Short Stories

....Friends....

"Jesus Christ!!"

Laughter came from the alley and as I get up, my 'friends' come out of the shadows.

"Very funny." I say, brushing the dirt and rocks off of my jeans.

Jacob, one of the more unpleasant in the group, laughs again and says, "We thought so too."

Jackass.

I flip them the bird and walk off.

I hear them following me, but I pretend not to notice and continue walking to work.

When I reach the cafe, they turn around because they got banned for harassing the customers. 

As I walk in, I notice Lisa, my work mom, looking out the window, a clear expression of disgust on her face, "I can't believe your friends with them."

"It's not my choice."

She Looks me dead in the eyes. "You always have a choice."

"Hey slackers, get to work!" This comes from our manager, David, in the kitchen.

He's a tall, handsome man, and I would have already gone for him, but he has a long-time boyfriend who comes in almost every day.

A group of teenagers come into the cafe as I clock in, the beginning of the after-school rush.

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The only people left in the cafe are older women getting together to talk about their husbands and children.

I'm cleaning up the mess the teenagers left outside when a man comes up behind me and hugs me.
My whole body goes rigged; he notices this and lets me go immediately.

"Sorry." 

I turn around, "Hayden!" I cling to him.

"Hi to you too."

"It's so good to see you again! I didn't know you were here! Oh my god, I can't believe you're back! Eliza's going to be so ecstatic!"

He doesn't say anything, but looks away, severing my excitement.

I back up, "Give..... give me half an hour and I'll be done, then we can talk."

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Forty-five minutes later, we are entering my apartment. 

I jerk my head towards the couch as I go into the kitchenette to pour a drink, "Sit." 

He looks around as he sits down. "You haven't done much with this place." 

"I never have the time"

He says nothing for a few minutes, but finally whispers, "How is she?"

I don't have to ask who he means. "Eliza's fine, still showing no signs of waking up, but I still won't give up hope," I hand him his drink, "And neither should you."

"I'm not, it's just the doctors started to get to me, made me believe that there's no hope for her, I just had to get away and think."

"I know; they got to our parents and got them to sign a paper giving her up as an organ donor, It was all I could do to keep them from unplugging the machines keeping her alive."

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Sunlight, streaming in through the half-open window in my small bedroom barely big enough to hold my bed, and a headache wake me up.

I stumble out to the kitchenette, passing the hungover Hayden sleeping on my couch, and start a pot of coffee. 

As the coffee brews, I watch him lay there and wonder where we would be if things that night had turned out differently.

As he opens his eyes I quickly turn away, my face going red, and grab two coffee cups for the both of us and bring his over to him as he sits up.

He smiles at me, gratefully taking his coffee. 

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We talk mindlessly about the things we've done in the three years since he moved until I have to go to work.

He goes with me and on the walk, I look into the alley my 'friends' were in yesterday and see movement, but no one comes out to confront me.

I double over laughing and Hayden looks at me questioningly. "What's so funny?"

"N-nothing," I catch my breath and look at him, "it's just my "friends" seem to be scared of you." I use air quotes when I say friends.

"That's good?"

"Yes! They are manipulative, abusive, assholes and I hate them." I stop and stare at the ground.

"Are you okay?" When I Don't answer him, he grabs my hand, but I pull away and tears start to pour down my face. "Sarah? What's wrong?"

"They leave new bruises on me everyday." At the confused look on his face, I roll up the sleeve of my hoodie and show him the marks covering my arm.

His face pales. "I'm so sorry, I didn't....you should have told me sooner." His voice cracks and tears threaten to spill.

Wiping my own tears, I force a smile, "It's okay, it isn't your fault."

He goes to hug me but thinks better of it.

"I need to get to work."

"See you later?"

"Sure."

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I'm standing in the corner of the room, trying to go unnoticed as Eliza is dazzling the party with her charming persona. 

I look at the door as you walk in, laughing at something your friend just said. Your laugh cuts through the noise and right through my heart.

I'm trying to think of a way to talk to you without making it awkward when my heart shatters as you go up to Eliza and start flirting with her. 

I run into the bathroom and stay in there for God knows how long, telling people I'm on my period just so I can cry.

Pathetic, right?

Falling for a guy I don't even know and crying over him when he goes for your far better sister.