Released {Izzy Stradlin}

To Be That Guy

Elaine's POV...

The liquor burned my throat as it passed, giving me a barely pleasant, heated sensation in my stomach. The extremely boring documentary on television was the only thing that had nothing to do with romance or violence. Why is it that majority of the world is encased in a violent trap of failure and disappointment? Why was it that when I put my faith in people, they always seem to disappoint me? Why did I even give Josh the time of day?

God, I was too emotional for this. I set my Jameson bottle aside and stand from the couch, stretching briefly before realizing just how tipped I was. I was comprehensible, but my head was a bit woozy, and the TV seems to have gotten brighter.

I make my way into the bathroom, flipping on the fluorescent light and standing in front of the sink. In the mirror, I see a different person, unrecognizable compared to the person I used to be. Bubbly, enthusiastic, and daring. Now I was reduced down to this sadder, pathetic pessimist. I don't know why I ever let Josh mold me into this person. Maybe I was blinded by my love for him. Maybe it wasn't my fault in the first place.

Knock Knock Knock

I jump at the sound, even though it wasn't that loud. A spike of anxiety makes my heart speed up as I wonder who it is.

"Coming!" I yell to them, making my way through the TV area before finally reaching the door. I raised myself to my tip-toes to peek through the peeping hole.

Izzy stands on the other side, hands tucked into the front pockets of his black jeans. (In which he looked extra fine.) Besides that, he wore a white T-shirt covered partly by a denim jacket. He certainly looked better than me at the moment.

My messy hair lay over my shoulders. I was wearing a plain tank-top that was tucked into my grey sweatpants. I wasn't wearing any shoes or socks, so the cold floor gave me chills.

I unlock the door and open it, body heating up anxiously as our eyes connect. His lightly colored eyes were so beautiful. Not quite blue but not quite green. They were so gentle and relaxed, but I could tell he was thinking of something.

"Hey," He greets me.

"Hi," I respond, not being able to look away from him.

"You OK?" Izzy asks me. I hesitate with my answer. Did he come just to check on me?

"Y-Yeah," My mind stumbles over itself as I stand aside. "Wanna come in?"

"Yeah," Izzy's voice trails as he steps into the room. I close the door behind him.

Izzy goes to sit on the couch. I join him, awkwardly folding my hands. His sweet cologne lingered in the air around us. Naturally, I wondered why he was here. He could be out partying with the rest of the guys, but he chose to stay behind for some reason. So what was it?

"What are you thinking about?" He asks, grabbing my attention. I looked up at him, his face was blank but his eyes were intently watching me. I contemplated my answer and decided to just be straightforward.

"I-I was just wondering about why you're here. You could be out having fun with the rest of the guys." I stated, nervously biting my lip. Izzy's eyes leave mine as he answers.

"I'm not really down with hitting the bars right now. I guess, I just wanted to check on you. I don't like the way Josh treated you." Izzy leans back in his seat.

"Oh," I nearly whisper, not sure how to respond. I wasn't very good with words. And I didn't want to talk about Josh. At all. "Thanks for checking on me, um. I'm OK, I guess."

"That doesn't sound very convincing," Izzy tells me, a small hint of a smile on his lips.

"Honestly, I don't know how I feel. I'm glad he's gone, but, I dunno." My voice trails off. My mind flows back to him. I hated myself for letting him manipulate me. But at the same time, I found myself wishing that he wasn't such an asshole. I had so much hope that he'd change and we'd work out. But I guess some things just aren't meant to be. Some things aren't worth hanging on to.