CHAPTER TEN
ARI
I rapped on the door three times really hard. Half a minute later there was still no answer. I knocked again and kept banging. After about a minute the door opened.
‘Layne, what are you doing here!’ Ari said looking really spaced out. He started running his hand through his hair. He was only wearing trackies and his whole top half was exposed and it wasn’t to bad a sight. His hair looked like he had stuck a finger in an electric socket and he had sleep in his eyes which were also bright red.
‘Did I wake you?’ I leaned on the door.
‘Uh, no I’ve been awake for hours,’ he lied yawning.
‘Sure, sure, can I come in?’
‘Uh, okay,’ he said reluctantly moving aside so I could come in. The house had a new smell, Chinese food and it smelled good but it wasn’t enough to mask the odour of beer and weed smoke. I could smell smoke on his breath now and it was pretty disgusting. He looked away as I glanced at a joint that was rolled neatly and was smoking away on an ash tray at the window.
‘What do you want?’ He asked getting down two glasses and pouring bourbon and cokes into each.
‘I need to tell you something,’ I moved a pile of blankets a half a packet of smokes off the couch so I could sit down
‘Okay,’ he said joining me on the couch, a little to close for my liking ‘drink?’ he offered. I shook my head
‘Smoke?’ He asked reaching for the joint
‘No thanks,’
‘Oh well,’ he shrugged skolling both glasses and taking along puff. I shuffled away slightly.
‘Okay well when I got to school today there were two police men and they asked me loads of questions then I accidentally told them that I stayed here last night and they wanted your address and last name and everything but I didn’t know so they told me to go to the station after school which is in just over an hour,’ I said really quickly but he cut me off.
‘Dude, just chill,’ He placed his joint back in the ash tray and exhaled smoke in little circles.
‘I cant, the police are coming to your house and it’s my entire fault!’
‘Layne its okay, I can handle the police. Take a drink and chill,’ He grabbed my shoulders as if to steady me then he took one hand off and poured me straight bourbon which I didn’t want.
‘I’m not drinking after what happened last time,’ I said pushing the glass away. Ari suddenly got all uncomfortable and his face went red.
‘Layne I- there’s something you should know,’ he started
‘We did go all the way didn’t we,’ I said my voice getting loud. Ari backed away then stated looking a bit worried.
‘We didn’t,’ he whispered really softly avoiding my gaze
‘We didn’t what?’
‘We didn’t,’ he said louder but not by much.
‘Ari- I don’t understand,’ I said confused. He sighed and ran wiped his sweaty hand on his trackies.
‘We didn’t do anything on Saturday night,’ he mumbled
‘WHAT!’ I screamed jumping on him pinning his arms and his whole body to the back of the couch
‘Hey Layne, get off and let me explain,’
‘Let you explain. You lied to me. What do you have to explain?’
‘It’s complicated,’
‘I can’t believe this. You made me think I was a slut and I felt so dirty and ashamed after Saturday night and all because you lied to me,’
‘Well yeah but we kissed but that’s all,’
‘Then why did you lie to me?’
‘Well, uh- I’ he muttered. I dug my knees into him harder but he didn’t answer. Then suddenly it clicked.
‘She made you didn’t she. She made you trick me into thinking I was a bad person,’ I said quietly. Ari sighed and nodded slightly.
‘Jack paid me one hundred dollars for me to get you drunk and get with you, I sort of just did it because she was shouting me drinks and I didn’t think of the consequences or how it would affect you or anything,’ He paused. He saw the look on my face and quickly rushed on to explain himself. ‘The thing is that you just kept passing out so we couldn’t do anything more than kiss so I just let you sleep it off. I’m not the kind of guy who can only get chicks if they are passed out,’ he said honestly.
‘Then why did you lie to me?’ I whispered, hurt but relieved that I hadn’t done anything I thought I had.
Ari was silent for a few moments. He breathed in an out a few times and shut his eyes for a few seconds. He opened them again and began talking. ‘I had to lie to you because Jack would have taken the money off me and she probably would have kicked my butt. I would have got so much shit from the guys and her because I may have sort of bragged that I could get any girl I wanted so I lied to you and to her. The thing is Layne when Jack made the deal I thought everything would be so much different. She told me you were ugly and you stank and that you were apparently lesbian,’
I gasped, how she dare say those things about me.
‘I couldn’t believe it when I saw you though. I was not expecting you to look so, so,’ he struggled to find the right word ‘Amazing. You were beautiful that night with your hair and your dress. You’re beautiful now. I want you to know that. It hurt me so much to use you like that and I’m so sorry. When you started hooking up with that other poof I was so mad at him I could have bashed his head in but I didn’t because I didn’t want to hurt you even more than I was going to. I wasn’t supposed to see you again after Saturday but when I saw you in that park all alone you were so alone and beautiful I had to help you. I’m so sorry Layne and I don’t blame you if you never want to see me again but if your not to angry I’d like to give you and me, us a second chance,’ he looked hopeful after his long speech. I was too angry to speak. I was too angry to even cry. I just stared at him for a few minutes without moving. Finally I got up and released him from the couch. I started to speak, my words slow and deliberate.
‘Thank you for being so honest with me. I know it must have been pretty hard for you and I thank you for not taking advantage of me in my drunken state. I know you were telling the truth about that after all your lies,’ I paused and gulped ‘ Thank you for letting me stay at your house last night and thank you for showing me I am such an idiot,’ I hadn’t cried yet and I wasn’t planning on letting him see me cry. That would be the all time low to my seemingly endless humiliation.
‘Layne,’ he cooed wrapping his arm around my shoulder ‘You’re not an idiot; I am for letting such a pretty girl feel like crap. I’m so sorry from the bottom of my heart. You can have the money Jack gave me, I didn’t spend it. If you want I’ll tell her the truth. Just as long as you don’t feel bad, I will do anything to make you happy,’ I shrugged him of my shoulders.
‘I don’t want your money, or your charming words which are probably lies or anything. You were right it would probably be better if we didn’t have anything to do with each other anymore. Forget me and all of this happened,’ I said coolly before grabbing my school bag and shutting the apartment door behind me.
