Patrick Two: Mystery Lady

Tonight at the bar, I had a new trick. Emmanuel had made a suit of chains for me to wear and then escape from. It went well, but I still wasn't getting the turnout from the audience that I wanted. Part of it was because I was still performing at the bar, but Emmanuel also had a hunch that it was because I didn't have an assistant. People like to stare at pretty girls during a magic act. I figured he was probably right since the majority of the audience was made of males. For some reason, women were few and far between in the audience. I guessed that they preferred the lighter types of magic, and maybe my act was too dark for most of them to enjoy. There were always a few women I saw, but never as many as men. After the show, a blonde woman with purple highlights in her hair walked over to me as I was packing up my things.

"Hey, I liked your show tonight."

"Really? Thank you. Most women don't, at least I don't think they do. It's too intense or something."

"I can be intense, Hunter."

I finished closing the latches on one of my trunks, and took a glimpse of this woman standing in front of me. It caught me off guard that she called me Hunter because that was my stage name, and my whole life, everyone had called me Patrick. I didn't particularly like her calling me that, but I also didn't stop her. Truth be told, I wasn't interested, so I didn't feel like it was necessary to tell her I disliked it, since I'd probably never see her again after this. Despite my annoyance, I did notice her lavender colored eyes that matched the highlights in her hair.

"Is that right, Miss?"

"Ephemera. My name is Ephemera Wallace."

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Patrick-"

"I know who you are, Hunter."

"Right."

I looked down shyly, feeling kind of stupid. Obviously she knew who I was, I was a celebrity in this town. I was still unsure if Ephemera was trying to hit on me earlier or if she was just an admiring fan. Ephemera crossed one arm over the other and continued to linger around me.

"So, what does a lady have to do to get a guy to buy her a drink around here?"

Ephemera's red lips turned upward into a smile as she asked me that question. That was the cue I was looking for, happy that she was finally telling me what she wanted from me.

"What's your poison, Ephemera?"

"A Captain and Coke would be fabulous, Hunter."

I headed over to the bar to get her and myself a drink. Emmanuel caught my eye and we silently communicated with each other. He would pack up the car and bring the equipment back to my house. I nodded my head towards him, and he did in response as well, before stepping out of the bar with the equipment in tow. As I turned my attention back to Ephemera, she had found herself a table and was sitting patiently at it, glancing in my direction. I found myself finally checking her out. She was definitely beautiful. I've never felt like I was the type to seek out love, I'm fine with my life the way things are. I don't feel like anything's missing in my life because I'm not dating. I've had some one night stands, but nothing serious. I found myself wondering what Ephemera wanted from me, did she want some fun for just tonight, or did she want a relationship?

"Patrick."

The bartender jarred me from my thoughts, handing me the two drinks I'd ordered. I smiled at her and took the drinks, walking over to Ephemera. I sat down with her and took a swig of my scotch.

"Nervous, huh?"

I nodded, and looked into my glass. I didn't know what to think of Ephemera and I didn't really know where to start. My dad had always been the smooth talker, not me. Apparently I hadn't inherited that part of his personality. Ephemera seemed too forceful for my taste, at least upon first impression. I decided not to write her off completely, since she was nice, and also nice to look at.

"Um, so what did you think of the show?"

"Honestly? I think you need an assistant. I mean, honey, you and your engineer are excellent eye candy, but you need pizzazz in your act. You're great at the illusions, but it's clunky. He's good at helping you get ready for it, but I think I could help. I worked as an assistant before, and it doesn't take much on my part, I just help you get ready for things, and take things away when you need to move on to the next illusion. You can tell me as little or as much as you want about the trick. Promise. I'm not here to screw you over."

Ephemera's words took me by surprise. I didn't think she was trying to apply for a job as my assistant, I had truthfully thought she was trying to flirt with me or something. I was secretly happy though, that she hadn't been trying to start a relationship or ask me out. I don't know how I would have reacted to those things.

"You know I'm going to have to discuss this with Emmanuel first before I give you an answer, right?"

"Of course. No worries. Thanks for the drink, Hunter."

With that, Ephemera finished the rest of her drink, put the glass down on the table, and walked out of the bar. I watched her ass as she sauntered away from me, the door closing behind her before I realized she hadn't given me her phone number or any other way to contact her. Shit.

