My Bet Is You

by Manuela Ricci

  I grab the hair of her hair in his fist, causing them to tilt his head back, his nose rubs on the skin of the neck shivering at my touch, go back slowly to his ear, I hear hold your breath and sink his nails on the shoulders .

  "Bet ... I was so frustrated that I served six to nothing. It was the most squalid sex that I did. "

  I leave the hair abruptly, meeting his grim look that nails on me just before turn on them, "is better than coating you," I point going towards the living room.

  Collapse on the couch and turn on the TV, I zap looking

  something that manages to attract my attention. As I look sideways at his walk of shame as he heads for the door.

  "Do not call anymore!" Threat. I laugh softly drumming his fingers against your leg muscles contract. "Quiet Bet, so you do it yourself first." I just feel the thud of the door echoing through the house, and I am alone with my thoughts, with the feeling of vulnerability that haunts my mind.

  "Shit!" I curse, rubbing his hands down his face, I can still feel the warmth of his slap burning hot on the skin. I smile to myself, before my thoughts are broken by my companions.

  "See Battany angry black guys is priceless," says Lex, the first to enter the living room.

  "Your performance was not pleasing to the princess?"

  No one bears, and never understood why I keep going back to bed, maybe because we are actually more similar than it seems. Or maybe, because she knows things about me nobody knows. Already I imagine unleash its artillery to do a scorched earth around me and beyond.

  But we made a deal, and I know I could never break it, if you do not want his reputation in the sumptuous world of the elite that has been created, the crumble before our eyes.

  "Stop Lex!" The admonish without deigning to glance, I pretend to look at a replica of the Dodgers last season.

  "Fuck friend have sparked the ire of a bitch." Gus joins us sitting at the side of the twin, I face me into the kitchen where I see Blaze. I need to talk to someone. I get up and not answer their jokes insistent join him.

  With a nod to the I point to the door that faces the side of our house, where you see the whole bay. The breeze invests me, as if trying to wake up from a trance.

  "What happens? This is Carrie? "When I returned home this afternoon, I had no need to explain to my best friend, why I was so pissed. I tried to be nice to her, as she continued to raise a wall after another.

  "She came here, saw that I was not alone and she's gone. I just can not understand that girl, "she breathes out, as if I held my breath to utter those words. Point gaze towards the endless horizon, which is hidden by the darkness of the night.

  "Why was he here?" Blaze leans against the wall of fence crossing his arms over his chest.

  "He wanted to apologize, and then spit on me who had only lost time. I treated her like shit as you did with me, and I left. "

  That's the problem, I can not stand to have them say those things, but I was furious, and gave them to me virtually torn from his head.

  "Brother, since when do you care how you treat the girls?"

  We look into the eyes, both we never granted a report, the girls changed every night without even remember their names. I never stopped to think about what they wanted, what they tried, for me it was just a way to escape, to download everything that kept me tied to my past, by which I continue to live with every single day that I look in the mirror .

  "I do not in fact," I lie, I put his hands in his pocket, tightening into fists, he did not care until she has kicked me in my face my life with his arrogance.

  "Do not bother with someone like her, do not forget that it is the Scottie sister."

  Narrowed his eyes, I can not accept that the comparisons to him.

  "She's not like that piece of shit!" He nods in mock conviction, starts toward the door and puts a hand on my shoulder.

  "I advise you to stay away, however, I say to you brother." I let her footsteps moving away and I enjoy just the sound of waves crashing, I went toward the little gate leading to a disused path down to the beach.

  Coming feet in the wet sand, the moon stands before me illuminating the stretch of the Pacific water. Avanzo until you feel the water touching my skin. I observe that the foam retracts shortly after, only to return again to get wet. A little 'as the thoughts, memories that swirl in the mind, cast them away and then trovarmeli

  again in front: Of course I am coming to your game, I did not miss it for the world ... I kick angrily sand

  keeping your eyes closed to prevent those memories to make me a prisoner. I turn to the east where the park lit by the lights of the rides still moving and I see a huddled figure in the distance.

