Petal [h.s.]

THIRTEEN - ACROSS THE BOARDWALK

"Would you stop?! I'm not doing this with you again!"

I walked ahead of my girlfriend, listening to Jessie huff out an annoyed sigh as her heels clicked against the ground. I could tell she was struggling to keep up with my long strides and I smirked at the idea of her tripping in her rush. I didn't want her to break her arm or anything, but a little scrape on the leg wouldn't kill her. It served her right after the way she treated our waitress tonight at dinner.

"She was looking at you like you were on the menu!" She tried to defend herself, but there was nothing that could fix the way she acted.

The poor waitress, who was simply doing her job, got so flustered over Jessie's psychotic accusations of her flirting with me that she spilled a drink all over the table. A little bit of wine got on my shirt and I thought Jessie was going to rip the waitress' hair out when she put a napkin over it to help wipe it up. I tipped her very high, but I was so embarrassed of my girlfriend that we had been fighting the whole walk home.

"You're out of your mind. She was just doing her job, get a fucking grip, Jessica!" I snapped at her, shaking my head as I continued on toward my apartment building, "You yelled at her. You yelled at our waitress, what kind of absolute fucking monster yells at servers?!"

"Oh, I'm the monster when she's the one who was undressing you with her eyes! Sure!" Jessie laughed coldly, the sound of her heels stopping suddenly.

We were almost to my apartment and I turned to look at her, wondering what the hold up was, "Well? Let's take this fight upstairs, per usual."

"I don't want to stay here." She said and I shut my eyes lightly, breathing out a sigh.

I was delusional in hoping that we could somehow turn this fight into passionate sex, which I knew was unlikely considering she wasn't a very passionate person. I was willing to try, though. I was willing to try anything to make this relationship better, but she was making it nearly impossible to compromise. I was too exhausted to argue.

"Okay. I'll walk you to your car." I shrugged, starting to walk toward her.

"Why don't you come with me? Mom and dad just got in for the summer and Ed is in town this week, he's at their place tonight for dinner and drinks..." She raised her eyebrows at me, tilting her head.

When she said my dad's name, I felt something painfully twist in my gut. I immediately shook my head at her.

"No. You know he doesn't want anything to do with me..." I started to say and she stomped her foot like a child.

"Because you insist on keeping this crappy little dream alive! You need to let it go!!" Jessie snapped at me, narrowing her eyes.

I stepped back from her. That felt like a slap to my face. My heart sank at her words and I stared at her in shock, watching her frown and look away from me. She knew what this dream meant to me, what Flower Boy meant to me...