Behind The Scenes

24. Hero

She's dead drunk... how do I explain who was that? Why I always get in trouble?
She was no fucking nobody, but surely she must be thinking of her who knows what. Oh, fuck it.

When I turn the key to the apartment, Jo swerves.
«Are you okay?» I ask after grabbing her arm.
«Yes... you are beautiful, do you know?» she laughs.
I shake my head. Let's go inside.
«You are more beautiful than that boy I kissed tonight...» what did she just say?
He remained paralyzed for a few seconds. «Which guy?»
She opens her eyes wide. «I...»
I walk over and lift her chin with two fingers to make her look me in the face. «Look at me. Did you kiss a boy?» I feel the anger growing.
«But which boy? Hero what are you saying!  Let me go» she goes to the door but I block her by grabbing her hips, I pull her to me, our bodies are attached.
«You're drunk, I know, but I don't accept bullshit like this under any circumstances, tell me what you did. Who did you kiss?»
She looks me in the eyes. «How can you be sure I did it?» she says defiantly.
Is she serious? «You just fucking told me!» I put my hands to my hair.
«Okay, yes. I kissed a boy! But what does it matter? I was drunk... I still am. Leave me alone, I don't understand anything. Can we wait until tomorrow to talk about it?» she snorts.
«What's the point? I got tired of these stupid fights! A continuous on again, off again. How long have we been together? A month? Look at everything that has already happened. We can't go on like this.»
I'm tired.
«What... what are you saying?» she approaches and when she places my hands on her face I take them away abruptly.
«That's it. You always manage to find or do something that makes us separate. Couldn't we be quiet for at least two weeks? But when ever!» I know I'm using strong words, but she has to understand, and if she doesn't understand with the good, she'll understand with the bad.
«It's me that finds or does something that makes us separate? Me? You're the one who sent audios to his friends while we were fucking! You're the one who made me believe that Chantal was the one falling in love with you, but she wasn't!» she makes illogical gestures with her hands and has raised her voice. «But who are you kidding? Tonight with that who knows what you did! This is shit...» She sits down on the sofa and bursts into tears.
I am displaced. «So is this what you think of me? A liar, selfish and cheater... thank you, really. Oh Jo, fuck you. Go to sleep, you don't even know what you're saying in this state...» I go to the fridge and open a bottle of beer.
It's true I've done a lot of bullshit, I'm not perfect, but she keeps reminding me of this... as if everything wrong with us is my fault.
She gets up, comes towards me, takes the beer from my hands and throws the bottle into the sink, which breaks into a thousand pieces.  «What the fuck are you doing?!»
«I know very well what I am saying. Who cares if I'm drunk? They say that when you are drunk you say what you really think... here, here's my real opinion of you. You're a piece of shit.»
I can not believe it...
«I was wrong in the past, that's right! But about tonight...»
She locked herself in the bedroom...
Fuck it. We can't go on like this.
I'm not staying at home tonight, I'm afraid of what could happen between two hotheads like us. I'm going to Jessica's. It's late, but who cares.
                                         ***
«Hero,» Jessica begins in a sleepy voice, «it's two in the morning, what are you doing here?»
«I'm so sorry, Jess, really, but can I stay here tonight?»
«Sure, how could I leave such a dear old friend of mine out here? Come in.»
I could have gone to Anna too, but she would have found herself in trouble between me and Jo, we are both friends of her.
She's been moving here to Los Angeles for years now, why does she still have boxes lying around the house?
«Oh, sorry for the mess, I recently moved.»
Ah here.
«Don't worry, nobody cares about the mess» I smile at her.
«So,» she says when I throw myself a dead weight on the chair, «what good wind brings you here?» she asks curiously.
«Long story. Do you have something to drink?» I want to stop thinking for a while.
«Yes, do you still like Brandy?»
Fuck, sure if I still like it.
«And do you even ask yourself?» I giggle.
«I remember when we drank together, I had a lot of fun» she laughs with me as she pours some in two glasses.
«Me too.»
She hands me the glass. «Here's your Brandy.»
Jessica is a beautiful girl, she has tanned skin, she is brunette, slim and tall, very straight and long hair, beautiful legs. I've known her since I was 15, she knew how to fuck well, we fucked a lot together.
We laugh and joke as we remember our teenage together, all the bullshit.
«Another glass please!» I say laughing, I don't even know how many we drank.
«Fuck, it's a Brandy, we'd better take it slow.  We're at number... two or three... but keep in mind it's a Brandy!» she staggers to the counter.
«Put it on the table» I tell her and she puts her down too. When she starts to sit on the sofa, she trips and falls on me.
We burst out laughing.
«Are you okay?» I ask her not breathing with laughter.
«Yes! I'm okay» she laughs.
Then we both take a deep breath and stop laughing, she's still on top of me.
She puts her hands on my chest. «You built your muscles, huh?» she smiles at me. She has such piercing dark eyes.
«Many years have passed.»
She brings her face close to mine and looks at my lips. Hero, you can't, wake up from this fucking trance.
I clear my throat. «My girlfriend, well, she's pissed off at me.»
As soon as I say "my girlfriend" Jessica backs off. She has never been one to get in trouble like that, she has never let anyone cheat.
«Oh... why?» she makes disappointed.
«She... she thinks she did something with you.»
«Seriously?» she giggles.
«Yes!»
«I do not believe it!»
«Instead yes!»
«Well, then don't ever miss what we went through in high school together. Imagine what would happen, if you're here tonight for something that never happened.»
«Yeah, but that's not for this. She told me she kissed a guy at the night club...» I look down.
«If it were true, would she have told you? Think about it.»
«She was drunk when she said it.»
«Maybe then, who knows!»
«She said other bad things though!»
She looks at me wrong.
I laugh. «She practically hates me!»