“Kristen! You’re gonna kill him?” She raised an eyebrow.
“No, no.” I couldn’t tell if she was being serious. “I was just planning on breaking up with him.”
“This guy moving in must be quite the looker, then.” She winked.
I shook my head but felt the warmth rising to my cheeks that indicated otherwise. I grabbed my water bottle and took a sip. “He’s cute, but a little awkward. Funny, though.” Not quite Chris Hemsworth, but someone who could apparently make me forget about Cooper... I took another few sips and swished the water back and forth.
“Hello! Kristen!” Chris snapped her fingers. “You didn’t call me over here so you could daydream about a new boy. But if it’s going to get you out of your mood, then by all means, daydream aloud.” She leaned forward and placed her head in her hands, her face resembling a child’s on Christmas.
Will
I found my first dash of excitement as I hopped out of the truck. I would get to see Kristen again. Just interaction was pleasant enough with her for me to be satisfied. For the time being, I was easily satisfied. I opened the door and heard the TV coming from the living room. An incidental smile crossed my face as I walked through the hallway. I came into the living room and spotted Kristen, which was just as exciting as I imagined it would be, but she was with a guy, presumably Cooper, so my smile faded. He looked to be a bit shorter than I was, so about five foot, nine inches, with a round face and plaid shirt. His look didn’t do much to change my premature prejudice against him. He stood and offered me a hand when he spotted me. I took it and introduced myself.
Not the ideal thing to come home to, but as everyone says and wishes they could mean, I was happy as long as she was happy. It was probably good I got this reality check before I allowed my daydreams to get ahold of me. I noticed a bit of an awkward silence so I excused myself, not wanting to intrude, heading down to my room. Cooper offered for me to take a seat on the opposite couch, but it was still too early to third wheel it.
I reached my bedroom in an indifferent state, picking up my latest book find, The Name of the Wind, to pass the time.
I was brought out of my reading to the sounds of firm voices about thirty minutes later. It wasn’t exactly yelling, but I could tell something was amiss. Shortly after the raised voices began, I heard the front door swing shut. That was odd, I thought as I picked up my book and resumed where I left off.
I got half a page in before a meek knock sounded on my doorframe. Kristen was standing there with a sheepish smile.
“Sorry, about that,” she said.
“Oh, no worries. You should hear my family go at it,” I said.
“I could use a TV buddy now...if you’re free.”
I nodded and placed my book down. I could come back to it, I’d read it twice now, anyway. I followed her upstairs. We sat on opposite couches and watched some random reality show in silence. Silent except for the almost inaudible sniffs coming from across the room.
“Hey, you okay?”
“Yeah,” she answered.
I waited for her to expand. She opened and closed her mouth twice before speaking again.
“Do you know anyone that just doesn’t listen?” I nodded. “I tell him something, once, twice, even three times, and it doesn’t matter. He still doesn’t hear me.”
“And he didn’t listen today?” I asked.
She sighed loudly and pulled her hair behind her ears. “He didn’t.” She hesitated once again.
“You don’t have to continue if you’re not comfortable.”
“It’s not that, I just don’t want to TMI you.”
I laughed. “Those are the most interesting tidbits; now you have to tell me.”
“Well, before you got home, we were just up in my room hanging out. Lately, we’ve moved to doing it without protection because he says he hates it, and I went along. But even then, I told him to pull out.”
“And he didn’t?”
“Nope.”
That was not a juicy tidbit. It was mildly infuriating. I let my head fall into my hands and groaned. Unfortunately, it looked like my douchedar was accurate. “How many times has he just ignored you?”
“I’ve lost count now. At least four,” she said grimly.
“Why do you—” I rubbed my temples, “Why do you still do it with him? Why are you still with him if he can’t respect you?”
“He’s a good guy, otherwise. I don’t know...”
I stood and paced the room with my arms crossed. “I hate that,” I mumbled. “I can’t even watch Game of Thrones because of all the shit they throw in there,” I said a little louder.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to worry. It’s rare.”
“Rare is still too often, Kristen,” I said, finally sitting back on the couch.
“I know, but we’ve been together for like ten years, and everything else is good.”
“Okay. Just be careful.” I let the subject drop, even though I knew I’d be bothered by it for the rest of the night. We turned our attention back to the TV, or at least, she did. Now I know for sure he’s no good. She deserves better, I thought. I’d have to make sure she got what she deserved. She didn’t need protecting; I could tell she was a strong woman, but Cooper was not right for her. And damn it if I’d have to think of her upstairs being disrespected by him.
* * *
She walked into my dorm room, humble little 2109, giving me a cupcake complete with candle. She placed it on my minifridge, and there it sat for about a day until I threw it away.
One month prior, she had invited me to spend New Year’s Eve with her. We were the only two local students left during winter break. I remember that night was the first time we kissed, after we had watched three hours of The Cosby Show. This led to a few subsequent incidents of us getting together over break before we were scheduled to go back to school. I had started to develop feelings for her, and, of course, she hadn’t developed anything for me. Once winter break came to an end, our fellow students flocked back to campus. All the guys on my floor had greeted each other and welcomed the opportunity to reunite in the local hangout room on our floor, 2110. Here is where we were usually found watching ESPN or Matt playing Call of Duty. You could always find at least a half a dozen of us there at any one time.
