Twenty-Six
twenty-six
PAYPHONE - MAROON 5 FEAT. WHIZ KHALIFA
OWEN - JUNE 17, 2013
A s I walk through the front door, I kick off my boots and drop my keys onto the table, the clink of metal echoing through the apartment like a dull reminder of how empty the place feels without Barrett here. The day has been long—too long—and all I can think about is a hot shower to wash away the grime, followed by a cold beer. I pat my pockets, expecting to find my phone, but come up empty.
"Damn it," I mutter, my mind already spinning. I check the counter where I usually toss it, then my tool bag, even though I’ve never put it there before. No luck. My phone is missing, and the knot in my stomach tightens as I realize I probably left it at the hospital. We spent the day chasing down steam leaks all over the place, and who knows where it could’ve fallen.
I head downstairs to my mom’s apartment, hoping she’s home. A sinking feeling settles in when there’s no answer at her door. The frustration I’ve been holding in all day bubbles up, and I scribble a note asking to borrow her phone when she gets back. "I’ll just deal with it tomorrow," I tell myself, but the nagging thoughts won’t quit.
I send Sabrina an email from my laptop, explaining the situation as best I can, feeling the frustration mount. No phone until payday means she’ll have to get a hold of my mom if she or Barrett need anything. It’s a small issue, but it eats at me.
The next morning, my mom knocks at my door, concern written across her face as she hands me her phone. “Everything okay, Owen?” she asks, her worry tugging at the edges of her voice.
“Yeah, just lost my phone at work,” I say, trying to act like I’m not as bothered as I am. “I need to check in with Sabrina.”
After calling to let her know what’s going on, I hand the phone back. The drive to the hospital is silent, the usual light banter between Mom and me replaced by the heavy weight of losing pictures that are irreplaceable–two years of pictures of Barrett, precious moments I hadn’t thought to back up.
The hospital offers no solution either. I scour every corner, check the lost and found, even leave a note in the staff room. Nothing. It’s like the damn thing vanished. Running into Karissa in the cafeteria only adds salt to the wound when she makes a snide comment about me apparently ghosting her. After I explain the situation, she apologizes, but I can see the disappointment in her eyes.
The worst part, though, is Callie. Without my phone, I’ve lost the only way to contact her. I didn’t even think to get her last name before she deleted her FlameFinder profile. Her absence bothers me in ways I didn’t expect. It’s only been a few days, but I already miss the easy conversation, her laugh, and the way she seemed to make everything feel lighter.
By Friday, I’ve saved enough for a new phone. The excitement of getting it quickly fades when I realize none of my old text messages come through. It's like I’m starting my life over without half of it. I input the phone numbers I can remember—Mom, Dad, Sabrina, Will. As I pull out the napkin with Karissa’s number, I feel a twinge of guilt. I’ve been seeing her, but my thoughts are still stuck on Callie.
Even though Karissa’s right here, physically present, something about this feels like I’m settling. The realization hits hard—Callie’s not even an option anymore, and I missed my chance.
Sabrina and Mom try to help by sending me pictures of Barrett from their phones, but it’s not the same. Those aren’t my moments. They’re not the memories I had captured—the ones that meant something to me. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, knowing they’re gone for good.
That evening, Karissa suggests a camping trip with her friends. The idea of getting away—unplugging from everything—sounds like a perfect escape. Maybe I need this. Maybe I need to throw myself into something else and let go of the things I can’t control.
The drive out to the campsite is filled with the excited chatter of Karissa and her friends, the anticipation of a weekend in the great outdoors making the miles fly by. When we finally arrive, the beauty of the place takes my breath away. The campsite is nestled in a clearing surrounded by tall pine trees, their needles forming a soft carpet underfoot. The air is crisp and clean, and I feel a sense of peace that has been missing for a while.
Karissa’s group of friends is large and lively, making the campsite buzz with energy. There’s Josh and his girlfriend, Emily, who are inseparable and always seem to be laughing at some inside joke. Tyler and Bayleigh are the on-again, off-again couple who seem to thrive on the drama of their relationship. Then there’s Jenna, who’s single and more interested in her phone than the people around her. Rounding out the group are Nate and Derek. Derek’s laid back attitude makes him easy to get along with but I have a feeling Nate is a different story. He’s the kind of guy who seems to think he’s the life of the party, but his constant side-glances at Karissa and his smug grin start to rub me the wrong way.
At first, all is well. Karissa is in high spirits, laughing and joking with her friends as we pass around beer and roast marshmallows over the fire. The light from the flames dances in her eyes, and for a moment, I start to believe that maybe this could work. Maybe I can let go of the past and focus on what’s right in front of me.
