The guy snapped several pictures of us and he was smiling as well. He joined us in a selfie that would be surely posted on every social media profile. I could see the likes and shares piling up even now.
“Cheers, guys!” He said and we all applauded. The party continued in full force.
Kayla
I was driving in my red Honda, my eyes fixed on the road. I had been driving the whole night to get back home and I was absolutely, totally, utterly tired and weary. Destroyed. I mean really bone tired.
During the night I had thought I was about to pass out, so I had found some metal/hard rock radio and had increased the volume until it was maxed. And now with my windows rolled down I was weaving through the nearly-empty highway with rock blaring from my stereo. No wonder I was getting strange looks from passing cars. A crazy girl hitting her head back and forth was not a normal sight for sure. But what else could I do?
The surroundings around me were boring—yellow fields and small houses, some desolate and very poor, cute farms with the occasional animal and other typical signs of country life. Yeah, right. Just what I needed in my hurry. And to top it all off, the skies were blue with not a single cloud disturbing the peaceful blueness, making space for the sun to shine with its brightest light. If it weren’t for the air conditioner, I would’ve ended up dead in some field that a family of farmers would work on and no one would ever find me.
I had read somewhere that singing, apparently, was a great way to chase away sleep, so I finally switched the station and found one that played only pop songs. I immediately recognized the tune and started singing from the top of my lungs. It wasn’t like there was anyone better than me at singing in the shower and in cars. I had been accepted into an Ivy League university and that was a good enough reason for some loud singing. Screeching, to be more precise. But singing nonetheless.
Driving idly along, my eyes spied a gas station. It wasn’t long before I turned on my blinker and turned right to park in the station’s lot. I rubbed my eyes and climbed out of my car. My back was sore and my legs ached from sitting for so long. I stretched nice and slow and felt my back pop. It felt nice. Oh, so, so liberating indeed.
I headed for the gas station where I went shopping for some snacks, for I had plenty of fuel left. I bought some chocolate chip cookies, chips, soda and a chocolate bar. I needed that refreshment. I returned to my car, happy and with half of the chips already in my stomach. Starting the engine again, I was off on the road to home.
Maybe two hours later I found myself approaching my neighborhood. Everything was still and very quiet. I checked the clock. Seven o’clock on a Sunday morning. I understood why everyone was still sleeping and not a living soul could be seen in the streets. They weren’t as crazy as me to drive such a distance for such a short period of time. I truly didn’t know what had gotten into me.
Eventually I arrived at my apartment. It was a pretty clean one and one of the newest in town. That had been the main reason why Sean and I decided to move in there. Of course I had to convince him to take it. I climbed up the stairs and knocked on the door. No one answered. Sean was always up at this time of the day, exercising, drinking coffee or watching TV. I checked the apartment number again and confirmed that I had come to the right place. What the heck was going on? The last thing I needed right then were problems.
I rang the doorbell and knocked three more times on the door. Nothing.
The frustration from driving for so long was finally taking its toll on me as I furiously opened the zipper of my bag and started looking for my keys. Damn everything. I was so on edge that I felt like I was about to explode. I managed to find them and fished them out. I unlocked the door and what met me on the other side was beyond any description.
“Oh my God,” I whispered, horror-stricken. Oh my freaking God.
The whole apartment was a complete mess. Chaos. There were empty glass bottles everywhere and dirty food wrappers littered the entire floor. The furniture was all out of place and some of the chairs were even turned upside down. It was as if a hurricane had blown in and was out in five seconds, leaving only desolation behind. I had left it clean and polished and I returned only to find our apartment turned into stables, for God’s sakes. I knew Sean was behind this the moment I stepped on the welcome mat.
“Sean!” I yelled, anger welling up inside me. It oozed from every pore of my body. I was ready to kill someone right then and there.
No one answered.
“Sean!” I screamed again and saw him lying on the couch in his T-shirt and pants. His hand was placed on his face, obscuring the daylight from his eyes. He was dead drunk. The whole place stank like alcohol. “Get up! Sean! Get up! Move your ass this instant!”