The guys caught each other up on the last month, sharing stories of crushes from home or New Year’s adventures. Being an eager freshman in college, it didn’t take long for the guys to learn of Maria and me. They all knew her from the scholars program we had attended.
Two short weeks after we returned from break, I hadn’t hung out with Maria. I had hoped for a different outcome, but I knew my experience with her was likely over. In a twisted sort of way, it wasn’t. The two weeks into spring semester marked my birthday. I had the usual phone call from my parents and plans to go out with roommates for the weekend. But, this year I also received a cupcake from Maria. She came into my room very unapologetically, making the upcoming events even more soul-crushing. She set the cupcake down on my portable fridge, wished me a happy birthday, and walked across the hall to 2110, closing the door behind her. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. My instincts were screaming that something I was dreading was going on behind that closed door. I didn’t want to believe it, but eventually I had no doubt...
Apparently, Maria had found John from across the hall cute and decided to act on it. It hurt. I was upset with her but I didn’t blame John. It’s hard to imagine how I would have reacted if I were him. But I eventually healed from that, once she stopped hanging out in that room. Once I didn’t feel like a stranger on my own hall. Once I wasn’t left alone in my room on my birthday with a cupcake with her across the hall.
.
CHAPTER 5
Will
That night, I lay in bed, unable to sleep. My thoughts swirled from making this year something different than my past twenty or so, to Kristen and Cooper. Operation One Year Left certainly hadn’t started as care
free as I had imagined. I had plenty of time, I could worry about it later.
My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a faint thump from upstairs. I sat up and listened, but no more noise came until I received a text. It was from Kristen. It read “spider(s) in my room. send help.”
Before I could respond I heard a light knock at my bedroom door. I threw on a T-shirt and opened the door. It was Kristen.
“You know,” I began, “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I am no help when it comes to things with more than four legs.”
Kristen, who made a pair of basketball shorts and a T-shirt look extremely cute, switched her weight from one foot to the other and sighed. “Ugh, what good are you then?” she asked with a grin.
“Sorry, I have many talents but bug catching is not one of them.” I paused to think. “The best I can offer you is a retrieval mission of your mattress and dragging it down here for a sleepover. And even that’s pushing my mental health.”
“Well, that leaves my only other option as the couch, and that’s not doable. Believe me, I’ve tried. So, I accept.” She gave a thumbs-up and an exaggerated smile.
I hopped out of bed and began the lonely walk up the stairs. I was already filled with regret. How many spiders was I going to encounter? Could I even move a mattress while under spider attack? Shit, what kind of spiders were they?
The walk up the two flights of stairs was a long one. Believe it or not, my hands began to sweat as I turned the final corner to her room. The door to her room was cracked so I pushed it open, suddenly regretting not having her come up with me. The mattress was there, no spiders in sight. That looked innocent enough, but not-seen spiders were probably the worst type. I crept into the room and made it about halfway in before I was distracted by the realization that I was in her room. I stopped and took a brief look around. It was harmless enough, not messy, but there were a few records laying around and a few shirts strewn on the bed.
I returned my focus on the mattress so I could get out of there before any arthropods could make an appearance. I shook my head, wondering why I’d agreed to do this, even if she was the human personification of my type. I reached out for the mattress—essentially a poke—before withdrawing quickly, just in case. No spiders showed themselves, so I grabbed the edge of the mattress and dragged, trying to avoid knocking into her desk or the TV in the corner of the room. I really should have gotten more detail about the intruder before eagerly jogging up here. The mattress came easily off the frame and, with a bit of a struggle, I turned it to fit it out the door. She’s lucky she only had a twin mattress, otherwise I’d have dragged her up here to help.
I froze for a brief moment, allowing my eyes to scan the room and the mattress for any spiders looking to hitch a ride. When the coast was clear, I pulled the mattress through the hallway and attempted to slide it down the stairs.
About halfway down the stairs, I felt a tingle crawl across my arm and released the mattress. It slid from my grasp, catching my foot so I fell the rest of the way down the stairs. I frantically checked my arm for something but found nothing. I stood up, my backside sore from the fall, and continued with the mattress down the last flight of stairs.
I deposited the mattress safely inside my room and did a brief check to ensure no uninvited guest had hitched a ride. I stood up after I did my inspection and rubbed my temples. “Hope you’re happy, as I’m sure you heard—it was quite an adventure.” I gave her a brief half smile and fell on my bed in relief.
We both settled into our respective beds and silence came over us for a brief minute or two. Was I allowed to talk? I was terrible at falling asleep during sleepovers.
“Hey, Will, I’ve got a question for you.”
Oh, thank god. “Yeah?”
“Earlier you said you had one year left. Will you tell me why?”
For you. Yes. “Sure. Essentially, I’m sick. The meds don’t help the pain anymore, so I’m here to go out with a bang. Or, at least a fourth of a bang.” I couldn’t bring myself to be more specific. How could I tell her I was dying of sadness? What would I say when she inevitably asked what I was dying from?