We spend the evening swapping stories and laughing as the flames flicker and crackle in the darkness. Josh and Emily are cuddled up together, whispering and giggling, while Tyler and Bayleigh are deep in some sort of trivial debate about whether it’s pronounced “s’mores” or “schmores.” Bayleigh’s insistence on the latter has Tyler in stitches, and their playful bickering adds to the lighthearted mood.
Jenna sits on the edge of the circle, scrolling through her phone, occasionally chiming in with a sarcastic comment that makes everyone laugh. At one point, she looks up and deadpans, “So, who’s ready for a frolic in the woods?” There’s a pause before everyone bursts out laughing, especially when she follows up with, “Seriously, though, I’m staying in the tent after dark. You guys can get eaten by bears or ghosts or serial killers or whatever.”
Derek shakes his head with a chuckle, “No bears, Jenna. Just mosquitoes. Lots and lots of mosquitoes.”
“Probably a good chance you can get eaten by a mountain lion though,” Nate adds with a nasty grin. He has positioned himself on the other side of Karissa, and I can’t help but notice the way he keeps eyeing her, especially when she laughs a little too loudly at one of his jokes. He’s one of those guys with a face you just want to punch. Nate is also one of those guys who seems to think that every woman is interested in him, and his overconfidence is starting to grate on my nerves. I find myself exchanging looks with Josh, who seems to be on the same wavelength as me.
We both get up and walk over to the table where we have food and mixers set out. “Do you think he practices that smirk in the mirror?” I whisper to Josh, nodding toward Nate, who’s now showing off some “hilarious” video on his phone that’s clearly not that funny.
Josh snorts into his beer, barely containing his laughter. “Oh, for sure. Probably spends hours perfecting it. And that hair…it’s like he’s in a constant shampoo commercial.”
I chuckle, feeling a little better knowing I’m not the only one who finds Nate’s antics a bit much. “Guess I don’t have to worry about that,” I say, removing my Chicago Bears hat and running my hand over my head that is clean-shaven. “But if he flips his hair one more time, I’m going to start calling him Bieber.”
As the night wears on, I start to notice Karissa getting more and more drunk. She’s taking shots with Tyler, who seems determined to outdo her, but Bayleigh and Emily exchange knowing glances, as if they’ve seen this all before. Josh tries to suggest that they all slow down, but his words fall on deaf ears.
“Karissa, maybe you should pace yourself,” Josh says, his tone carrying a note of concern.
She just laughs, waving him off as she takes another shot. “I’m fine, Josh! Just having fun with my friends and my new boyfriend!” Her last sentence is followed by a hiccup that sounds more painful than funny, and Josh raises an eyebrow at me as if to say, “Good luck with that.”
Nate, still watching Karissa with a bit too much interest, chimes in, “Yeah, Karissa’s just here to have a good time. You don’t have to babysit her, man.” He winks at her, and I feel my jaw tighten.
Josh must sense my irritation because he quickly changes the subject, leaning over to me and saying, “You know, I hear there’s a fishing spot nearby. Maybe we should check it out tomorrow before Nate tries to show us all up with his expert skills.”
I laugh, grateful for the distraction. “Yeah, let’s do that. Maybe we’ll actually catch something… other than a headache.”
Bayleigh suddenly jumps up, declaring it’s time to go skinny-dipping before taking off running toward the lake, stripping off her clothes and throwing them behind her as she does and Tyler runs behind her picking them all up so she doesn’t lose anything while also trying to take his own clothes off to follow suit. Josh looks at Emily who gives him a wink before taking off running behind her friend.
He turns to me with a sympathetic look and I can’t help but laugh, understanding that he doesn’t want to be rude by bailing on me mid-conversation but also that his girlfriend just ran off with the intention of getting naked and jumping in the lake. Derek asks Jenna if she wants to join him, but she is still glued to her phone. She finally looks up and declines the invitation with a quick shake of her head, staying behind while everyone else heads toward the water.
Nate seems to look at Karissa, contemplating making a pass at her right in front of me, but he decides against it. Likely only because we can all see how trashed she is. I watch them disappear into the darkness, leaving me alone with Karissa, who is anything but fine and Jenna, who is oblivious to the world around her.
Karissa stumbles over to me and hangs her arms around my neck. Her breath reeks of alcohol as she tries to kiss me and convince me that I should sleep with her, her words sloppy and insistent. I do my best to gently refuse her advances.
