“Seriously? I wouldn’t have offered if I expected you to pay.”
“But this is how you earn a living. I don’t want to take up your time from a paying customer.”
He pulls out his phone and taps at it a few times, “I have tomorrow and Thursday open. I planned on working out those days anyways. Consider this as workout buddies.” He smirks and winks at me. He reaches for his bottle of water and his shoulder and bicep muscles bulge and I can’t help but think about the amount of strength that man has. When I don’t say anything, because I am too busy gawking, he asks me, “So, what do you say? Are we on?”
I manage to get my eyes to his and I shyly smile and nod.
He holds up a fist this time and I return his gesture with my own fist. We just fist bumped and he is smiling like a fool, just as much as I am. We talk about times that we have available those days. Tomorrow we start first thing in the morning, before coming into the library again and Thursday will be just in the evening after I do an earlier shift at the diner.
Back home I decide that things with Maddy won’t get any better if one of us doesn’t woman up. So, I am taking the high road. I am making her favorite spaghetti and meatballs, which will be ready by the time she gets in tonight. Just as the pasta is done and I am tossing the sauce in, she comes through the door. Come’s walking slowly over to the kitchen area, she can obviously smell the food. She eyes me suspiciously, “You’re planning on poisoning me tonight aren’t you?” She asks. And honestly I can’t tell if she is trying to be funny or is genuinely concerned for her well-being. “Have a seat.” I tell her.
She kicks off her flats, which must be new, because I don’t think I have ever seen them before. She takes a seat and I open the fridge and retrieve a bottle of wine. I pour us two glasses and hand her one. She waits for me to take the first sip. Seriously? I wouldn’t poison her. I have thought about it. But realistically wouldn’t do it.
I take my sip and dump the pasta in a large serving bowl and top it with the meatballs. I carry it over with an extra pot holder so I don’t hurt our already crappy table any further. You would think with the money these men throw at Maddy, she would use it to go into our home.
“What’s the occasion?” She asks. “It’s not my birthday or anything…”
I go and come back with two plates and silverware, setting hers down in front of her I tell her, “I just wanted to talk to you, without us fighting. You know like the good old days?”
She scoops out a heaping mound of the pasta and starts in on it, “I suppose. What did you have in mind?
“Well, I want to apologize for sticking you with that shift and I just feel like we have fallen off in such a short period of time. Is everything alright?” I take the spoon when she is done and scoop out some for myself.
She swallows and takes a sip of the red wine, “Everything is fine.” She snips, “I’m sorry,” She squeezes her eyes shut and sets the glass down slowly. “I didn’t mean to snap, I am just stressed out a bit and I know that’s not fair to you. I appreciate the dinner and the wine, thank you.”
“Hey we had to start somewhere if we want to keep this friendship alive right?” We need to talk and figure out what is going on. I know I have been a little snotty too, so I won’t place all the blame on her. I just want a friend who I can trust again. We were so damn close at the beginning. I would like to try and salvage that. I didn’t have a steady school life, being tossed around different families and group homes, so I didn’t have a girlfriend or a group of friends I could stay in touch with. I never had sleepovers where we would all giggle about who we had crushes on and looked at pre-teen magazines and ogled over boy bands. No passing notes in the hall. No one to sneak out of the house with to go to a party we shouldn’t be at. I feel like I have missed out on so much.
She nods and agrees with me, “So, after dinner what do you want to do?”
I think about that for a moment. Typically on an average girl time with Maddy, we would stay in, watch a movie and snack. We didn’t go out clubbing or boy-scouting as she liked to call it. She used to beg me to go out with her at first, but since I would turn her down every time, she just stopped asking. I was relieved, that wasn’t my place and I knew she had her “fun” friends. I knew this because I overheard her on her phone a while back. She was in her room and her door was open, I was coming out of the bathroom and I heard her talking.