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Patrick Premiere: Small Illusions

"Patrick Hunt! Patrick, over here, how do you feel about the verdict?"

"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have places to be."

I get in the limo that's waiting for me at the bottom of the steps, and the driver whisks me off back to my house. As I open the front gate, I think about why I had to be at the courthouse in the first place. A few months back, a paparazzi followed me home. I asked him nicely to leave, but he wouldn't take no for an answer, shoved me aside, and tried to force his way into the gate that was in front of my house. I pushed him back, and he fell, breaking his camera in the process. He then promptly sued me for assault. Today was the hearing, and although I had to pay to get him a new camera, I considered it a win since I wasn't thrown in jail, and that asshole would get arrested if he ever came on my property again.

Being the child of an Oscar-winning actor and an international supermodel is not the easiest thing in the world. Don't get me wrong, I love everything about my parents, including the fame that involuntarily attached itself to me, but the paparazzi can get annoying. They follow me everywhere, even when I go do boring stuff like shop for groceries or books. I don't care that I see myself in tabloid magazines, but trying to come into my home is just uncalled for, and I wanted to defend my privacy. I've gotten quite used to the camera flashes, and I wear sunglasses often when I go out so I don't get blinded by them.

They're not just following me because I'm the child of famous parents, however, they're also following me because I have been making a mark on the entertainment world myself, choosing to explore the world of magic. Not the fantasy Harry Potter kind, but the illusion and misdirection kind. The magic set I got on my thirteenth birthday was the best present I've ever received. I've evolved my tricks a lot since then. I still do some basic ones for tips when I'm not doing a show, of course.

When my aunt died, I didn't have a normal reaction to her death. I'd never really been close to her, so although I was saddened that she was no longer among the living, the way she died sparked my curiosity. I was sixteen and that was when I became really curious as to how the mind works. She killed herself and I was shocked, not because I didn't think she was capable of doing something like that, but more because I wondered why she didn't have hope in her life and why she felt like committing suicide was even an option. I think it might have had something to do with me being kidnapped when I was four. I spent a few days in a cold basement being scared of a mean lady who kept telling me she was my new mommy. I was afraid, but I knew in my heart my parents would find me. I'd endured one of the worst things a child could go through and yet I still had hope. I did a lot of research into the subject and found my way down the path of magic during it. The reason why magic is so intriguing is because of what the mind chooses to hope for, see, and believe.

My dream is to play the big shows, in Las Vegas and New York. I want to wow people with my illusions, but I have a long way to go before I get there. I'm sort of hanging in the middle right now, not just starting out, but not quite to the level of where I want to be yet. I work in movies and modeling to make money to pay the bills, since my mom and dad have connections that I'd be stupid not to utilize. About six months after I turned eighteen, I moved into my own house, down by the beach, whereas my mom and dad live closer to the downtown area.

For now, my magic consists of me at the local bar doing small illusions. They pay me weekly to be the entertainment, unless I have a movie or modeling job that conflicts. The good part about this town is that there are always people scouting for talent, so the more I put myself out there, the more chances I have to run into one of those people. At break time, I get myself a drink when a man in a dark coat comes up to me, leaning in close to my ear as he talks.

"If you want to work on more advanced illusions, meet me at the table in the back of the bar when you're finished."

Once I am done with my shift, I make my way over to the mysterious man because his words peaked my interest. I thought I'd at least talk to him and find out if he was one of those get rich quick schemers or if he could actually help me out with my magic career. The chair legs make an unpleasant sound, scraping over the floor as I pull the chair out from its place and sit down on the uncomfortable seat. I can't wait until I don't have to perform at this bar every night anymore.

"So you're interested. That's good."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Emmanuel. I am a stage engineer, well, was, the magician I was working with is no longer employing me. I have been out of work while looking for another magician who will partner with me, and you look promising."

"Thank you. If I may ask, why did you quit working with that other magician?"

"Irreconcilable differences. He and I started in the business together, him being a superb showman, and I working behind the scenes. Over time, he let the fame get to his head, becoming quite arrogant and egotistical. Confidence is good, but arrogance is not. Stage engineers help with illusions and make sure they work well to wow the audience, but he was always trying to put me down and make me feel like he didn't want my knowledge or help."

