The Scene || Perrentes

Chapter 16

"I can't remember, Tony," Jaime drawls into the phone. "Do I take twenty-five sleeping pills or thirty?"

Those are the words that make me drop everything and speed to Jaime's house, using my key to get in and finding him on the couch, holding a pill bottle that is thankfully still full. I tackle him before he can do anything stupid, take the bottle, and throw it across the room. He's high. I can smell the pot on his breath.

The first thing I notice about the apartment is that it's way emptier than the last time I was here. I can't put my finger on it at first—what's missing? He still has his TV, dirty dishes on the table, a few pipes here and there. That's all he's ever had, though. So what was here before that makes the place seem so bare?

And then it hits me.

Jaime's voice cracks when he says, "It hurts, Tony." The way he says it breaks my heart. I sit up and pull him onto me, rubbing his back while he shivers, trying not to let any tears escape.

See, Jaime doesn't cry. I don't either. We're just not like that. Not many dudes are, but we're kind of adamant about it. Jaime copes by getting high. I cope by getting drunk. But now, he's really fighting it. It almost makes me want to cry.

After a few minutes, I have to ask him, "What did that bitch do?"

"Don't call her that," he mumbles into my shoulder. A few more minutes pass and we're both silent until he groans, "I love her, Tony. I fucking love her. I'm a nice guy. Why would she do this to me?"

"Please tell me what she did, Himes."

He sighs and hugs me tightly around the middle. "Later, okay?" He pulls away from me to turn on the TV. Then, he pushes me down on the couch and cuddles into me. This is nothing new. Jaime and I have danced. We've made out. I even tried to give him a blowjob when I was drunk once. I know he just needs somebody to hold him right now, and I'm here, so I will.

With a smile that isn't actually all that happy, I remember how Jaime liked me playing with his hair two days ago, so that's what I do now. He whines, "Stop that," but I know it's not a real request. For a long time, we just lie there, his head on my chest and my fingers in his hair. The TV cuts through the silence and gives us something to focus on. Me, though, I'm not all that focused. I'm more concerned about what Zoe did to break Jaime's heart. I can't imagine he gives a fuck about the TV either. And eventually, he sits up.

"I'm almost ready to talk. Let me just find some more weed."

He disappears into his room and comes back with a plastic container and a lighter. After grabbing a glass pipe, he sits next to me on the couch. I sit in silence while he lights up and gets high, declining when he offers me some. When he's relaxed enough, he sighs.

"Ask away, Tone Bone."

"Himes, just tell me what happened."

"Well." He thinks for a moment. "I had the night shift yesterday, so I left at, like, six, and I got back at seven this morning. And…and she had packed up all her stuff." He grabs my hand and I squeeze it for moral support.

"So…," he continues. "I was like, 'what are you doing?' Like, I didn't know what to think. And she said those words. Those fucking…she said, 'Jaime, we need to talk.' So that's when I started getting scared. I was like, 'what did I do? I must've done something. What is it?' But she told me it wasn't me. She said that…that she made a mistake. And then she told me to sit down." He laughs sardonically. "Wouldn't you start to freak out if you heard that? Wouldn't you, Tone?"

"Well, yeah, Himes," I assure him.

"Exactly. And I'm pretty sure I was hyperventilating, like, I was freaking the fuck out. And her face…." He closes his eyes and swallows. "She looked so guilty. I…I need a drink."