Once I'm out of the house, I start running. I don't know where, and I don't know what from. All I know is that I needed to get out of that damn house with that damn girl inside. Before I know it, I'm on the other side of the neighborhood and I've drank most of my beer. I feel a slight buzz-ok, a pretty damn strong one- and have to blink my eyes a couple times to get the world to stop spinning. I barely drink because when I do my body reacts quickly and strongly, even after only one bottle. But today it just felt like I need to, like...it will somehow solve this problem with Marley. I throw the bottle on the ground and try to shake the crazy thought from my head but when I do, I'm thrown off balance and fall on the sidewalk. The afternoon sun shines on my eyes until an object blocks it. I somehow manage to get my vision to adjust and see a woman's face in the way of the blinding sun. She's smiling and holding out a hand to help me up. I take it and brush myself off, my face hot with embarrassment.
"Are you alright, Ryder?" the woman asks. How does she know my name? Do I know her? We live on opposite sides of the neighborhood.
"Umm...yeah, I'm fine," I say, confused. "Thanks, ummm…"
"You don't remember me, do you?" she asks, not a bit of anger on her smiling face.
"No, sorry."
"I'm Marissa. The girl you sang to your sophomore year? You thought I was some girl named Katie?" The memory hits me like a bolt of lightning. While the face right in front of me is still blurry, I can see her image clear in my mind. I had made a fool of myself in front of her because I thought she was the girl I had fallen in love with online.
"Right, er-Marissa! Still sorry about that by the way," I laugh, trying to not slur my words.
"Ha, it's alright." She looks down awkwardly at her folded hands. "So...how have you been?"
"Great, just….great. You?"
"I've been fine. I just moved here three weeks ago. Isn't it funny how we both live in the same neighborhood?"
"Yeah…"
"So...sorry if I'm being too forward, but...are you still single?"
I'm about to tell her I'm married to Marley Rose Lynn, the love of my life. I'm about to tell her about my little boy, William, who gets straight A's and has never gotten in trouble. But something stops me. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it's the fight with Marley, or maybe it's the alcohol coursing through my veins. Regardless of what it is, it's powerful enough to change my answer.
"Yes. I actually got out of a relationship pretty recently."
"Oh, like, how recent?"
"About an hour ago," I smirk.
"Do you wanna maybe...talk about it?" she twirls a blonde lock of hair around her finger and smiles seductively. "At my place?"
The guilt hasn't set in yet and I know it will, but against my better judgment, I push on.
"Yeah...let's go."