He only growled and continued sleeping. Ugh, that man was driving me crazy.
“Sean, get up now! Look at what you’ve done. You’ve ruined yourself! Look at you!” I screamed and screamed, my voice reaching an octave I didn’t know I could reach.
“Oh, come on, I had some fun.” His voice was low and husky. He was either drunk or suffered a terrible hangover.
Anger overwhelmed me and I placed my bag on the dirty floor. I put my hands under his armpits and hauled him up. I slapped him softly once or twice and his eyes popped open.
“What’re you doing?” Sean said, looking frantically around the room. “Are you nuts or what?”
“I am taking you to the bathroom!” I said with clenched teeth. “Help me out now. Stand on your feet!”
He obeyed me and with one hand supporting him, we headed for the bathroom. I kicked several obstacles that stood in our way in the form of a divan and three bottles of beer. Gross. Simply unbelievable. I opened the door and pushed him inside. With my help he climbed into the tub and I turned on the shower. Cold water poured over him and he was starting to regain consciousness.
“Oh my God!” Sean said, running his hands across his face. He rubbed his eyes and cleared some hair that covered them. “What happened? Oh … I don’t remember anything!”
“That’s the question I asked you in the first place, Sean. This is terrible. I … I’m really disappointed. Yes! That’s what I am right now!” I was angry to the core. Angry at him, at my tiredness. At everything.
He remained silent, letting the drops flow through his whole body. Damn, despite it all he was so sexy.
“I will wait for you outside,” I said and banged the door shut when I left. It was too much. All of it was too much. And he might as well know that. I’d had enough of everything.
I sat on the couch and put my head in my hands. I was beaten down and had absolutely no life left in me. All of the stress I had felt before the interview, the current state of the apartment, Sean, our relationship, our future as a couple, my future, my dreams … all of it was coming down on me and I felt tears coming to my eyes. I tried hard to swallow them, but it was in vain. I gave in and let them spill down my cheeks. My emotions were tied in a knot and I couldn’t exactly pinpoint what I was feeling. I was feeling everything and nothing at the same time. A whirlwind of emotions roamed across my body. I was a wreck. Stupid, Kayla. I did it again. I destroyed myself because of that man.
In that moment Sean came out of the bathroom, all wet. He had changed into another black T-shirt and white pants. Crunches of paper and wrappers could be heard from under his bare feet. It was satisfying to see that I wasn’t the only wreck in the room. Sean sat in an armchair, his face disheveled. He looked like a mental patient to me.
“What happened, Sean? Tell me.” I had had enough of everything. I wanted answers. However, there was a secret question gnawing at me from the inside. Was there another girl?
Sean was silent before he opened his mouth and closed it shortly after. He breathed in. “I-I-I don’t know. I was with the guys and that was it. Had some fun, drank a little bit too much and that was it, Kayla. Nothing to fuss about and nothing to shout about. I feel bad enough without you babbling over my head!” he said, increasing his voice.<
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“I get it, Sean. I get it. You wanted a night out and you had it. So now what? You cannot go on like this. Being irresponsible and all. Oh, no, mister. You have this apartment to worry about, your life, me. We’ll be a family one day, maybe. You can’t let this happen. You want to be a professional football player and you’re here behaving like a toddler. A three-year-old breaking vases and drawing on the wall,” I screamed. I completely lost it. The words were spilling from my tongue all on their own. I didn’t care about anything at all. Kayla was out!
“Stop it, Kayla. I’m not your child, okay? I’m responsible for my own life and what I do is my decision. Not yours. Full stop! Don’t drive me nuts and for once don’t put your nose in everything. We won, understand? It was the most important game of the year for us and we decided to celebrate it. Unlike you, we know how to party!” Sean was yelling at me as well.
