A New
Beginning
Chapter 8:
Another Birthday to Remember. Kind of...
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I hate alcohol. Alcohol is not my friend. Alcohol is bad. Very bad. Alcohol ruined my ex-boyfriends life once. Alcohol has put me into prison twice. Alcohol makes people go crazy.
Alcohol is great when you need to forget how old you are. Ask me how old I am. I would answer twenty-three. I guess that’s the wrong answer.
Well, I happened to love alcohol at several occasions last night. It was my birthday, so I had the right to drink. And I took that opportunity. I drank. A lot.
And now I have a hangover, just like Adam said I would. He’s too smart for his own good. He knows it too, because he’s been gone all day, not taking care of me. All day and all day, I woke up at eleven and didn’t see him. That’s not all day.
Instead of Adam’s pampering, Charlie showed up about an hour later. I was trying to sleep.
“Hey,” he greeted. “Guess what I got? Chinese food!”
“Not hungry,” I muttered.
“Not for you, silly. For me! I know how much you hate egg rolls. Look, I bought five for myself.”
“If you’re trying to make me throw up, you’re too late. But please be quiet, I have a head-ache.”
Charlie sat down next to me and put his feet over my back. “I’m not surprised, you partied hard last night. I haven’t seen anyone drink like that since... Well, since you did it the last time. Guess what? I can’t blame you.”
“Great.”
“Seriously, you needed that. You let go and finally did something productive of your frustration. Now you have to get a grip again, and do your homework. Or I’m telling Coach Bombay.”
“He’s married to your Mom. Could you please stop calling him ‘coach’?” I asked. “It’s annoying. I don’t even call him that anymore.”
“Fine, I’m telling Bombay on you.”
While Charlie went on with his usual confusing explanation to what Coach Bombay actually was nowadays, I tuned him out and decided to put all my strength into avoid throwing up again. I couldn’t care less what he went on about. Just because his Mom married his coach doesn’t mean I’m going to kiss Charlie’s ass to get somewhere on this team. If he wants to tell Bombay and betray me, he can just go ahead and sell me out.
I know I did a lot of stupid things last night. After I had my fight with Fred, I stormed out to show him wrong. I can take it if he wants to tease me about politics, tell me I’m spoiled and just in general make me pissed, but if he starts making jokes about my hair, I’m forced to kill him.
Some people call it vanity. I call it... the opposite to that. Seriously, how the hell did I pass my English-class in... Never mind.
“...not like I don’t appreciate the effort you did to bring me together with my biological Dad, but I rather see my Mom with someone sane,” Charlie continued, obviously deep into a new verse on his latest ‘Why my Mom married my Coach’-song. God, he’s so annoying.
“Charlie,” I mumbled.
“Yeah?” Charlie said, annoyed that I cut him off. “What’s up?”
“Do you think I made a fool out of myself last night?”
“No,” he answered. “You were not the only one getting drunk. It was a typical Friday night, with the small difference that you tagged along. Hey, remember that first time you drank me under the table?”
“No,” I joked. “Of course I do. You thought I was this helpless little girl, when in reality, I was pretty damn wild.”
Charlie laughed. “No, Cecilia, you did not make a fool out of yourself. You had fun. We all had fun. I’m only concerned about the fact that you only did what you did because you were mad with Fred.”
He’s right, you know. I only got drunk because I was mad. Otherwise I would’ve stayed home, probably watching re-runs of ‘The Nanny’, waiting for my parents to call me and wish me happy birthday.
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I never would’ve let Connie get that job, if I’d known that Guy would be all needy and depressed when she was working.
Okay, I admit it; I used to drive Guy crazy when we were younger. I kept following him around, and I specifically remember how he used to call me an ‘annoying puppy’, just because I couldn’t leave him alone. But hey, I did some nice things too! I told him off when he was beginning to drink too much. He helped me out when I had trouble with a deported little girl named Nathalie. We had our fights, but we’re friends anyway. At least I hope so.
Guy and I usually don’t hang out together unless the others are around. He keeps saying that I’m way too immature and young to hang out with. He’s lying.
Today Adam bailed on me, Charlie decided to go and bug Travis, Fred was absent and so were the other losers we usually hang out with. Connie was off working. And Guy had a load of insults to throw at me. He must have saved them up all year.
