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Falling Bricks


3:49

That is the first thing that she saw when she woke up, seeing the digital numbers that did not belong to her bedside clock. She tried to remember what had happened the night before, but an uncalled for pain throbbed at her head and palms when she tried to remember past the bottle of vodka that he had brought up last night saying something about a going away for college celebration.

She blinked furiously a few times, but she was still sore to try and move, but she then remembered that she had to get to her room. What would they say if they found her here, wearing more jewelry than clothes? For her watch and earrings were still on. She noticed a limp arm besides her back and turned her head carefully. The posters of some bands could be seen behind a fuzz of unruly brown hair. She moved carefully, after making sure by his even breathing assured that he was still asleep. She took in the room that up until a few months ago she hated to even see from a distance, it was still unkempt like a teenager's boy should be, clothes and books lying around.

After more than enough time, she is finally able to hover over the bed carefully, her clothes back on. She watches him sleep peacefully, he looks so different without his common smirk or smug expression on his face. One arm dangles by the wrist on the floor, his mouth half open and drooling into the pillow, without his attitude he looks almost cute. Now they wouldn't see each other again until the holidays, if they decide to come.

Turning to face the door, she rolls her eyes at the female figure with a barely there bikini. To think that both of them had had so many partners during high school, but had never ever but bickered with each other. She took a first careful step, and looking down saw the bottle that he had produced last night in clear view for whoever opens the door, that needs to be moved, and disposed off as soon as possible.

Walking in the unfamiliar territory she tiptoed. Why am I tiptoeing? She never did that before, she didn't even know she could, but as her body feels secure walking on the balls of her feet, she walks quickly and is turning the knob in less than a minute.

The door squeaks as she opens it. She had never noticed that before. Turning her head to be sure he still slept, she took in a deep breath. He was still. It squeaks again as she closes it, and after releasing the knob she sighs. How cliché, holding your breath while leaving a room in which you are leaving or escaping something behind. She ignores the nagging thoughts in her head and walks the hallway as if it were any other day that she had insomnia and had gone down for a glass of milk.

Once in the safety of her room, she curls in her bed, trying to make the headache go away. But she pushes past it, and gets up again. She shreds her clothes to the floor and seeks a pajama. She had never before left clothes lying around in her room, but there is a first time for everything. She goes to bed once more, but takes a pair of Tylenol from her bedside drawer and gulps them down without so much as thinking of water. Curling beneath the covers once more, she lets sleep engulf her.


10:36

His alarm clock has been ringing for six minutes, but he has mistaken the sound for a simple incessant and annoying buzz that wouldn't go away, until he opens his eyes. That only makes his hangover headache explode even more with the blow of light that he receives. He cleans his mouth with the back of his hand and ignores the spit stain on his pillow while stretching.

Realizing that he had been expected to wake up about two hours ago, which he gratefully had not. (He considered sleeping in the best hang over recipe.) Something important occurs today, but he couldn't exactly place what that is. Graduation had been a few months back, college interviews last month, and there no longer is a job to get to since he quit two weeks ago. What was it?

Throwing the covers off himself, a hand travels to his tussled hair. He notices he fell asleep without a boxer last night and looks around his floor for one. After locating one he throws it on and leaves the room quickly to use the bathroom.

His father greets him at the door. He blinks twice to indicate he had just woken up.

"It's about time" he says.

"What?" he half yawns.

"Airport, half an hour, be ready" he says, going down the hall to pick up a very full suitcase. OH, that is the important thing: Casey leaves for University of Toronto today.

He goes to the bathroom, firstly he needs to take one long piss. He sees himself in the mirror and decides to skip shaving, but his smell… Unwillingly he takes a quick, and cold, shower. In the same boxer that he had entered with he goes to his room again, he looks around his floor for a decent looking pair of jeans and a pair of socks. After rubbing the last of his sleep from his eyes he looks for the bottle responsible of this headache for proper disposal. He usually leaves it in plain sight, but he had to check under piles of magazines and his bed to find it. After deciding he must've chucked it out the window yesterday he took a clean shirt from his closet.

