The invitation sounded forced. As much as I wanted to jump at his offer, it didn’t sound sincere.
Besides, the last memory I had of that mansion was of him and Lilly. One happy couple. If I was going down there, it would be to burn his mattress with Lilly on it.
“As fun as that sounds, I’ve already made plans with Chrissy. She already bought an outfit and everything, so I’m pretty much committed.”
We both laughed, thinking of Chrissy and her shallow ways. “You better watch out, Sid, I’m sure she’ll try to pair you up with a doctor if you’re not careful,” he said with a tiny bit of seriousness.
“I’d never trade my hot musician boyfriend for some pretentious doctor. Unless I had cancer or something. Then I might consider it, being that he might be able to save my life and all,” I joked back.
We laughed as we imagined me, bald and ailing, on the arm of a handsome doctor. Ray had a gift of brightening my day.
“I’m glad you called tonight.”
It had actually felt like the old days. He really had just called to talk. Knowing how busy he had been the past few weeks, it warmed my heart to know he had set aside some time for this conversation.
“I’ll always call you on your birthday, Sid, no matter where I am. I’d pay my last dollar to hear your voice.”
That was the Ray I had always known. That was the Ray I had fallen in love with. So genuine and caring.
“By the way, I saw that article about you in A.P.”
He sounded a bit surprised. “Those journalists don’t know what they’re talking about. I guess it’s the price I pay for always writing about my feelings.”
Another long pause while I thought of the words I wanted to carefully construct. “Do you still feel that way, the way you felt when you wrote that song?” I whispered as I closed my eyes, afraid to hear the answer.
“If I did, would I be on the phone with you right now?” he countered.
A smile the size of Texas slowly spread across my face.
“It’s just a song, Sid, about a specific way I was feeling at one moment in time. It didn’t sum up my feelings for you—no one song ever could.”
I heard some shuffling noises in the background as voices began shouting at Ray to get off the phone. The drums began playing loudly and for one second I thought I heard a woman’s voice in the background asking if he was ready to go. I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared into the screen in disbelief. I wished he had called me on Skype. I put the phone back to my ear and questioned him in an accusatory manner; “Are you with Lilly?”
“No,” he shouted back. “You’ve really gotta stop this, Sid. I’m with the roadies backstage trying to get the instruments tuned and ready for the sound check. Remember the show I told you about two seconds ago?” He explained.
I wanted to believe him but something in the pit of my stomach was screaming at me not to.
“Look, Sid. I’m really busy here. I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday.”
In the blink of an eye, Ray had reverted back to his old callous self. Again I heard a woman’s voice echoing in the background, this time giggling.
“I know she’s there with you. I think it’s time for me to go out and have some fun.”
“What in the hell does that mean, Sid?”
“Two can play this game.”
“I called you because I missed you on your birthd—”
“Yeah, thanks for ruining it. Goodbye, Ray!”
I slammed my thumb against the end button, disconnecting our call as I threw the phone across the room. Luckily the phone had a pretty sturdy case and survived my brutal attack.
I sat there seething in silence. Had it really only been one month since that fateful visit to Ray’s mansion? A mere thirty days and he’s already yelling at me to get over his affair with the beautiful redhead.
I rose from the chair in Granny’s room and went to retrieve my hapless phone. I didn’t know if Ray had honestly ended things with Lilly but tonight was my birthday and I refused to allow him the power to ruin it.
Instead of pouting, I texted Chrissy.
Are you ready?
Stuffing the phone in my back pocket, I quickly kissed Granny goodnight before heading upstairs to get ready for the evening.
I opened my closet, searching through the bunched up hangers as I scrambled for something to wear. It was virtually impossible to sort through the cluster of clothes in that tiny, dark closet. No wonder Granny always used it to store boxes. Hanging clothes in there proved to be a very cruel joke. The space was no bigger than a coat closet.
