The Broken One ✔

Chapter 27

I arrived at Andi's apartment at approximately nine pm, already intoxicated. I hadn't been pre-drinking for the night ahead, had been drinking away my sorrows after talking to Jenny. Whenever I was reminded of my sister, it seemed I fell deeper and deeper into a hole. I guess I never dealt with her death.

I remember stumbling to the front door of Andi's apartment, where I pressed my head just above the door handle and began knocking my fist beside my right ear.

It only took a few seconds for Liesl to open the door. "Oh great you're here" she pulled me into the living room.

Liesl wore a little black dress that highlighted all her curves. Andi wore a seductive red dress with a bold red lip, to say she looked hot would be an understatement.

"Hey Ned" Andi smiled as kissing my cheeks "are you okay?" She raised a brow.

I nodded my head quickly "Yeah...one hundred percent fantastic" I said with jitters. I was never good at pretending to be sober.

"Omg" Liesl laughed as slapping her hand over her olive toned cheek "you're already sloshed"

"Pre-drinking" I grinned.

"You're worse than us" Liesl stated as looking back at Andi.

That was no secret. I drank more then most people my age, it seemed that I couldn't function without alcohol - well at least so I thought.

Liesl took my hand and began writing something with her liquid eyeliner. "What are you doing?" I asked her curiously.

"You'll see" she smiled as taking the hairspray from the counter and began spraying the area.

"If lost please call..." I read off my hand "whose number is that?"

"Andrea's sister Neve," Liesl informed.

I didn't know much about Andi's family. All I knew was that her parents were divorced, she had a pregnant sister, and her dad was a Jackass.

"The pregnant chick?" I cocked a brow in Andi's direction.

"That's Lacey," Andi told me.

Andi has two sisters? Good to know.

Andi didn't like mixing up her personal life with me. She didn't want any of her friends or family getting attached to the idea of her having a boyfriend.

"Which sister do you think has a bigger stick up their arse?" Liesl cocked a brow.

"Good question" Andi looked down.

I could tell that Andi was uncomfortable talking about her sisters. I tried working out if it was because I was in the room or she just didn't have a good relationship with them.

"We should getting going" Liesl suggested.

***

We arrived at the club an hour later where we met a group of fifteen or twenty people around our age. Andi and I sat in a booth with Liesl's cousin Nate and his boyfriend Mickey.

We all found ourselves screaming over the loud music for our entire time at that club.

In the distance, I spotted Sarah just as the waiter gave us our drinks. "Shit" I muttered under my breath.

"What's wrong?" Mickey looked over to me.

"Nothing... I just saw somebody that I really didn't want to see" I shrugged as sipping my beer.

I was angry at Sarah for many reasons. I was never somebody who held a grudge, but after my weekend in San Francisco, I was done being a nice guy.

"We've all had those days, haven't we Andrea" Nate glanced at Andi.

"This kinda thing happens to Andrea on the daily" Mickey informed me.

Yeah that was another red flag. When you're experiencing a mad crush, you tend to ignore all the signs.

"It does not" Andi rolled her eyes. "....it's not my fault that girls hate me"

"She has a beef with literally everyone," Mickey said to me.

"See Andrea has this horrible habit where she pushes people away then complains that she has no one," Nate explained.

Turned out Andi's abandonment issues ran almost as deep as mine. She used to push people away because she was afraid of getting hurt. I on the other hand, used to cling onto people, in hopes that they won't leave me.

I glanced at Andi "well you didn't mention that one on our first date"

"Firstly it wasn't a date" she pointed her finger at me.

"It's rude to point" I teased.

"And secondly, don't listen to these two, they're shit starters" she rolled her eyes.

I know that to be true now. Although, I have always gotten along with Mickey and Nate. I didn't know then but they would play a big role in my life.

"I blame your dad" Mickey started "he screwed you up real bad"

"Shut up" Andi rolled her eyes.

"Not it's true," Nate agreed "he's the reason you push people away"

This is the conversation that would change my entire life. If Nate and Mickey weren't psychoanalysing Andi, I don't know what my life would be like today.

I don't know what possessed me to ask my next question, perhaps it was the alcohol that I have to thank. "Your dad is still in your life, right?" I started slowly "do you regret knowing him?"

There was a moment of silence as Andi thought about it, "No" she shook her head, "I think that everybody should at least meet their parents...if they have the option to"

I never knew my mother, she walked out while I was asleep when I was four-years-old. The circumstances surrounding her decision to leave were unclear to me then.

This conversation ultimately resulted in a chain of events that lead me to where I am today, but hey I'm getting ahead of myself.