The more I talked to Emmanuel, the more I was convinced he knew what he was talking about. Emmanuel said he knew how to make equipment as he was a skilled carpenter and mechanic. He clued me into how the magic business works when you get to be one of the more famous ones. Never telling anyone about how your illusions work is crucial because there are some magicians who feed off of others, stealing illusions and taking credit for them, potentially ruining careers. The only ones who should know about the secrets are people in the magician's hire, which means stage engineers and assistants. It didn't surprise me that there was so much mystery surrounding this business.

I was still on guard because one thing I knew about magic was people were hard to trust, but I agreed to work with Emmanuel. Since he had been burned before by his other job, I thought maybe he would be loyal as long as I treated him well.

"So, besides you making and maintaining equipment for me, what else can you offer me?"

"I think that you should figure out a good stage name for yourself. Something that goes along with your style. Also what kind of magic are you interested in? There's tricks that are lighter and more family friendly, but I don't get that vibe from you. You seem more like an escape artist and death defying type of person."

"What about The Hunter?"

"That's really good. It's mysterious and dark."

Emmanuel seemed to have good insight as far as reading me because he was exactly right about my style. We continued talking about  how we would start our collaboration, exchanged phone numbers, and then parted ways. I arrived home hopeful and excited about the new opportunity that Emmanuel had presented to me.

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Maximus Finale: Life Fulfilled

Music Track - Play when it shows up if you want to listen. =) ~ LateKnight

---

I've been sitting here crying for about an hour. The bathroom tiles feel cold against my feet, and I'm leaning against the wall so hard it's making my head hurt. I feel really guilty for everything that has happened over the course of my marriage. I don't know why I couldn't just be happy. I really did want the perfect little life, the American dream, but I'm so far from it at this moment. I feel weak and defeated. I'm in the bathroom because Dustin and I got in another fight and I needed to be alone to think. This one was different though, because he said he wanted a divorce. I didn't think that Dustin would ever consider divorce, I thought he'd always be there, I had no idea he was so broken, broken enough to want out of this marriage. Robert stopped talking to me after I kissed him, so I have no prospects if I don't have Dustin. Dustin refused to engage in any romantic activity with me after that night, probably because he thought I didn't want to be with him anymore.

I don't know what to do. We went to some marriage counseling, and I thought it was going well, but Dustin didn't like that the counseling was from my church. He got upset after the first few sessions when the counselor mentioned that our marriage was suffering because we weren't letting religion be the center of it. It made perfect sense to me, but with Dustin being as nonreligious as he is, he didn't understand how it would help. He just saw it as me getting my way again while he had to compromise and he said it was tiring having to do that all the time, when I don't make any sacrifices for our marriage.

I fill the bathtub full of water and then stare at the bottle of alcohol I brought into the bathroom with me earlier. I stopped drinking after university, but tonight I felt like I needed some. I'd been suffering from insomnia after Dustin and I started sleeping in different bedrooms, so I bought some sleeping pills. I wish things could be different, but they're so broken at this point that they cannot be fixed. Dustin's words hit me like a ton of bricks. I'm done trying, Helena. You've never helped with your side of the relationship, and I'm tired of always giving it my all, while you just take from me until I'm drained. I'm not happy and I want a divorce. He hates me now, and it's my fault. I can't make it better, so this is the only way.

I'm scared, but I've always been scared of things. This is different though, I need to make it stop. I'm not worth anyone's time anyway, and I always ruin everything I touch. Slowly, I open the bottle of sleeping pills and pour all of them into my hand. I'd just bought a new bottle, and I had only taken one or two the night before, so there would be a perfect amount for what I wanted to do. I started swallowing them one by one, with the alcohol I'd brought in with me. When I had swallowed them all, I was starting to feel woozy, so I quickly drank as much alcohol as I could, afraid I would pass out before I made it into the bathtub. Luckily, I was able to climb in and slid myself down into the water. I finished off the bottle of alcohol and dropped it on the floor, feeling my eyelids get heavy and droopy as I slipped into unconsciousness, hopefully ending my time in this world forever.

---

The news of Helena's death was bittersweet. She wasn't a pleasant person while she was alive, and she always had a way of making everything about her by ruining other people's days, but none of us ever wanted her to take her own life. Even though she and Dustin had been fighting a lot, Helena always got up and lounged around in the kitchen early in the morning. When Dustin hadn't seen her come downstairs before he went to work, he got suspicious and found her in the bathtub with her head underwater. Her skin was drained of color, cold to the touch, and he knew she was gone.