  It can not be her, went almost an hourI think, without realizing I start to account big step towards that figure becomes more and more clear, illuminated only by the glow of the moon. The hair is whipped by the wind that leaves the completely free face, his eyes were lost to the ocean.

  He stands up, and I stop in my tracks.

  "What are you doing here?" I pulled back into a recess created by some rocks. It sgrulla jeans from the sand.

  "The Pick-Up did not want to learn to share," he says to his brother.

  "Yes, but what do you do here in Santa Monica?" She smoothes a strand of hair behind her ear.

  "Since when do you care where I go or what I do? I've only bothered for a ride, I'm sorry, did I interrupt something? "Scottie stands in front of her and I'm about to go in there and throw him on the ground for the arrogance with which it does.

  "Stop Carrie, stop picking on the whole world.

  Leave what happened to Stanley in the mess of the city. "

  Wrinkled his forehead confused, trying to settle the sense

  of his words. I wonder what happened to his city? Scottie tries to embrace her, but she raises her hands in surrender and crosses walking in marching toward the street. I watch his back rigid, his feet stomping the soil which seems to blanch under his step, I look at the outline of her face, and it's like wearing a mask, no kind of emotion appears.

  We trained a lot these days, I could not wait for the sun to rise going on a running endless, tense muscles, burning in the evening I needed a full tub of ice, to be able to recover. Blaze scolded me that I was exaggerating, but it was the only way to feel so exhausted from sinking into sleep to take me to a place that was not my life.

  The ongoing fighting with my dad and the reality of my dream that you are moving further away pulsate too strong in the head. Mora, our coach is breathing down my neck, there are big clubs interested in me, I could sign today, and see me play my first championship game as the owner, but I will never do that, ever. He threw a punch against the closet door.

  "I see you avoid it did not help much." Blaze comes into my room and closed the door behind him. I did not tell him of her journal that night, thinking of what happened to his city, continues to be as rottenness in mind that creeps more and more thrust.

  But at the same time I know that I could not bring her,

  anything this happened must stay away from me.

  "I'm not avoiding." I start to rummage through the clothes, looking for something to wear to the concert at the beach last weekend, putting an end to this summer, and begins the academic year.

  "I noticed you have not set foot from Danny's", he noted stravaccandosi on the bed.

  "Have you seen Tia?", I try to change the subject, I do not want to talk about her, I still can not explain to myself what's happening to me. I do not even know, yet there is something in her, in her eyes, in his voice that sends me crazy.

  "We met last night, apparently does not seem to have returned with Scottie." I turn to look at him over her shoulder.

  "We only had drinks together, as friends' marks, knows that I do not want this situation with Tia will cause you problems. We all know how it can be bastard Murphy if he wants to make you pay.

  "You're just careful." I put on a black shirt with white lettering, a pair of white jeans ripped a
t the left knee and a pair of Adidas.

  "There is air of drunkenness and sex around," he makes fun of me, admiring my look with thumbs raised.

  In fact, it is the night that Bettany left our house, they are no longer left with no, I skipped two parties to the great surprise of all, and I threw myself on the study. And yes, my body is in dire need of a healthy night of unbridled sex.

  We go down the stairs to the living room, the twins are ready for an hour, and I like to have my usual the last.

  "Come on." Lex kneels theatrically at my feet.

  "Oh, sir, I thank you that there worthy of his presence." Gus laughs, followed closely by Blaze and I am going to assestargli a kick in the shin.

  "Get up, asshole, or we'll be late." Take up like a spring.

  "JJ're worse than a woman, three-hour wait for you and I who will cause you to be late?" I showed him the middle finger as a greeting and go to my Escalade.

  "Everyone takes their car," Gus does a howling toward the starry sky, clinging to the door of their metallic gray Audi R8.

  "Welcome friend, I believed that you had given to the other side."

