Soulmate

Chapter 9: Complications

Alexander

    I leaned against the counter in the kitchen. I lost Patrick and Sharla, but I wasn't too worried about them. They're old enough to take care of themselves even though I know they won't. I looked through the crowd, hoping I'd see the girl from this morning with her golden blonde hair, but she wasn't here. Then again, I probably wouldn't recognize her even if she was. I only caught a glimpse of her beautiful features.

    "Alex! Is that you?" a guy shouted in an overly arrogant tone as he pushed past a few people, literally pushing them out of his way. Tyson, of course, it was him. He came up to shake my hand with a big stupid smile on his face, and a beer in his other hand. His dark hair was sticking to his forehead, his cheeks were flushed, and his breath reeked of alcohol.

    I smiled and shook his hand even though I didn't want to be near him. "Hey, Tyson," I greeted, noticing how clammy his hand was, and that he had lost his timer. His wrist was pale where it used to be. He had met his soulmate, yet here he was.

    He noticed me staring at his wrist, which just made him smile wider, a gloating smile. "Yeah, I met my soulmate. Dude, she's the coolest. You have to meet her," he rambled as his eyes scanned the crowd. "Well, I'm sure you'll run into her sometime tonight. Her name is Becca and she's the hottest girl here." He continued to ramble, but I ignored his words, instead I nodded my head like I was listening.

    Why would I want to know about his hot soulmate? I didn't care about him, and I sure didn't care about her. Maybe I was too bitter about being alone, but at this point I didn't care. All of these people here who dragged their soulmates to a stupid party like this are pathetic, and they don't deserve to be paired up so soon while I'm stuck here alone.

    He was still talking, and I narrowed my eyes at him. "Well, if this girl's so perfect, then why don't you go find her?" I asked, and then I slapped him on the back. "See you around." I doubt he even heard me as I walked away towards the back door. I grabbed a beer and was welcomed by the cool fresh outside air.

    A girl was sitting outside on a lawn chair, and she looked up at me with a small smile, but then she looked away. I sat on one of the chairs near her, but I didn't look at her again. Instead, I looked at my hands as I opened the beer. Did I really want to drink it? The can cracked, and the drink foamed, like a rabid dog.

    She looked up when it cracked open, like she didn't realize I was still sitting here. "Why are you out here? Why aren't you partying?" she asked. The porch light only lit up part of her face, the half that I couldn't see, but I didn't really want to stare at her.

    I rolled my eyes, her voice was shaking. I wondered how old she was, and if she was too young to even be here. "I could be asking you the same thing," I shot back, noticing how acidic my voice sounded. "I just needed fresh air." I tried to make my voice sound normal, but I was in a pissy mood.

    She snorted, but then she turned her head to look at me. "Yeah, it's a little crazy in there. I guess I always knew that people liked to party. I didn't realize it was to this extent," she mumbled, and I think she would have talked to anyone, or talked to herself if no one was here.

    "Well, yeah, people get pretty desperate when they don't get what they want when they want it. It's hard to be patient, but I'm sure you know all about that," I replied, playing with the tab on the beer can. I decided that I definitely didn't want to drink it anymore.

    "I guess I never really cared about meeting my soulmate, and now that I have, well, I didn't imagine it would be like this. I thought things would be different, and they are, I don't know how well I like it, if that makes sense," she rambled, running her hands through her hair. "I don't know if you know what I'm talking about. I'm sure your soulmate doesn't make you feel this way."

    I looked down at my timer, but I assumed that she couldn't see it in the dark. Yet another person who met their soulmate and took them for granted. "Well, I haven't met her yet, but I guess if your soulmate drives you crazy, then he's probably the right one for you. Life wouldn't be fun without a little complication," I rambled as I set the beer down on the sidewalk.

    "Oh! I'm sorry. You seem older, more mature, so I just assumed you'd already met your soulmate. But then again, if you had, why would you be here? Seriously, what kind of couples go around partying like this?" she continued, sounding a little exasperated instead of feeling comforted by my words.

    I snorted, and then decided to take a sip of the beer; I was going to need to drink a little if I was going to deal with this girl. The bitter taste wasn't satisfying, but it was manly to drink, right? Good thing it takes quite a bit to get me drunk; this is nothing. "Well, my best friend happens to be here with his soulmate. Some people aren't ready to let go of the single life because being committed to one person is kind of scary. Personally, I don't think it's scary," I continued even though I wasn't sure what to exactly say to this girl. Nothing seemed to make her happy.

    "I think Tyson is afraid. I am a little bit, but not in the same way. I'm just afraid that I'm losing my best friend, you know? She doesn't really like him, and I tried to get them to hangout tonight, but everything I try doesn't work. I don't know what to do," she rambled, and I finally could tell why she was so upset. It had nothing to do with her soulmate.

    I took a long sip of my beer, this was getting too much for me to handle. "So you're Tyson's soulmate? He was telling me all about you. I'm Alex," I introduced even though I doubt she cares. She only wants someone to listen to her problems because her soulmate is too drunk in there, partying his date away.

    "Oh, I'm Becca, sorry, I guess I kind of unloaded all of my business on you. I shouldn't have done that," she murmured, looking away from me and down at her hands.

    "Don't worry about it. And about your best friend. If she's really your friend, she'll stick by your side. You need to make some time for her; it's going to take her awhile to get used to you not always being there for her. She'll also probably feel a little jealous and angry. Jealous that you found your soulmate and jealous that he gets to hangout with you all of the time," I continued, hoping she would understand. I took another sip of my beer even though I hated the taste of it. At least it was making the conversation feel lighter.

    There was a small pause, but I could hear her tapping her foot on the ground. "How do you know all of this?" she asked in a small voice that was barely above a whisper.

    I ran my fingers through my hair; I was starting to get a headache, and I was ready to go home. "Personal experience. That's how I felt when my best friend found his soulmate. I was so upset because my friend was gone, but it's been fine. We still hangout, and he dragged me out here even though I hate parties. I wish he hadn't. Just try to be her friend, she's going to need one right now," I pleaded. Even though I didn't know this girl, I felt bad for her because I've been there before. Hell, I'm still there.

    She nodded her head like she understood, or maybe she was simply pretending. "I think you should meet her. She would think you're the best person. You're really great. Thank you for listening to me," she replied, but I wasn't sure what she was trying to say. "Well, I should go find Tyson, and if I see you in there, then I'll introduce you to her." She stood up from her chair with a small smile.

    "Well, sure, I'll see you around then," I murmured, taking another sip of my beer. She waved, and then ducked back into the house. I stared out into the never ending darkness, wondering when things would finally get better.