Safe With Me, Special Edition

by Shaina Richmond

  I exhaled in relief. “Yes. He told me that. And he said you dated Aaron, too?”

  “Yeah.” She frowned a little and looked down at the table.

  “And you’re still friends with both of them? I’m not sure I could be friends with my exes like that. Especially if they’re brothers."

  “We go way, way back. A few of the guys you’ll meet tonight were my boyfriend at one time or another.”

  I nodded.

  A sudden look of panic took over her face. “Don’t get the wrong idea,” she said. “I’m not that much of a slut. It’s just... a small town. If I stopped being friends with my exes, there’d be no one left to be friends with at all.”

  I laughed and put my hand on her arm in sympathy. “I don’t judge you.”

  She let out a deep breath. “Thanks. Does it bother you if I’m still friends with him?”

  “No. It really doesn’t."

  In the corner of my eye I saw him approaching our table with drinks. When he caught me looking, he winked and blew me a kiss.

  He put two bottles of Sam Adams down on the table. “Those are mine.” In front of me he placed a large tumbler of pink liquid. “That’s for you, baby. Watermelon Slingshot. Tom said they’re new.”

  Crystal’s eyes lit up. “Ooh, yeah. Those are good. And they’ll knock you on your ass.”

  Tyler nodded. “That’s what I was hopin’ for.” He bent down and kissed the top of my head. “Gonna get you drunk for once.”

  “What?” Crystal asked. “You don’t drink?”

  Tyler grunted. “She does. Just not in front of me.” He kissed the top of my head again.

  I didn’t say anything. I merely stared at the giant pink drink with the giant pink straw sticking out the top. We’d never talked about it, but we didn’t have to. He was right. I didn’t drink around him. I was afraid I might get drunk enough to slip up and tell him something that needed to wait until January. Or worse. I could accidentally tell him I loved him.

  Tyler continued. “Want me to get you one of these, Crystal?”

  “Yes. Definitely,” she said.

  “Okay.” He slid out of his jacket and hung it on the back of his chair. He wore the zip-up navy blue fleece hoodie I helped Leona choose for him that day. “Here.” He tugged on the shoulders of my brown suede coat. “It’s too hot for this.” He leaned way down to whisper in my ear, “And I need to be able to look at you.”

  I smiled and stood up to let him help me out of my coat. After he draped it over the back of my chair, he kissed my cheek and whispered in my ear, “thanks,” then gave me a fast kiss on my lips before he headed back to the bar.

  I sat down and took a little sip of the strong, fruity drink.

  “Well, damn.” Crystal’s jaw set firmly. She looked away at the bar, half of her mouth curling in what appeared to be contempt.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “He’s like a totally different guy. If he’d been that nice to me I might’ve tried to keep him.”

  I nearly choked on my drink. I coughed once to clear my throat. “What are you talking about? How’s he different?”

  She gave him another long stare, then produced a small chuckle and turned to me. “He’s all attentive and kissy with you in public. He never would’ve done that with me.” She sighed. “Even when he was drunk.”

  “Really? What was he like with you?”

  She squinted and stared down at the table as she thought it over. “Like it didn’t matter if I was there or not. He’d never hold my hand or kiss me if we went somewhere. Had to drag him out of that house to get him to go anywhere. ”

  “How long did you date?”

  “About a year.”

  I tried to hide my surprise. A year? Tyler spoke of it so casually, I assumed it was only a few months. I also assumed that he saw her as more of a booty call than a girlfriend. “Why would you stay with a guy for so long if he was like that?”

  “Because.” She smiled a dreamy, faraway smile. “He’s J.T. Campbell. I had the biggest crush on him in high school. All the girls did. It didn’t matter if he was a terrible boyfriend who’d rather spend his Saturday nights playing World of Warcraft than doing anything with me.”

  “What was he like in high school? Before his dad died?”

  “Different. More or less.” She sighed. “He was known as a bad boyfriend back then, too, even for high school. But he could get away with it. High school girls don’t know any better.”

  “Was he in his room playing video games all the time back then?”

  “Oh no. No, no. Definitely not.” She frowned and glanced off at the bar where Tyler was now talking to a few friends, one of whom was playing with the long hair that hung freely down his back, just the way I liked it. “No,” she continued. “He was a lot more outgoing back then. Had a lot of friends. But then his dad...” Her voice trailed off for a moment. “They all had a really hard time after he passed away.”

  Suddenly, her eyes got huge as she focused on something behind me and adjusted her shirt.

  I looked around. Aaron was walking to the table from the dining room, wearing his Handler’s Bar and Grill work shirt. He patted me on the back and said, “Hey,” then he walked around the table and took a seat next to Crystal. Her whole face lit up when he put his arm around her and gave her a quick squeeze.

  Right then, Tyler appeared at the table and placed Crystal’s drink in front of her before he sat down. “Sorry I took so long,” he said.

