November 23 #3
“So is that why you threw yourself at me?” He shifted off the bed and stood up. “To experiment? A few nights ago you were so ready to spread your legs for me and invite me in, and because I said no, you’re just gonna go out and fuck someone else, offer the invitation to anyone who will accept it.”
Bob: Oh, snap! To make a virgin feel so cheap? That must’ve hurt. Ten points! He’s on a roll tonight. I’ve lost count of how many nails she has in her log. He’s just hammering in hole after hole.
Dan: That one got her good, Bob. A few more low blows like that and the Asshole of the Year Award is in the bag.
Another brain-drain twitch, but she didn’t dignify that with a response. Instead, she turned her back to him and began chucking her makeup back into her purse.
“Is that all I am to you?” he asked, moving to stand behind her. “A walking cock to fulfill number three on your list?”
She immediately spun around to face him and he finally got the reaction he was waiting for.
“Fuck you, Kevin! You don’t get to toss me aside like I mean nothing to you and then you still want to be special to me.
Fuck. You! As you pointed out before, you could be anyone.
So to answer your question, you mean nothing to me… and that’s what you wanted.”
Dan: Ohhhh! And a ruthless recovery by Jasmin. That one stung him to his core. You gotta love this girl.
Bob: He’s running out of options, Dan.
Dan: He’s still got a few more. Let’s see how option five pans out: flat-out desperation.
She pulled on a thick jacket and her scarf and started heading for the door, but he cut in front of her. “What are you trying to do, Jazz? Are you…are you trying to make me jealous?”
“J-jealous?” Her eyebrows creased as if it was the most absurd thing she’d ever heard. “Are you even listening to yourself? How could I possibly make you jealous? You don’t even want me. That’s what you said, right? You want a real woman, not a little girl.”
Bob: Ooh! Another brain-drain twitch.
Dan: Wait for it…Wait…for…it…Perky smile.
“Well, good chat, Kevin. See you in the morning.” She nudged past him and walked straight out the door.
Watching the door slam shut in front of him sent an unsettling ripple right through him. He’d pushed and pushed, making the distance between them grow bigger each time, and now she was completely out of his reach.
Bob: He never did use option six.
Dan: What was that again?
Bob: Begging. And he wanted to. He wanted to beg her to stay with every fiber of his being.
Dan: But he didn’t, Bob, because this asshole has too much pride for his own fucking good.
* * * * *
Jasmin walked out and slammed the door shut behind her.
Fucking hypocritical asshole! The nerve, the sheer audacity of him.
She didn’t even like Brad. She had no intention of sleeping with anyone, so the whole fight was unnecessary.
But the fact that he thought he could tell her what to do made her retaliate.
How dare he dictate to her when he’d done the same thing?
Who the hell did he think he was? After the way he treated her, he had no right to expect or demand anything from her.
He’d changed over the last few days, become an entirely different person. Something snapped inside him a few nights ago. Something was bugging him, hurting him, and she wanted to be empathetic, but how could she when he was such an asshole!
She was in no mood for a party now, but a part of her wanted to do exactly what he’d said. Go out and have a one-night stand just to spite him.
She saw Brad’s car pull into the open parking lot and forced a smile as she got in. “Hi.”
“Hi. You look…incredible,” he said with a shy grin.
“Thanks.”
She didn’t speak at all on the way there, but as they went up the long driveway to Tony’s parents’ house, she decided to stop being a sourpuss and enjoy herself.
It was a massive house and there were people everywhere.
Some chugging beer, others running around with their shirts off.
She was greeted by an overzealous Tony the second she entered the large living room.
He threw his arm over her shoulder, pulled her away from Brad and into the kitchen.
“Glad you could make it, dream girl,” he said, shoving an ice cold beer into her hand.
“Oh, so I’m your dream girl again?” she teased, twisting off the cap. “What happened to the brunette at the rodeo?”
He sighed dramatically. “Look, I’m gonna be frank with you. I’ve already been in a commercial and you don’t even have an album out yet, so until you reach the same level of fame, I have to keep my options open.”
She laughed. “I can respect that.”
“Okay,” he said, and quite expectedly slapped a kiss on her temple. “Drink, be merry. I’m hitting the dance floor.”
“He’s so strange,” Jasmin commented as she turned around to face Brad.
Brad chuckled. “I think you’re the only person who doesn’t take offense to him. You seem to just get him.” He leaned back against the counter. “So are you enjoying it here, or do you miss home?”
“There’s not really much to miss. I miss my cousins and as I told you before, I miss the weather…and, of course, the food, especially bunny chow. It was my favorite…I prefer to skin them myself, though, and the meat from the babies are so tender.”
His eyes widened with shock. “You kill and eat…baby bunnies?”
She giggled. He really didn’t get her sense of humor.
“I’m kidding, Brad. Bunny chow is a truly Indian South African treat.
It’s a quarter loaf of unsliced bread and you hollow out the middle so that it’s like a bowl made of bread, and you stuff it with curry, or whatever you want really, and then you shove that piece back on top. It’s quite a meal.”
He gave a sheepish smile. “You keep catching me with these weird jokes of yours. I don’t think I like them very much…but…” He was shy again. “I like you. It’s weird that you’re leaving tomorrow. I feel like I want to get to know you better…and now I won’t get a chance.”
It was strange to hear him say that so openly.
So not all boys were like Kevin. Some were really sweet, yet still Brad held no appeal for her.
What was wrong with her? She must have acquired a taste for assholes.
It was a little awkward, because she didn’t feel the same and couldn’t think of anything to say in response to that.
She nodded towards the living room. “Do you wanna dance?”
“Sure,” he said, following her out of the kitchen.
She found Megan and April dancing on the coffee table in the living room.
They were already wasted. Jasmin had another beer and Brad made strawberry daiquiris for everyone.
Megan gulped hers down in a few seconds, but Jasmin could only stomach half.
She didn’t like the taste. Though, despite the alcohol, she still found it impossible to loosen up.
She danced and talked and socialized with the new people she’d met, but the argument from earlier had her wound up pretty tight. So much for having fun.
She thought about asking Brad to take her back to the motel a few times, yet she couldn’t find the will to say the words. Back at the motel was a man who didn’t want anything to do with her and here there were people who actually seemed to enjoy her company.
April hopped off the table and came to stand beside her. “Are you okay?” she asked. “Seems like your mood has dipped since the rodeo.”
“I could be better.”
“Guy trouble.” She stated it like she knew it for a fact. “I know how you feel. I broke up with my boyfriend a week ago and I feel like shit.”
Jasmin gave half a smile. April knew exactly how she felt.
“Let’s ditch this party,” April suggested. “You wanna come over to my house? We’ll have a sleepover and eat donuts and hate on men all night. What do you say?”
Jasmin gave it some thought. She didn’t want to ditch Brad when he’d been so nice to her, but a sleepover and some girl time sounded so much more appealing. “When do we leave?”