I laughed sarcastically. “Oh, you definitely know how to party. Who knows, maybe you brought some girls home to keep you company, drink with you and have a wild sex all night long! Damn you all! I got my scholarship, in case you forgot. And I didn’t take my gang to clubs and parties until the morning. Instead I was driving the whole night. Do you know why? To get home! To you! To my boyfriend!”
“Wait a minute,” Sean said and stood up. “Here’s the core of the problem. You’re dead tired and above it all, you don’t trust me. You think that I have been with someone else? You’re wrong. But you won’t believe me! You don’t believe me when you were just hours from me. What would happen if you moved for a year to another city? What would you think then, when we could only chat online to keep in touch, hmm? No, Kayla. Damn you for not trusting me even a little bit! I … no, I can’t believe I’m hearing this. I simply can’t!”
I stood up, red in the face. Fury was dictating my thoughts and my mouth was saying them. “Yes! We are not built for long-distance relationships, Sean. Already we feel distant towards each other. We don’t need miles to separate us. You do that perfectly fine by yourself!”
“Me? Huh, I knew you’d blame it all on me! We grew cold, yes. I’m terribly sorry for that,” he said, still shouting. Why was he doing that? Was he displaying his manhood and boldness in that way? Speaking to me in a high voice?
“We changed,” I sighed and flopped back on the couch like a sack of potatoes.
“You changed a lot, Kayla!” He shouted again and I felt my head starting to ache. I didn’t know if I could put up with it for much longer. “You are so ambition-driven. Our university is not enough for you. You want to go to the stars, reach higher, and go away from me! Go on then!”
“I don’t know. Who wishes to play for the NFL?” I yelled in his face and picked up my bag. I was leaving.
Sean was still shouting his poisonous words at me. His voice shook the walls. “That wasn’t my priority. You were the first to—”
I shut the door with a loud bang. Our argument was far from over, but I had no energy left to listen to him. The alcohol was still running through his veins and I was exhausted to the bone. We were going to accuse each other of everything for hours and I had to put an end to it. I just hoped that he wasn’t thinking straight and that his words were a product of his hangover.
I climbed down the stairs in utter silence while I sensed slow thrums in my ears. When I sat back down in my beloved red Honda I felt my head heavier than usual. Poor thing. It had had enough for the day. A severe headache was piercing through my skull. I needed a bed and a couple of hours to rest so, so badly. Starting the engine, I still stayed in front of the building. I didn’t know why. Did I expect him to come down begging for my forgiveness, kissing and hugging me and offering me to come upstairs and have a nap with him? Silly, me!
I chortled without any mirth and drove down the road. Besides, I wanted to see my parents and spend some time with them before I moved out. They were sure to be immensely happy that their daughter was going to become someone in the world. Perhaps they were would see their daughter making her dreams come true and that was to open her own law firm. I needed their positive energy right now.
The familiar rhythm of a pop anthem greeted me and I was again on the road. However, this time the journey was going to last only a couple of minutes.
A tear trickled down my face and I wiped it away with the tip of my forefinger.
Sean
My throat was hurting me from all the shouting. My voice was like sandpaper going across wood. A headache was piercing through my head like a knife through my brain. Undoubtedly, this was the worst day ever. I was still immensely furious with Kayla for blaming me and shouting all those bad words. She made me a villain while she was the hero. Wasn’t it always like that? She made it all look like I was the one doing all the wrong things, whereas she was clean and only thought about us and our future together. Bullshit.
Thinking about our unfinished fight irritated me even further. How did she dare to walk out on me? What was I? A fool? On my way back to the living room, I kicked some furniture and banged a vase against the wall, breaking it into a thousand pieces.
“Damn it!” I screamed, slamming my fists into the wall. “Screw you! Screw you, damn it!”
This headache was killing me and I couldn’t fully open my eyes. My eyelids were involuntarily falling down. I went to the bathroom and put my head under the faucet again. What was wrong with me? I hadn’t been this drunk since prom.
Eventually, my vision cleared and I sat down on the couch. The very one that Kayla had sat in just a few moments ago. I could hear her red Honda’s engine driving away and I closed my eyes. What were we doing to each other? Oh, God!