We were having the funeral at her church because we felt like that's where she would have wanted it to be held. We gathered in the sanctuary for the sermon, and after a while, Robert got up to say a few words.

"I admired Helena for her faith, a part of her she only shared with me because she thought that part of her made her other friends uncomfortable. She was never a very happy person, but I saw that she always wanted to be a good person. She stuck to her morals and usually she was good about not faltering. In a moment of weakness, she did fall prey to her humanly nature of sinfulness, but no one is perfect. I hope in her way, she has found peace somehow from all of the things she was plagued by in this life."

When the sermon was over and everyone said what they wanted to say, we all went out to the cemetery. We put roses on Helena's coffin and went home. We let Dustin sleep at our house that night. He was numb and quiet, which was to be expected. Patrick was quiet too, but I hoped it was just because he was sad and that he wasn't too adversely affected by the events. He went straight upstairs to his room after giving Dustin a hug. I went to sleep hugging Soleil close, counting my blessings that she was still here with me.

The next morning, Patrick and Dustin came downstairs and we all ate breakfast together. Dustin was quiet, which I expected, but Patrick was also still quiet, which I was more concerned about.

"Patrick, are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah. I guess I've just been curious about death ever since Aunt Helena's funeral. Like what makes people feel like death is the answer? What switches in someone's brain that makes them do that rather than talking things out like you and Mom do? I've been thinking about it a lot. It's fascinating."

"You're not going to try anything are you, Patrick?"

"No, I'm not wanting to do anything like that, I guess I'm curious about how the mind works when a person goes that way. I thought maybe I'd go to the library and look at some books about it."

"Patrick, honey, your hair's getting really long, do you want a haircut?"

"No, Mom, I think I'm going to leave it like this. I like it."

After breakfast, Patrick got dressed and left for the library, while Soleil and I hung out with Dustin. He was still quiet, but the look on his face was a mix of sadness and relief.

"Dustin, did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, for the first time in a long time. I feel like Helena's at peace now, since she always seemed so conflicted while she was alive. It's like now I can think clearly and remember the good times we shared because she's not up in my face screaming at me. Thank you, and Soleil too, for always helping me out when I needed it. You two are the best friends a guy could ever want."

---

I just wanna be alone tonight / I just wanna take a little breather / Cause lately all we do is fight / And every time it cuts me deeper

Cause something’s changed / You’ve been acting so strange / And it's taking its toll on me / It's safe to say that I’m ready to let you leave

Without you, I live it up a little more everyday / Without you, I’m seein myself so differently / I didn’t wanna believe it then / But it all worked out in the end / When I watched you walk away / Well I never thought I'd say / I’m fine / Without you

Called you up cause’ it’s been long enough / And you said that you were so much better / We have done a lot of growing up / We were never meant to be together

I just wanna be alone tonight / I just wanna take a little breather

~ Without You - by Hinder ~

---

After a year had passed, I got a lead role in a movie that landed me an Oscar nomination. Soleil, Dustin, and I were all excited for the award ceremony. When we got there, we did the usual pictures outside the theater before going inside.

Patrick and Dad were going to make a night out of it while watching it on television. The ceremony was going well, and the three of us braced ourselves as my category came up. They played a clip of all the movies that had been nominated, and then they opened the envelope.

"And the Oscar goes to..."

I closed my eyes and waited. Even though it had only been a few seconds, it felt like an eternity. Soleil squeezed my hand when they said it.

"...Maximus Zenteri-Hunt!"

While walking up to the podium to accept my Oscar, I was smiling from ear to ear. Life had been good to me and receiving an award felt like the ultimate success for all of the hard work I'd put in to this career over the years. As I looked out at the audience and gave my acceptance speech, I felt like my life was complete.

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Maximus Twenty-Three: I'm Sorry

I'm in the closet staring at the clothes hanging on the rack. Soleil helped me pick out some new dresses so that I could wear them to award ceremonies and red carpet events. As I look at them all, I wonder why I feel like I'm not good enough to wear them. Max has been nominated for an Emmy award because of his role on that television show. Dustin was of course, invited to the ceremony, and I had given myself a pep talk earlier of why I should go with him, remembering Max's words that if I just supported Dustin, then everything would be fine. I'm getting cold feet, though, and I suddenly don't want to go to the ceremony. I really just want to watch it on tv where no one will be looking at me. I remember all the heartache that happened the first time I went to a red carpet event with him. I think that night marked the start of all our marital problems.

