Chapter Four: Stays the Same
Oh, I know
That things are gonna change
The only thing that's certain
Is that nothing stays the same...
-Vertical Horizon
Pounding…AJ's head was pounding. This was
the first time in months, maybe even years, that he'd woken up to
a headache this splitting. He couldn't recall ever feeling so
groggy.
He opened his eyes slowly as he tried to remember where he was.
After blinking three or four times and letting his vision adjust
to the morning light, he realized that he was sprawled out on the
couch in his downstairs living room.
Oh yeah…Couldn't make it up the stairs to the bedroom
last night. Oops. He rubbed the sleep from his tired eyes
and yawned once or twice. With the other hand he massaged his
forehead, hoping that the aching pain would subside. He lay in
that position for several minutes and tried to remember exactly
how much he'd had to drink the night before. Luckily, he did
recall that he didn't do anything regrettable with that girl he'd
been dancing with.
"Thank god," AJ muttered to himself. "That's the
last thing I need." He felt like an ass when he realized
that he didn't even know her name. However, he glanced down and
saw to his surprise that she had written her phone number on the
inside of his forearm in purple permanent marker.
Shit. Now I have to wear long sleeves today. And it's hot out
too. He slowly swung his feet over the edge of the couch and
planted them on the floor, pulling himself upright with his arms.
AJ sighed. He really, really hated hangovers.
He got up and started to trudge upstairs, toward his bedroom and
bathroom. He was moving so slowly this morning, probably an
after-effect of the alcohol. He felt like everything was in slow
motion, like he was trying unsuccessfully to walk through Jello.
Halfway up the stairs, he happened to glance over his right
shoulder at the clock on the wall. A jolt of panic ran through
him as he saw what time it was.
Oh my god! I was supposed to
be in the studio a half hour ago!
He bolted as fast as he could up the remainder of the flight of
stairs, shedding his clothing one piece at a time as he went,
leaving the discarded articles scattered on the floor. He
showered and dressed in record time, and decided not to shave.
The other guys could stand to see him in scruffy mode for a
day…it was probably the wisest thing just to get to the
studio as fast as possible.
AJ ran into the kitchen and got himself some orange juice and a
piece of cold pizza from the refrigerator. He could eat breakfast
in the car. Finally, he left the house, already forty-five
minutes late. He could make it there in fifteen more minutes if
he did some "creative driving," as he liked to call it.
That was only an hour late…not bad. Maybe Brian or Nick
would be even later than he was.
While nearly causing several accidents, AJ took some time to
contemplate the events of the previous night. More specifically,
to think about the girl he'd met…the one whose phone number
was written on his arm in that hideous purple color. He decided
that he liked her, and that he was attracted to her, but when he
tried to focus in on what, specifically, he really
felt
for her…all he found was a big empty spot inside. A hollow
feeling. But he didn't care.
Maybe I should try to get to know her a little better before
I make any hasty decisions about feelings and other stupid little
details like that, he thought.
Hell, maybe after I sleep
with her once or twice I'll be able to make up my mind.
AJ sighed as he pulled into the studio parking lot. He closed his
eyes for a brief second as he realized…he was never going to
change.
"Okay guys, today we're discussing Walt Whitman's 'Song of
Myself.' I trust that you've all read the poem - all fifty pages
of it - and are prepared for the topic at hand: Whitman's
expansionism. Does anyone have any initial comments to start us
off?…"
Gwen sat in class, listening to the words coming from her
professor's mouth, but not really hearing or absorbing them. She
was extremely bored and very, very tired. She just couldn't stop
her eyes from nodding shut, and she made a mental note to herself
never to go out on a night when she had classes to go to
early the next morning.
I mean, it was fun enough, but not worth the way I'm feeling
right now, she inwardly decided. At least she'd been smart
enough not to drink anything…She would be feeling about ten
times worse right now with a hangover.
She smiled as she replayed in her imagination the fun she'd had
with Corrina…dancing and chatting, catching up on old times.
The two of them could talk about anything, and the fact that they
hadn't seen each other in almost three weeks helped. Corrina was
attending college at the University of Florida and spent most of
her time on or near its campus in Gainesville. Her family lived
in Tampa, however, and she'd even grown up living next door to
Gwen. That explained their extremely close friendship, and the
fact that they acted practically like sisters.
Luckily, Corrina was in town for the weekend and had been able to
make it to the club. Gwen let the events of the night before roll
through her mind…She remembered that she and Corrina had
been sitting in the booth talking, when Corrina noticed that Gwen
looked a little distracted.
"Yo chica, what's up?" she'd asked when she saw Gwen's
eyes wandering.
Gwen motioned with her head toward the dance floor. "You see
Adrienne's conquest of the evening?"
"Ooh, a new one?" Corrina grinned evilly.
"Yeah. She just picked him up a few songs ago."
Corrina turned around in her seat and searched the club with her
eyes until she found them - Adrienne and a guy with way too many
tattoos (in her opinion) were pressed up against each other,
dancing seductively. "Wow. That's really fast. I can't
believe her! Every time we go out, it's a new guy. I wonder how
long this one'll last?"
Gwen made a slight snorting noise. "I don't know, girl. They
already seem really…um…into it."
"Not surprising. Adrienne has that effect on men. I wouldn't
be worried, though - it's only temporary." She giggled
mock-innocently, but stopped abruptly when she saw the cloud of
doubt hovering in Gwen's dark eyes, her eyebrows knitted together
in intense thought. "Oh my god, Gwen!" she said slowly,
teasingly. "You totally have the hots for that guy!"
Gwen only shot an evil glare at Corrina, who erupted in giggles
across the table. "No way, Corrina. You are
so full
of shit!" However, she soon caught her friend's infectious
laughter and started to giggle as well. Before long, the two
girls were laughing hysterically, nearly to the point of wiping
away tears.
"Corr, babe, that guy is way more Adrienne's type than mine.
Besides, who needs boys? Don't have time for 'em, and they're
nothing but trouble, eh?"
"Yeah, whatever you say," Corrina responded with a
smirk, but a knowing look remained in her eye and struck Gwen's
attention. She'd brushed it off, marked it up to Corrina's
enthusiasm for teasing her about anything, especially her
non-existent love life. But maybe…she just didn't know.
She glanced up at the clock to find that her class was almost
over. She began to gather her things together in order to pack
them away. Glancing down at her notebook, she saw that she'd been
doodling for the past hour.
What a waste of time! I should
have been paying attention…not daydreaming.
But it was Friday, and this was the only class of the day - so
she decided that she would go back to the dorm, sleep for a few
hours, and then do…something. There was no rowing practice,
so she was free all afternoon and all night. She'd call up
Corrina, Lara, anybody. As long as it might keep her mind off
of…other things.