2Another Tragic Love Story
By: Sherry Schumaker
I've known Alex since I turned thirteen. The two of us met on our very first day of eighth grade when he was nothing but messy brown hair, glasses, and a set of braces. We became instant best friends. Now, seven years later, I, quite awkwardly, discovered I've been in love with him since that very day. And now, well, I'm pretty much screwed. Alright, let me explain how everything has changed since I discovered this small piece of information that my heart wanted to hide from me.
It was a normal Saturday night and like usual the two of us were headed to some fraternity party where there'd be a bunch of complete strangers. And also, like usual, neither of us had dates. Alex pulled us into a parking spot at the edge of the street, his black Grand Prix sliding easily between two rusty, broken down pickup trucks. I flipped down the overhead visor, opening up the small mirror hidden there. Seeing myself in the mirror, I adjusted my long blond locks, and added an extra layer of lip gloss. "Beck, are you coming or not?" Alex questioned me, a large grin covering his face as he stood outside the car, his door still wide open. I sighed, slammed the visor closed quickly and slid out of the car.
"Okay, I'm ready. Let's go." I said, adjusting my print skirt and tank top, a slight shiver running down my body. I walked to the car's trunk, grabbed my case of beer and began walking toward the house, Alex following after. I shivered again, running my free hand down my arms to create some form of warmth in this breezy October air.
"Do you want my jacket, Becky?" Alex asked me, gesturing toward his black leather coat that looked awfully warm and extremely inviting.
"Oh, I'll be okay. I'm sure it'll be warmer once we get inside." I smiled at him in gratitude, and continued to the house. With each step toward the large looming party before me, a blurred hum of music grew louder. I grabbed the case of beer with my other hand, its weight becoming a slight problem for me. Okay, so I'm a weak blond girl, not my fault. Blame my parent's genes, alright? Anyway, as we came up to the front door, Alex knocked gently, and pushed his way inside. At least twenty people stood cramped in the small entryway and we attempted to squeeze in with them, looking for any familiar faces. When we didn't see one, we continued making our way through the packed house.
The next room we ended up squeezing into was the kitchen in back. A keg was resting on the floor with a group of frat guys huddling around it like campers to a fire. I discovered a small fridge and slide my beer inside of it as best I could; a sharpie was lying on the cluttered counter. I snatched it up, writing my name in big black letters on the case. REBECCA.
I grabbed a Bud Light from my case, popped it open, and took my first sip of the disgustingly warm beer. "Are you ready to get down?" Alex smiled, placing his own alcohol in the fridge beside mine. I raised an eyebrow at him, chugging down a little more of the warm booze. Alex grabbed my hand and led me out into the living room. At least, that's what I think it was. The furniture was pushed back against the walls and people were cluttered around the room, dancing, making out, and playing various drinking games. It was by far the most chaotic party I had ever seen.
I, like any normal female, began scanning the crowd for any cute looking guys. However, my luck that night was already headed downhill and I unfortunately hadn't seen anyone that appealed to me. Perhaps if I had, my feelings for Alex never would have surfaced and life wouldn't be so complicated now. But, those are the facts. Just then, I said the stupidest thing to Alex that any girl in love could say. "See any babes out there, tonight?" I gave him a silly grin, poking fun at his single status. Those were the words that ruined my life.
I assumed that, like me, he wouldn't see a soul in here that entered his radar, but I was terribly mistaken. "Actually, that girl over there's not bad." He said, nodding his head to a group of people sitting in a circle playing what looked like Presidents and Assholes. I scanned the circle for the girl in question and my eyes landed on a cute brown hair girl. Her hair was pulled back into an up-do; I touched my stringy locks against my shoulders. Her eyes sparkled with a brilliant green; I thought of my dull blue orbs. Yes, I was jealous. This was the very first moment I detected this jealousy. I shook my head, trying to shake out those envious thoughts.
"Why don't you go talk to her or something?" Mistake number two. I'm a moron. He sat motionless, a shy man to the core. I slightly nudged him toward the circle to get him moving. Mistake number three. He stepped forward, grabbed my hand again and pulled me with him to the circle. Before the brown-hair beauty noticed us, he dropped my hand like I had leprosy and approached the group.
"Hey guys. What are you playing?" He said, as his eyes made contact with hers.
"P & A. Wanna join?" She asked him, a soft smile emerging. It elicited a smile from him. It made me want to vomit.
"Sure. I'm Alex, this is Becky." He said, pointing over at me as he sat and edged his way into the circle. I stayed standing there like an idiot before he pulled me down to join. I nudged my way into the crowd, half in and half out of the circle.
