Young Writers Society

Very very rough around the edges, hardly been edited at all. But I know ya'll wanted it, so I got it out as soon as possible.

*Chapter Three*

"Love is a game to you, it's not pretend."

"Thanks for dropping me off, Andrew. I couldn't take another minute in that hell hole," Elodie said, moving to get out of the car.

"Wait," Andrew said, grabbing the hand that was on the center console of the car and clinging to it. "I need your number. Seeing you reminded me how much I miss you."

She raised her eyebrow, but held out her hand for his phone. "Okay then."

Grinning like a child offered candy, he put his iPhone in her hand. She fiddled with it, typing in her contact information, and then handed it back to him. "There you go. Call me sometime."

"I will," he promised. She moved to get out of the car again, but he stopped her once more. "Wait, Elodie. There's one more thing."

She turned, ready to sigh in annoyance and ask if she was ever going to get out of his car, or if he planned to keep her here forever. Before she could even start to say something though, he'd leaned forward and kissed her, a quick kiss, not really even a kiss at all, but still a kiss that rocked her world. "I've just always wanted to do that."

Elodie had the presence of mind to roll her eyes. "You're drunk, Andrew. Go home. Go back to the wedding. I'll talk to you some other time. Sober."

"But--"

"Goodbye, Andrew."

He sighed hugely and nodded. "Good bye Elodie."

She got out of the car, and closed the door behind her, stepping back so he could pull away. He waved and sped off, and she mounted the stairs to her apartment on the second floor.

Getting inside the door, she collapsed by the door, sliding the high heels off her feet and dropping her purse beside her. Her face crumpled, the pain of the day overtaking her mind and making her feel so small, sitting on the floor in her messy hall. She finally stood up and stumbled into the kitchen, taking off her dress and dropping to the floor in the living room as she went. Flipping on the light, she grabbed the clean wine glass out of the dish rack, and found a bottle of Strawberry Hill inside the fridge. Strawberry Hill was truly the most disgusting wine she'd ever tasted, if she was completely honest. It tasted like strawberry flavored gasoline, but for some reason, she always kept a bottle of it around. Maybe because it was cheap, or maybe because she remembered drinking it with Daniel and--no, she had to stop. He was married now, there was no chance he'd come back to her. She looked down at the bottle, thinking about that day, he'd come home with wine and one of those already baked chickens from the grocery store, and they'd made powdered mash potatoes with mushrooms, and sat at the dining room table with the candles lit, and that night... No, she really did have to stop. She stared at the label, at the tree painted in fake gold script, and tears pricked her eyelids for the tenth time that day. She gripped the neck of the wine, anger floating into her throat, and with one throw, she threw the bottle, then the glass at the kitchen wall.

The bottle exploded, sickly purple wine splashing on the white walls, making a permanent stain, and flowing onto the old cracked tiles. The tears were streaming down her flushed cheeks now, as she watched the glass floating inside the syrupy drink. She couldn't look at it anymore, she thought the wine might be her sanity, thrown and broken by the wall that was Daniel, that had always been him. She walked out of the kitchen, not caring about the glass that was scattered across the floor, almost hoping she'd cut herself. Almost hoped she'd feel the sting of being cut and the feeling of the alcohol flowing into the wound. But she wasn't cut, and as she flipped the lights out, the last thing she saw was the label stuck to the wall, the gold script washed away by the wine. She fell to the couch, curled up in her underwear, the cat jumping instantly into her lap. "Go away," she growled, cuddling it to her. He meowed, and nuzzled into her neck and they sat there for awhile, silent and very very much alone. Just as she was about to go into her room, take a sleeping pill and go to sleep, the phone rung.

Groaning, she moved to find it, her old fashioned cordered phone always found it's way into weird places, considering she carried it around, hooked on her finger. There it was, under the couch cushions. "Hello?" she said into it, her voice a little hoarse from her sobbing in the kitchen.

"Hey beautiful."

"Andrew?" she said, surprised, sitting up from her slumped position.

"The very same. You told me I could call you sometime."

"When I said sometime, I didn't mean immediately."

"Hey! I waited a respectful ten minutes before dialing your tempting number. Really, I couldn't help it. I'm drawn to you, El. But I called for a reason."

"You did? What reason?"

"I wanted to know if you'd do me the honor of going on a lunch date with me tomorrow?"

"What, all booked up for breakfast?"

"No, I merely didn't want to seem too eager."

She almost laughed, and to her surprise, she realized she was smiling, sitting on her couch, absent mindly petting her cat. "Well, I suppose I could meet you between my two classes tomorrow."

"Wow, I almost expected you to say no."

"Don't be too disappointed, I almost did."

He laughed, a big booming bellowing laugh, that made her stomach do things it hadn't done in a long time. No, she told herself. It's a bad idea. It's a terrible idea. You can't fall for Daniel's best friend. You can't. "Well, Ms. Elodie, where would you like to have lunch?"

"That new Greek salad bar in the student union looks good."

"You forget my dear, that I'm not a student at your alma mater anymore. But I digress, what time shall we meet in the student union tomorrow?"

"I have an hour and a half at one."

"Devoting an hour and a half to little old me? I'm flattered. That time sounds perfect. I'll see you then."

