Impulse (NaNoWriMo)

~4~

Vince and I have an interesting history. We never dated but we got about as close as you can get and still only be friends. I told him everything freshman and sophomore year. He was my best friend and I loved it, but then something changed.

Maybe it was my fault. I was the one that tried to push things, push him. I thought he felt the same way about me, but I was wrong. He cared about me, but only as a friend. Of course. To make matters worse I later found out he had a thing for my sister and used our friendship to see her.

He was still a great friend and I couldn't have asked for anyone better, but after that day he wasn't invited over any more to say the least.

"Hey, Vinny," I finally replied, blinking a few time to get myself to focus on what was happening. Thinking of the past wasn't going to help anything. Especially not today.

"Let me buy your drink, we can catch up a bit," he offered, and in typical Vince fashion he ordered for me, paid and led me over to a table before I could protest.

I sat down and crossed my arms. My pit stop seemed to be turning into a half hour rest and I wasn't liking it. That and Vinny no doubt wanted me to spill my guts to him. Should have gone through the drive through.

Our order was called out quicker than I expected and soon I was sipping my refreshing drink and staring down the guy I used to think would take me to my first Prom.

"How have you been? I haven't seen you since..." Vince trailed off.

"The funeral. You can say it," I finished for him, rolling my eyes ever so slightly.

"Yeah. The funeral," he said reluctantly, taking a sip of his coffee.

His shaggy dirty blonde hair was shaggier than I remembered, and his jaw was more defined. The stubble beginning to form made me remember when he told me he shaved for the first time and I just laughed because he had no reason to shave whatsoever.

"Faith you can talk to me. I know-"

"You know what? What could you possibly know? The last time I talked to you I'm pretty sure we were sixteen and you were in love with my sister," I bit my tongue and looked down at my nails. I didn't mean to be bitter. I didn't want to be rude. It wasn't his fault. Nothing was ever Vinny's fault, it was always mine. He had always been there to help me out, and look how I was repaying him.

I raised my eyes to meet his crystal blue ones and for a moment I thought I saw regret, but that was probably just my imagination.

"I'm sorry," I allowed, shaking my head and squeezing my eyes shut for a second, "You're trying to be nice to me and I'm being an annoying brat," I laughed out.

"I wouldn't expect anything less," he laughed with me and I had to give him a half slap on the shoulder for that. "But really, how are you. And don't you dare lie to me."

His eyes wouldn't leave mine and I felt like he was guilting me into spilling everything. Every time I wanted him to tell me something I would use that line, 'don't you dare lie to me Vinny' I would say before he told me what he had done.

Now it was my turn to fess up. It was my turn to be on the confession couch.

"I'm going on a road trip."

Well that wasn't what I was going to begin with, but at least it's the truth.

"A road trip? Like with your parents?" he asked, leaning back in his chair and taking another drink of his coffee. I had settled on twirling the straw in my drink instead of drinking it.

"Nope. Just me. I'm kind of going through a rebellious time in my life," I revealed, thinking of everything I had gotten away with recently. I hardly ate, I didn't talk to anyone, I shut my door and didn't let anyone in 99.999% of the time. I had isolated myself, but isolating myself didn't do anything to keep me from feeling.

"Where are you headed?" Vince continued to question me.

"San Francisco." I stated.

"California?"

"Is there any other San Fran you know of?" I joked.

"Actually a lot of South American countries have-" he pointed out, his smug grin growing the longer he talked.

"Oh, shut up!" I cut him off for the second time, laughing because that was so something he would say. I had forgotten what it was like to talk with him, to be with him. It almost made me want to stick around, almost.

I slurped up about half on my drink while Vinny told some story about how at graduation he and some of his friends pulled a prank on a teacher. I was there so I remember it well, but I guess just like everyone else he forgot that it wasn't only my sister that graduated on that day.

"I should probably get going," I began as I stood up and tossed my drink in the trash. I drank a little over half of it, that is a courteous enough amount for a drink someone else bought you right?

"Wait! We haven't even got to catch up yet!" Vinny borderline complained as he grabbed his sunglasses and followed me out the door.

"Yes we did! I'm going on a road trip and you're going up to the University of Michigan this fall after you spend the rest of your summer lifeguarding at the Y," I told him, flipping my hair over my shoulder and unlocking my car.

"How did you know?" he asked flabbergasted.

I shrugged my shoulders as if everyone knew it, but secretly there are just some people that no matter what you always check up on and know how they're doing. For me, Vince was top of the list.

I unlocked the car door and opened it, but Vince put one hand on it to stop it and used the other to turn me around so I was facing him again.

"I hope you're not running away from this, but if you are, just know I'll always be back here if you need me," he said slowly, making sure I understood.

"I'm not running," I said, the bitterness creeping back into my voice, "I just can't be here anymore."

I set my jaw and slowly ground my teeth back in forth like I did every time I was ticked off. Vince made it seem like I was giving up, but I wasn't. I was doing the complete opposite. I was searching deeper. I was attempting to make the best out of this situation.

"Okay. Just be careful, alright?" he asked, his eyes making sure to hold mine.

"Yeah, of course," I replied. All of this serious talk was starting to scare me. I was going to be alone on a road trip across the country. I could take care of myself right?

Vince pulled me in for a goodbye hug and I was surprised by how much I wanted to stay in that moment a little longer. That hug wasn't like any of the other sympathy hugs I had been getting lately where the other person feels as if you are going to break if they squeeze too tight.

Vince's hug found his arms strong around my back and mine mimicking his. His chin rested on my head and I had turned my face to nestle into his chest. It was nice. It was comforting, but I had to get going.

I let go and stepped back ever so slightly. I looked up at him and squinted slightly into the morning sun to say, "Thank you Vinny. I needed that."

"I knew you did," he agreed, his smile soft and assuring. He was the kind of person that would make you feel okay just because he was standing right beside you. I had missed that.

He let go of me and held my car door open as I slid inside. "Why aren't you driving your car?" Vince asked, just as he was about to close my door for me.

I sighed and mumbled, "Because it didn't just belong to me."

"Faith!" he tried to stop me from closing the door on him, but I succeeded and soon I had started the car and was reversing and on my way out of there.

I glanced in my rearview mirror and just like my parents had been earlier Vince was standing there with a half wave going on and a half smile on his face.

I honked my horn twice to tell him goodbye and then I was gone. I should have been gone an hour ago, but hey, life has a way of stopping your plans.