Expect the Unexpected

Anthony: Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Anthony

 

**This chapter contains sexual content. I'll put stars before and after each scene to warn you guys. **

 

            It's Friday night, and we're driving back to Shea's house from one of Asia's parties. I'm technically not supposed to be driving because of my concussion, but Shea's too drunk to see straight right now. She has a tendency to get wasted whenever we go out, and sometimes it bothers me. Sometimes I'm afraid that she'll get alcohol poisoning, or that she'll pass out in some place that I can't find her. She drinks more than any man that I've ever seen, but most nights she doesn't get sick. I park in front of her house, and I help her out of the car. She's really quiet, and she grabs her phone and her purse before I have to remind her.

            "See?" She slurs. "I'm not that drunk." I chuckle because we both know that she's lying.

            "Whatever, Shea." I sigh. "Want a piggy back ride?" We've developed a system; whenever she's drunk, I give her a piggy back ride to her bed, take off her clothes for her, and get her a bottle of water and a sandwich. Is it bad that I like developing systems with her? I like consistency, and this relationship provides me with that.

            I set her down on the bed, and I unbuckle her jeans. I attempt to remove her shirt, but she pushes me away.

            "No, I'm not that drunk Anthony." She sighs. "I'm just going to get ready for bed." She climbs out of her bed, and heads to the bathroom. She turns on the shower to muffle the sounds of her vomiting into the toilet. She has to stop getting this wasted. I'm going to have to talk to her about this because it can't be healthy for her. I shuffle through her drawers, and lay out a t-shirt, a pair of underwear, a bra, and a pair of fuzzy socks for her. I also grab her some pudding and a water bottle out of her mini fridge.

            Sometimes, I like to test myself to see how much I know about my girlfriend. I'm utterly and completely infatuated with her. Love is one of those things that never cease to amaze me. I might not know everything about Shea, but I sure know a lot. I know that she's an insomniac. Every time that I spend the night at her house, she waits until I fall asleep, and then she gets up and goes to her window. She stares out at the Philadelphia skyline for hours, with her arms crossed over her chest. The only time that she sleeps through the night is when she's drunk. Some nights, I wake up, and stand next to her in front of the window. I wrap my arms around her and look at the skyline with her because I want her to know that she's not alone.

            I know that she gets lonely. Her mother works the night shift at the hospital, and her younger siblings spend a lot of time at their paternal grandparents' houses. Her mother often stays at her boyfriend's house, and Shea rarely sees her. Her bedroom walls are covered with pictures of her friends and family so that she won't be completely alone. We took pictures together at the movie theater a couple of weeks ago, and the very next day she tacked them to her wall. My little sister Anya is an aspiring photographer; she took some pictures of me and got them developed. I put those up on Shea's wall last week when she wasn't looking. I want her to know that I'll always be there for her.

             I know that she hates having ADHD. She sticks sticky notes with dates and reminders all over her desk. She's constantly scribbling notes all over her arms and hands. Her bookshelves are jam packed with books with titles like Holistic Approaches to Curing ADHD, Natural Remedies for ADHD, Foods that Cure ADHD, and How to Get Rid of ADHD in 20 Days. I once asked her about all of the books, and she said, "Just think, babe! One of these books could have the cure!" I laughed at her in the moment, but then I realized how sad it was that she wants so badly to cure something that's been proven incurable.