Dysarthria | Dialogue Story ✔

Chapter 1: The Wrong Number

Unknown woman - regular and underlined

Chapter 1: 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓦𝓻𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓝𝓾𝓶𝓫𝓮𝓻

Sunday, April 3rd

He needed to forget.

The blood boiling in his veins, the fury that was stirring inside of him were instantly forgotten when Cory downed his third shot of tequila. There was a burning sensation in his throat as he stumbled toward the bar.

His vision was doubling, his speech was slurred when he asked the bartender for another shot and he felt himself sway back and forth.

Cory flinched when he felt a tap on his shoulder. With his intoxicated state, he saw a blurry gorgeous woman with brown locks cascading down until her breasts that she was twirling with her finger, plump lips and a dress that accentuated her boobs.

The unnamed woman started flirting with him, her hands traveling from his shoulder all the way down his arm. "What are you doing all alone, handsome?"

Cory wasn't alone. His friends were on the dance floor with their girlfriends, but he didn't want to tell her that. She looked gorgeous. He looked her up and down and saw her tanned, skinny legs, her striking caramel eyes and slim figure. He wanted to see how far she would go with her flirting.

"Come dance with me, baby." She offered her hand and guided him to the center of the dance floor. Her fingers were intertwined around his neck and she maintained a close proximity as she swayed to the music.

Cory didn't mind the closeness. In fact, he encouraged it by pulling her closer by the waist. Lust. That was all he felt with her in his arms. He didn't know if it was because he was drunk, but he wanted her.

Needed her to help forget. He spun her around so her back was against his chest, her arms remaining around his neck.

Cory was addicted to the feeling of her hands that slid down his arms. He could barely hear the music. His focus was only on her — nothing and no one else. Cory couldn't smell the stench of alcohol that lingered around him. He could only smell her strong and floral perfume.

Her acrylic fingernails found his hands and placed them firmly on her waist. She moved her hips and closed her eyes, her attention only on the feeling of his chest. This woman's mom taught her to fight for the man she wanted and she wanted him. She was determined to make him hers.

-

Cory's friends helped him into his house and offered him a glass of water to sober up. With the alcohol slowly draining from his system, he didn't only feel a headache, but he was reminded of his dad's disappointment. Ever since his brother got married and had the twins, he felt pressure to get his dad's approval.

He knew that with Jordan starting his family, he'd have to step it up and get serious about joining the family business. Cory's heart was in football. That was his one and only passion since he was nine and he wasn't about to give that up. His fingers automatically found his lips where he still felt the mystery woman's kisses.

Cory couldn't get his mind off of how soft her lips were. How her tongue felt when it was exploring the inside of his mouth.

Cory found his wallet on the bedside table and pulled out the slip of paper with her name and number on it. Kendall. He needed to text her to say he was drunk and that that dance, that makeout session was a mistake.

Gracie was relieved that she finally got to crawl in bed after the tough day she had at work. Her tears were dried up by the time she got home, but the words that her co-worker still left her feeling depressed. She mentioned that Gracie was such a fat loser who would never make any friends.

Those words, though juvenile, still hurt her. Especially because it was true. It was hard for introverts like her to make friends and maintain a social life. It was even harder for her because of her speech condition. When her other co-workers, Maddie and Dawn, invited her to go out, she'd always come up with an excuse.

Eventually, they'd stop inviting Gracie and stand around each other, talking and laughing about what was said in their group chats. There was a part of her that was jealous.

Watching the girls hang out together as if they're in a clique while she was the loner who was too antisocial. As she was laying in bed, a small smile touched her lips remembering the comeback she responded with.

"You know...you're actually really pretty. Too bad you're an...ugly bitch on the inside."

Gracie took her time pronouncing each word so she didn't feel like a fool slurring her words which made her feel even more proud of herself. Maddie and Dawn even gasped and high-fived her for being brave enough to stand up to her. Once the clock on Gracie's lock screen changed to eleven o' clock, she put her phone on silent and started trying to fall asleep.

She was in a deep sleep until her eyes fluttered open to darkness flooding her room. She was nervous to check the time because if it was too early, she'd feel more anxious to go back to sleep so she laid there, waiting for sleep to consume her once again.

With her eyes half open, Gracie noticed that her phone was lit up against the wood of her bedside table. It looked like the middle of the night.

No one would be texting her. She was nervous when unlocking her phone. The thought of there being an emergency with her family made her wide awake. Gracie noticed that it was an unknown number. Normally, she'd immediately block them, but she figured she might as well tell them they got the wrong number before they accidentally text her again.

Unknown:
Sent 2:14am

Hey, it's me. Is this Kendall?

(xxx) xxx-xxxx:
Sent 2:16am

Nope. I'm sorry. I think you got the wrong number.