He reaches the kitchen and quickly finds his cereal and fishes out a bottle of milk. He serves himself more than enough and then seeks a spoon, in the time it takes him to find it and dunk in his first spoonful, he seesw his brother and sister standing in the doorway.

"Hey, are you not going?" Eddie asks, he looks at him.

"I am too going" he replies, they both raise their eyebrows.

"Hard to believe that when you're having breakfast with everyone in the car" his sister says.

"And at this hour" his brother adds. He gives them an unamused expression and drops the spoon, assuring his bowl that he will be back soon.

The car ride is boring, he listens to metal on the back of the van, besides the large suitcase as most everyone in the car listens to their own music, except the couple of adults. Marti goes moving her head from side to side to what he assumes could only be a recent pop song. Eddie has his earplugs on and his eyes hooked on his Nintendo. Lizzie has her iPod and is watching a music video or movie. He turns to Casey, with only one earpiece on and looking at the window as if it is the first time she passes these streets. He watches her deep in thought.

That was when it hit him: the sea of black regarding last night erases itself, what was nagging on his brain since he woke suddenly . He had convinced her that something as big as this (that they wouldn't be able to nag to each other in such a long time) called for a celebration. So he produced a bottle of vodka that they finished between the two of them. And what had happened before, the talking of all their weird ex'es and so much more that they were going to miss about high school. She was valedictorian, he graduated with her (and that was saying a lot)

If she has any bit of the headache that he was barely able to put up with, she is hiding it very well. Or maybe she is not, people had always said that women can withstand pain much more than men. He didn't look at her again, because the two times after another puzzle piece from last night hit him again. He averts his gaze and takes to watching Marti's bobbing head to distract himself.

Flashback. He rubs his temple, only to bring more thoughts that he shouldn't be remembering, he shudders and tries to sleep the rest of the way to the airport.


2:00

They are all by the gate door. She smiles at her mother that is already started crying. Hugs her sister and stepsister her goodbyes and ruffles Edwin's hair, but he was soon hugging her too. She faces Derek. He looks away for a few moments.

Brick, brick, and a few more. He couldn't stop the x-rated thoughts in his head. He sees her smiling her goodbyes to everyone. He knows better than to show some kind of affection, he didn't think that it help in a department that was growing increasingly uncomfortable.

She looks at him, plastering a smile on her face that feels awkward. She stops smiling and turns to everyone else. The big sunglasses that he is wearing does not hide the fact that he has a hang over to his parents, if anything, it makes it more obvious. But she keeps the thought to herself. But they did not even suspect about last night, if anything, they are being their usual bickering and obnoxious selves to each other.

"Well, I guess that's it!" she says with some finality to them.

Screw it, he thinks. I have to do this. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, she is not watching him. He steps forward and hugs her, he is going to miss her. His pride would not let him sat it out loud but he knows it.

She is startled, but holds him anyways. As she has done for the rest of the family. She is facing everybody else and smiles as if startled, though she partially is. But she loves the way he's holding her just now. He breathes into her ear and she knows he is about to whisper something she does not want to hear.

"Didn't know you could handle a hang over so well." He whispers to her. Her smile changes from plastered to real.

"You do realize the glasses just make it more obvious" she responds in kind, hoping his father is bad at lip reading. Her mom is still in tears and wouldn't notice.

"Shut up" he says and squeezes her a bit harder before letting go. He stands back and looks at her. He smiles cockily to her and she grins back.

"Good luck" he says, addressing her for the first time since last night.

"You too" she says, he was, after all, leaving tomorrow.

He smirks, she rolls her eyes. His eyes travel to her lips for a few seconds. She wets her bottom lip and smiles at the whole family.

She turns; passport and boarding pass in one hand, purse on the other. She leaves smiling broadly to herself.


9:17

All the memories came. There is no longer an empty space in his head for the events of last night. He could not blame the alcohol, for he remembers every bit. Now he even remembers how he had kissed and bit a piece of skin near her collarbone. He remembers how tight she felt. He remembers the way she smiled carelessly and laughed until she cried during their flood of memories from the last three years.

He had had sex with Casey, and he was not complaining.


Author's note: It's like a sad end, isn't it?

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