  I shake my head and I climb into the car, we leave behind one another direct in Playa del Rei, where the concert will be held. We park in Marina del Rei, in the port area.

  The place is crowded with young boys and girls, I like to be able to mingle with the flow of the crowd of people, pretending to be who they are.

  "Well, first stop supplies." Lex shakes me by the shoulders, and head towards the first stall, the stage is at the center of the beach, a New Yorker group, the On The Moon, they begin their tour of the sound check before giving beginning of the concert. I had already heard once in a local New Jersey and I were not disappointed at all.

  "What would you brother?"

  Scocco look at the twins who start drumming his hands on the stall floor.

  "Tequila friend, prepares many shots of tequila." The guy a little 'punk behind the makeshift bar, has four shot well aligned, grabs the bottle of Sauza and let the contents of the color it turns to gold slides inside glasses.

  "And with the tequila there are only three things to do," winks Gus. I take my shot and in unison we utter our favorite words: "Licking, swallow, suck."

  We burst into laughter, all lick the angle of the hand between the thumb and index finger to adhere the salt, afferiamo a slice of lime, and begin to carburetor, lick salt, swallow tequila, and suck the slice of files.

  We continue like this for a couple of laps, the band began to sing a cover of One Republic, No Vacancy, hands are lifted upward and all join in the chorus. We move ourselves to the rhythm of music and we get closer to the stage.

  "This is ours. 'Lex takes the bottle of liquor, leaving a nice C-note to the guy who smiles almost confused.

  "You could take at least two," she scolds Blaze darting his eyes in the crowd.

  "Do not exaggerate, we allow this extra just for tonight, then we have done with this shit. In a month we start the league, "warning them, but then I focus on the look

  Blaze. "Who are you looking for?" He scratches his head and slowly turns toward me.

  "Tia and ... and Carrie" The jaw is contracted pulse only to pronounce her name, like the rest of the muscles of my body that tend automatically.

  He was sure it would not come here, he made it clear from the outset that these are not the kinds of things she likes to do.

  "I'll go look for them, we catch you later." I nod, my best friend needs me in his face that I have no intention of meeting her.

  "Friend succeed squagliamo us too, there are two girls who are stripping us with their eyes."

  I roll my eyes, laughing at the fact that we've been here half an hour and have already towed. I look around, there are our teammates, I stop to talk to some of them.

  We update on training, we make a few jokes about some girl trying to get our attention, and it would be a ball up for grabs, but I move.

  I ignore it and go on drinking and talking for another half hour in which my friends are missing, I wonder if Blaze found Tia, but the real question is whether there's Carrie with them. The glass of beer that they offered me is empty.

  Do a pat on the shoulder of Stuart, one of my defenders.

  "I'll get a drink."

  Fendo the crowd, heading toward another kiosk placed at the side of the beach adjacent to the parking lots and the music fades bustle behind me.

  "Where are you taking me?" I stop for a moment, but I turn I see no one, apart from the throng of people scattered in groups.

  "Friend, give me ...", I finish speaking when that voice swoops again in my ears.

  "I do not ... I do not!" I walk away quickly, shooting glances toward the parking lot in front of me. Jump the wall and I sling the short distance guy that traps a girl against the wall.

  "Leave!" Thunder, taking him by the shoulders, and making him hit the hood of a parked car.

  "What the fuck you man?" Try to break free.

  "I'm not your friend jerk, otherwise you would not be to smash your face."

  The shake off his shoulders bringing it up to my face. "Logan leave!" I paralyzed, the blood freezes in my veins and I face, as if the world had stopped, and I see, Carrie, leaning against the wall with his arms close to his body and slightly unbuttoned blouse.

  I did not see who the girl when had they lifted off. I let go and before I can get back on their feet pesto a punch on the nose that makes him stagger.

  "Son of a bitch!" I roar, still hitting him once. "What the fuck?" Before I know it, Blaze puts me under my arms, raising them, and press your palms against the back of his head to keep me from moving.

