It's About Time

Are You Drunk?

                For the rest of the week, Grayson pretended that the dinner hadn’t happened.  Natalie assumed that he was embarrassed, but aside from the awkward glances and occasional stuttering, he pretended it didn’t happen and everything went about as normal.  Until Friday.

Natalie was dressed and ready Friday morning, pacing the living room as she waited for Grayson. He had always been obnoxiously punctual, occasionally not even letting Natalie in the car until the clock was reading the time they had agreed to meet.  But today he was ten minutes late.  And then fifteen.  And then twenty.  

        Finally, with only ten minutes left to make it to school on time, Natalie grabbed her keys and took her own car.  She pulled into the student lot, scanning the rows of BMWs and Audis, looking for Grayson’s shiny black jeep.  She didn’t see it.

        She spent her whole day waiting for him to show up out of nowhere and annoy the shit out of her.  He wasn’t in English, leaving his seat and Natalie, feeling empty.  He wasn’t at lunch either, his table sitting empty in the middle of the cafeteria.  Natalie tried to not to focus on it too much as she chatted with the girls at lunch, but her eyes kept traveling back to the empty seat.  

When she didn’t see Grayson’s car in the lot after school, Natalie started to worry. It wasn’t necessarily that Grayson wasn’t at school that had her worried.  She obviously knew that people missed school sometimes, but he hadn’t called to tell her to find a ride and he hadn’t answered his phone when she had tried to call him.    That’s what worried her most.  Grayson always answered his phone.  Always.  This sudden radio silence was deafening.

Heading home, Natalie realized that she had no homework tonight and that her mom was going to some office party and wouldn’t be back until late, leaving Natalie alone and free.  She sighed in relief, finally having some free time for herself.  As she lugged her backpack up to the front door through the brisk February air, she tried to push thoughts of Grayson to the back of her mind.  

He was a big boy and he could take care of himself.  He didn’t need Natalie’s constant worry.  She tried to remember that as she lounged around the couch, watching Tv.  She had ordered a pizza for dinner, not feeling like cooking for just herself, and just took some time to relax.  

When she was pretty sure her brain was going to turn mush, she turned off the TV and picked up her worn copy of Harry Potter.  It was only 9:42 and she knew she would probably be up until past midnight.  She had an awful sleeping habit of staying up way later than she should and then complaining about feeling tired and sluggish the next day.  

It was a habit she really needed to kick.  

Just as Natalie got settled into the couch with her book, she heard the doorbell chime. Setting the book down, she quickly slid off the couch and padded to the front door, swinging it open to reveal a wobbly Grayson.  Startled by the swinging door, he staggered backwards before regaining his balance.  Natalie looked him over quickly, noticing his red, bloodshot eyes and the way that he seemed to sway on his feet.  

“Are you drunk?” she gasped.

“Maybe a bit”, he slurred, still swaying.