Rooming With Elvis

Chapter 13

I get out of my car and am surprised by the loud music coming from the house. Is he hosting a party? I ponder. I shrug it off and head inside. I open the door, and...

"Surprise! Happy birthday!" A bunch of people shout.

"Wow! Omigod! Thank you all! I totally forgot about my birthday!" I blurt. I hadn't even given my birthday a thought. It was never celebrated when I was a child, so my birthday isn't something I look forward to.

"Ready Jane?" Elvis questions.

"Ready for what?" I inquire.

"Ready for the cake and presents!" Elvis bellows, pulling me on top of the coffee table, and everyone cheers.

"Oh that's not-" I begin to assure him, but he interjects.

"We didn't spend all this money on your present for nothing, now did we?" Elvis chides me, pretending to spank me.

"Fine, but let's party a while before we do cake and presents," I announce, and everyone goes back to partying. I hop off the coffee table and he follows.

"This is a bad idea," I mutter to him when I finally notice the keg and beer bottles.

"Don't worry, we won't get caught. Plus, most of us here are over twenty-one," Elvis reassures me.

"Well I'm not, and I think this is a really bad idea. Heyyyy!" I say when I see Codi and Thomas walking over with Jane Jr.

"Wow guys. Awesome party. Nice keg. I can't imagine how much that beer must have cost. It tastes really expensive," Thomas says, and I punch Elvis.

"How much did you spend on this party??" I shout, and Codi and Thomas laugh.

"Honey, I've been saving up for this day for a while. You're too sweet to be taken advantage of. I hope you catch a good man someday," he sweet talks with a wink, and I feel the urge to tear his throat out.

"Do NOT change the subject Elvis Aron Presley!! How much did you spend on this party?! Answer me now!" I shriek, and Thomas mutters 'good luck' under his breath to Elvis and walks away with his arm around Codi and Little Jane.

"Honey, don't worry about how much money I spent on you. You're the queen of my life. I don't care that you broke off the engagement. I still love you, even if you don't love me anymore. You're so special, and you make my life worth living every day. Even when we weren't dating, and were just friends. Yes, I'm your puppet. My heart is in your hands. One flick of your wrist and I'm at your command. So please, don't ever drop that string. Because I don't know what I'd do without you, Jane Grace Thompson. You're the only person I'll ever love and want to love. I'm sorry if this upsets you, but I feel I have to get this out there," Elvis finishes, and my eyes fill up with unwanted tears.

"Oh Elvis, I don't know what to say. You're my everything, too. You're the sun that lights up my cloudy day. I need you in life more than I ever anticipated. I only felt comfortable telling you about my dark childhood, and that's really special to me. I want to take you back, really I do, but I don't know if I can trust you. You broke my heart once, and I don't want that to happen again. My heart is fragile, it never had the love and care that it needed when I was a little girl. I never let anyone in but Evelyn, and for you to get past my barrier is a miracle in itself. You took advantage of me, and used me as your little play toy. I can't go through you using me again, because I might actually hurt myself. I'm so sorry, but I don't know if I can get back together with you again," I finish, and tears come rushing to my eyes. Instead of damming them up, I let them fall freely like a waterfall. Codi immediately rushes over and embraces me in a giant hug, and I cry into her shoulder. Little Jane, who is too young to know what is going on, crawls over to me and plops in my lap with a giggle. Through all my tears, I can't help but smile. "Oh Little Jane, you're the only one who keeps me sane."

The next day

I wake up with a splitting headache. I can't remember what happened last night. That seems like a bad sign. Then I realize that a stranger is laying beside me in my bed. I start to freak out, only to realize that it's Elvis. I throw back the covers to roll him out of my bed, but find him totally undressed. Then I realize that I'm naked too. Shoot, I think. What happened last night? I really can't remember anything, no matter how hard I try. I must have gotten reeeally hammered. And me getting drunk is hard to do, considering my high alcohol tolerance. I quietly slip out of bed and dress in the clothes laying on my floor. Then I notice the giant diamond ring on my finger. It looks as if it's at least 3 carats. Oh god. Did he propose to me? Did I say yes? The last thing I remember was dancing on top of the coffee table. That was fun, till I fell off. Then the rest of the night comes up blank, and that's the cutoff of my memories. I sit down on the floor and I am struck with a sudden hunger. Man drinking alcohol makes you hungry. I go down to the fridge and pull out when I want. Peanut butter and pickles. It sounds really good. I try it, but I instantly spit it out. What am I doing? After that traumatic experience, I grab a banana and eat the thing in record time. I then saunter back to my bed and lay down. I am suddenly extremely tired. Sleep instantly hits me, and I don't wake up until the day ends.

"Jane! Jane! Wake up!" I feel someone shake me.

"Whaaaaat? Don't you see I'm trying to sleep?" I ask, super annoyed.

"Jane, do you have any idea what happened last night? What the house looks like?" The same voice asks.

"No, and I don't care. Wake me up when I do. Which is like, never," I snarl, and lay my head back down on the pillow.

"Jane, get UP!" The voice shouts, and I am suddenly wrenched out of bed, and I slam against the hardwood floor of my bedroom.

"Hey, what the heck!?" I shout, and look up. Then I realize it's Elvis. "Oh, it's you. Why such a sad face?" I ask, and giggle. I have no idea why that was funny. But it was.

"Jane, stop acting like such a goof and get up. We have a whole house to clean!" Elvis shouts, and I instantly snap out of whatever trance I was in.

"Okay okay, I have no idea what came over me there. But I heard something about a house needing cleaning. Let's get to it then. To what extent is the damage?" I ask Elvis.

"It's pretty bad Jane. There is a freaking hole in the wall. And not a tiny one, either. It's a person sized and shaped hole. So I suggest we get stared right away." Then his eyes fall on the ring on my finger. "Ah, I see you are still wearing the ring. I'd be mistaken to think that you have any idea what that ring is doing on your finger."

"Yep. I have no idea what happened last night."

"That's what I feared. So you probably said yes to my proposal because you were drunk and had no idea what you were doing?" Elvis says, sounding disappointed.

"Well, yes, but I had some time to think about it, and I decided I will give you a second chance, but we are not engaged yet. Just dating. Alright?" I ask.

"Alright!" Elvis shouts, sounding enthusiastic.

"Well, now that that's settled, let's get this man-shaped hole in the wall fixed!" I shout back, and we both laugh. This is how I want my life to be. Let's make it work.