"See you," she said, closing her eyes.

"Good night, moon!"

"Did you seriously just quote a children's book?"

The click of the phone being hung up was her only reply.

~*~*~*~

To put it lightly, Elodie had been through a rough night. She was sitting in the student union, her hair blowing in the chilling wind, trying to focus on the book in her lap. It wasn't working. Her mind was wandering, and she really wished it wouldn't. She almost hadn't come to this date, almost called Andrew and cancelled, but something had dragged her to the student union anyway. She looked like hell, she knew she did, but for once she could care less. She just sat there, half hoping Andrew wouldn't show up and she would be able to crawl back home and pull the covers over her head. Of course though, Andrew being the frustrating person he was, he showed up right on time, falling into the other seat beside her and dropping his keys on the table top. "Afternoon, beautiful lady," he said.

"Hi, Andy."

He took a deep breath, as though sniffing the air. "Ah, college. I hate being back here."

"Really?"

"Oh yes. Worst four years of my life."

"I never would have guessed that," Elodie said, her brow furrowed. The Andrew she remembered, the one that had one night stands, never left the frat house and was always drunk was replaced by this guy? The guy with the cigarette hanging out of his crooked mouth? It was unfathomable. Life had turned him from happy go lucky too cynical. Though his jokes remained the same.

"When your life is handed to you on a silver platter and then your gold is stolen out from under you, you tend to be unhappy, Dear El." he said, answering her unasked question.

She forced a smile and nodded. "Well, what do you do now you're out of this hell hole?"

"I'm a chemistry teacher at the high school a few miles away."

"I didn't know you went to school to be a teacher."

"It was a second thought. What I really love is Bio Chemistry, but there aren't many jobs for biochemists around here.

Elodie nodded, understanding. "But you don't mind being a teacher?"

"Oh, hell no. I hate it. They're bratty little shits."

Elodie felt insane urge to laugh, as she watched his face form a crooked smile.

"Well, my lady, I am starving, so why don't we go in and eat from the restaurant you were raving about?"

"Gladly," Elodie shoved her book into her purse and picked up her bag from the ground, following him inside the student union. He held the door open for her, his crooked smile widening as she walked through the door. "Look at me, taking the elusive Ms. Elodie to lunch."

Elodie rolled her eyes in response, causing Andrew to grin. "Realy, Andrew dear," she said sarcastically, "it's not that big of a deal."

"Oh but it is. You were the untouchable! Daniel's girlfriend that if you even looked at the wrong way, ole Dan would beat your ass into next week."

Against her will, Elodie froze and turned around. "What?"

"Daniel. He didn't like his friends, especially me, talking to or about you."

"Oh." Elodie blinked her eyes to get rid of the odd tears pricking them. "I see."

"And then when you guys broke up--" Elodie interrupted him, shaking her head and stopping their short walk through the building. "I don't want to talk about Daniel on our date, Andrew!"

"Sorry. I didn't know the subject was taboo."

Elodie pasted her trademark fake smile onto her face. "I think it's safe to say if we're going to continue this relationship, talking about mine and your best friend's isn't the best idea."

Andrew's jagged grin grew into almost a leer, "You're considering continuing this 'relationship', air quotes, beyond this date? Wow, my luck just keeps getting better and better."

Elodie rolled her eyes as they reached the doorway of the little salad bar. "Don't count on it, buddy."

"Damn."

~*~*~*~

Elodie stood in front of her bathroom mirror, staring at her reflection. She'd never thought she was particularly pretty, body dysmorphia and all that shit, but she knew she looked especially bad this evening. She had gotten home from lunch with Andrew, and fallen onto her couch, staring at the ceiling. She had actually enjoyed herself, and not her fake 'I'm going to pretend to enjoy this date because it makes me feel slightly better' enjoyment, but her actually honest to goodness 'I like this guy and I'm actually having fun in his company' enjoyment. But once she got home, all she felt was emotionally drained and unstable. She hated this, she hated not being able to enjoy a date. Why did there suddenly have to be so many strings attached?

She made a face at herself in the mirror. "You know," she said to her reflection, "you brought this on yourself. You didn't have to go on this date. You could have said no."

But oh, her mind sung in her ear, what's the fun in that? What's the fun in not torturing yourself? She felt like screaming, she felt like crying, she felt like calling Andrew and asking him to come over and do the things she would have done with anyone else. But for some reason, she had stopped herself. Usually she would have invited him to come up to her room after such a good date. Usually she wouldn't have cared.

It had thrown her when all Andrew did when he dropped her off at her apartment was kiss her cheek. He had asked, contorting his face so it didn't look too hopeful if he could could see her again, and against her better judgement, she'd smiled and said yes. She wished she hadn't said yes in the first place, or had even screwed up the date on purpose to make herself feel a little better. Instead, she'd actually enjoyed herself. Stupid emotions, she thought, reaching to flip the bathroom light off. She left the bathroom, falling face down onto her bed. "Meow?"

Turning her head, Elodie looked at her cat, sitting primly on the edge of the bed. "Stupid cat, why do you have to be so put together?"

"Meow."

Elodie pressed her eyes shut, and ignored her cat's paw playing with her pony tail.