I walked outside, finally able to breathe away from the stench of the gym and locker room. My car was parked near the building. I pressed the buttons on my keys, and my headlights blinked excitedly. I fell into the passenger seat; my muscles were Jell-O after the workout. I don’t move, and I knew it wasn’t because of the soreness. I knew there was a redhead who has a crazy hold on me on campus. It took all I had not to go after her and ask her to go out with me Saturday instead.
I wiped my hand down my face, annoyed.
Me: What’s your roommate’s number? I have a class with her. I have a question about an assignment.
Josie: Sure, you do. 832-555-5656
I ignored her snarky attitude altogether. She was just pissed I wouldn’t sleep with her. Believe me, it wasn’t from lack of trying on her part. I’d known that for a couple of years. She was around me too much to sleep with her. I’d seen her with the other guys; she got clingy.
I stared ahead, wondering what the hell to do now. So, I went behind her back and got her number. I tried to pick her up at a bus station to save her or some shit, and I showed up at her dorm room an hour later. Eventually, she was going to completely write me off as a creep. Just thinking about how I’d tried to get her attention the last few days had me embarrassed. I felt like Tyler. Christ.
Fuck it.
Me: Autumn?
It seemed like months before she responded.
Autumn: Who is this?
Me: Liam Shafer
Autumn: HOW DO YOU HAVE MY NUMBER?
I almost said, ‘bathroom stall’, but I restrained myself. I was trying to not be a dick to her. I was also trying to not be a creep, but there was no gray area here.
Me: I asked a friend. Do you want to grab something to eat this weekend?
Autumn: I just got a job…and I have a lot of errands.
I thought she was blowing me off. I mean, I’d never had this happen personally, but I’d done it to other people. That’s what this girl was. My entire past coming back to haunt me in one tiny, hot as hell, package.
Me: You are coming the party, right?
Autumn: Yeah
Me: We could go eat instead?
Autumn: I told Josie I would go with her
I pinched the bridge of my nose. For the love of God, I’d never been off my game this bad. If I asked her to go out with me one more time, I might as well cut my balls off and hand them to her. I let out a deep breath and swallowed my pride.
Me: Maybe some other time. See you at the party
Autumn: See you there
She didn’t agree to hang out another time. She didn’t ask for a raincheck. That wasn’t lost on me. I tossed my phone into the passenger seat and sped off, attempting to forget the most frustrating girl I’d ever met.
When I got back to the house it was damn near too quiet. Then I remembered half of the guys were practicing or in class. I trudged up the stairs, lagging after my workout, and walked to the end of the hallway where my bedroom was.
After a long night of a beer pong tournament, I won the master bedroom for the rest of my time here. Of course, I didn’t want to stay with this bunch of idiots much longer. I would be out of here just as soon as my trust fund was available come December. I was just here for the free ride until I could provide for myself. The last thing I would ever do was ask my father for anything else.
As if he could sense me, my phone rang. It was Friday afternoon, and for some reason that was lost on me he felt the need to call me every Friday.
“Yeah?” I answered.
I heard him sigh, but he decided not to go there with me today. “How was your week?”
“Good,” I replied. I dropped to my bed, turned on the TV, and officially blocked out the conversation. We had the same conversation every week. It got old pretending. I’d always felt blood didn’t mean anything; you could create your own family. You didn’t have to hold on to toxic people because you thought you owed them something.
“How’s baseball going? Are you back in the cages yet?”
“Nah, I’m not playing,” I said, deciding to change the conversation topic. I hadn’t argued with him in a long time. Maybe if I pissed him off, he wouldn’t call me anymore. Then he and his wife who was five years older than me could live their happily ever after in the house my dead mother designed.
“What the hell are you doing, Liam? You’re not serious about school. Now this? You think you can just waltz through life, doing whatever you want. You’re graduating next year. Get your shit together,” he seethed, and I smiled.
“Get my shit together. Heard,” I said. The great thing about living away from a parent you hate, is that you can be as big of a dick to them as you want, and they can’t do anything about it.
“I’m really concerned about your future, Liam. If you were smart you would be, too.”
“Maybe one day I’ll be as smart as you,” I said.
“This is serious!”
“Tell your wife I said hi.” I smiled, knowing that would hit a nerve.
“Goodbye, Liam,” he said, and with that he hung up. I chuckled, tossing my phone to the end of my bed. Call me a dick, but it made me happy knowing I could fuck with him now. He cheated on my mom, treated her like shit, and hit me from the day my build started threatening him.