  "Leave me! Leave me I'm fine! "Loosen your grip and fixed the piece of shit that you clean the blood from his split lip.

  "Get out, and if you accidentally come to UCLA I suggest you change Universities»

  He gets up and goes away unsteadily, I look sideways at Carrie, Tia is at his side that rubs a hand on his arm.

  "Are you OK? Did I ... "I can not even say the words, but she anticipates me, shaking his head in denial. I would only approach one step further, I would like to ask what the hell he was doing with that jerk, but rather face me and without another word I'm leaving.

  7

  A deafening SILENCE

  Carrie

  Carrie will you just ... trust me, look at me ... I do not go anywhere ... I'm sorry ...

  I wake with a start with the body drenched in sweat, his heart still crashes once against the rib cage mozzandomi the breath in my throat. It is always so, when the past is mixed with memories, dreams and come back to haunt me.

  I massage his temples throb that strong, leaning his back against the headboard. I have no idea what time it is, I do not understand from the sunlight that penetrates through the window as I slept.

  I turn to the Tia already read in order, the bathroom door is wide open, so I guess there is. The look glides on the floor next to my bed, where I find the

  bottle of vodka lying on the ground completely empty. In a moment the mind of confused images emerge: remember the beach, music, a lot of people who slammed on me, and then vacuum. I just know that I have a huge hangover after.

  "What I thinking?" Serro hands into fists, clutching the sheets, I try to regularize the breathing throughout the entire week that has passed, swooping in my head without warning.

  I felt so vulnerable, like you're desperately looking for something without being able to find it, but did not understand what. It was so long since I felt like this, at the mercy of time, space around me. That's why I drank, I just feel lighter chest, the most clear mind, and that's why I went to that stupid concert, I was too drunk to oppose.

  I try to get out of bed, but as I move my legs feel a strange burning, step your hand on the side of the thigh and touch a series of scratches, the hand remains helpless on that sensitive point and bile jumps in my throat, in a flash memory everything: the boy who continued to offer me a drink all eveni
ng, his voice whispering to me everything in my ears while I was not able to offer any resistance.

  Tia that I had lost in the crush of the crowd, the fall near the parking and then ... I carry a hand to his mouth, as if I were there, at that exact point, his back pressed against the brick wall behind me I see it ... Logan

  Grabbing the boy, and as soon as his eyes fall on my delivers a punch, as if he could no longer calm his anger, to control himself.

  "Oh God," I can barely pronounce, fumbling in my own breath.

  "Carrie! Carrie, "I give a start from the tumult of thoughts, as soon as Tia's hand rests on my shoulder, I did not even hear you come in, sit at my side.

  "Are you okay?" I nod quickly, I get up even if I feel the soft legs that could give way at any moment.

  "Carrie, please, tell me!" I pretend it's not here, I can not, I will not talk. I take the clean linen closet and I sling in the bathroom, I slam the door behind me locking it and put my head against the wood.

  Tears pinch corners of her eyes, I bite down hard on the lower lip struggling against myself because emotions do not invest me. I feel those hands around my arms, on my hips, I drop the clothes on the floor and run to the toilet, I find myself putting everything I drank, moved from cramps that are shaking the whole body.

  Tia, knocking hard on the door. "Shit Carrie open this damn door!" Poggio hands against the cold tiles.

  "I'm ... I'm fine ..." Approached cheek to find a bit 'of relief and stay there, in silence, Tia continues to speak but no words come to my ears. All I need is

  time, I have to reassemble the pieces, so I always take all the crap and throw it behind me, I know I will return, but for now I just pretend that nothing ever happened.

  After it washed in boiling water, which reddened my skin, wrap myself in the soft sponge and let my eyes follow the waves crashing on the coast. I breathe, I focus on that, I get changed and go out of the bathroom.

  "You were two hours locked in the bathroom." Tia almost exasperated walking back and forth across the room.

  "I do not know, I feel ... I feel ..." mumbles with her voice cracks.