“Oh come on Lauren!” I drunkenly replied. “He said he didn’t mind.” Silence. She took in my words and for a moment seemed reassured. Then she exploded. “You told him! You told him what we were doing?!” I wasn’t sure whether she was asking or accusing. The tone of her voice should’ve been a dead give away. Her eyes locked on to mine. Suddenly, I became terrified. I tried to change the subject.
“Are those new glasses?”
“I don’t wear glasses!” she screamed back at me, still holding her look. My eyes avoided hers.
“Damian” she said, calming slightly, “Did you tell Jason what we were going to do?”
My brain was working overtime. I needed to find a delicate way to answer. Something that would soften the blow. Contain the damage.
“Damian, did you tell him?” she asked again. Looking to the ground for some sense of solace or security, my answer just came out. “…Yes…bitch.” Damn my drunken brain. I looked back at her, somehow summoning the courage to meet her eyes. I wished I hadn’t. That moment reminded me of all the times in monster-movies where the protagonists see the beast for the first time and yell “RUN!”
I ran. Harder and faster than I ever had before. Behind me I heard her screaming. “Damian, you bastard, get back here! Get back here!” I could hear here beginning to give chase, so I sped up. I eventually came to Jason’s back door and opened it hastily. Outside, there were people everywhere. Jason always throws big parties. Before I had a chance to move, or find somewhere to hide, I was greeted by my best friend. Jason.
“Jeez man, that was quick.” He chuckled, holding his beer. Still panicking, there was no way I was going to have my manhood challenged. “Hey guy, I only came out here to… um” my mind was searching, I needed an excuse. “Get a beer. Yeah! I came out here because Lauren wanted a beer. She’s lying naked on the bed, waiting for me, you know?” Jason nodded. He actually bought it? Why couldn’t my brain have worked this well one minute ago?
Sensing I was on a winner, and for a moment forgetting my predicament, I calmly grabbed Jason’s beer out of his hand. It had barely been touched. “And this one will do quite nicely” I said with a cocky grin. I had now become totally oblivious to what was going on. With beer in hand, I turned, I guess to go back to the bedroom where I’d convinced myself that Lauren would be lying naked in wait. Boy was I wrong.
Slap! As soon as I turned, I felt a cold hand whack against my face. The force of the blow sent me off balance and on to my arse. Behind me, I heard laughter from the crowd of party-goers. Ahead of me, I saw Lauren. Her eyes set on me, her face grim. She seemed to revel in her moment of glory. I was no longer lost in the lie. “Oh yeah” I thought to myself. “That’s why I came out here.”
Standing over me, she smiled demonically. Looking down at me, she spoke, calmly. “Ooh, a beer.” As she bent over and grabbed the bottle out of my hand, she spoke again. “Thanks.”
Then she walked away, leaving me sitting there, confused. “What a weird girl” I thought. “Thank God she’s not my girlfriend!”