I had just gotten done running a five-mile trek and didn’t feel like changing out of my running clothes. I was wearing my gray and pink sweatpants and a black spaghetti strapped tank top. I looked outside my bedroom window for a quick weather report. The sun was going down but there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It didn’t look as if the weather would change much but I didn’t know how long I would be out. I grabbed my matching hoodie just to be safe. Throwing it on, I glanced in the mirror.
I knew Chrissy would be completely appalled when she saw my wardrobe selection, but I didn’t care. I wanted to be comfortable and it was my birthday, dammit.
My hair was pulled back into a ponytail from my earlier run. Any makeup I had on my face had long been washed away by my perspiration. I grabbed my water bottle and looked down at the water mark it had left on the dresser. I thought how angry Granny would be to see it.
Gulping down what was left in the bottle I quickly grabbed my eyeliner and applied a thick layer to my top lid and fish-tailed it out a bit to give my eyes a little more length. I hated the small almond-shape of my eyes. I wished they were big and innocent looking like Chrissy’s.
I took one more glance at my reflection in the mirror as I laughed at my King Tut look with all that eyeliner. My phone chimed with a message notification. I opened the text.
Chrissy: Ready. Come get me.
I grabbed the truck keys and headed towards the garage. On my way, I ran into Nouri, who was outside wearing a straw hat to shield her from the evening sun as she pruned the rose bushes. She looked over at me and smiled. “Happy Birthday, Sidney. You go out with a handsome doctor tonight?”
I laughed. “Nouri, he doesn’t have to be rich or a doctor, just nice-looking.”
She opened her big brown eyes as wide as she could and looked around the yard. “Go out, meet nice rich man and bring him back for me to meet.”
I nodded. “Sounds like a plan to me.” I opened the door to my fully restored 1970 pale green Chevy truck. It had originally belonged to my grandfather, and after his death Granny had it restored to its original condition as a way to commemorate his life. Upon my sixteenth birthday, she had given it to me a gift. As was her custom, she always made me feel special.
I pulled up to Chrissy’s house, which was set at the end of a cul-de-sac. Her parents had a picture-perfect yellow Victorian home with a beautiful white balcony that wrapped around the entire front porch. It was the ideal house for lolling lazily on a breezy summer night while sipping iced tea. There was a massive water fountain that sat in the middle of the perfectly manicured green lawn as well as a cobblestone pathway which led to the front door.
As soon I put the truck in park, I saw Chrissy emerge as she closed the front door. She ran down the porch steps and flew into the truck, jumping exuberantly into the passenger seat.
I smiled at her. “Don’t you look cute tonight!”
Chrissy always looked cute, and she knew it.
Everything about her was big. Big hazel eyes with long, thick lashes, full cherry lips, and thick blonde volumized hair. Every time I saw her it was a surprise. She had a style that was all her own and she always looked good in anything she wore.
Tonight, she had decided to throw on a baseball-style shirt with army green sleeves paired with camouflage skinny jeans. I don’t even know where one goes to buy camouflage skinny jeans. I was sure it was in a store that was
way outside my budget. Chrissy’s parents were loaded and they were more than happy to give her whatever she wanted. The only reason she worked at Safeway was because it gave her a chance to flirt with the cute guys that would stop in on their way up to the mountains.
In addition to her part-time employment as a grocery store clerk, she was also enrolled in a nursing program. She hoped to meet a head surgeon, fall in love, and live happily ever after, counting her riches.
“Thanks,” she responded, batting her perfectly dressed eyelashes. “Like my new shoes?”
She lifted her foot and placed it on my dash to reveal its black strappy leather heels that had to be at least six-inches high. Normally I would flip out if someone put their dirty shoe on the dash of my classic Chevy, but with Chrissy, I didn’t even bother. What would be the point? She’d just do it again. If a car wasn’t European, she didn’t respect it. Chrissy had always drummed to her own beat and refused to take direction from anyone, except her father, who possessed the power to cut off her finances.