The time apart did us a world of good, and on our phone dates, we actually talked to each other instead of yelling. It was a welcome change from the stress our marriage had become. I realized how much I loved him while he was away. Ever since he came back, we've become a little closer.

"Helena? Do you want some help getting dressed?"

Dustin stands behind me and kisses my neck, running his hands under my shirt flirtatiously. He kisses me and I kiss him back, even though I'm not in the mood for this.

"Dustin. I changed my mind. I don't want to go."

"What? Why not? It'll be fun, there'll be dinner and some drinks, plus you get to see if Max wins an award."

"No. I'm just going to watch it on television. You can go with them. I don't want to get all dressed up anyway."

Dustin rests his hands on my hips and looks at me. He doesn't say anything, but he doesn't look upset either. I stare at him quietly, observing the color of his eyes and the curve of his nose.

"You really don't want to go?"

"No."

"Okay, I'm not going to force you to do something you don't want to do. You want to fool around with me before I go? I have some time."

Ever since that night that I wrongly seduced Dustin with an ulterior motive, he doesn't trust me if I initiate any kind of sexual activity. He also locked the condoms away so I can't sabotage them. I just wait until he asks and then I tell him yes or no. It may seem methodical, but I am okay with it. I nod at him, and smile. He takes my shirt off and unhooks my bra, followed by his shirt. I'm not comfortable having sex in any other position than laying down, so when Dustin picks me up, puts my legs around his waist, and carries me over to the wall, I tap him on the chest lightly and shake my head.

"What? You want to stop?"

"No, I don't want to do this standing up. Can we go to the bed?"

Dustin continues carrying me, out of the closet and into the bedroom. He deposits me on the bed and strips off the rest of our clothing. I find it kind of hot when he's in control. We've been having sex more often since he came back, and I think it's helping our relationship. I smile and kiss Dustin as he crawls on top of me. After our romantic activities, I hug him close to me before he leaves for the Emmys.

"Thank you Dustin, for not making me go with you."

"You're welcome. I wish you'd come, but I don't want you to have a miserable night, so if  you'd be happier at home, that's fine. I have to get ready though. Do you want to hang out with me while I do that?"

"Yes."

I follow Dustin into the closet and sit on the stool next to the mirror while he fixes his hair and gets dressed.

"Red? Or blue? I wore purple last time."

"Mmm, red."

"Dustin, you look so happy."

"Yeah, I am happy for Max. His show is doing really well."

"You're not happy because you get to party all night long without me?"

Dustin looks at me as he puts his shirt on. He hasn't buttoned it yet, and I like that. He walks over and stands near me. His happy demeanor disappears, and he places his hand on his hip as his smile fades.

"Don't do that. Don't start accusing me of enjoying my job more than you. I already asked you to come, and you said you didn't want to, so I'm respecting that. I just need you to respect me enough to know that I'm going to this ceremony because I was invited, and because I'm supporting Max, not because I want to party and forget about you. I'm tired of telling you that all the time."

Dustin finishes putting the rest of his outfit on and walks past me, grabbing the door handle.

"Dustin, wait. Kiss?"

"What? You're going to stay in the closet all night? Come out to the living room."

I kiss Dustin goodbye and sit on the couch in front of the tv with my head in my hands. I feel sad because we were having a good night, and I had to go and ruin it by asking him one of my guilt-riddled questions. Now he's probably going to enjoy the attention of other women just to spite me. I need a friend, someone who understands me, the part of me no one else has in common with me. Robert.

Robert comes over and although the television is on, we spend most of the time chatting about church and the picnic in the park that the church is doing for the university students this weekend. At some point during the night, we end up sitting really close to each other. I don't know what happened, but I kissed him on the cheek. What are you doing, Helena? You love Dustin. Robert looked at me, saying nothing, and I kissed him again, on the lips. He got up off the couch and glared at me.

"What are you doing? I thought we were just friends. Helena, you're married. Marriage is sacred. You know that. I'm going home now."

---

I've just made my way in the front door when Helena's friend Robert runs into me with his hand covering his face. He looks really embarrassed and ashamed about something.

"Dustin, I'm so sorry. I won't be hanging out with Helena anymore. I thought she just wanted to be friends. Please forgive me."

