Honey, If You Love Me...

Part 2

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I woke the next morning with the world's most obnoxious hangover. Still groggy from lack of sleep, I brushed my teeth, popped some more Aspirin, and shuffled into the kitchen to make coffee. I was lost in a fog when Max came downstairs and snapped me from my daze.

"Hey, Isy."

I immediately hid my appearance, but it was pointless. She marched over, grabbed my shoulder, and forced me to face her.

"Isy? Are you alright? Jesus, you look like shit. What's wrong?"

No longer was I able to contain my anguish, and I burst into tears as I proceeded to recap the previous night's events.

"Ok, ok, just calm down."

Max parked me at the kitchen table and poured me some coffee.

"Isy, I think you're reading too much into this. Seriously, Munson's not like that. I mean, yes he's a disgusting pervert, but he's also friendly and respectful, which I don't understand because most girls treat him like shit, but that's not the point. The point is, she was probably just there to buy drugs."

"I don't think so, Max."

"Ok. Say for some bizarre reason she wasn't. Then you tell Munson to eat shit and get on with your life, but I highly doubt that's the case."

"Then why the fuck was she in his house, and why did he kiss her?!" A thought occurred to me. Maybe Max and I were both right. Maybe she was the girl from Friday and she was there for drugs, which could only mean one thing. Ugh! I wanted to wretch.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?! I'm only 15. You can't expect me to understand the inner workings of the male brain. But what does it matter? You're the last person who needs a guy to be happy."

I was fighting back more tears. "I know, but this is exactly what Denis used to do. He'd feed me all this bullshit about how much he loved me, all while fucking chicks behind my back. And I know Eddie and I aren't together, but he keeps insisting I'm all he wants. What if he's doing the same thing? Or what if this time I'm the other girl, and since I didn't show he decided to get his rocks off with old reliable?"

Max was dumbfounded. "Jesus, he's really gotten under your skin. I've never seen you this upset over a guy."

I was a sobbing mess.

Max sighed in frustration. "Look, I know you weren't expecting to meet someone, especially not someone like Munson. And I don't know what his deal is with that girl. I'd ease your mind if I could, tell you everything I know about him, but it's not my place. Just... trust me, ok? Munson isn't Denis the cheating douche. He's totally loyal, so there has to be a reasonable explanation."

I groaned, slamming my head against the table.

"Ok, look at it like this. Here you come, a complete stranger whose judgment isn't clouded by misconceptions and rumors. And in only 24 hours you managed to see Munson for who he truly is. And even though he's made it clear that he's a sad, lonely, lazy, drug-dealing outcast, covered in unsightly scars, you still think he's the best thing since, Dave... Lawless, or whatever."

I managed a slight smile.

"And he's managed to ascertain that you're a skeptical, damaged, temperamental bitch."

I scoffed.

"Oh don't look at me like that, you know it's true. But you're also a beautiful, metalhead nerd who's extremely compassionate and open-minded, you don't find Munson repulsive or scary, and more importantly, he can be himself around you. And yes, boys are stupid and they lie, and Munson's definitely stupid... but he's not stupid enough to lie to you and ruin his chance at happiness. I mean, come on. Do you really think he's gonna give up on you after 20 minutes? Do you even see the way his face lights up when he sees you? 'Cause I do. And when he talks about you... shit, I've never seen him so happy. He deserves a chance. And if you just... reject him outright you'll probably crush his soul."