Showmanship

20 - Every Story Forces Out a Finale

    Once again Alex drove me to my girlfriends house on a foggy California night. This time the seatbelt wasn't so tight, and I could breath. This time I didn't stare at the stars, not yet, I wanted to wait for someone else first.

I was also very intoxicated.

Other than the hiccuping and the chalky after taste of Budweiser, I felt amazing. Rain clouds had been storming in my head since my dad died and when the storm faded away, every horrible detail had been cleaned off of mud.

Something just clicked in me, and I was finally able to say, "You're not alone dumbass." And it stuck.

Alex stopped the car in front of Dorothy's house, and then he tugged at my shoulder.

I turned around before unbuckling. His serious tone was unwarranted. Still he plastered a little smirk on his face. "Your not gonna propose? Are you?"

I slid the seatbelt off of myself. We were both emotionally constipation.

"Never mind," he shook the thought away. "I like the confidence. It suits you."

I nodded my head, and sighed one last rain cloud out. I didn't have to say anything. He got it.

I trudged to the door, a now warm beer can in one hand. The concrete sizzled when Alex drove away. This time he wouldn't wait for me. If I fucked this one up I deserved to walk home, alone.

Dorothy opened the door before I could even get my hand on the black plaster. Her shoulders loosened, and she almost looked relieved to see me.

She had shorts on, but they were hidden by the long hoodie. Her eyeliner smudged against her brown eyes, but I mostly noticed her hair. It curled to just above her shoulders - eight inches shorter than it was before.

She made me dumbfounded before I could get a single profound statement out. I had a whole poem of confessions and love to spew out, but all I gargled out was - "your hair?"

She glanced down at the pair of kitchen scissors in her hand and then back up to me. "Around 8:00 pm Kendall and Lucy came around to cheer me up, and I tried to cut my hair with a sword like Mulan."

"No -" I weirdly got it. "I like the hair."

I genuinely did.

"Me too," and then she ran her fingers through it, and the gold reflected the street light. "I have to get it professionally fixed though."

I shrugged, and I said something that should've started with 'if you thought your evening was bad'. "My crazy neighbor gave me a really great life lesson on imagine and how toxic Hollywood is."

She giggled, and she leaned against the open door.

I held up the beer. "And then I had this crazy metaphor planned with this beer, and how you're like this shining star of a humble and genuine person in this town of light pollution and gunk and-"

I forgot what I was saying for a second, and Dorothy gave this huge smile with freckles and all. I could never imagine being angry at her ever again.

"But then again your underage, and maybe I should put this away before the paparazzi finds out."

"Yeah," Dorothy hissed against her teeth. "Don't need another scandal there."

I put down the can on the porch. When I saw her I felt completely alone with her. You would think dating your co-star would lead to a mysterious love affair against the wishes of everyone. It would be sexy and wild, but it wasn't. She made it all simple and comfortable and sweet.