Alive

Chapter 15: What A Gentleman

My stomach rumbled so I got out of bed and got ready to head out. The check in guy, Luke, called my name over the desk as I walked past, 'here comes today's inspirational quote' I thought. Lucky me. But he didn't read anything out to me, instead he looked nervous as he asked me if I wanted to hang out with him and his friends later.

"Yeah we're just gonna go to the park and hang out, it'll just be me and 3 other friends. You don't have to come it was just a thought, y'know if you're not doing anything."

"Um yeah sure, I'm gonna go into town for a few hours, I'll be back about 5. Is it okay to just meet you here?"

"Yeah that's perfect, I'll drive us." He grinned.

I ate at Sal's Diner in town, I ordered a burger the size of my head and then went shopping because I needed some new clothes. And cigarettes, I had picked up the habit to an unhealthy extent lately, but I didn't have anything else to occupy my time. I wasn't killing, I wasn't working, I was drowning in boredom.

When I got back to the motel Luke was waiting at the desk, he was about to finish his shift and he was holding his magazine.

"Lay it on me Gandhi." I smirked, he laughed and looked confused.

"What?"

"The inspiring words on that page you're reading. Care to share?"

"Oh, right. Umm..." He scanned the page and then smiled when he found what he was looking for.

"The meaning of life is to give life a meaning." I smiled at him.

"Right! Let's go give life a meaning then, I'm sure your friends are dying to meet me. How could they not be?" He grinned at me and grabbed his backpack, pulling his car keys out of the front pocket.

The park was empty apart from Luke's friends standing by the swings.

"Olivia... Cameron, Jessie, Taylor." He gestured to each of them and we all smiled and greeted one another. Taylor hugged me, she was friendly, and pretty cute. We talked about random stuff, the conversation drifted effortlessly from one topic to another, it started at aliens and ended up at the objectification and poor treatment of women in today's society. Luke took the lead on that subject, as if trying to prove to me what a gentleman he was.

"I read somewhere that you should treat a woman as you'd treat a cat."
Cameron laughed at that, teasing him.

"What kinda shit you been reading man?" Luke frowned at him, as if warning him to shut up.

"No like, you should stroke her neck and kiss her forehead, and let her sleep however long she wants. Give her affection but also give her space when she wants it." Cam burst out laughing.

"Yeah, and most importantly, have that bitch spayed so you don't end up with kids!" I laughed too, he was an ass, but he was pretty funny.

Luke looked annoyed that I'd laughed at Cameron's interruption rather than waiting to hear what he had left to say. Cameron punched him in the arm and told him to cheer up, and he smiled and laughed it off, but I was an expert at detecting false smiles, and there was not a shred of sincerity in his.