I pouted. “Those are pretty dope. I wish I could wear heels that big. Hell, I wish I could pull off that whole outfit, but you know me, I’d be sure to fall flat on my face wearing heels like those.”
Chrissy agreed. “Well, I’d trade places with you any day, Sidney. I’d much rather be four inches taller and a buck ten like you than live my life at five feet three!”
She had a point.
As she said this, her eyes danced over to what I was wearing as the corners of her mouth slowly turned down in disgust. “Jesus, Sidney. What are you wearing? And please do not tell me that you ran your silly little five-mile run before picking me up? Did you at least take a shower?”
I smiled and shook my head, pleased to sour her expectations. Chrissy had been known to spend hours on her hair and makeup and would never leave her house until it was perfect. I’ve often thought this girl belonged on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, not casual Northern California.
Among Chrissy’s big features was a big mouth to go with them. She was overly confident and incredibly beautiful. She would never put up with the kind of crap Ray had put me through. She proved that when she broke up with Finn before he ever had a chance to try any of Ray’s shenanigans.
Thinking of Chrissy and Finn, I remembered the last time I spoke with him. “By the way, Finn says hi.”
I watched as Chrissy’s eyes shot up at the mention of his name. No matter how hard she attempted to hide her true feelings, I could see she still cared for the big guy. She wasn’t as heartless as she portrayed herself. She played with the paint on her fingernails, pretending not to be interested.
“What really went on between you two?” I questioned. “It’s not normal, Chrissy. Something bad must have happened because you act like he’s dead.”
“I don’t want to talk about him.”
I decided not to press her any further. She would tell me when she was ready. There had to be more of a reason why she broke up with him. It just didn’t add up. Chrissy could be cold sometimes, but not like this.
I decided to lighten the mood since tonight was all about having fun and living life to the fullest; the gist of the speech Chrissy had given me to agree to come out tonight. I looked over and saw her face buried deep in her phone.
“What are you looking at?” I asked.
She looked up at me with wide, secretive eyes. I could tell she was debating whether or not to tell me something.
“Tell me,” I pushed. Chrissy bit her lip, which was never a good sign.
“It’s probably nothing. Let’s just go have fun,” she suggested, looking way too excited.
I sat back in the driver’s seat and folded my arms, looking straight ahead. I knew what she had to say would have to do with Ray, so I sat there, waiting for Chrissy to tell me the bad news.
She sat up and turned her body so she was facing me. “Okay, I’ll tell you, but no matter how bad it might be you have to promise that you’re still going out with me. I’ve been trying to get you here forever and finally I have you out. You can’t go home now.”
“I promise, Chrissy, no matter what, we’re still going out tonight.”
She didn’t buy it. She held out her pinky and made me pinky swear. I reluctantly agreed to Chrissy’s childish ritual and we were sworn in.
She sat back. “Okay, it’s probably nothing, but I just checked Ray’s Facebook page and I noticed that he’s added a new friend,” she said, trying to downplay it.
“Okay. He’s probably adding lots of new friends these days. His song is all over the radio,” I rationalized.
“Well, yeah that could be the case…” Chrissy slowly began.
“But…” I prompted her.
“But it says that he’s now friends with someone named Lilly Lavelle.” She held up her phone showing the screen of Ray’s new friend status.
I snatched the phone out of her hand and pressed my finger against the girl’s name on Facebook. Instantly her profile appeared. It was private but it allowed me to see her profile picture. She was tall with long red hair flowing down her back with those devious green eyes shimmering like sensual lake waters on a moonlit night. My heart sank to my stomach. All this did was confirm my suspicions that he was with her tonight.
I threw the phone in Chrissy’s lap and grabbed my own phone out of my purse. I called Ray but got his voicemail on the first ring. I sat there in the truck. My mind now racing, I calculated my next move to play in this little game we call love. With my phone, I logged into Facebook. I went to Ray’s new friend status with “Lilly Lavelle,” and clicked “Like.”
