Just A Boy With Tattoos

Jozlyn's Homecoming Party

Zo's apartment always looked like a tornado had ripped through the entire place. Clothes, shoes, makeup and various accessories were strewn across every surface and almost every piece of it was glittery. Zophia Davis came from a very well-to-do family. Her whole family ran the largest law firm in the state, but Zo had absolutely no interest in becoming a lawyer. So she dropped out of law school and became a stripper because it was the biggest fuck you she could think of, even though she never actually told them so they wouldn't cut her off. They fully believed she was still attending classes, when in reality, every time she begged them for more money "for school stuff" it really went towards alcohol or weed or whatever other party drug it was for the night.

She was currently pacing around her bedroom searching for a lighter, an unlit joint hanging from her purple lips. I was glad I had decided to leave the coffee shop since she hadn't even touched her hair yet. I probably would have been there for an hour by myself. Leaning over I offered her my own lighter; as she handed it back she offered the joint to me. We used to smoke all the time together in high school, although now I didn't like to smoke very often, but she could always tell when I needed a little bit to take the edge off and I took it gratefully.

"So are you gonna tell me what happened?" Zo asked bluntly. I loved the girl and I knew she cared, but she could also be very straightforward. Side effect of growing up with lawyers I suppose. I shrugged; I didn't really want to talk about it, but I knew she would just keep pressing the issue.

"No, bitch, come on. I've known you since we were in diapers so I know some shit happened, you've got those lines between your eyebrows when you get worried about something. Spill." she waved the burning joint at me between long acrylic nails, smoke curling through the already hazy air. I sighed and laid back on her messy bed.

"At the coffee shop, I accidentally spilled my drink all over what was likely the most gorgeous human being I have ever seen. He was sweet about it though, bought me a new coffee and even sat down and talked with me for a bit. But then he suddenly went cold and left with no explanation. It was just so weird because we had just started talking about something interesting. It's not like it matters though, I know I can't get wrapped up in another situation." I said vaguely, but Zo nodded in understanding. She had been there for me through everything that happened last time.

"Well, I say fuck him and just try to forget about it. And you know the best way to forget about something is to get fucked up!" Zo said with a shrug and a stoned giggle. I rolled my eyes because she knew that just wasn't the way I coped with things like she did. "Jozlyn is coming back from her trip to Paris today, and Brian wanted to throw a homecoming party for her tonight." I groaned because I had forgotten that today was the day our other friend Jozlyn came home from her month long trip with her boyfriend. Brian was her twin brother and also happened to be in the same fraternity as my ex boyfriend, Erik. Both Brian and Jozlyn knew that he had been abusive with me, but only Zo truly knew how serious it had become.

Zo and I met the twins at orientation for college a couple years ago and Brian joined the Theta Kappa Zeta house. A couple weeks later, I met Erik at a frat party. It went like any other abusive relationship, he was sweet at first and then over the next year and a half he became more and more possessive and controlling. It started with small things at first like where we could go to eat and what I could wear and progressed to who I could see or even talk to. I was eventually completely cut off from everyone, even Zo. I dropped out of school after freshman year and I lost a lot of weight and hair from the stress of all of it.

He had made me move into a small apartment with him and my life had become a constant Hell trying to tiptoe around him so I wouldn't set him off. If I made a wrong comment or asked a question at the wrong time, it was met with a slap across the face. If he said he needed anything and I didn't immediately go do it for him, he would drag me by my hair off of the bed or the couch and scream in my ear. When he got drunk he would usually start by throwing stuff around the apartment until he eventually just started punching me in the stomach or the ribs until I either passed out or he got bored. The last straw was when I found out I was pregnant and he kicked me repeatedly in the stomach until I lost it and I had to go into the ER.