The room fell silent briefly again.
“Will?”
“Yes?”
“If you want to talk about it, I’m here. I’m incredibly curious, and listening would be the least I could do for my knight in shining armor,” she said between giggles.
“Thank you. But don’t ever call me again for anything, and I mean anything, even remotely resembling a spider. Call a 24/7 exterminator next time. Or Cooper,” I said as I rolled on my side, feeling my head sink into the pillow. I wrapped my legs tighter around my body pillow. It kept my knees from knocking. One of the only real advantages a body pillow had over real cuddling. I wished it were Kristen on my mattress, knocking knees or not.
“Exterminators don’t live right downstairs. And Cooper’s not available anymore.”
She spoke up once more before I could question her. “I should set you up with one of my friends.”
I didn’t respond right away. I want you, though. “Did you have one in mind?”
“I was thinking, maybe Sue.”
“Is she like forty? Because I don’t know anyone born in the last twenty years named Sue.”
A pillow flew over my head and landed on the opposite side of my mattress.
“Kristen, that wasn’t even close. I bet that was your only pillow too,” I teased, wholly distracted by the fact that my new dream girl was available.
.
CHAPTER 6
Will
I was whistling unconsciously as I walked out the front door. It was a beautiful morning, so I sat on the curb, attempting to curtail my joy. I wasn’t supposed to be this happy. Especially when it was a result of false hope. Yes, she was single, and yes, she might have even enjoyed our improvised sleepover, but no, I would not be sucked into yet another saga ending in a broken heart.
I heard Daichi before I saw him. It sounded like he equipped the truck with a clown horn. That and he forgot to get the brakes checked. The truck rolled down the street, newly decorated with a large, bright-blue, neon-yellow, and green stripe splitting the truck in half. Daichi brought the truck to a stop, and I stared at him through the windshield. To my surprise, there was an actual clown painted on the passenger side. I should have expected this.
“Daichi...” I groaned.
“Yes?” he asked, eyes wide with a feigned innocence.
Buckling my seat belt, I struggled to keep the corners of my mouth from curling up. I didn’t respond. He would enjoy a response too much.
“So, what chores do we have to take care of today?” I asked.
“Nothing, it’s opening day, actually.”
I whipped my head to look behind the cab of the truck. I froze, mouth agape. By some miracle, it was fully furnished.
“You like it?” He was bouncing in his seat, stealing glances in my direction.
“Yeah, the inside looks awesome.” I had no idea what any of those machines did. I wasn’t exaggerating when I said my part would be limited to taking payment. “What food are we selling, anyway?”
“Ice cream!” He let go of the wheel and did his best spirit fingers. The truck swerved. I gripped the dashboard and blinked. “Sorry!” he said.
“No worries,” I replied as the color flooded back to my knuckles. “Where’s the spot?”
He pulled the steering wheel to the right and guided us into a large lot. “Here!”
I opened the door and hopped down.
“Will! We can just walk to the back. We don’t have to go outside!” Daichi unbuckled his seat belt and walked into the back of the truck.
I grabbed onto the handle to pull myself back in the truck, only slightly embarrassed. The morning mist felt good as I pulled myself into my seat.
“Wait, hold on. Daichi!” I called into the back of the truck. “Why are we running an ice cream truck in Portland?! Doesn’t it rain here every other day?” I
reached the back of the truck as he flipped open the serving window. He paused.
“Ice cream is weatherproof,” he said. He gave no further explanation.
I didn’t push for one. I stood, looking for something to lean against while Daichi made himself busy fiddling with the equipment.
“How is she after day two?” He stopped cleaning and looked at me expectantly.
Thoughts of her flooded into my consciousness. I bit my lip.
“Oh, that bad.”
“Yeah,” I admitted. “But it’s not going anywhere.”
“Aw, why not?” Daichi groaned. He popped the lock on the freezer and gestured inside. “Pretty nice, eh?”
I joined him at the freezer. There was an assortment of ice cream like I’d never seen before. I picked up and inspected a Spider-Man popsicle. “It’s not going anywhere because they never do. Even if she is now single—”
Daichi’s eyes bulged from their sockets. “What?!”
“They broke up last night.”
“Then what in the world is stopping you?”
Many things, Daichi. Many things. I had told him many times, but he was ever the optimist. “Even though she’s now single, she’s indifferent to life. Boys included.” I had known her for a few hours now, and it was potentially unfair to judge a book by its cover. But covers had never lied to me before. And I wasn’t going to want to spend this last year ruining it with what I was running from in the first place.
“Okay.” Daichi took the popsicle that I was absentmindedly twirling. He exited to the front of the truck. I heard him around the side so I peeked my head out of the serving window. He was peeling off the colorful decorations I couldn’t help but notice when he picked me up.
“Wait, what are you doing? That doesn’t mean we can’t still do this, all I have to do is swipe cards.”
He looked at me with a blank look on his face. “Oh, no. I was just taking off these fake decorations. Just wanted to give you a little scare.” He beamed.
One Year Left Page 3