I took a detailed look at the apartment. There was one living-room with a couch and an armchair, white walls and a TV hung on the wall across from the couch. Several paintings decorated the empty space and they were all picked by Kayla. She had an excellent taste with those kinds of things. I had to give her that. And the white porcelain vase in the corner was hers, too. Staring at it now, it reminded me sadly of my babe and how she wouldn’t be here for much longer. The thing we had feared the most was now happening. I knew it. She knew it. We both knew it and did nothing about it. I learned that there were some things that you just couldn’t fight against.
Grabbing the remote control from the table, I turned on the TV. The channels broadcasted the usual stuff—politics, deaths, crime and a little bit of entertainment gossip. But then as I browsed through, I stopped. My face was on the screen. I was staring at myself all sweaty, in a green jersey talking to the reporters. I was muted, for a journalist’s deep voice was covering me. How dare he cover such a wonderful voice?
“Sean Coleman is the new star of the football world. We’ve heard his name many times before, but after last night we’re sure that we can expect a lot from this guy. Last night we asked him about his future plans and thoughts on the game. He was very secretive and didn’t give much to us.” The journalist went silent and they played my statements. Damn I was good!
Then after the videos ended they showed a slideshow of pictures they managed to find on the Internet and in the magazines. The journalist’s deep bass returned. “But who is Sean Coleman really? Rumors tell us that he’s in talks with a professional football team, but we haven’t been able to confirm which one if any. He currently finished university and dates Kayla Vaughn, also a student from his university.” Kayla’s Facebook profile picture popped on the screen. How did they know all that stuff?
I got irritated and switched the TV off. Useless thing. They were dissecting every piece of me, every moment, and every fragment of my being. It wasn’t fair. It was ruthless.
A sigh tore from my chest as I gazed into nothingness. I reached for an aspirin to calm myself and after several minutes I started to feel the pain receding in my head. My thoughts again went to Kayla and our relationship. We’ve found ourselves at a crossroad. She was heading left and I was heading right. Our paths didn’t even intersect. And that was what was worse. We couldn’t contin
ue like this. We had to end it and that fact loomed above us like a black cloud. It was going to be hard, for we had grown accustomed to each other. We lived together, for God’s sakes! Didn’t that count for anything? And now all of a sudden—poof! Gone.
A long distance relationship may have solved our problems. I could go to her and she could come to my place. We would chat on Skype constantly. We would celebrate our birthdays and anniversaries together. Christmas and Thanksgiving, as well. Maybe we would write letters to each other like in the past. It would be romantic, there was that.
But who was I fooling? Kayla and I in a long distance relationship? No. We would definitely not last like that and plus it would be so much more painful for the both of us. We would feel like a burden to each other, not being able to date others or have fun just because we were in a so-called relationship when in reality we would be nothing. A real nothing! I ran a hand across my short black hair. There was only one way out. It stood there in huge, fat, bolded, neon letters. We had to break up. Everyone would have to go their separate ways and be done with it already. We had to put an end to all of the torturing. We didn’t deserve this at all. Oh, no!
I was nervous at first, but as the reality of it settled in, I relaxed. If there was some other solution, we would have found it. And then an idea came to me like a bolt of lightning. It flashed in my mind and was gone the next second.
I stood up, put on some sneakers placed next to the door and was out of the apartment. After climbing down the stairs I stepped out into the street. The hot air instantly filled my lungs and it made me cough. Finally, something to help me fully wake up. The sun was beating down on me, but I continued nonetheless towards the nearby supermarket. It was a nice, pleasant day, a bit too hot for my taste, but I knew that I could manage. There wasn’t anything I couldn’t manage, duh!
The cool air of the air conditioned supermarket hit me as soon as I stepped through the door. It dried the sweat on my nape and back. I wiped my forehead and got a basket. Roaming across the stalls, stands and shelves I finally found what I was looking for. I put several broomsticks, detergents, huge black plastic bags and other cleaning equipment into my basket.
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