The day everything continued the inevitable, unstoppable downward spiral was the day we had a shift together, along with a girl named Capri.
Autumn, our other coworker, wasn't working that day but had come in to hang out with us. Autumns older brother Zeke was there. He was about five years older than the rest of us, and was clearly someone Ryan was friends with and admired greatly.
Zeke, Autumn and Capri were discussing a party they'd gone to the night before. I, being a non-drinker, was sitting on a stool awkwardly listening. Ryan was sitting on my cooler.
He hadn't been saying anything until Zeke started boasting about how many kegs of beer he'd downed, and asked Ryan to recap what he'd had at the party.
Ryan glanced uncomfortably at me before launching into a list of all the fruity drinks he'd had. Zeke laughed hysterically and told a story about a time he'd ended up passed out on a street in a city and had no clue how he'd gotten there. Ryan thought that was great.
It hit me. Ryan admired Zeke because of how much liquor he could hold.
They continued discussing numerous parties they'd all been to, who got wasted, and which ones the cops had broken up, with Ryan and Autumn giggling together over different instances and making me jealous. Suddenly Ryan said he'd driven home drunk from the party.
Conversation ground to a halt, and everyone, not just me, stared in shock. When he'd recovered, Zeke asked how many times Ryan had done that. Ryan just shrugged.
After making him swear to never do it again, Zeke reprimanded Ryan and said that even he always had a designated driver, and Ryan was absolutely idiotic to drive intoxicated. Especially since he was already doing something illegal, being underage.
I couldn't take it anymore. I got up abruptly and excused myself to outside for a minute. Ryan refused to look at me or follow me out.
I knew why. He was ashamed.
He'd sworn to me he'd never touched a drink in his life, and that he never would.
He didn't look at me for the rest of the day.
YOU ARE READING
He Is, He Isn't
Lãng mạnThe first day I met him we established three things: our names, my intelligence, and his stupidity. Only one thing remains the same. My name is still Ellie, and his is still Ryan. _____ A poetic story of love, heartbreak and laughter, and all the e...
