When I get to the house, all the guys are in the living room drinking beer. I grab two from the fridge, chugging one right away to settle my nerves, while sitting down with the second one. I’m consumed with a need to find a cure for her memory. I have to let go of the past we shared, and I can’t think of a quicker way than getting hammered drunk with the guys. It’s not a cure, but it will do for now. I down the second beer, and then another, and another until I’m five beers in a buzz finally starting to kick in.
“You okay, Rem?” Thomas asks, concern etched into his features as he eyes the beer cans sitting on the table in front of me. Typically, I don’t drink that much, and especially not on school nights, but tonight I need all the beer I can get.
I nod my head, hating that for once I’m forced to lie to my friends.
“Never been better, Tom. Never been better.”
???
There’s a throbbing behind my eyes that refuses to go away. It feels like I got ran over by a truck last night, and then it backed up and drove over me again. My muscles are stiff, and my stomach is churning. Drinking half a fridge full of beer probably wasn’t the best idea but it sure as shit got the job done. By the end of the night I wasn’t thinking about Jules, matter of fact, I didn’t think about anything because it wasn’t long until I was blacked out on the living room floor. Not one of my most flattering moments, I suppose.
After a quick shower, teeth brushing and change of clothes I’m feeling better. I walk into the diner and cringe, the bell above the door seems ten times louder today than it ever has before. Surveying the booths, I spot Cally sitting at a table by the window, she lifts her gaze to me, a bright smile on her lips. I walk over to where she is sitting and slide into the seat across from her.
“Hi.” Her high pitch voice pierces my ears and I bite my tongue withholding the need to tell her to shut up. That, of course, wouldn’t help my cause so instead I fight through the throbbing in my head and pretend to be interested in whatever she has to say.
“Hey, sorry I stormed out last night.” I give her a soft smile. I need her to believe that I’m sorry that I intended to come over to see her and not Jules.
“Oh, it’s okay,” she says, but the frown on her face tells me she is anything but okay.
“Did Jules say something? About what happened last night?”
Cally’s frown deepens further and it’s painfully obvious she doesn’t want to talk about her roommate with me. But being the asshole I am, I couldn’t care less what she wants.
“She didn’t say anything last night, not really. We kind of had a falling out. I guess she wasn’t as good of a friend as I thought she was.” She sighs, shrugging her shoulders as if she’s disappointed.
Don’t I know how that feels. I don’t say shit though. My beef with Jules is mine alone, and if anyone gets to hate her, it’s me.
“It’s just shitty since we even let her stay for free with us. I should kick her out, but I would feel horrible doing so since her brother and father just died…”
Wait, what? That catches my attention and I slowly blink, trying to comprehend what I just heard. Cally continues talking, but I can’t understand the words that are coming out of her mouth, not after what she just said. For a moment I’m frozen in my seat, and everything around me blurs.
Jackson. Her father. Dead.
“Are you okay?” Cally drags me back to reality after a moment. “You look a little pale.”
“Did she say that?” I almost yell at Cally, but somehow keep the tremor out of my voice. She doesn’t need to know the effect Jules has on me.
“Say what?” She wrinkles her nose.
“Did Jules tell you that her brother died?” I clarify, speaking slowly so she can understand me better.
“Ah, yes, that’s why she moved here after the semester started, at least that’s what she told me. Wouldn’t be surprised if she’s lying though, since talking to her yesterday…”
“Do you know where Jules is right now?”
“Bio lab, I think, why?”
I slide out of the seat and start walking away.
“What…what are you doing? What’s wrong? Did I say something? Don’t tell me you called me here to get closer to her,” Cally calls after me, frustration coating her words, but I don’t bother turning around. I’ve got all the information I need from her. She’s Cole’s problem now.
As I walk out of the diner, all I can think is that she is lying.