Knockout

Chapter 5

I whirled the wooden stick aimlessly around my coffee, trapped in the paper confines. The rain patters down on the glass shield, as the wooden barrier from the outside world opens, revealing the beanie covered boy I knew.
"Hiya, Bo!"
"Hi James." I smiled weakly, as he sat down.
"What's wrong?" He asked as he shook his drenched umbrella, soaking the floor below.
"Look, James. There's something I need to tell you. Before I met you, there was this boy, Harry. We had something between us, I don't know what you could call it. Anyway when he left, well when we left each other, he carried on boxing. He used to love it, getting into the ring, having undivided attention from the crowd as he battered and beat any opponent. Then one time I returned, and there was a match on. Long story short I saw him, he was living in poverty and it was my fault. So I stayed with him one night."
As I say the last couple of sentences James's face slowly fell and turned into one of horror.
"So you slept with this-this boxer boy did you?!"
"No James it's not like that. All we did is sleep. But a few days later we kissed. I'm so sorry James, you don't deserve this. That's why I told you..."
"You know what? You can have him. Your not good for anything anyway, you stiff."
And with that, James flawless appearance was smashed. The boy who said he could wait, was just as hungry as the next. I watched in shocked awe at the fake. All lier's are just actors. But one day, the curtain must fall and the actors return to their true form. I downed my coffee, the burning liquid marking any interaction I had just had: gone in an instant. I rose from my seat, the chair screeching against the wooden floor as I inhaled the rich aroma one last time, and walked out of the door.
The water fell mercilessly on me as I ventured outside, unprepared and taken aback in shock as the icy driplets found their way down the back of my shirt. I scurried along, puddles splashing through the damp, winter air.
Head bowed down in protection like everyone else, I still failed to save my skin from the torrent.
The door clicked in acceptance as I passed the keys through the lock. I subconsciously started shaking as the warm air of my motel room hit my freezing, drenched body. My tears that I had wept on the journey home now just blended into the rest of my face, decorated with my brown, stringy hair. I peeled the dripping clothes off and wrung them partly dry before I lay them out in a neat line across the radiator. Sprinting over to the en-suite to minimise the cold, I quickly turned on the shower and hopped in. The steam billowed out in my face as I contemplated the past events. I still couldn't fathom how cruel James had been, and that he would do something as shallow and low. I felt my face morph into one of disgust as I lathered the thick bubbles of shampoo upon my head. After washing and conditioning, I grabbed a fraying towel and wrapped it around my body. Trudging drowsily through the room, my head whirled at the prospect of seeing James again after this, and having to explain this mess to Tiff and Rob. I rolled my eyes and changed into joggers and a t-shirt and flopped onto the bed. My eyes slowly fell shut, as I started to drift into a dream.