  ”It‘s fine.” Crystal wasted no time taking the giant pink straw between her lips.

  Aaron rested his forearms on the table and looked at Tyler. “Remember. It’s on me. Both of you. Okay?”

  Tyler tilted one of his bottles all the way up to the ceiling and emptied it into his mouth before giving his brother a sly grin. “I know. I’ve had four o’ these and I’m goin’ back for two more in a minute.”

  “Bastard.” Aaron went on to mumble a few more expletives as Tyler chugged another bottle.

  Within the next half hour the table was full of people who were all excited to see Tyler. The group was big enough to spill over to several of the tables around us. Every person stopped and gave him a big hug and remarked about missing him. Some said they had barely seen him since high school.

  After a few more beers he was drunkenly mingling, walking between tables, often waving me over to introduce me to someone. Occasionally he gave me a sloppy wet kiss that made his friends laugh and made me wish I had him all to myself.

  I met three different women who were Tyler’s girlfriend at some point in his life. One was Amber Langley, the cute little brunette to whom he lost his virginity in high school. She was there with her fiance, Scott, showing off the brand new engagement ring he’d given to her only a few weeks earlier. The three of them reminisced for a few minutes until Tyler somehow realized I hadn’t finished my first drink. He sat me down at a small empty table and went to the bar to get me another one.

  When he left me alone, Amber and Scott came over. She sat down beside me and folded her hands together on top of the table. Scott, a tall, husky guy with a shaved head, stood behind her, massaging her shoulders.

  “Susie,” Amber said, “I just have to tell you, he looks happier than anybody’s seen him in a long time.”

  If I had a dollar for every time I heard that this week... “He’s drunk,” I said.

  She laughed. “No. It’s more than that. I saw his mom at the grocery store the other day. She told me all about you.” She put her hand on my arm. Scott took a seat across the table. “Look, I know you haven’t known him very long, but you’ve got yourself a really great guy.”

  Scott nodded. “Yeah. He’s the best.”

  “He’s finally starting to resemble the guy we used to know,” she said. “Everybody’s talking about it.”

  I sat up straight in my chair. “You think I have something to do with that?”

  Scott shrugged. “Something must’ve happened. Maybe he just needed to
leave town.”

  Amber let out a loud sigh. “Yeah. He needed to get out of here. That’s for sure." She gave Scott a brief look. “But anyway, Susie, I just wanted to tell you, I’ve known him since the eighth grade. I’ve seen him drunk, sober, everything in between. He’s really happy with you. It’s obvious."

  I swallowed. Every nerve in my body suddenly felt tight. I knew they had good intentions and were only trying to encourage me, but their high expectations were a little too high. Everywhere I turned, it seemed he had friends and relatives who were rooting for him. Nobody would tell me exactly what happened all those years when he lived at home after his dad died, but from their grim tones I knew it must have been worse than I thought. The very room I sat in was filled with people who genuinely wanted the best for his future, as if they had a personal stake in it. It was all quite touching. And at the same time, quite frightening.

  I tried not to show my anxiety. “Okay. Great. I’m glad he’s happy.” I forced a weak smile.

  She beamed. “Me too. He deserves it.”

  “So,” I said, “the three of you went to high school together? And you were dating Tyler back then?”

  They laughed and took each others’ hands as they told their story. I nodded and smiled to make it look like I was paying attention, but I really wasn’t. Their story started when they were in tenth grade, when she was with Tyler, who she now thought of in a brotherly way. The moment she said tenth grade, my mind wandered. I would have been in ninth grade. Their wholesome little story of football, school festivals, and missed chances sat in stark contrast to the story of what was going on in my life at the very same time.

  What would any of these people think of me if they knew who I really was? Tyler had a town full of people who cared about him. What was that like? I came from a town where I could probably never show my face again as long as I lived. I never got to say goodbye to my friends. Never got to pack a suitcase. The last words I ever heard my “dad" say were, “get her out of this house or I’ll beat her to death,” before my mom, in hysterics, called the State to take them up on their offer of placing me in foster care.

  I don’t belong here.

  I blinked and tried to wipe my eyes with a napkin, unnoticed, every time Scott and Amber gazed lovingly into each others’ eyes. When Tyler came to the table and sat down with my drink, the tears all rushed out at once.

  I stood up, using the napkin to cover both of my eyes. “I’m sorry. I need to go to the restroom.”

  Before anyone could respond, I bolted out of the room toward what I hoped was the direction of the bathroom. And thankfully, it was, and there was only one occupied stall. I ran inside the first empty one and started to sob before I could even close the door.

  After a few seconds, I swore I heard the other woman in the bathroom crying just as hard as I was. My own tears stopped with my growing concern for this stranger. I wiped my face with a fresh wad of toilet paper and opened the stall door.

  “You okay in there? Need any help?” I asked.

