Cameron Foxx
Ryan (me) & Ryan
Rob (Ryan's)
Lenny & Rob (best friends)
Yesterday was Friday. This means the weekend had begun. I had been fielding calls all afternoon from everyone from Victoria, to Miranda, to Ryan, and Andrew. Andrew called me early on in the afternoon. He asked if I had plans, and it was a given that I'd be out. Andrew went out to eat dinner with someone. I had bad reception on my cellular at that time, and I couldn't hear him that well. He said he'd call me when he got back.
I talked to Ryan who called out of work because he was ill. I called him on the way to my pilates class. He told me he had been writing since he had nothing else to do. He typed up lyrics and had been brainstorming all morning. He said, "You're going to like it a lot, and if I sing it for you, you're really going to like it." Naturally, I was excited and wanted to hear it, but I waited.
After work, I took a nap for one hour. I laid down at 7:30PM and was up at 8:30PM. I groggily rubbed my eyes, fluffed my hair back up, and pulled out a pair of GAP jeans (boot cut, long and lean dark denim). I grabbed a velour long sleeved polo in a deep burgundy color by Penguin. Brown leather boots gave me an extra inch or so in height thanks to the short stacked heels. My phone rang. "Let me come to your house," it was Andrew's voice.
"I just got ready and I'm about to go to Ryan's house. You can come if you want though."
He was less than five minutes away. I waited for him. He pulled up, and I met him outside. Andrew was listening to music on his iPhone. I could see his face lit by the backlight when I looked at the window upon his arrival.
"Ryan, I'm on my way, and I have Andrew with me, is that cool?" I asked
"No, that's not cool. I am feeling better, but not good enough to have company." He sounded like hell again.
I thought for a second, "Well did you just want to meet us out tonight?"
Ryan laughed into the receiver, "What made you think I was going out tonight?" He paused, "Let me call you back."
I took Andrew past his house to grab a belt and a bottle of water. Remember this event in the timeline you're creating in your head right now. This trip back to his house proves to be a very pivotal point in this story. After Andrew rejoined me in the car, I knew it was only matter of time before Ryan called me back. I was waiting for him to tell me what time to meet up.
Calabria by Enur blasted out of my left hipbone where my phone rested. It was Ryan.
"Okay, you can meet me at my house but I need half an hour. I need to get in the bath, and don't push it either." I drove, carving my way through the night with my two headlights. We made it to Newport News in no time flat, but still, only thirteen minutes earlier than what Ryan's original request had been. It was only ten something, and every guest parking space in the complex was occupied. I parked next to the dumpster as close to the curb as my wheels would allow. Andrew and I smoked a cigarette outside of the car (I don't smoke in my car), and started to walk towards Ryan's door when my phone rang again. It was Ryan, and he was ready.
"Good, we're walking to your door right now."
Cigarettes burned, I read Ryan's lyrics. Some were better than others. Some contained more vulgar language than others. They were wonderful. I could almost hear them in my head. I could hear the disco strings, the R&B brass, and the electronic tones in other ones. Rob came home from work (Ryan's boyfriend). He doesn't normally come out, but seeing as it was going to be a small party (Ryan, myself, and Andrew), he decided he'd like to join. We waited for Rob to finish fighting the boss lady in his PS3 video game. By the time he was changed and ready, it was 11:00PM. Rob left his cigarettes in the house, so I had to stop so he could buy a new pack. The four of us piled into my car, and started driving. I was going to stop at the MillerMart across the street but Ryan told me to just go to the 7Eleven closer to the bar. I kept driving. We pulled up to seven eleven to see a small group of thugs waiting outside, a girl at an ATM, and a prostitute that I swore WAS A MAN. I told them, "Look, I tried to stop at the nice MillerMart but your boyfriend said to go to the 7eleven." Rob smiled sarcastically at Ryan and went and grabbed his cigarettes.
We got to the bar. It was dead but at least Lenny was there (pictured at top). Lenny and I have been friends since I was 17 when he used to come into where I worked at that time. He's 51 now and looks only 38, if that. He's great. He greeted us with his deep voice and eyes that were already starting to acquire a nice glazed effect. Bourbon and coke is his poison. Walking into that bar with Ryan makes me feel like a celebrity.
"The usual, baby?" the owner asked as I walked in. He was all smiles. Going into a bar that's typically full of older men is always a confidence booster. I automatically walk taller, my shoulders are back, and my head is high. It's great. I don't walk into the bars with the competition anymore. I don't play those games. I won't. I'm too nice (but working on getting bitchier every day. Ryan is training me and giving me tips and pointers on how to "reach diva-status").
Everything went well at the start of the night. Things were great. I didn't suck down my drinks and run up the usual tab. I made it to two and that was where I called it quits. Two drinks over the course of three hours is quite the accomplishment for me, mind you. Okay, so here's where it goes wrong. I was talking to Andrew for a little bit, but mainly talking to the drag queen Fushia DeVille. I noticed that Rob and Andrew ended up playing pool. I turned to look at Ryan for the first time in a while. His face didn't reflect the great time that I was having. Lenny turned to me, squinting his eyes and grunting, "What's wrong with him?" I moved in Ryan's direction and confronted him. "This is why I don't like bringing him out." Ryan complained that Rob always likes getting attention and sometimes doesn't mind if it's from the wrong sources. Ryan was clearly irritated with Rob. Apparently, this guy in the bar that was a newbie sitting alone was talking to Rob and trying to hit on him. Rob wasn't interested but it was Ryan who ended up stepping up to this guy. It started getting ugly. Rob walked to the bathroom, and came back out. He was smiling when I asked him what was going on.
