Heartbreak for Dinner: It's Kind of a Long Story by Annah Rondon Read Free Book Online

toward my parking space, I was smacked
in the face by a vision of Noah hugging a girl as she kissed his neck. I was sure
the scent of my own feces surrounding me like a bubble was making me delusional
and I blinked repeatedly to focus on the picture to my right. There he stood, Mr.
Future Plans himself, leaning against the elevator with one of the girls he’d brought
to the pool weeks before. I glared at him in spite of myself and momentarily forgot
the bigger picture. When he saw me, his eyes opened in surprise and he quickly detangled
himself from her death grip. He said something to her and started running toward
my car, ordering me to put down the window.
    How sweet it would’ve been to let the smell hit him in the face and
see his reaction, but instead I did a three-point turn, nearly running him over
in the process. Noah banged loudly on my window and even tried opening my door as
I attempted to make my escape. He pleaded through the glass as I waited for the
electric gate to open, possibly assuming I was too angry to confront him. My only
option upon leaving was driving another 10 minutes to Michael’s house to shower
there. I picked up my cell phone and called to make sure he was home before jumping
into a Miami canal and calling it a day.
    “Hello?” he answered, breathless.
    “I have to take a shower at your house,” I sobbed pathetically into
my cell phone.
    “Why are you crying?”
    I sniffed and blew my nose while saying something incoherently.
    “Just come on over. I’m here with Jessica, but my shower is all yours.”
    I hadn’t anticipated him being there with anyone but frankly didn’t
give a shit because well, I was all out of it.
    “It’s fine,” I said, defeated. “See you soon.”
    By the time I arrived at Michael’s, I was so nauseous I thought
I would faint. I stood at the door knocking softly and feeling sorry for myself.
    “What the hell is going on?” said Michael. “Whoa, Christ! What’s that
smell?”
    “I told you I need to use your shower.”
    The good thing about my friend, was that loud persona and the need
to make a joke out of everything aside, he knew when to shut the fuck up. He stepped
aside and motioned like a butler would to his master. “Go on.”
    When I stepped inside the bathroom I rolled my pants into a ball and
stuffed them inside the garbage bag, tying a secure knot on top. I hurried in the
shower, still too stunned to fully process the afternoon’s events. As soon as I
turned on the water a wave of nausea hit me and I barely made it to the toilet before
throwing up the rest of my dignity into it in my best exorcist impression.
    Two hours later, I was sitting at the kitchen telling Michael
and Jessica my story. While Michael laughed so hard tears streamed down his face,
Jessica looked at me like I was a pig covered in manure. Like if she never had
a stomach ache before . I thanked them for their hospitality and apologized for
interrupting their afternoon. Jessica got up and mumbled something about having
to go to class.
    “I’ll walk you to the door,” Michael got up after her.
    “Bye,” she said quickly without even looking at me.
    While my friend was out with Miss Snob, I disposed of the garbage
bag and began to clean his bathroom. He walked in on me in the process and howled
with laughter now that we were alone. I chose to ignore him and continued scrubbing
his toilet in silence. Sensing my desire to be alone, he retreated to his bedroom
and let me sulk in solitude. I was wearing pajamas that belonged to Michael’s sister
when I finally emerged from my pity party, every piece of clothing I’d been wearing
earlier tossed in the garbage and part of a not-so-pleasant past. I went in feeling
sheepish and silently climbed in his bed and ducked for cover.
    “Are you okay?” he nuzzled my ear and hugged me like a bear would
their offspring.
    I burrowed my swollen face into his chest and hugged him back, seeking
shelter in his arms from the horror of my