I got up before her, quickly cleaning myself up while the coffee pot dripped.
She awoke soon after me, and we groggily got our coffees together. She looked exhausted and I could hardly recall how we'd driven ourselves home last night.
After I filled my mug, I sat on the porch, smoking my cigarette and sipping on my coffee while Brooke cleaned herself up in the shower. Fifteen minutes later, I heard her moving around in the kitchen.
Time to talk.
We sat at her kitchen table, a raised cocktail seating for two. I'd made sure to get a refill. And she said I could smoke if I had to.
"Brooke, what the hell happened last night?"
"Uhm," she looked down at her coffee. "I don't know?"
Silence. Why wasn't she asking me anything? "You were with Gabriel the whole night?"
"Yes," she traced the rim of her mug.
More silence. I had to say it: "You already know what happened."
She looked up at me quickly, her eyes looking sad. "I'm sorry you're upset."
I had to process that. So... she was sorry that I was upset? Did she want this to happen? But what even happened? "I'm in the dark, Brooke, tell me what happened."
"Uh... I don't know where to start."
Where to start? How much could have possibly happened that short night? "How about you tell me about Jann."
"He's, well that's his house we were in."
"I know that, would you stop beatin' around the bush and just tell me what his deal is? How come he singled me out? How come you can't think straight when you look at him? Why is he such an asshole?"
Her face was incredulous yet amused. "He isn't their boss for no reason, hon. He is intimidating."
"But why does he hold you with his eyes like that?"
"You sound... smitten?"
"Absolutely not," I scowled, annoyed at her immaturity. "Be straight, Brooke, seriously. I don't care how crazy it sounds, just tell me."
"Jamie found you, you know."
I gave her a look. That's not what I asked. But she didn't get it.
"Jann won't allow him to go near you. But Jann left after midnight. I think Jamie was by your side the whole time."
Why didn't he just get you when he found me? I'm your friend, not his. But this is irrelevant information! But I kept my mouth shut.
Brooke went on, unperturbed. "I think he likes you. I knew he would. But I guess that's all pointless now, Jann already claimed you."
"Jann didn't claim nobody," I growled. "Sorry Brooke, but I'm never going back there again. I don't need this drama, and that whole place weirded me out, no offense. I don't want to see those people again, they really... gave me the creeps."
"Well it's... I was talking to Gabriel last night and you've been invited to come out with us this weekend."
I gave her a sidelong look. "I don't think that's happening. I don't want to. Besides, you promised."
She stared blankly at me, as if amazed that I would turn down such an offer. Was it that amazing? How wasn't she creeped out! "I need you to answer this as best you can. Please explain to me why I was laid out on the couch like that. I don't remember passing out."
"Jann showed you out?"
"He almost did."
"Jann was... enchanting you?"
"Is that what you call it? I'm really legitimately not enamored with the guy," I made sure she looked at me as I told her this. How wonderful it was to look at someone in the eye without fear of being hypnotized. Was I this scarred from last night that this thought even occurred to me?
"You know, that's funny you say that. Gabriel wasn't exactly my type of guy, either. But what does it matter?" Her eyes suddenly became dreamy and distant.
I snapped my fingers in her face, and she shook her head. "Get to the point," I growled.
"Uh, my point is, I think you have go this Saturday."
"That wasn't the point. What happened last night when I was passed out?"
"What did he do to you?"
Wasn't that what she was supposed to be telling me? "We stopped in the foyer, and I... accidentally looked at him, and he kissed my forehead. And... that... heavy feeling in my chest felt like it lifted, and then suddenly I'm waking up on the couch. That's all."
"You weren't happy?"
"You were there, dopey, did I look happy to you?"
"Oh yeah," her brows knitted as if she was trying hard to recall.
"What did Jamie tell you when he saw you?"
"Uh, he found you like this and not to tell Jann that he was sitting with you."
I suddenly became quite suspicious of this Jamie character, despite his innocent appearance.
"But really, you felt nothing?" Brooke insisted.
"Really," I stared flatly back at her. "Nothing at all. I was really annoyed, actually, that's all."
"You don't... feel anything for Jann? Or Jamie?"
"Why should I?"
Again, she scowled. "This is odd," she said quietly, more to herself it seemed.
"Brooke, I don't know these people! I can't put my finger on it, but I feel violated. I want to know what happened!"
"Then maybe you should ask them? Or Jann, actually? Yeah, you should ask him." She still appeared confused.
I narrowed my eyes at her. "And I suppose I wouldn't be able to do that until Saturday, right?"
"I..." she glanced down at her phone. "...I guess so."
I stared at her phone. I was ready to grab the device from her, but I controlled myself. She had to have all their numbers in there. But I held myself back. We may have been superficial friends back in high school, but I didn't truly know Brooke. She was open with me, but it was surface knowledge. She knew less of me than I of her. And I didn't know her that well, either. And furthermore, she wasn't aware that I had intentions toward that contact list on her cell.
"I need to go to class," Brooke said, suddenly breaking the silence.
"What?" She hadn't mentioned going to a class, but okay. This was her house, her life that I had intruded on. I immediately backed down, muttering an apology. I started to feel bad for interrogating her like this, but a quick glance at her told me she was hardly cognizant of my perceived offense.
I watched her get up and dump the remaining three quarters cup of coffee down the drain.
"Are you alright?" I asked her. This was the same demeanor she'd had when she came back yesterday.
"Yes, I'm fine."
Like a mindless ghost, she slipped away to her room. I remained at the kitchen table. I really didn't know what to make of any of this: the conversation, her behavior, I felt like I'd stepped into some weird society. Damn those people last night. This was her so-called crew? What a bunch of whackos!
I spent the remainder of the day looking through the things I'd brought up with me. By the time I heard her return after 3pm, I was still undecided upon how long to stay. I'd regressed into the reasons why I'd come up here in the first place. In getting away from all the personal demons in Jersey, I'd somehow stepped into the demons of another life.
