I awoke to pain, just like every day. My head, arms, legs... everything just hurt so much. Life... well... has always been tough. I do remember the good days, and the good times I spent before everything became too much to bear. I had just got up from a nap. Really nothing else to do these days expect sit around, wallowing in my own agony.
I was a pretty happy kid, despite feeling pain back then too, but it was an echo compared to how I felt now. It drove a wedge between my dad and I, and he turned into a man I can no longer respect. He drinks in excess these days, and he doesn't even let the only person who cares about me see me, or even talk to me.
"Mom.." I said in a sad tone, thinking about the gentle smiles she always gave me as she told me everything was going to be okay.
It made me angry. She told me he can sometimes be violent nowadays, and I wanted nothing more than to go over there and beat his face against a wall. I looked down at my sickly body, and let out a bitter laugh.
"And do what? Get my ass kicked, and make it worse for her?" I said, a slight stinging sensation in my eyes.
And, to top it all off, I thought at the end of the day, my girlfriend Rachel and my best friend Keith would be there to help me through anything. We'd always stuck together like glue since we were in grade school. We had been dating for the past 10 years, and I truly did love her.
My friend Keith was the same way. He always helped me with what I needed, and we always found new and interesting ways to entertain ourselves. We all hit it off at a young age, Rachel and myself more so, or at least I thought. I was sure I'd spend whatever time I had with her.
I was worried about Rachel, as she hadn't come back yet. She told me she was going to go and take care of some errands before she left, but that was a few hours ago now. I had napped for a bit longer than I expected. I could still move though, as I refused to stay down, so I mustered my strength to go and look for her. I started at Keith's place, as she said she was going to go and visit with him to see how he was doing. As I walked up to his apartment door when I arrived, I heard strange noises inside. No, they were not just noises...
"Moaning?" I asked, and my blood suddenly ran hot in my veins as I recognize that sound of pleasure from anywhere.
I tried the door, but it was locked. Good thing this dude and I were best friends, because I had a key to his apartment. Apparently, from what I gathered, he didn't care about stuff like that in the same ways that I did. Still, I had to confrim this with my own two eyes.
The locked clicked like a guillotine being dropped, and I had pushed open the door. There they were, right as I opened the door, on Keith's living room couch.
"FUCK!" Rachel yelled as my best friend thrust into my girlfriend with a might I could never muster.
"Holy shit, you're so tight." Keith groaned as he began to pull out of her.
The front door creaked ominously as I opened it all of the way, and their heads snapped over to it, landing on me. Both of their faces paled. It was definitely hard to talk your way out of this one, yet this dumbass Keith looked like he was going to tey anyways.
I beat him to it by just laughing. They both froze, and had confused and guilty looks on their faces. I didn't care. What's more pain on top of what I already feel?
"Well, I do gotta be honest, I didn't expect this. Good form, by the way." I said, and they both just stared at me like I was insane.
"ELI!" Rachel yelled, and I looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, that was me last time I checked." I replied, and Keith tried next.
"We... we can explain this!" He said, but I held up my hand.
"Nothing to explain. You both decided that the bonds we all shared together mean nothing. Just like everyone else in my life has shown me. I was hoping you two would be different, but it was just a stupid dream." I said, sighing at the end.
They said nothing to me. Keith just stared at floor. Meanwhile, Rachel was crying big globs of tears. Before I would have cared, but now? I brought to left hand up, and there on my left finger was the ring that Rachel had gotten me. She had one as well, but funny enough, she wasn't currently wearing it. It was a ring of promise that we gotten each other. A sign of our love and loyalty for one another. Now though, it just felt like a cheap piece that you'd find in a cereal box or something.
I tore the ring off of my finger, and dropped it unceremoniously to the floor.
"Guess I don't need this anymore." I said, and I looked at them, and I'm sure they saw what I felt this time.
"Eli... I'm so sorry..." Rachel said, tears falling down her, now annoying to me, pretty face.
"Rachel, my dear..." I said, sighing and running a hand through my hair, "Apologies are for when you make mistakes. Maybe you forgot to get something that someone asked you to get. Maybe you were supposed to tell someone something but you forgot. Hell, remember last week how I felt so bad about getting you that burrito you wanted, and I got the wrong one completely?" I asked, chuckling at that memory, "Yeah... that was a mistake. I apologized a lot for that one."
"Eli, please just-" Keith said, but I held up my hand.
"I'm not done talking yet." I said, before continuing, "My point is that, this is not a miatake. This is not something you can apologize for. This right here, is the trust and friendship we've grown over the years shattering into too many pieces to put back together. I loved you both. I loved you, Rachel. The only reason I never asked you to marry me was that I wasn't sure how long I was going to be around..." I said, my emotions finally catching up to me, but despite the tears falling from my eyes, I stayed stoic, and continued on.
"If you weren't happy with me, you should have just told me. If you two have had become this close, you should have let me know. I wouldn't have been thrilled about it, but I would have understood. I have been living on borrowed time my whole damn life. If losing you meant that you would be happy, I could accept it. But now..." I said, a bit of anger replacing my features, "You've burned that bridge. You both can go to hell. So, goodbye, and don't ever talk to me again. Neither of you." I said, giving them one last scathing look, then walking out and slamming the door behind me.
As I limped down the stairs, my legs screaming, I barely registered the pain in my body as the one in my heart was overpowering everything else. I used my free hand to wipe the tears away from my eyes that kept pouring out of me. I haven't felt this way in a long time. The physical pain was something I was used to, but this...
"Why the fuck is everything against me?" I muttered as I began to walk home at a slow walk.
I walked, not really paying attention to where I was going. I honestly couldn't say if I was actually heading back home or not. I was numb and I almost missed the sound of what sounded like an animal screeching. The sound was both pained, and afraid.
"The hell?" I asked, as I quickened my pace towards the noise.