When I Come Around - Short Story

When I Come Around - Oneshot

Stubborn: When you are quick to quarrel, instead of compromise.

In Fall of 1994, Connor Armstrong was hanging out with a couple of his friends at the Hubbard Woods Park gazebo in Winnetka,IL. The sun was setting. There was a musky-sweet smell in the air from the fall leaves on the ground and a cool breeze. The three of them were sitting on the rails of the gazebo, while they each smoked their own joint. "Whenever I'm with you guys or she's at work, I'm automatically cheating. She thinks if I'm not at her side, then I'm being unfaithful. We're not even married!" Connor said, referring to his girlfriend Grace Dalton. Connor was a 21 year old with an average build. He was about 5'5 He had spiky hair that was dyed orange. His hairstyle looked like John Lydon's From the Sex Pistols. At the time, he was wearing a gray and white stripped sweater, black jeans and black sneakers. His girlfriend Grace was 21, she was a very slim girl about 5 feet. She was very pale and had long, dark hair that she always styled in a top bun. She wore black lipstick and had a Goth kind of look. "Just tell her you had a threesome. If she asks with who, give her our names. I'll back you up!" Chris Stone said, causing them to laugh. Chris Stone was a 22 year old with an average build. He was about 5 feet. He had a skater/curtain cut that was dyed green. He wore a green sweater, blue jeans and green sneakers. "It wouldn't be honest, but it'd be what she wants to hear!" Mike Parker commented. Mike was a 21 year old with a muscular build. He was the tallest one in the group at 6'2. He had fluffy brown natural hair. Even though it was cold outside, Mike was wearing a white tank top, black jeans and black sneakers. "I'm gonna go over there in a couple hours. Let's go grab a bite to eat!" Connor threw his finished joint in the trash nearby and jumped down to the grass, a foot below.

Two hours later, Connor went into Grace's apartment complex. He knocked on her door. A couple minutes later, she opened the door and tossed a broken Nintendo Entertainment System at him. He moved out of the way and watched it break against the wall. It looked like she took a hammer to it beforehand. Zombie by The Cranberries was blaring in the background. Then she tossed a few stuffed animals that he got her and threw a couple of his shirts at him. He lived with his parents, but he spent some nights at Grace's place. "What the hell, Grace?! I brought that system over so we can chill together!" "I bet you tell that to all the girls! Who was it this time?! Lisa Tuttle?! Cathy Santoni?! Don't even get me started on that SLUT Annie Sky. The slut is STRONG with that one!" "MY COUSIN?! Are you insane?!" "Go buy a game system for one of your girlfriends!" "How rich do you think I am?! My mom bought me that system when I was 8!" "Liar!" She screamed, as she slammed the door. Connor looked down at the broken Nintendo. He was stunned. He knew she was jealous, but never this aggressive!

The next morning, the doorbell rang. Connor got up and went downstairs to see who it was. When he opened the door, Grace was standing there looking down with a half-smile, holding a new Nintendo Box and a white plastic bag on top. "Did you come to smash that too?" Connor asked, half asleep. "No. I'm sorry! I got a little emotional because I missed you!" "I mean... You called my cousin a slut and accused me of sleeping with her. She's related to me. She's gonna hang around me, now and then... What's in the bag, anyway?" "I replaced the games. I didn't throw them at you, but I broke those too... Can I come in?" "Do you promise not to smash anything within my domain?" She rolled her eyes "Yes, I promise!" He moved out of the way and held the door open for her, to let her inside. They walked up the stairs in his parents blue two story house. Pictures of him as a baby were above them on the stairway wall. They climbed the wooden staircase and walked to his room straight down, at the end of the hall. The walls of his room were covered with Green Day and Nirvana posters. On top of his brown dresser, there was a silver Sharp CRT TV set, with a Dynatech VCR to its right. He didn't have a stereo, but he had a Walkman. His dad had a boom box in the garage. He flipped on the tv and sat on his bed. She put the Nintendo box on the floor and sat beside him. Music videos from MTV were heard as they talked. "Do you remember a year ago, when we went to Six Flags?" She smiled and rubbed his arm. "When I puked on that old granny and gave her a heart attack?" "Yeah, then we ran home and it started to rain..." She said as she started laughing. He loved the way she smiled, but he only let it show slightly. He was still a bit shook from the other day. "Remember that party at Chris's last year?" Connor asked, then he laughed. "Yes... Not one of my most flattering moments!" "When you tried to take off that cop's uniform. You shouted 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!' Even though it wasn't your birthday! You were so drunk!" Connor fell back from laughing. She smiled and laid next to him on his bed. Then they started making out for a while.