Robert leaves my house and drives away while his words linger in my ears. He's so sorry about something and won't be hanging out with Helena anymore. I can only assume some sort of cheating happened tonight and my blood boils with anger at Helena. I can't see straight as I walk over towards her. Before I can get to her, she runs over to me and stands in front of the picture I took for her while I was in France. I try to give her the benefit of the doubt, but I felt the sincerity of Robert's words.

"Helena. Would you care to tell me why Robert said these words to me? 'Dustin, I'm so sorry. I won't be hanging out with Helena anymore. I thought she just wanted to be friends. Please forgive me.'"

Helena looks down at the floor and brushes some dust off her pants, staying as quiet as a mouse.

"How was the ceremony? Have fun without your ball and chain weighing you down?"

I am not surprised when Helena skirts the question entirely. I suddenly feel like the biggest idiot in the world for thinking things were going better for us.

"I'm not falling for that crap anymore. You aren't going to make me feel guilty tonight. Answer my question. Why did Robert apologize to me? I have no problem with you being friends with him, but casually hanging out with your friend shouldn't lead to your friend looking ashamed, and feeling the need to apologize to your husband."

"I don't know why he would say that. Did you have fun at your party without me?"

"Again with that?! It sounds like you forgot about me, not the other way around. Answer my fucking question, Helena."

"Dustin, you're scaring me. Don't hurt me."

"Don't be ridiculous, I'd never lay a hand on you. Just answer me!"

"No."

"WHY the fuck not?!"

"Because I kissed Robert!! On the lips! Okay?! Are you happy now?!"

I had suspected something of the sort, after what Robert said, but I wanted to hear it from Helena, rather than just assuming. 

"What? No I'm not happy! Why would I be happy?!"

"I answered your question."

"Ugh! Helena, you're so infuriating! What the fuck?! Why are you going around kissing your friends?! You're always making me feel like there's something wrong with me, when you pick on my clothes, you pick on my haircut, you pick on my job, it's like you're not happy with me, for me. You're only happy with me when I do what you want. I can't believe I was that stupid to actually think we were doing better. I took that fucking picture of the Eiffel Tower for YOU, I didn't force you to come to the ceremony with me, and you repay me by kissing some other guy?! What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

She's staring at me like she doesn't even know that her actions impacted our marriage. I get even more pissed off when she doesn't even look like she's sorry. Am I really that crappy of a person that she has to run around behind my back? I need to lay down. I stomp away to the bedroom and hang my hands over the side of the bed, flicking the comforter in anger. The next thing I know, Helena is there crying and making excuses.

"Dustin, I am so sorry, I don't know what was wrong with me! I was just caught up in the moment! I love you! Please don't hate me!"

I ignore her, unable to believe what she just said to me. She got caught up in the moment? What the fuck, there shouldn't be any moments to be caught up in, she's married to me. There should only be moments with me.

"Dustin? Are you going to talk to me? I said I was sorry."

Helena sits on the bed with me, and I don't like it. I don't even like it that she's in the same room as me right now because I am so mad at her. She reaches for me, and I jump off the bed.

"Don't touch me, Helena! How could you do this to me?! You like hurting me?! Is that it?! Do you actually enjoy hurting me?!!"

"No! Of course not. I don't like hurting you. I don't know, I just- I-"

"JUST WHAT, Helena?!"

"I don't know what I want anymore."

She doesn't know what she wants. Great. I just want a normal wife who doesn't ridicule me at every turn, a wife who doesn't get pissed off at me when I breathe wrong, but no, she doesn't know what she wants. Clearly, she doesn't want me, so I don't even want to continue this conversation. It's pointless.

"Helena, get out of my bedroom."

"It's our bedroom."

"Really?! Really?! You want to share a bed with me?! That's funny, maybe you should tell your LIPS that because they seem to be wandering at the moment!"

I go over to the dresser so I can put on a pair of sweatpants and go to sleep, while Helena makes no movement to get off the bed, MY bed. Suddenly I feel a tugging on my pant leg.

"Dustin, please, I don't want you to be angry at me."

"YEAH?! You should have thought of that before you went around kissing your guy friends."

"What are you going to do?"

"Um, change, and then sleep. Why do you care?"

I don't even care to hear her whimpering response to me. I don't want to accept her apology tonight, and I'm not sure if I can or want to forgive her. Ever.

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