  The woman cried even harder, sniffling loudly. It sounded like she tried to choke out a response but it only led to more tears.

  “I’m just gonna wait here.” I dabbed my eyes.

  Moments later the door opened and the woman walked out. My mouth fell open when I saw who it was.

  “Crystal? I didn’t know it was you in there. Are you okay?"

  She shook her head, making a high-pitched wail as she cried.

  I looked behind me to make sure no one else was entering the bathroom, then gently pushed her to the wide handicapped stall and shut the door. I stood there and held her quivering body against mine. Whenever the bathroom door opened and other people came and went, I could tell she was trying to be quiet but the strangers didn’t stay long when they heard the sound of the woman sobbing.

  Finally, she calmed down enough to step back and catch her breath. She took some tissues out of her purse and vigorously rubbed her face. “I’m glad I have my makeup with me,” she said.

  “You alright? Is there anything I can do to help?”

  She took a deep, uneasy breath. “Yeah. Don’t tell anyone you saw me in here. Especially not Tyler.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Because it doesn’t have anything to do with him.”

  “Okay.” I nodded, hoping she could sense my sincerity.

  She looked at my shoulder. “I got some makeup on you. It’s not much though.”

  “No big deal. Look, my hair covers it up.”

  She grinned. “Thanks.”

  I followed her out of the stall to the sinks where I splashed cold water on my face and watched poor Crystal’s lip shake as she washed her eye makeup away with a paper towel and tried to reapply her lipstick.

  She stopped and looked over her shoulder at the door, then turned to me. “So what were you in here crying about?”

  I’d almost forgotten about it. “Just... stuff.”

  “Did Tyler make you cry? He can be a real ass when he’s drunk.”

  I smiled. “He does turn into a different guy. But no. I just...” I grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser due to the sudden reappearance of my tears.

  “What?” She turned to me and put a gentle hand on my shoulder. “You can tell me. I’m a nurse. I know how to keep it confidential.”

  I blotted my eyes. I felt like I had to say something or I might explode again outside that bathroom. “Tyler’s too good for me.”

  “Oh my God. Gag me.” She rolled her eyes and made a gagging sound.

  “I’m serious. There’s a lot he doesn’t know about me. All those people out there, like, have him up on a pedestal or something just for coming home to visit. I can’t even show my face in the town where I grew up.”

  She held up her hand. “Stop.” She looked in my eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “That boy isn’t perfect, Susie. Most of those people are only here because there’s not much else to do and they’ll use any excuse to go out and get shit-faced. Have they started karaoke yet?”

  “There’s karaoke here?”

  “Oh yeah. And Tyler always does it when he gets drunk. Barely remembers it later. But it’s really something to see.”

  “I thought he never left his room when he lived here?”

  “It was pretty rare but it happened often enough. A bunch of us usually had to drag him out.” She nodded. “And I was the one who got to drive him home and take care of him later.” She widened her eyes for emphasis. “Anyway, that’s probably why most of these people are here. For the show. You just wait.”

  “But everybody keeps fawning all over him like he’s the man of the hour.”

  “Well, of course. They’re as drunk as he is.”

  I almost laughed, but I thought of the conversation that made me cry. “But not Amber and Scott. They sat me down and Amber went on and on about what a great guy Tyler--”

  Her hand went up. “Spare me. Please.” Her voice changed to a mocking, grating tone. “Perfect little Amber. And her stupid, gaudy fake ring." She huffed. “That bitch needs to learn how to stay out of other people’s business.”

  “Okay.” I had no way of knowing how accurate Crystal’s perspective was but it sure made me feel better.

  She cleared her throat. “But anyway, look, Tyler was a lot different back in high school. Trust me, he’s not perfect.”

  “But you had a crush on him.”

  “Yes. Everyone did. Because he was cute and popular. He could have any girl he wanted and he knew it.” She shrugged half-heartedly. “He broke up with Amber for one of the other cheerleaders. And then he broke up with that girl for someone else. And on it went. I have it on good authority that he broke up with Jasmine Honeycutt because she wouldn’t suck his dick.”

  “No! He did that?”

  “Yep. And it wasn’t really that she wouldn’t. She just couldn’t. He was too big to fit inside her miniature, whiny mouth.”

  I laughed, hard.

  “Oh,” she
touched my arm, “I just remembered something. This guy, one of his dumb jock friends. Brian Herndon.” She let out an annoyed sigh. “Back in high school, Brian learned to play the guitar and all these girls started falling all over him the summer between eleventh and twelfth grade. Well, apparently, J.T. couldn’t have that. So--and Aaron confirmed this for me years later--twice a week the month before school started, even in the evenings after he had football practice all day, he drove a half hour each way to some distant cousin of theirs who taught him how to play the guitar just so he could compete with Brian for no good reason. As if he didn’t already have enough girls kissing his ass.”