Excerpt

This had actually been written before, but after the great computer crash of 2009, I had to rewrite it.


The bright sun woke me up along with a splitting headache. Where was I? How did I get here? What had I done? When I turned I felt a pain and soreness between my legs. That pain was somewhat familiar, but how…fuck. I jumped up,
“FUCK!” I screamed.
“what?” I heard next to me. Mitch sat up “Oh shit. Oh no.”
I froze “what happened?”
He shook his head “I’m not sure, but I can assume…what does this mean?”
“Nothing, sorry. I don’t love you.” I said straightforwardly. As soon as I did, I felt mean, but it was true.
“I know. It wasn’t anything for me either.” He responded unaffectedly.
I got out of the bed and reached for my pants.
“Where are you going?” Mitch asked concerned.
“I need to tell Sarah now. I just wouldn’t be okay if I didn’t.”
“But…” he started to say.
“Look,” I cut him off, “I have to tell her now, and I don’t care if it’s early. I can just walk. It’s not far.”
“But, I remember you usually were in too much pain to walk 20 blocks the morning after.”
He was right. Somehow I had been able to ignore the pain until then. Shit, how was I supposed to make it 20 blocks.
“I’m going to try anyway.”
“Good luck. And um. Can you tell Sarah I’m sorry?”
I was almost out when I turned around and shouted
“Mitchell. You’re still my best friend.”
I didn’t catch his reaction to that, but I think he was relieved.
The running itself wasn’t too bad, but the pain between my legs was. I tried to ignore it and think of what I’d say to Sarah.
I tried to be quiet opening the door, but still Sarah heard me,
“Marcus? Is that you? What’s going on?” She asked groggily.
I knelt down next to her “I have to tell you something that’s not going to make you so happy.”
She reached for her glasses
“This isn’t something you need glasses for.”
Sarah now looked nervous.
I told her everything. Or at least everything I knew. Sarah was silent for a really long time. I inspected her face, I knew that if her bottom lip was trembling that I might start crying and if her upper lip was flared that I should run. But I saw nothing.
More silence.
Had she even heard me? Maybe she was tired and zoned out.
“Do you two want to get back together?”
“No!” I said emphatically.
“What about you and me?”
“I don’t want anything to change. Definitely not us.”
She looked a little doubtful, “then why did you tell me?”
“I was scared and I didn’t want you to find out some other way.” I explained
“and I like telling you things” I added pathetically.
She cracked a small smile “Well that’s sweet. In a sad way.”
I shrugged “It’s true.”
“Are you two still going to be friends?” She asked nicely.
“I think so.”
Sarah smiled but didn’t say much more. “Are you okay? Headache? Nausea? Pain?” she added, touching my lower back when she asked the last question.
I nodded “All three” I confessed lamely.
Sarah stroked my hair behind my ears and then reached for something on the bedside table.
“Take this.” She said, handing my a few pills. “and sleep.”
I swallowed the pills as directed and flopped on my back.