Her drunken cheer has turned to woozy confusion, and before I know it, she’s stumbling toward the edge of the campsite, heaving up everything she drank. I’m right behind her, holding her hair back and trying to keep her from falling over. The smell of vomit and alcohol hangs heavy in the air, a stark contrast to the clean, pine-scented breeze I enjoyed when we first got here.
“Karissa, I think it’s time to call it a night,” I say, trying to keep my tone calm even as my frustration grows. “Let’s get you back to the tent.”
She gives me a sloppy smile and leans heavily against me, muttering something incoherent about how much she loves me for taking care of her. It’s then that I notice Nate must have decided to come back to the campsite after not having a woman to skinny-dip with. I catch his smirk out of the corner of my eye, but I’m too focused on getting Karissa to a safe spot to care about whatever he’s thinking.
After what feels like an eternity, I get her settled in the tent, where she mumbles incoherently before finally passing out. I sit outside for a while, staring into the dying embers of the campfire, trying to process the night’s events. The distant laughter of the others echoes back from the lake, but I’m too exhausted to care. As Josh and Emily come back, he wanders over and takes a seat next to me, offering a sympathetic smile.
“Rough night, huh? ”
I nod, letting out a long breath. “Yeah. This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when she invited me out here.”
Josh claps me on the shoulder. “Welcome to the club, man. But hey, at least we’ve got fishing tomorrow, right? Just us, the water, and no Nate.”
I chuckle, feeling a bit of the tension ease. “Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”
After heading back to the tent and discovering Karissa passed on top of both of our sleeping bags, I opt to grab some extra blankets from the truck and sleep in my truckbed instead. Looking up at the stars, I can’t help but think about Callie. If she were here, she’d probably laugh at the absurdity of it all, making some smartass comment that would take the edge off my frustration. But she’s not here, and I have to face the fact that I’m in this mess alone.
The next morning, Josh and I escape for the fishing trip we’ve joked about. The air is crisp, the kind of fresh morning air that makes you feel like you’re getting a new start. The sun is just starting to break through the morning mist as we head down to the lake, its golden light filtering through the trees and casting long shadows on the ground. The peacefulness of the scene is a stark contrast to the messiness of the night before.
We find a quiet spot along the bank, the river gently flowing by, its surface sparkling under the early morning sun. I take a deep breath, the calm of the moment sinking in. As we cast our lines into the water, the rhythmic sound of the reels and the occasional splash as the lures hit the surface create a soothing background to our thoughts.
After a while, Josh starts talking, his voice low and thoughtful, almost as if he’s been waiting for the right moment to speak.
“Karissa’s not usually like that, by the way,” he says, glancing over at me, his brow furrowed. “She’s been through some stuff. Her ex was… well, he was a real piece of work. Wouldn’t let her hang out with us, kept her on a short leash. When they broke up, it was like she just wanted to let loose, you know? Make up for lost time.”
I nod, feeling a bit more sympathy for her, a tightness in my chest that wasn’t there before. “That explains a lot. I wondered if there was something more to it.”
Josh casts his line out again, the water rippling where it lands. “Yeah,” he says, staring out at the river. “She’s a good person, but sometimes she goes a little overboard. I think she’s just trying to find herself again.”
I don’t know what to say to that, so I just focus on the water, watching the ripples as they move downstream, feeling a heavy weight settle over me. Josh’s words stick with me, though, making me see Karissa in a different light. Maybe she’s not just a party girl. Maybe there’s more to her story than I realized, and that realization makes me feel a mix of emotions. I'm not quite sure how to process–empathy, frustration, and a strange kind of guilt because maybe I judged her too quickly when we are still getting to know each other.
When we get back to the campsite around noon, Karissa is acting strange. The lively, confident woman I’ve gotten to know seems to have shrunk into herself, her shoulders hunched as she stares at the ground. She’s quiet, avoiding eye contact, and there’s a kind of heaviness about her like she’s carrying something she doesn’t know how to put down. I assume she’s just hungover and feeling guilty about how she acted the night before. The way her eyes dart away when I try to talk to her, the nervous way she fiddles with the hem of her shirt, it all makes me feel like there’s something she’s not telling me… maybe because she’s just not ready to. I don’t push it, figuring she needs space to process whatever’s happening in her head.
The rest of the day is uneventful, filled with mundane tasks of packing up and heading back home. As we drive, the silence between us is thick, uncomfortable. Karissa is still distant, her gaze fixed out the window, lost in thought. I try to shrug it off, telling myself that she just needs time to sort through her emotions… and probably her hangover.