“Of course we are going out tonight!” I heard Maddy assure the person on the receiver. I am sure she is talking to another guy. I don’t know what has gotten into her lately, but she doesn’t normally go out with so many guys in a week. She has been out with two this week so far and it’s just now the weekend. It’s none of my business I know.
She laughs and says, “Girl, if you only knew half of it…” I see her shadow cross in front of the light in her room, cascading in the hallway, I dip into my room and keep my head popped out. She is talking to another girl? She has never mentioned any other girlfriends. Did I expect her to only have me? I did. But, I didn’t really consider it, because Maddy is my first real friend since leaving…
She scoffs into the phone, “Please, you girls are my fun friends. Margot, just helps with the rent and she bakes.” She giggles and I can now hear the click of her heels on the hardwood floor in her room.
“Fun” friends? That stings. So I am just a source of income for her and her personal baker? That’s fine she can have her “fun” friends, I am sure they are just as snotty as she has become. Heck, I’d be willing to bet that, they are the bad influence. Knock it off Margot…I tell myself. No green grapes. I am not jealous by any means, but hell, that hurts. You know what? I am not going to back anything for her anymore.
I see her light turn off and she tells the “fun” friend that she will meet her “there” in fifteen minutes. I close my door and grab a book and jump onto my bed. She doesn’t knock and comes right in. She always does that, she just assumes I am descent. Well it isn’t like Josh is in here. We don’t do anything here. We are usually at his place. “Going out.” She tells me, she also used to ask me one more time before ducking out for the night, if I have changed my mind. Not anymore.
“Have fun, you look great.” I tell her. She always does. This is where a friend should say “Thank you” right? Nope I get an “I know!” She smacks her lips and saunters out. She saunters out of old reliable Maddy into new catty Maddy. Out with the sundresses and in with the mini dresses. So long old friend.
I shake my head at the memory. “You okay there?” She asks me, with a mouth full of food. She is looking at me like I am crazy or something.
“Oh, nothing I am just trying to think of what we should do.” I smile, standing up I move to the oven.
She is watching me and waiting. I know she won’t ask if I want to go to a bar or anything. I bet she is waiting for me to suggest a movie. Well, I need a change. I got a taste of it and I want more. “Any good bars down by the shore?”
She chokes back on a sip of wine and wipes it off her chin with the back of her hand. Eyes wide, “Really?” She raises an eyebrow, “You want to go to a bar?”
“I do, but after…” I open the oven door and pull out a pumpkin pie, one of her favorite desserts and return back to the table with it. “We have dessert.” Her eyes go wide as she takes in the golden confection I just presented to her.
“Margot, you haven’t baked one of these in forever!”
I come back with a can of whipped cream, I set it down and serve us both a slice, “Well, I know how much you like it and I figured if I was making dinner I may as well have dessert too. Plus, today is the first day of September. September makes my hankering for pumpkin fierce.” We both giggle and I go to squirt the whipped cream and a little comes out on her slice, then it splats with nothing but tiny creamed fragments and the sound of air. “What the heck, I just bought this can…”
I look to Maddy who is giving me the “oops” face, “Um, about that, I had some uh, company over and we m
ay have used some…”
“Ew! Maddy really?” I cringe at the visual.
She on the other hand starts to giggle, “Hey don’t knock it, till you’ve tried it girl!”
“Yeah, I don’t see that happening with Josh.” I rush out not thinking. Oh man, I don’t want Maddy to know that we are having some minor issues. Not hardly seeing one another and him being his usual domineering self as minor issues then sure, let’s call it that.
“Problems?” She asks.
I look down at my slice of pie, I take a small bite, “Just normal relationship stuff, you know?”
She bobs her head from side to side, “Not really, I mean I haven’t held a relationship for what? Two, two and a half years now?” She takes a bite, “So, what are we going to wear?” She changes the topic.