I agreed on going with him to the pizza place around the corner. Guy had been drinking pretty heavily last night too, so he couldn’t tease me about that.
“How’s it going with your subjects?” Guy asked just to get the conversation going. I know he doesn’t give a shit.
“Fine,” I answered and threw a sickening look at the pictures of food on the menu. How could people eat stuff like that? Yuck!
Guy took a deep breath, while avoiding my eyes. “Look, I know we usually don’t hang out very often. It’s common knowledge between everyone that you drive me completely crazy sometimes. Well, you used to.”
“Sorry,” I mumbled.
“That’s what I mean! You used to be annoying and always right behind me wherever I went. I actually miss that. Now you’re just too responsible for me to deal with. I feel kinda bad for you, since you obviously lost your fun-streak during last year.”
“I actually don’t wanna talk about it,” I told him, sipping on my Coke. “I... I... I actually don’t wanna talk about it.”
Yes, I know I said that twice, but when my brain takes several time-outs in a row, I lose my ability to speak.
“I know. You never do. But if you don’t wanna talk, it’s free for me to get a word in, right?”
“Sure.”
“Connie told me that you know about our plans to... get married,” Guy began. “You wanna know what happened?”
I just nodded. I had a pretty good picture myself on what happened between them.
“It was wrong to base a decision like that on our college plans.”
Bingo.
“But we’ve decided to get married anyway.”
Huh?
“I just wanted to talk to you, since you’re Connie’s closest friend, if you don’t count all her other friends.”
“Gee, thanks,” I said, still shocked over the news. How could I’ve been so right? Please God, don’t get married, please Connie, don’t!
“Just kidding. You and Fred, you’re planning on getting back together, right?” Guy continued. “It’s impossible for you to be apart for long amounts of time, am I right?”
“No, you’re not,” I explained. “He left me. It had nothing to do with a stupid fight, or jealousy. He betrayed me, and then he didn’t talk to me for several months. How can I be with someone like that? I want some respect. Is that too much to ask for?”
Guy shook his head. “No, it’s not. Fred respects you, probably more then you think. He talks about you all the time, asks where you are when you’re not around. He’s really jealous at Adam for getting to share room with you. Last night, when you were out with Charlie and the guys, he was genuinely concerned for you.”
I’m tired of the subject of Fred.
“When are you and Connie getting married?” I asked, even though the answer would scare the hell out of me.
“What happened between you and Fred?” Guy shot back. He never took any interest in me and Fred before.
“None of your business.”
“You can tell me. I promise not to tell anyone.”
“Why do you care?”
“Because you’re my friend, and you refuse to talk to anyone. So I thought I’d give a try. I’m also curious at what you’re hiding. You always spilled your guts before when you were having problems.”
“When you pushed me to my breaking point, of course. But that was then. I haven’t had an outburst of any kind since I got here.”
Guy nodded and turned away from me. An obvious sign that he thought I was being a pain in the ass. Maybe I should tell him. He’s the only one who has taken it serious when he asked me about Fred. The others just want to know because they’re curious.
“He won’t come back,” I said quietly. “I think I blew our chances last night. Guy, do you think it was a mistake?”
“Fred is the idiot, Cee. He let go of you. Let him crawl back, if that makes you feel any better. But don’t let him destroy you on the inside. You were fine up until he got involved with your life again.”
“I’m planning on being a lesbian,” I cut him off. “No more relationships or worries.”
“Lesbians have relationships,” Guy said with his mouth full of pizza. “Only screwed up people can’t have relationships.”
“Gee, thanks again.”
“Let’s make a deal, okay?”
What kind of stupid plans had the lunatic made up now?
“What?” I asked.
“If I marry Connie, you try to cheer up,” Guy smiled.
“Nice try. I am pretty happy, actually. Don’t you remember the old, depressed me?
Guy just nodded again. He never said anything more about Fred to me.
When I finally got back to my room later, I burst into tears the first thing I did. I couldn’t stop crying for about an hour. I don’t know if it was any of those anxiety attacks I used to get, but it took more then an hour to get my breath back and my body to stop shaking.
Happy birthday, Cecilia.
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