During the weekend, I got roped in by the soccer team into attending a house party. I needed the interviews so I agreed. The team plied me with a few drinks, stringing me along until I got enough questions answered for the paper. As I was leaving, Ian arrived.

Fuck.

“Leaving so soon, Dex?”

“Leave me alone, Ian,” I drawled. Huh. I didn’t drink that many. It was just a few shots.

Ian put his large hands on my shoulders and forcefully pushed me to sit back down.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay and have a couple of drinks with me,” he growled. He called for another round. One of the guys at the bar gave him two bottles. He shoved one at me.

“Drink,” he ordered.

I can hold my drink against him, I thought. So I drank. I gave back the bottle to him and stood up.

“No,” Ian said as he pulled me back down. “Another!” he shouted.

“I don’t see you drinking yours,” I said to him.

He looked me in the eyes and chugged the bottle straight down. Two more bottles arrived. I drank mine straight off. Ian followed. He called for two more. Two more arrived. We finished it. He called for two more. This time, it took me two tries to finish the whole bottle. Ian grinned as he downed the bottle straight.

“Why are you still with Bethany, Dex?” he asked.

“She’s my girlfriend. You wed us, remember?”

“You don’t even like her.”

“How would you know that?”

“Because I know, and you know, that we both know it’s Rosie you really like.”

I scoffed.

“Tell me I’m lying,” he challenged me. “Tell me that you feel nothing for Rosie and that Bethany is not just a cover for you.”

“I don’t have to tell you anything,” I got up and started to leave. Ian grabbed my shoulders and turned me around. Then he punched me.

My world tilted as I sank to the ground. When I got up, I was fuming. I threw a punch at him. We started brawling on the ground. When we got broken up, all the liquor I drank had got up in my head. I was buzzing.

“Does Rosie know why you got together with Bethany?” Ian shouted as I was starting to leave. I turned around and went back to face him. “I bet she’ll be real interested to know how you just found yourself confessing to Bethany,” he said.

“Face the truth Dex. Tell Bethany the truth or I’ll tell her for you.”

Like hell I’ll hurt the one person dearest to Emma.

I grabbed his shirt and pulled him close to me until our faces were inches off each other. “You’ll do no such thing.” I breathed.

“It must hurt like hell, huh?” he grinned. “Pining for one girl while being stuck with her best friend.”

“You don’t know how I feel.” I said.

“Don’t I?” He had that shit-eating grin that I’ve always wanted to wipe off his face.

“Okay you little shit, okay! I’ll admit it. I love my girlfriend’s best friend, happy?”

“That’s all I wanted to hear,” he smiled as he knocked on the wall he was leaning on. On the other side, out came Bethany.

Oh fuck. It was a set-up.

She was near to tears.

“Beth,” I said weakly as I looked at her. But I couldn’t hide the truth in my eyes. She saw it and it brought her to crying. She ran for the door. I tried to run after her but Ian tripped me. When I was able to get out the door, Bethany was nowhere to be found. I couldn’t drive so I had one of the guys from the soccer team drive me home.

When I got home, I puked my guts out and went straight to sleep. An incessant ringing woke me up. I picked up the phone.

“Why Dex, why?” It was Rosie. She was crying.

“I told you not to hurt her,” she cried. “I told you not to ruin everything.” She didn’t exactly tell me, but I knew what she meant.

I had nothing to say. “Emma, I…”

She hung up the phone.

I stared at it dumbly for a long time. My mother’s voice finally brought me back to my senses.

“Are you okay Dex?” she asked.

I nodded and tried to give her a smile while beneath, my soul felt like dying.