Slices

Trojan

Wincing, he lifted his shirt and stared at himself in the mirror. Purple bruises had formed on his chest and a gash had opened up again over night. He turned and examined the gash along his back, once again furiously bleeding and throbbing painfully.

And Trojan had a beach advertisement to do today... perfect.

Frowning, he pulled his shirt back down and ran his hands through his hair in exhaustion. These last few days had been rough- he just didn't know what he truly wanted.

All signs pointed to Riane, except for Riane. If that made any sense. He wanted Riane so badly. Every time he looked at her, he felt blood rush to his head and a burning sensation in his throat- like he would vomit. He longed for her, but couldn't trust her anymore, and that made him sick to his stomach.

In vain, Trojan had began dating another model, but the relationship was nothing but a shallow stream. Something to pull him along, his feet hitting rocks along the way, leaving him torn and bruised, no hope in sight. He broke up with her a few days prior to this morning and honestly, didn't feel anything at all. No regret, no sadness, no longing, nothing.

Closing his eyes, he fell back on the bed and laid there for a moment, trying to calm the whirlwind of thoughts in his head.

The sun streamed in through the open blinds and bathed the floor in white light. The rise and fall of Trojan's chest matched the rhythm of the wind outside. His eyes fluttered open for a millisecond, then closed again and the anxious thoughts flowing through his head ceased.

Blinking open his eyes, he sat up and looked around the room in a daze. What time was it? "Shit!" Trojan scurried out of bed and grabbed his wallet, slamming the door behind him as he ran to his car.

He scolded himself as he put it in drive and quickly drove down the road. The shoot had started an hour ago. What on earth was wrong with him? Dude this was messed up.

Trojan slammed his car door and ran into the building, sliding his id card across the scanner and mounting the elevator.

"Hey, how are you?"

Trojan jumped, glancing sideways at the sound of the voice. "Uh, I'm good I guess." He mumbled, then quickly got off at the 4th floor.

His feet hastily brought him down the hallway and into a large room.

"Trojan!!" A booming voice thundered from across the room.

He flinched and sulkily looked up at the man sitting in a lounge chair in the corner.

"Bob, I am so sorry. I got in a fix this morning and I-"

Bob rolled his eyes and slid his glasses up his face as they fell down his nose. "Whatever Trojan, I don't need any of your excuses. I know you slept in."

Trojan avoided eye contact.

"I just don't know why..." Bob stood up and walked over to Trojan, circling behind him. He stopped in front of Trojan. "A hangover?"

"Dude, I don't get drunk." Trojan looked at Bob sideways.

Bob was a short, stout man that was balding on top of his head. He wore thick rimmed glasses and always smelled like citrus.

"What's this?" Bob liften Trojan's shirt.

"Nothing!" Trojan slapped Bob's arm away and retreated a few steps.

"Did you get into a fight?!" Bob's jaw dropped dramatically and he put his hands to his face. "Was it over a girl!?"

"No- I didn't." Trojan clenched his jaw.

Bob threw his hands into the air. "It was a girl! And you must have lost!"

Trojan took a defensive step forward. "I didn't lose! He blackmailed me! And it wasn't just any girl!"

"So it was a girl." A devious smile slipped up Bobs plump face and he sauntered back over to his lounge chair, sinking into it. "So, how'd the fight go down?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Dude, it was an unfair fight. He got me at a vulnerable moment." Trojan sat down in a rolling chair and scooted forward.

"Okay, who threw the first punch?" Bob smiled like a little gossip girl.

Trojan hesitated. "... I did."

"Oohh! Embracing your inner beast! Finally! We can get some pictures of you looking deadly." Bob bit his lip in excitement.

"Dude! This isn't a game! It's my life, and it's serious." Trojan's brows knitted together in anger.

"Oh! Trojan I'm sorry, just tell me the story, I know you need to get it out of your system." Bob rested his head on his hands, smiling still.

"Fine." Trojan narrowed his eyes then turned sideways and spoke more to the wall than to Bob. "I went to a bar. Okay, I usually don't go to bars because I don't really drink... but it was a rough night. I broke up with my girlfriend."

"Ooh.." Bob shook his head. She had been a fine specimen.

"I saw someone there that I used to... talk to and I guess I got a little nostalgic. But then there was this guy there with her."

"Oh! He's getting heated!" Bob sat up.

"He kept buying her drinks. She kept drinking them. She got drunk... she was soooo drunk, like falling over and shit."

Bob nodded.

"The guy was taking her to a room- and he didn't look like he could be trusted. I didn't trust him. So, I found the room they were in and he was trying to get her to admit to something. He was yelling and I don't know, just getting really angry?" Trojan shook his head in disgust. "I went in and puched him in the face- because he deserved it!"

Bob's eyes widened. "I see. Continue." He descreetly took a picture of Trojan.

"He said he'd do stuff to her if I didn't leave. But what man in their right mind would actually leave?!" Trojan turned to Bob, flustered. "I'm not letting someone get hurt on my watch!"

"You let yourself get hurt." Bob spat, dusting off his camera.

"That doesn't matter! What matters is I didn't leave and he took a shot at my nuts and that just isn't fair! Then he kicked me in the stomach. I landed a good one in his face then he swung the light at me..."

"Woah son! You're telling me he hit you with a light?"

"Yeah! And it shattered! That's how I got the gash on my back," Trojan groveled.

"Then what happened?"

"Things happened and I left her with her friend." Trojan finished, folding his arms across his chest.

"You're skipping parts, but I'll respect your privacy." Bob smiled. "I got some good shots of you in action." Bob clapped for himself then stood up. "Alright lets get those beach shots. We'll let you keep your shirt on today."

Trojan frowned. All of that and all Bob did was move on? Oh well, at least he got to vent.