruit and veggies he brought for us then continued our game.

“This is probably the best date I’ve ever been on. Most guys like to spend a lot of money just to impress me and I honestly couldn't care any less about how much they spend on me” I said as I moved my Mrs. Scarlet into the ballroom.

“Well, I’m kind of broke, but even if I did have the money to do that, I don't think I would.”
he replied, making me laugh.

“Why not?” I asked

“Well, the whole point of a date is to get to now someone better. You don't really need to spend a ton of money to do that, you just need to spent time with that person, like were doing”

I smiled at his answer and around 9:30, I felt a chill go up my back, making me shiver.

“It’s getting cold” I said

“Here” Andy said as he grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around me.

“Thanks.” I said. “I’m kind of over this game. Why don't we just put it away and just lay here and talk?”

I could see him smile at this “Okay yeah. I’ll put it away real quick”

He put it away and laid down next to me on the bed of the truck.

“Wow, I don’t think I’ve just laid down to look at the stars since I left Colorado” I said

“Theres so much out there. I always liked to drive out to the middle of nowhere back home and just look up at the sky from morning to night. I could honestly just stay out here forever” He said, staring up to the stars.

I still felt a bit chilly, and I shivered again.

“Still a little cold” I said

Andy looked at me and just opened up his arm to put it around me and pulled me into his body and covered us with another blanket. It felt so nice just being pressed up against his body. I put my arm around his waist and we just sat there looking up at the stars, talking about everything until I remembered I had to be home at midnight.

I sat up and checked my phone. It was 11:30 and I knew I was going to be a little late getting home.

“Shit” I said, “I forgot to tell you that I have to be home by midnight” I looked at him with an apologetic look.

“Well, then, we better get you home” He said, pushing himself up onto his elbows.

“I wish we could stay a little longer” I said

“Nah its cool. We could totally do this again” He said, pushing the blanket off of him, and hopping off the bed of the truck.

“Promise?” I asked

“I promise” He said with a smile.

We got back into the truck and he drove me back to my house. I texted my mom to let her know I was going to be a few minutes late because I just lost track of time and forgot to tell Andy that I had to be home by midnight. She said it was okay. As long as I was safe and on my way back home.

When we pulled up to my house, I noticed a familiar blue car that I hadn't seen in a while, and I immediately knew whose it was. I looked over to Andy, trying not to look to suspicious

“I had a really great night. I’ll see you at school on Monday okay?” I kissed him on the cheek, got out of the truck and headed up to my doorstep. I felt bad leaving him so quickly and with something so small, but my head wasn't in the right place. I knew I wanted to kiss him at that moment, but I just couldn’t. I got to my doorstep and stopped in my tracks to find someone I hadn't talked to in almost a year sitting there, on my doorstep.

“Hey stranger” he said

“Damien, what are you doing here?” I asked

“I came to see you. We haven’t talked in a really long time and I miss you” he said in his usual charming voice.

“Well its late and its already past my curfew” I said trying to push past him and go into my house.

“Wait look, I just really need someone to talk to” he said, looking a bit sad

“Go talk to Melody, you know, your girlfriend.” I said, rolling my eyes and started unlocking my door and pushing it halfway open until he said something that took me by surprise.

“Actually, we broke up. Thats kinda what I wanted to talk to you about”

I stopped, turned around and gave him a glare that barely anyone has seen me give.

“What do you think I am? Some sort of play thing that you can come running back to every time it doesn't work out with another one of your girls?” I started saying

“What, no thats not what I..” he started to say, but then I interrupted him.

“Well I’m not. I'm not going back to that girl that would just sit and wait around for you while you were off dating a random girl. I’m not that person anymore. So why don't you do me a favor, and leave, and never talk to me again.”

I walked through my front door and slammed it behind me, sliding down the door onto the floor, and at that moment, I couldn't stop myself from crying.

“Oh god what happened?” Erika came up and sat next to me, holding me in her arms. “Do I need to kill Andy?”

“No, the date was perfect, Andy is perfect, tonight was so perfect.” I said “When I got home, Damien was here. Him and Melody broke up.” I said, calming down and wiping away some tears.

“Are you kidding me? Is he still here? Do I need to go slap some sense into him?” Erika said as she started getting up.

“No I told him to leave. He said he just wanted to talk but its like nothing has changed since before he started dating her. I’m not gonna be that girl again” I said

“Of course you're not.” Erika said “You are so much stronger than that girl that used to wait around for him all the time. You're in a better place and from the looks of it, you have someone who is going to treat you so much better than that asshole ever did” As she wrapped me up into her arms.

“What would I do without you?” I asked hugging her back

“I don’t know, but I know we need each other. I’m always here for you” She said “Okay you must be exhausted. I know I am. Lets go up to your room and talk about this perfect date of yours until we pass out”

“Sounds perfect” I said and she helped me up and we went into my room, found some clothes to change into, talked for about an hour then fell asleep.