The Night We Met by Ruero

Chapter :14 Scapegoat

"Bro, I did eveiching but y si dithat." he mumbled incoherently in his drunk voice.

"Hey, relax. What happened?" I asked, my heart racing with concern.

Sam shared his location and told me to meet him. I quickly got dressed and rushed out the door, my mind filled with worry for Sam because he sounds so drunk.

I hurried to the location Sam had sent me, feeling a mix of worry and urgency. When I arrived, I found him slumped over a corner table in a dimly lit bar, a half-empty glass in front of him. The place reeked of stale beer and desperation. As I approached, he looked up, and upon seeing me, started to cry like a baby.

"Ethan," he slurred, tears streaming down his face. "She... she dumped me, man."

"What?"

 "Alex just ended it, out of nowhere. I'm such a loser dude. Only you are my true buddy no one else picked my phone you know." Sam cried.

His words were barely coherent through his sobs and the alcohol. I felt a surge of pity and helplessness.

"Hey, it's okay, Sam. Let's get you out of here," I said, trying to sound reassuring. Comforting people wasn't my strong suit, but I couldn't leave him like this.

I helped him stand, practically carrying him out of the bar. He was so drunk he could barely walk, leaning heavily on me. The cold night air hit us as we stumbled outside, and I hoped it would sober him up a little. We walked slowly back to my apartment, Sam muttering incoherently the whole way.

Back at my place, I laid him on my bed like a dead weight. He passed out almost immediately, snoring loudly. The sound was unnerving, like a chainsaw in the silence of the night. I sighed, knowing sleep would be elusive.

Just as I was about to give up on sleeping, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Angelica. "Are you asleep?" she asked.

"Not yet," I replied, curious about what she wanted to talk about.

"I can't sleep either," she said. Her message felt like a lifeline in the quiet, stressful night.

I had no idea what to say next, but Angelica was good at keeping conversations going. She started talking about her favorite movies. Her passion was evident, even through text, as she described the action-packed scenes and strong characters she loved.

Our tastes in movies were quite different. I preferred romantic films with sad endings, finding something cathartic in their bittersweetness. She, on the other hand, thrived on the adrenaline of action movies. Despite our differences, we found common ground in our conversation, learning more about each other's likes and dislikes.

As the night wore on, our messages slowed. I realized she had fallen asleep mid-conversation. Smiling to myself, I put my phone down and tried to sleep too, though Sam's snoring made it a challenge.

The next morning, I woke Sam up. He looked around, confused. "Where am I?" he asked groggily.

"You're at my place," I replied, watching as realization dawned on his face.

"Oh my god, Ethan, I'm so sorry for last night," he said, sitting up and rubbing his temples.

"It's fine, really dude. But what happened between you and Alex?" I asked, trying to understand.

He was silent for a moment, looking down. "I don't know, Ethan. She was acting different ever since the trip ended. Last night, she called me and said it was over, that she never wanted to see me again."

"Did you guys fight or something?" I probed gently.

"A few times, but it was normal stuff. I have no idea why she did that," he said, his voice breaking. "I'm going to talk to her today."