We walking to this bar, but it’s a little more upscale. It has glass everywhere and blue lights. The bar stools are covered in a white leathery material and the music pumping out is very poppy. I look around and I am glad I had Maddy dress me tonight. Everyone here is slightly dressed up, the guys are in dress slacks and loosely buttoned dress shirts and the women are in short stylish dresses or skirt and top combo. Maddy got me in a pale pink form fitted dress and I begged to wear my favorite white heels…The same heels that I worse with Derrek. I feel a tug in my chest when I think about him and that night. That would typically be something I would talk to Maddy about, if it were three years ago, but I can’t yet. That bond and trust is frayed.
We step up to the bar and Maddy places our drink order, “I’ll take a sea breeze and a cola.”
I step up over her, “Make that a gin and tonic!” I yell over the music, the bartender nods and Maddy turns and her mouth is gapped open. “What?” I ask with humor in my tone.
“Since when do you drink?”
“I drink at home, what’s the big deal?”
“Oh, I don’t know, you never have had a drink outside of the house and nothing other than a glass of wine.” Oh, if she only knew…
“Well, I wanted to try something new.” I smile a smug smile. I am proud of myself and the steps I am taking to branch out. It’s been needing to happen.
We grab out drinks and turn away from the bar, we are offered two seats by a couple of guys a few spots down. Maddy winks at me and she starts over and I follow. I am not going to be here a lone. This is supposed to be a night for the two of us to try and reconnect. I know deep down I will be left hanging, while she goes home with probably one or both of these guys. I wish she would slow it down…
The two guys look to be in their mid-twenties and they’re pretty clean cut. One, who has just introduced himself to Maddy as Jacob has longer moppy hair that hits the base of his neck and he is clean shaven. The other one is holding his hand out to me, “Hello there I’m Zach and I have to say, you look stunning in that dress.” He has on a dark red dress shirt and a charcoal suit on over it. He must be a business man. He has sandy blond hair that is cut short, but styled up in the front. I didn’t know grown men still did that with their hair. I take his hand and shyly thank him and we take our new seats at the bar.
Maddy puts a hand on Zach’s arm and tells him, “Oh, she is off limits. She has a boyfriend.” She slyly grins at him and Jacob both.
Zach looks me up and down as I sit on the stool, “That’s a shame. I would have loved to have gotten to know you. That dress…” He clicks his tongue and shakes his head. I don’t know if I should be flattered or disgusted. I take a sip of my drink and it is going down easy. That one little sip turned into more of a gulp. “Can I get you another one?” I hear Zach ask.
“No thank you, I’m all set. I’m also the designated driver.”
Just as I say those words Maddy goes off with the Jacob guy. “Well it looks like your friend just found her ride home. Come on what do you say? I’ll get you a drink and we can just chat.”
“That’s very kind of you, but I am in a relationship.” I turn away slightly in hopes that he will take a hint.
“Then where is this so called boyfriend?” He is getting cocky now.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but this was supposed to be a girl’s night…” The realization stings when I realize that it’s no long a girl’s night. “You know what, I will take that drink Zach.”
“Alright, that’s what I am talking about! What will it be sugar?” I tense at the last part. Maybe this is a bad idea.
I stand up, “Actually I should get going I have an early shift in the morning, I shouldn’t be so careless and party on a work night.”
“But we were just getting started…” He grabs my arm.
“Let go of me please.” I ask nicely.
“You need a drink and to loosen up … have some fun.” Then he does the unthinkable, he actually grabs himself. A whole handful of his own dick.
I cringe and just pull away. I find Maddy on the dance floor with Jacob and some other guy. I tap her on the shoulder, “Hey can we get going? This was a bad idea.”
“Really? She pouts.
“Really.”
She takes her time giving her number to one of the two guys and motions for him to call her. “I have to use the restroom.” She tells me.
“Okay, I will meet you by the cars.”
Outside I can feel the cool rush of sea air prickle my nose and I take in a deep breath. I don’t know why anyone would rather be in a place like that when they can be out here. I zone out, waiting for Maddy to meet me, I’m waiting outside of the car and looking up at the stars. It’s been a little bit and no sign of Maddy. I look at my watch and it’s getting late. I grumble and roll my eyes and I have to go back in there looking for her.