"Hi. I'm Jess." She replied, continuing introducing everyone else around the circle. "That's AJ, Johnny, Christi, Katy, and Timothy." She soon finished and gave another smile toward my best friend. She scooped up all the cards and began shuffling for a new game. I clutched my beer closer, hoping just to drown myself in it. I leaned back against one of the couches and waited for the new game to start. Before the cards were even dealt, I had finished my first beer. I excused myself to retrieve another. When I returned, the game was already in motion. They hadn't dealt me in. I sighed, and plopped down on the sofa, watching the game progress. Round after round continued on without me, beer can after empty beer can littered the floor below me. I was already on my sixth.
Finally, Alex realized I was sitting there doing nothing. "Beck, don't you want to play?" he asked me. My jaw nearly dropped at how unbelievably dense he was. Hadn't he noticed me sitting here for the last hour just waiting for them to restart so I could join? What was he? Blind?
I couldn't help it. I got really upset by his words. "No. I don't want to play." I replied, a slight sneer on my face. He made a face like I bit him. I felt slightly better. "I'm gonna go find a bathroom. Do you want to help me find it?" I asked, trying to let my anger go and trying to separate him from the Jess, the brown-haired devil.
"No, I think I'll keep playing. I'm president, you know." He replied, grabbing up a set of cards for the current round. "I think the bathroom's upstairs, though." He said, turning back to face the game and continuing his previous conversation with Jess. I glared at them both briefly before standing up quickly, making my way through the crowd angrily. I quickly found the stairs and attempted to make my way up them. After standing up, the alcohol in my body made its presence known and I felt a little dizzy. I tried to focus my eyes as I climbed up the stairs. Once I reached the landing on top, I felt a little better. I started walking down the long hallway, searching for the bathroom. I knocked on the first door I came to, only to discover an empty bedroom. The second door I came to, I pulled the door open, only to be surprised by two people making out on the bed. "Sorry." I said pulling the door shut quickly, a slight blush staining my cheeks.
Finally, the third door gave me some relief. It was the bathroom. I sighed deeply, closing and locking the door behind me. I moved over to the mirror, gazing at my face in it. I barely recognized my face. My eyes were blurred over with a deep alcohol haze. I blinked furiously, trying to clear my mind. However, my mind kept wandering back to Alex and Jess. What were they doing while I was locked up in this bathroom? Why did I care so much? Why am I so jealous of her? Just then, I felt as if I had been punched in the stomach. Everything became clear to me. I loved him. I loved my best friend and he was downstairs putting the moves on some other chick. I felt queasy. That was the moment. That was the moment that truly screwed me over.
I turned on the faucet in the bathroom, running my hands under the water. My hands moved over my face and neck, water droplets running down my back. I took a deep breath, tried a smile toward the mirror. It looked fake, looked broken. I shook my head and walked back downstairs.
The sight that greeted me almost knocked me off my feet. Alex and Jess sat cuddled up on the very sofa I had previously occupied. I stopped at the edge of the room, just staring at them. I felt like the biggest loser in the fraternity, but I plastered my face with the best smile I could muster and started to walk over to them. "Hey," I greeted them once I reached them.
"Hey! Where you been? I was about to start a search party for you!" Alex joked, his arm draped over Jess's shoulders. I felt like ripping out her hair.
"Oh, no where. So, how was the game?" I asked, taking a seat beside them on the couch, trying to act like nothing had changed while I was gone.
"It was good. I totally kicked Alex's ass!" Jess answered with a drunken slur. Can't I just slap her?
"Cool." I nodded to myself, trying to think up something to say. Desperately wanting to just go home. Just then, Jess leaned over and whispered something in Alex's ear before she stood up and began walking out of the room. Alex then followed, turning back to look at me.
"Hey, Beck, do you think you can find a ride home?" His eyes looked into mine deeply, I almost got lost in them.
"Why? I thought you were taking me home?" I questioned, confused.
"Actually, Jess just invited me to a different party."
"Oh, really? Well, we can go then." I said, moving to stand up. Alex put his hand in the air, his palm facing me, stopping me.
"It's actually just a small party. She doesn't want too many people there. Is that okay?" He asked, his mouth forming a little pout.
"Oh, I see." I said my heart dropping. "Yeah, I'll find a ride from someone. If I can't, I'll just walk home in the middle of the night in a big city and try not to get kidnapped." I continued sarcastically.
"Okay, then. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" He said, starting to walk toward the front door.
"Use a condom!" I screamed after him. He turned back toward me with a smile before disappearing in the crowd of people. I sat back on the couch, my fake smile wiped away and my eyes hazy, not with alcohol, but with tears.