Do I Want To Know?

Chapter 19- Indulgence

   When Callie walked past the entrance of the amusement park, she immediately turned the corner, hoping to be out of the viewpoint of anyone she knew. She leaned against the outside wall of the park, tilting her head back until she felt it resting on the concrete too. Callie held her purse close to her chest, which was heaving more than she would've liked it to.

   Now that things were really over with Frank, it was like something unlocked in her and all she could do was cry. She didn't stop the tears, just let them flow and ruin her makeup that was probably already wrecked anyway.

   She felt hurt, and betrayed, but she still wanted to run back to Frank and beg him to change his mind. She didn't. She knew it'd only make her look more pathetic.

   "You okay?" Callie heard a voice beside her, and it made her jump, only because she hadn't realized someone had been so close the whole time. She turned her head, but saw no one, and so she furrowed her brows in confusion.

   "Down here..." The voice said from the ground, and Callie looked to see Ned Nickerson sitting against the wall, too. He gave her a weak smile, before looking down at the patch of grass he was in. Callie noticed he sounded dejected, too. She let her purse fall back to her side, and crossed her arms defensively,

   "Do I look okay?" She bit back, answering his previous question. Ned just shrugged his shoulders,

   "Sorry... Just thought I would ask..." He plucked a few strands of grass out of the ground and twisted them around in his fingers, before flicking them in the opposite direction. Callie huffed a bit, walking closer and sitting next to him. She would complain about the grass stains later, but for now she didn't really care.

   "You're Nancy's boyfriend, right?" Callie asked, and Ned looked up from the patch of grass. He seemed somewhat surprised that she was sitting by him, but then he sighed.

   "Jury's still out on that one. I'd prefer if you just called me Ned." He turned to gaze ahead of him, watching the crowded parking lot where cars were trying not to run into each other.

   "What are you sitting out here for?" Callie asked, though she could imagine the reason, if his last sentence was any proof.

   "Waiting for a ride back to the hotel. I'm sick of amusement parks." He answered, and Callie breathed amusedly out her nose.

   "...So you got dumped, too?" Callie reached into her purse, pulling out a compact and checking out her reflection. She really did look like a mess, and tried her best to wipe away the tears and mascara that had run down her cheeks.

   "No, somehow it's worse than that." Ned replied. Callie's eyebrows raised at his hollow tone, and the way, when she looked him in the eyes she just saw this blank expression in them. She didn't really know Ned, she only heard from Frank and Joe that he was a well-mannered, stand-up kind of guy.

   Callie wasn't seeing that guy here. It felt more like the empty shell of that guy.

   Callie thought maybe what happened between Ned and Nancy was a long time coming. Blank as they were, those bloodshot eyes still held a pain no one could really understand.

   Except maybe Callie.

   "I know what you mean." She said, snapping her compact closed and putting it back in her purse.

   "I'm guessing things didn't go so well with Frank, either?" Ned asked, casually swiping a finger across his waterline. The sniff he inhaled gave him away.

   "How could it have gone well? I've never really been cheated on before." Callie's tone was sour.

   "You get used to it..." Ned replied offhandedly with a sigh. And then he paused. Callie watched curiously as his head turned fully toward her.