Back inside I scan the room for any sign of her. It takes me a minutes, but when I do spot her she is sitting on that Jacob guys lap. What the hell is she doing? Does she have friend ADD? Apparent Ditz Disorder perhaps? I push my way through the crowded place and once I am finally behind her, “Um hello?” I ask raising my voice.
She is making out with the stranger. She waves a hand back at me. Fine. “Have fun, I’m going home. I will see you when I see you.” I get back outside and walk to my car. I have never been happier to have driven myself. I only told that guy I was the designated driver so he wouldn’t waste his money on me. I reach my door and I notice someone standing in front of my Blue Belle. I jump right out of my skin. “Can I help you?” I ask.
The figure comes around and it’s that obnoxious Zach guy. He step closer and I feel a single pound in my chest. Then another step and another pound of the chest. This is not a safe moment and right now I wish I was at home in my bed with a book, just like every other normal night. I fumble with the lock and he is right at my back. I feel his hands on my hips. “Excuse me, I need to get going.” I try to keep my voice steady.
“Oh, come on, you come into this place looking the way you do and you don’t expect a man to want to shove his cock deep inside of you?” His voice and words make my stomach turn and my head spin. All of my nerve ending are on high alert. When I feel his hand start to grope my back side I knew I had to do something.
“I’m sorry if I didn’t make it clear before, I am not interested.”
“Don’t care.”
My breathing is fast and I am starting to feel light headed. I can’t go through this again. I have been free for too long to have to relive it all over. Talking about it is one thing, but to have the same fear come up on you is gut wrenching. I am not going down without a fight. Think Margot. Turn around. I turn and get brave. I place my hands on his chest and look up into his eyes. Okay, he seems tipsy, that’s a plus.
“That’s right sugar, you know you want this.”
I lean in close and grab his shoulders and knee him hard and fast in the balls. He spits out a gust of air and he is curling over. “Bitch!” He snarls. I twist to open my door and his hand reaches for my leg, grabbing it I stumble and fall head first into my car. My back side out of the car and his hands on the backs of my th
ighs and going higher. “No!” I yell making it clear that I am saying no. When he doesn’t listen I start kicking. I start kicking like an Olympian swimmer. I have my heels on so it has to hurt.
I hear a growl and him stumbling on the loose gravel of the parking lot. I have a second to break free and I haul myself into my car and thank the lord that Blue Belle starts right up for me. I slam on the gas, causing the stones to kick up and fly from behind me. I look into the rearview mirror and the asshole is on his back side holding his arms up in front of his face avoiding the stones.
I speed home. I need to take a shower to get that sick assholes touch off of me.
Last night was something I wanted to forget about and fast. I am in need of a good distraction and I am even happier that I’m seeing and working with Justin this morning. I have already eaten and gotten dressed in the closest things I have to work out clothes, cropped leggings and a tank top with a built in bra. I have my Adidas running shoes on and I am ready. Maybe some exercise with help clear my head. And I hope I have enough energy to keep up, last night kept me up.
I am happy to know that I was able to fight back this time, but I was lucky. If he weren’t three sheets to the wind¸ I may not have gotten away unsheathed. Maddy of course didn’t come home and that’s fine by me. I think at this point I might start putting away more of my paychecks and when I have enough I will find my own place. Maybe that’s all that I really need.
I get a text from Justin telling me to meet him at the gym he works for at eight o’clock. I am really glad I had set my alarm for seven. I have a little more time, but decide to get their early and wait. Not knowing what to do inside I stay in the main lobby. This gym is a pretty decent size, it has two floors and a juice bar. A place where I would have to sell my soul to afford a membership I am sure and sign with blood. I text him that I am there and a minute later I see Justin come from one of the many directions of the gym. “I didn’t know you were here already,” I tell him.
About Time Page 15