"Nothing! I am fine," he smiled so big and so fake I wanted to smack the shit out of him.
"Are you bullshitting me?" I asked.
"Look who you're talking to, I'm not a bullshitter." He was not in the mood to talk. I was done with it. I really didn't want to get involved to begin with, but Ryan asked me to find out what was going on. There was a silent stare down going on twixt Ryan and Rob. Rob was speaking loudly to Andrew, "I'm FINE." He spoke loudly enough purposefully so that Ryan would hear. It was getting ugly. Next time I turned around, I saw Rob step out the front door. I walked out with my cigarette, leaving my drink behind, to see where he was and try to resolve whatever was going on.
I stepped out and took a long drag off my cigarette, my other hand on my hip as I surveyed the parking lot. I didn't see Rob anywhere. I drove, so I knew he hadn't left. Just as I had turned my head in both directions, the headlights of a BMW 3-series convertible crossed my path. Troy was pulling into the parking lot. I flipped out (not in a good way) and ran inside, screaming Ryan's name when I opened the door. "Troy just pulled in." This was too much for me. I looked out the window, anticipating his entry, but to my delight, saw his headlights as he turned around and pulled out. He saw me in the lot, and left because of me. I smiled to myself. Ryan followed me back out into the parking lot to look for Rob again.
"I hope he's not walking home." We looked down the street and didn't see him. I walked around the back side of the bar. It was so dark. Cameron Foxx (drag queen) was getting out of her car and gathering her luggage full of hair and outfits and makeup. I overheard the owner's voice, "What are you doing back here, baby?" He had found Robert in the shadows. Ryan walked back to meet Rob and I went back inside. Ryan and Rob made up to whatever extent they could and managed to keep things cool for the rest of the night. Andrew whined a little bit about not having anyone to talk to, and he would pull me onto his lap every once in a while, but he had a decent time as far as I'm concerned.
Cameron Foxx came inside and I talked to her. She told me she had been seeing a guy that I had been talking to last month for a while. I'd known this guy for a good while and was extremely upset, but not surprised, that he had been blowing up her phone with text messages and taking her out to dinner. I haven't talked to the guy in a while anyways, but it still got on my nerves. I let it go, but it really effected my mood for the rest of the night. I wasn't mad at Cameron. It wasn't her fault, and this guy wasn't my boyfriend anyways, so I wasn't too mad at him. It just really confirmed that he was the piece of shit that Ryan had been telling me that he was all along.
Mark made a late appearance. Mark is a long time friend at the bar who lives and works in North Carolina but comes in on rare occaisions now. Older guy as well. 40's if I had to guess. He's shorter than me but really buff. Built like a brick shit house. I hung out with him as he finished beer number one. Andrew had now twice asked me if I was ready to go, and everyone was getting antsy. I told Mark I didn't want to leave him, but to call me soon. Everyone hugged and kissed goodnight. I was the first out of the door to get to the car. I started up the car to get the cabin warm and comfortable. Ryan stood outside, smoking one last cigarette. I watched him dance around and make faces at me. He tapped my window. "Did you see Sonic and his boyfriend bring that young guy back into the DJ booth? They haven't been out in a while." I got it. It wouldn't be the first time. New Year's Eve this happened with four people including Sonic and his boyfriend. I don't want to know what happened. I did notice that as Ryan was finishing his cigarette, Rob and Andrew still hadn't came out. They came to the car a minute later. I didn't notice that they were fishing around in the seats, and then they grabbed my flashlight that I keep in the car for emergencies. The keys to Andrew's life were missing, and they weren't in my car. They were also not in the bar. Andrew figured, "They've got to be at your house," turning to Ryan. We got back to Ryan's. No keys.
"Ryan, you're going to have to drive back up to the bar," Ryan said, looking at me as if to say, "Sorry, tough luck."
I was mad, but I didn't say anything. I kept a straight face, but silently protested the entire way to the bar. I figured Andrew was just being drunk and irresponsible, and now it was quarter unil two AM and here I am driving all over God's green Earth, trying to keep my eyes open. I called the owner.
"Hey, it's Ryan. Has anyone turned in a set of keys? Andrew lost his."
He answered, "Nope, I didn't see any keys, baby. He didn't have any keys when he came in."
"Okay, well we're going to come back up anyways just to double check."
I waited in the car as Andrew went back in. I could barely see him through the mirrored glass as he walked back and forth, checking the floors, bar tables, and bathrooms. No luck.
I called Ryan back.
"I just looked again and there're not here."
I took Andrew back to his house to grab his spare keys. I had to listen to him apologize the whole way and tell me how big of a loser he was. I told him it wasn't his fault. It was fine.
He called his mom to let him back in the house since he no longer had a house key. He went inside, disappearing momentarily, returning to the car so I could take him to my house where his car had been parked. He came out of the house smiling, his keys in hand. The idiot left them inside when he was grabbing a belt at the beginning of the evening. I laughed. I was relieved for him. What a fool. I took him back to his car and went inside to go to bed. What a mess of a night.
Today I don't want to do anything. I am at work right now until 1:15PM. My lungs feel tight from last night's cigs. I want sleep so badly. I am going to recouperate at Ryan's sister Janel's house today I think. I just want to lounge on her couch and watch movies with her. I don't want to go out last night. Especially after that run in seeing Troy in the parking lot. That's a long story I'll save for another day....two timing whore.
0 comments:
Post a Comment