Waffles and Betrayals - ENG

Chapter 9

Warning! This chapter mentions sexual interactions. Furthermore, as always, vulgar language is used. Alcohol use and inappropriate behavior are mentioned. Several scenes include nausea, vomiting, and nursing equipment. If any of this bothers you, I advise you not to read.

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Even though Johnny had emptied his stomach, he still felt very foggy. Driving home wasn't easy, and since it was still pitch dark, he decided to park in a rest area to avoid ending up in the paper the next day.

He woke up in the morning, cold and with his muscles stiff. He cursed himself for forgetting his hoodie somewhere, knowing he could say goodbye to it for good.

It took him a few seconds to regain full awareness. The morning sun, hidden behind a blanket of clouds, was still too bright for his hangover headache. He started the engine and let it warm up, waiting for the hot air to come out of the vents.

He took his phone and felt disappointed when he saw no messages. No one was looking for him. No one was worried about him after he had fled his own party and disappeared somewhere.

Not even Lenora had bothered to call him back.

Remembering he was still angry with her, he dialed her number and called.

"Pick up, damn it," he muttered through gritted teeth when the voicemail answered for the fifth time.

On the eighth call, Lenora finally answered.

"What is it, Johnny?" she asked, her voice tired and exasperated.

As soon as he heard her speak, his eyes fell on the car's emblem in the center of the steering wheel. With his index finger, he traced the edges of the metallic plastic.

"You left last night. You didn't say anything to me," he wanted to shout, but his voice came out almost as a whisper. He felt drained, incapable of keeping the fire of his anger burning for long.

"Yeah, I did. Sorry, you know I don't do well in those places anymore," Lenora said.

Johnny heard a rustling sound, like she was nervously shifting between the sheets. Was she alone? Or was there someone with her? He wanted, no, he needed to know.

"I know you didn't leave alone."

Lenora's breath hitched in her throat. He heard her take a long breath before giving him an answer. He braced himself for what he considered to be nothing but lies.

"Look, it's not what you think. I mean, Lexie wasn't in town. I had to ask someone for a ride, but that's all it was. I swear," she admitted.

Johnny closed his eyes and gripped the steering wheel tightly with one hand. His knuckles turned white.

"You don't need to be so defensive. You don't owe me any promises, I don't give a fuck, okay?" he said, feeling his pulse throb in his neck. "You and I aren't anything. You can do whatever you want. Don't think I've been sitting around doing nothing," he finally added, knowing just how to hit where it hurt.

Silence fell on the other end of the line; the missile had hit its target. He heard a sigh, almost like a gasp. Lenora blew her nose.

"Well, that means at least one of us had fun, Johnny. I'm happy for you. I didn't expect anything else, honestly."

Hearing her words, Johnny cursed himself and bit the inside of his cheek. He didn't believe her; in his mind, he was still convinced that the guy Graves had seen her leave with was lying next to her in bed. But hearing her suffer because of him was something both sweet and bitter at the same time.