An hour later, Connor stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. "Hey... If I'm ever working on your days off, you can always hang around. Of course if John is there, you'll have to walk around the parking lots nearby and back so he won't think you're loitering." "I don't want to get you in trouble..." "As long as you don't stay in there the whole time, you'll be fine!" Connor replied. She smiled and laid her head on his chest. "Love you..." She said, as she rubbed his stomach.

The next day, Connor was at work. He worked at the Shell Gas Station in town with Chris and Mike. "She smashed your Nintendo?! It's a sign, dude! Their slogan 'Now you're playing with power!' She's trying to take away your power! You need to get rid of her!" Chris exclaimed. "I feel like there's some good in her so I want to brighten that light within her." "That's like lighting a joint, dude. It'll light but eventually, it will burn out!" "Our love isn't that small!" Connor replied.

Then the phone rang. "Shell Gas station!" Connor answered. "Why the hell did you want me to come to your work? Are you hiding something from me in plain sight? Are you screwing one of the customers?!" "No one is even here to screw. The only person I'd be screwing is Chris!" "Oh, very funny. How's this for a laugh! I'm through with you!" Then she hung up. Connor sighed, rolled his eyes and hung up. "You told her you were screwing me?" Chris asked and laughed. "She broke up with me!" Connor said, as he rolled his eyes. "You should've broke up with her first!" Mike replied. "I know... I just don't get how to fix that type of situation." "It's not for you to fix. That's up to her, dude!" Chris replied.

Five hours later, they were sitting at a 24 hour diner nearby for dinner. "You know if she comes crawlin' back again like she did the other day... I don't think I'm going to acknowledge her." Connor said. "Good! That Goth chick is a vampire, dude! She's only going to drain you!" Chris replied. Then a brown haired waitress with her hair up came out to take their order. Her nametag read Staci. She was pretty, but Connor wasn't about to give Grace any fuel. The 3 of them joked with her for a minute, before they ordered their food.

When Connor got home, it was around midnight. The phone was ringing on the wall in the kitchen. "Hello?" He answered. "Can you come over?" Grace's voice was shaking and she sounded like she was crying. "Not at this hour. I gotta work tomorrow! I can stop by after work, though..." He regretted the words as soon as they came out of his mouth. "Okay..." "You gonna be okay?" "Yeah... I just didn't want to leave things like we did!" "We'll talk it over tomorrow. I think we need to have a real serious talk about fixing this, because this could spiral out of control and lead to something that's not healthy. It's already not healthy!" "I know... I'm sorry... I'll see you tomorrow! Goodnight!" "Goodnight!" Then he hung up and slammed his fist on the counter. Not because she hurt him, but because he felt she needed help.

After work the next day. He arrived at her apartment complex and knocked on her door again. Nirvana was playing in the background, but no one answered the door. He knocked again. A few minutes later she answered the door. "Where the hell were you!?" She shouted. "I had to mop the floors and count the til! Relax! I'm here!" Connor retorted. "You're late!" She shouted. "How can I be late if we never set a time?! I tried to call you and tell you I was on my way, but you didn't answer your phone!" Then a man in denim shorts without a shirt on walked back and forth across Connor's line of sight in her apartment. At first Connor was shocked, but then a smile appeared on his face. He was about to call her out on her hypocrisy, but he knew his effort would be deflected. He turned and walked away. He felt like a genie that was freed from his oil lamp.

The next day, he was at the gas station when he heard a friendly "Oh, hey!" It was Staci from the restaurant. Staci was a curvy 21 year old girl, she had brown hair, a curvy body and a gummy smile. They smiled while looking into each other's eyes.

Love can be magic, but magic can also bring deception. True love can be found, you just have to wait for it to come around.