Obsessive Love Disorder

13

October 2, 1996
Charlotte

It's... really fucking cold. 

I crack open one of my eyes, still blurry from sleep, and the first thing I see is the TV in my basement. The screen is rattling with static. 

The second thing I see is the spilled bowl of popcorn, kernels scattered on the carpet. Damn, that's going to be a pain to clean up.

The final thing I see is a shaggy blue blanket thrown over me, seemingly with care. My arms are stuffed underneath, feet tucked in. It's not extremely thick, which explains why I'm freezing. 

I sit up, the blanket falling over my lap, and I realize something. 

Oh... I'm not wearing anything. That also explains it. 

Rubbing my eyes, I start to put together some pieces. Right — last night, Billy was here. We were watching a movie, and then he kissed me, and then we...

Wait, where is Billy?

I suddenly realize just how alone I am. Billy's things are gone, almost like he was never here. My clothes, however, have been neatly stacked on the table next to the couch and my hair is patted down a bit, almost like someone tried to fix how messy it was. 

I stand up, wrap the blanket around myself, and slowly trudge upstairs. My head hurts a lot, almost like I was hungover. I know I'm not, it's probably because of how I was basically being manhandled last night. I smile a bit, recalling how I was thrown on the cushions. 

Then, my smile fades. I think it finally hits me that Billy isn't here. He didn't stay. He... just left.

Oh my God. 

My pace quickens up the stairs and into my room. Thankfully, Davey is still asleep, so I'm able to sneak into my room with no problem and throw on some random outfit. The entire time I get ready, I can't help but let my mind wander. Why didn't he stay? I thought things were going well... did I fuck up somehow?

Billy's got a reputation around Woodsboro for being the ladies' man who breaks hearts and sticks to himself and his friends. I can't believe I fucking forgot about that. I was so excited that he even wanted to be my friend, but...

He was playing me. He did play me. I fell for it. 

I catch my reflection in the mirror and see small marks dotting along my neck, reminders of what Billy did to me. I hastily pick up a stick of drugstore concealer and rub it over the hickeys, desperately trying to hide them. Going to school with hickeys is one thing, but going to school with hickeys given to me by someone who only wanted to have sex with me and then ditch? Yeah, that's humiliating. 

I can hear Davey start to stir next door as I brush my hair out and throw on some Chucks, half-jogging into the living room to make myself some breakfast. It's only now that I finally check the time. 

6:38

Christ, I'm going to be late for school. 

"Davey!" I call toward his room. His messy brown hair pops out of the frame, eyes drooping with sleep. "Get your shit together, we need to go now."

~~~

I don't know how I managed it, but somehow, I made it to school three minutes before the bell. Davey was lagging a bit at the start of our walk, but eventually, we started sprinting. After dropping him off, I continued the run to Woodsboro High just to see students hanging out on the lawn and getting ready for class.