Down the Drain

All that bullshit's for the birds
You ain't nothin' but a vulture
Always hopin' for the worst
Waitin' for me to fuck up
You'll regret the day when I find another girl, yeah
Who knows just what I need, she knows just what I mean
When I tell her keep it drama free

—Chris Brown (Deuces)

---

"You said what now?" Vee demanded when I told her what or who was added on my to-do list today.

     I snorted. "That's what I said,"

     We were at a new Enzo's Bistro, one that opened up on the Delphic pier recently, getting warm lattes and soft, moist biscuits. I said thank-you to the guy at the counter and took up a seat beside Vee on the store's outdoor terrace. It was early spring in Coldwater with the sun beaming down on us through a fog of clouds. Anyone who lived in Coldwater for a while knew better than to expect more rays of sunlight now; Maine loved winter.

     I picked at the chocolate-chip in my muffin, while my latte cooled of a little. "Apparently Patch has scouts coming next game and even though Coach . . . favors him," I picked carefully, "he's still a teacher and has to bench Patch because he's failing the semester. Coach made it pretty much mandatory to tutor."

     "Patch," Vee muttered, pondering the name on her tongue. "Think he could be in a gang? It sounds like a gang name, right? Like 'Hey, Patch, ready to snuff this guy?'" She used a deeper voice to imitate a gang member but her impression was horrible.

     "No," I chuckled, shaking my head at her poor impersonation. "Not even close."

     "I don't know what a gang is like!" she said defensively, shrugging because she knew how stupid she sounded. "You know if Marcie finds out you spending one on one time with Patch, she will freak!" her voice went like two octaves higher. If I was gonna get mauled by Marcie, I'd like to make it clear that I held Vee responsible. If she had woken me up on time, than Coach would've picked on some unfortunate soul.

     Which reminded me . . .

     "Ow, why, why would you do that?" she cried, cupping her bicep and frowning.

     "Why didn't you wake me up?" I retorted.

     "I did wake you up," she replied pointedly. "But you went back to sleep and frankly I was a little over due myself."

     I frowned. I guess I do have a tendency of doing that. "Oh," I muttered sheepishly and winced, pain shooting up my arm. "Ow," I said through my teeth.

     "'Oh'" Vee's Me So Horny ring-tone sang from her jeans. Quickly, she pulled out her iPhone and sighed. "I got a Pilates class about now with Rachelle, mind if I bail?" Rachelle was Vee's trainer. I didn't get why she insisted on this fitness thing she had going on (she really didn't need it) but I wasn't going to say anything. Once Vee made up her mind, she was impossible to persuade her.

     "It's like three, right?" Vee nodded so I shook my head. "No, it's fine, I have to head to the library anyways." It's where Patch and I had decided to meet up.

     "All right babe, later," she bounced off to her purple Dodge Neon, a car she adored very much. I made for the beach parking lot leisurely, in no rush to meet up with Patch.

     But just the mere thought of his name had me thinking about him. The dark eyes, the tall build . . . those those thin, smooth lips . . .

     Whoa, whoa, whoa Nora! What are you thinking? This is Patch were talking about here.

     And maybe Vee was right, (even though I highly doubted so) you never know—he could be in a gang. I knew nothing about him. Besides this was Marcie's boyfriend. He was claimed—off limits—out of bounds! I could already see Marcie glaring at me, the words "No trespassing—no trespassing!" ringing clear in my head.

Mentally scowling at my train of thought, I frowned upon my Fiat Spider. It was pretty lame—brown and old but not too shabby, I guess. I just hated that I couldn't pay for a car that didn't stutter or fart whenever it was low on gas. As I opened up my car door, ice snaked it's way down my spine as a undeniable voice called me, his breath fanning over my ear.

     "Hey, Grey" his finger wound around one of my curls. I whipped around and slapped his hand away instinctively. It fell limply to his side.

     "I told you to stay away from me, Scott," I sighed, exasperated by this boys persistence. Why couldn't he just leave me alone?

     Frowning, he leaned a shoulder against the side of the door. "Still playing games?"

     I didn't bother to answer, but it was pointless. He was practically deaf. Deciding to ignore the creep, I swung the door open, shoving him aside in the process. I tossed my bag onto the seat and slid in after it. I was prepared to close the door after me and drive off but Scott had a firm grip on the handle, keeping it wide open. I glared straight ahead.

     "I'm getting tired of this hard-to-get attitude. Come on, Nora," he flashed what he thought was a charming smile but it only came off cold. "I'm waiting."

     Violently, I wrenched the door out of his grip and slammed it shut. "Don't hold your breath now," I said pleasantly enough though I was internally grinding my teeth. From my peripheral vision I could see a glare make it's appearance as I revved up the engine.

     Then, without a second thought, I flipped him the happy bird and drove off.

---

It was weird how obsessed Scott was with getting into my pants.

     Obviously, his vocabulary was lacking NO and or NEVER. He dominated my thoughts as I drove back to campus. I mean, what did he want? Why was he so interested in me? As I had so clearly mentioned, I wasn't that much to look at, honestly. Sure I was cute, small face, little girl ringlets that took forever to straighten, and guys were into my long legs but I wasn't busty or blond and I definitely did not stand out in a crowd.

     Guys want what they can't have . . . and I definitely wouldn't give into Scott Parnell.

     I sighed heavily as I pulled up in campus parking lot and killed the engine. Glancing at my phone I noted I was thirty minutes late. I was definitely in no rush to get here but I hadn't meant to be this late. Swearing under my breath, I jumped out of the Spider and made for the library.

     Most of construction in Coldwater were refurbished 18th century buildings. The campus houses were still ancient on the outsides—corners glazed with moss, signs and insignias still creased with age. It was the insides that were re-polished like a good old spit shine. I especially liked the stain-glass windows that spoke a lot about the university and it's need to stay in touch with it's heritage.

     I jogged as soon as the huge library building came into view and rounded the pillars of the arch way in front of the fine carved double doors. I stilled and crept back behind the Grecian-like pillar. On the top of the stairs stood Patch and Marcie seeming a bit flustered. I didn't know what to make of the little fight but I knew they were talking about me.

     "Why are you stressing over this?" Patch spoke, "She's just tutoring me,"

     Marcie's voice rang out, hot and annoyed. "Because I don't like her. All right, I don't like her,"

     "You don't even know her!"

     "Oh, but you do?" She raised a brow, daring him to say something that would probably result in Marcie tracking me down and ripping my hair out. Ow,that'd hurt.

     Patch sighed, rubbing his hand along his jaw. Marcie was waiting. "Babe, I really need this, it's my shot to show these scouts I can make it pro. I just don't get why you're getting all jealous and insecure about this."

Marcie snapped. "Because everyone wants a piece of you. I see the way other girls look at you, okay?"

     "That doesn't mean you have to be a bitch to everyone," Patch shot back. It seemed the quieter he got the angrier he was. Marcie seemed stunned into silence because her faced just dropped. "Why is it so hard to just trust me?" he asked quietly.

     Marcie's voice was only a distant murmur. It took me a second to register what she was saying.

"You know why,"

     Without another word she crossed her arms over her chest, stormed down the short steps of the library and whipped past me in a breeze. Patch's head bowed and his fists clenched until his skin turned from warm gold to pale white.

     He didn't go after her. He didn't leave. Patch didn't move.