Satisfied with my move, I smiled, “Now he knows that I know.”
I turned my phone off and frowned at Chrissy. “I think I just want to go home and go to bed.”
I was suddenly exhausted and dreaming of the green-eyed stranger sounded much more appealing than putting on a charade of happiness.
Chrissy vigorously shook her head. “Uh-uh. I don’t think so. I’m done putting up with this B.S. You’ve been my best friend way too long and most of the time I have to share you with that jerk Ray, but tonight I refuse because it’s your birthday, dammit, and tonight we’re going out and forgetting about Ray. Tonight we’ll toast to new beginnings!”
She held up an invisible wine glass as if clinking it to another invisible glass. I threw the truck in reverse, did a three-point turn, and headed off laughing loudly.
“Tonight, we shall paint the town red!”
As soon as I said it, Lilly’s red hair flashed in my mind. I verbally rebounded, “No, red reminds me of that home wrecking slut Lilly. Black…black is the new red.”
“Cheers to that!” Chrissy agreed as we clinked our invisible glasses in the air once again.
Chapter Six
Bulletproof Heart
Chrissy and I decided to hit up a bar downtown and cut loose. It was well needed after that episode with Ray and his social media site. Of course I was little nervous since this was my first time at a bar. The undisputed fact that Chrissy and I were both under the legal drinking age was seared in my mind. Chrissy assured me she knew the bouncer and that gaining entry would be as easy as stealing candy from a baby. Of course she was right.
As we walked down the narrow sidewalk towards the entrance there was a big, burly guy with a shaved head wearing a jean vest displaying a giant Misfits patch on the back.
Once he saw my sexy girlfriend his entire face lit up and I knew we were in. Chrissy had that effect on guys.
“Hey Davey,” Chrissy greeted him with her arms open.
“Chrissy, baby! Long time no see,” he said as he swept her up into his big arms for a bear hug. He lifted her completely off the ground as Chrissy squealed with delight. She bent her knees up, making sure her heels didn’t fall off. She loved being the center of attention.
He grinned and pointed to his cheek. “Give me some sugar, baby.”
I squished my nose like I just smelled dog shit.
&
nbsp; What a creep.
But Chrissy knew the game well and she placed her big red lips right on the side of his face and let out a loud smack. She stepped back to inspect her work. Two perfect lip marks adorned his cheek.
“I’m gonna get this permanently tattooed one day,” he joked.
“Yeah, yeah, you say that every time, Dave. I’m still waiting!” she cracked back. “So what’s going on tonight…you’re not gonna try to make my friend and I pay a ridiculous cover charge to get into this dump, are you?”
She opened her leather tote bag and pulled out a stick of red lipstick and began applying a thick coat to her full lips. She turned and asked me, “Do I have any lipstick on my teeth?”
I shook my head.
“Oh!” she said, suddenly surprised. “I forgot. You two haven’t met. Gosh, how rude of me. Dave, this is my bestie, Sidney.” She put her arm around me and pointed my face towards him. “Sidney, this is my favorite guy, Dave.”
Dave leered at me and reached out his hairy tattooed arm to shake my hand. I reluctantly returned his smile and effortlessly placed my limp palm in his as if I was the Queen of England and he should be delighted to have such an honor.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Dave.”
My girlfriend took over the dialogue, “Sidney here is on the verge of a nasty break up or mental breakdown, whichever comes first, I suppose. I’m trying to take her mind off all the drama so she can live it up a little bit. You know; the calm before the storm sort of thing.” Chrissy winked at him.
I rolled my eyes.
Sometimes Chrissy could have such a big mouth. I didn’t need the world to know about my relationship and besides I never once said that Ray and I were breaking up. I don’t know why everyone always assumed we were on the verge of demise. We’re just going through a little rough patch right now, that’s all.
Between Dreams Page 6