Chapter 4 I get knocked down! But I get up again!

Iziah; 3 months earlier

Sometimes I forget how much a fucking flesh wound fucking hurts. It was my usual ritual, blow off steam from my stress by picking fights. This time however I had come out the loser, fucking prick stabbed me in the fucking arm, so I knocked his ass down with a fucking pool cue and stumbled to my sister's boat, she would know how to take care of me, she always had. Neither of us were fans of fucking hospitals so if we could avoid it we fucking did.

Raven as always was reading over some file waiting for me to show up, like I said its a usual fucking routine for us. Flesh wound or not I was still losing blood and I was starting to get fucking dizzy. I pulled open her door and rushed in, calling her name. Rae caught me just before I fell, she sat me down on the built in couch and looked at my arm. Thankfully I didn't need fucking stitches and Raven was able to stabalize the wound. Raven cleaned off the blood, thankfully I wasn't feeling dizzy anymore so she could say the thoughts in her head.

"You need a better way to relieve stress Iz" I knew how she blew off steam, every now and then she would go and pick up a one nighter, I wouldn't judge her methods, it just wasn't something I did. So she had the random sex and I tried to hurt people. Seems like a great idea but apparently not.

"I like pickin fights Rae"

"And your record is actually pretty good but one of these days you're gonna come here and I won't be able to help. Am I not allowed to worry about my twin?"

I stroke her cheek gently, she (and Jamie) were the only ones who got any kind of human emotion from me, "Don't ever stop Rae"

"I can't stop you Iziah, but maybe pickin fights isn't the best way to forget" Now we had gone from stress relief to my past with an abusive asshole, I'm so fucking glad that prick is dead and yes I litterly danced on his grave. I took dancing lessons just so I could. As always I found a way to win.

"What do you suggest Rae?"

Raven didn't say anything, because she knew that whatever she said I would dismiss. She merely finished cleaning my wound and gave me some pain relief.

I slept off my pain in the spare room of her boat, knowing that as fucking always she was right, what I was doing right now was gonna end badly eventually. So I decided to try different paths of getting rid of my fucking stress.

And now back to the present;

Despite my misgivings I did find something that helped with my stress, online trivia. It was more fun than I thought, that was how I met my friend AJ, we started talking through the net and then started texting through the hello-phone (as Rae would call it) and now before I knew it we made plans to actually meet. Which made me fucking nervous, I had no fucking idea how to handle this path I had chosen, Rae had given as much advice as she could but I couldn't exactly bring her with me to meet him. So after I teased her about her new boyfriend which she denied heavily I got ready to meet my new friend. I actually put in some effort, I brushed my hair and put on clothing that wasn't stained with blood and even put some make up on. That took two fucking hours, I had never bothered with make up before but I decided maybe some effort would help.

We had decided on a small cafe not far from my work, I tried to stop my hands from shaking but suddenly I had no fucking control over that. I let the lady lead me to a table, I sat down and even decided that water was my best choice for a drink. I sat there like a fucking idiot for twenty minutes, I swear people were fucking looking at me and making snide fucking comments. I tried calling but it went straight to voice mail, not a good fucking sign. So I decided not to waste my time and sent him a simple text.

At least be man enough to tell me that you're not coming cause I refuse to sit here and look like an idiot so just tell me are you coming or not?

no

Well that was fucking simple, it hurt I admit but that was the way it went so I got up and let and knew exactly where I was going. I went straight to the Bleeding Bull and ordered shots, if I couldn't meet a new friend I would get drunk and pick more fights. So far that was my only passtime that hadn't let me down.

I love when you get so drunk and fighty that you wind up with missing time periods, like I could remember going to the bar, I remembered getting lots of shots and picking a fight, then for some reason I was at a hospital which I didn't like. I found out that the barman at the bar called an ambulance for me. I was still drunk off my ass so I decided to just let it be, Raven would get here eventually. That was how I found myself in a room having my arm set, I was sharing apparently with a guy I'm sure I knew but couldn't quite place. I wasn't even sure he was real I was that drunk.

"Nursey can you call my sister I would like to leave now" I said as pleasantly as I could muster, I even stopped swearing, yes I know I swear alot. She didn't say anything, she just finished with my arm and left me alone with the random fat-looking guy next to me. Cause thats a great fucking idea. For a moment I just looked him over for a moment, he was a round yet muscular looking guy with curly-ish black hair and some light stubble on his face. When I realised that the nurse hadn't called Rae I decided to do it myself.

"Hey Iziah, whats up?"

"I'm very drunk and in hospital, so yeah can you come and get me pleasey?"

"How did you end up in hospital?"

"Lets see, went to meet a friend, got stood up and then I decided to go get drunk and pick fights and now I'm sittin in hospital with a broken arm and some bruised ribs, and the fat guy I'm sharing a room with is staring at me, I'm pretty sure he's not even real so theres that"

Raven just hung up on me, I don't know how much she even heard. I think she heard the word hospital and just rushed to get here. I'm hoping so cause the guy was still looking at me, only now he had a smirk on his round face. I must be fucking drunk cause he actually had a nice smile, it made his green eyes light up like Xmas tree lights.

"You realise that I am real right?"

I waved it aside clearly not believing him "I'll wait til the judge gets here to verify that thank you very muchly Mr Man"

Then he started laughing, if I wasn't in so much pain and seeing double of everything, I would've thrown something at him. Before I could Raven walked in looking relieved that I wasn't in worse shape. I was just happy I could go home.

"What happened?"

"Told you, went to meet a friend, he stood me up and said he wasn't coming so I decided to go and get drunk and pick some bar fights. I was fine right up until I hit the bar and broke my arm."

"And the imaginary guy?" Raven asked looking at me strangely.

I waved to the guy in the next bed, "He's not real so you can call him all sorts of names, I have been"

"He's real Izzy"

I just looked at him, still swearing that I knew him from somewheres but who knows in my state. "I would say sorry but we all knows that would be a lie"

I looked back to my sister, "Rae can we go home now?"

She sat on the edge of my bed, "Well there's good news and bad news"

"I hate it when you say that"

"The good news is you can come home...in three days"

"Oh come on! Are you sayin that I have to spend three days in this room with an imaginary guy just because I broke an arm"

"According to the nurse you were smacked in the head with a glass so they want to moniter you. Three days Iz and I give you my word that the next time I have a major wound I'll spend three days in the hospital"

"Promise?"

"I give you my word" She got up and kissed my temple "Is there anythin you need right now?"

I laid back on the bed, my drunk was wearing off and I just wanted to sleep. "Nah but just to clarify, that fat guy is real right?"

"Yes I'm real" He got out again rather patiently if I was honest.

I sorted things with Rae and the Dr confirmed that I would be here for three days, is it weird that the consilation prize was the fat guy was stuck with me for three days.

For a moment we just laid in silence, I was trying like hell to figure out why exactly I was asked to meet just for him to stand me up. This is why I don't like people.

"Did you really pick a fight cause a guy stood you up?" He asked breaking the great silence we had agreed on.

"Pretty much, first I got drunk then I picked a fight"

He let out a low whistle, "Most people would go home and cry"

"I'm not most people"

"Clearly"

Another silence followed and for a moment I thought I could go to sleep but he opened his mouth again.

"What's your name?"

I opened an eye to find him staring at me thoughtfully so I decided that the faster I answered the question the faster he would shut his face-hole.

"Iziah, or Izzy"

"Joe"

"I'm still pretty sure you're not real" I settled into the bed and closed my eyes again, Joe said nothing else which helped. I needed to get sober because right now I'm thinking that the only good thing about tonight was meeting Joe. See, far too drunk for my own good.