The Hook-up

Chapter 34

"Caitlin...don't get in your car. I'm coming home." Lauren told her roommate sitting on the runway waiting to get off the plane in Los Angeles.

"What do you mean, don't get in the car? My stuff is packed. I went tanning yesterday. I'm going to Vegas." Caitlin told her.

"No! He did it again! No! You're not going to Vegas!" she said almost yelling trying to not cry again like she did before she got on the plane.

"He did what?" Caitlin said dropping something on the floor.

"I don't know what it was...Caity...he..." she rubbed her arm standing up with her carry on bag in her hand. "Hang on...." She threw the bag over her shoulder starting to talk to her roommate. "He really hurt my arm. And he yelled at me. And he was making out with another girl...I can't deal with his rockstar bullshit anymore. I just can't."

"I told you to be careful, Laur." Caitlin shook her head.

"Shut up. I know. I fucked up. I'll be home in like an hour." She said turning off the phone throwing it in her bag. "Damnit." She sighed walking through the busy airport.

**

"Lauren! Let me explain!" Bruno yelled at the elevator seeing Ryan walking toward him. "What did I do, bro? How did I get like this?"

Ryan avoided eye contact with Bruno knowing that he would do something he would regret if they looked at each other.

"Dude. Just go to your room. I don't think any of us want to talk to you right now." Ryan mumbled to his best friend.

"I have to go get her...." Bruno said hitting the elevator button.

"No. You don't. Let her go. She deserves better, Bru." Ryan said gasping. "I mean...."

"No...." Bruno turned around shaking his head. "You're right. She does. So much better." He followed Ryan toward his room. "I just....I need a break." He closed the door to his room looking at his clothes. He kicked his suitcase causing it to fly across the room hitting a chair making his phone fall on the floor. "Damnit!" he yelled picking up his phone.

**

Lauren opened the door to the apartment seeing Caitlin and her sister Larissa sitting on the couch.

"Oh Laur...." Larissa stood up hugging his sister hearing her start sobbing as they stood next to each other.

"I just don't get it. What did I not give him? Why am I not good enough for him? What did I do wrong?" she threw herself on the couch picking up a pillow burying her head in the pillow. Caitlin sat next to her rubbing her back

"Fuck him, Lauren. He's a short cocky prick." Caitlin said definetly. "I never liked him. He thought he was better than everyone."

"But he's not. And he knows that." She sniffed crying even more. "I see it."

"No. You have the same rose colored glasses you had when you were with Justin." Larissa told her.

"You can't compare that to this. Ris. No. It's not the same." Lauren told her sister standing up to take her bags to the bedroom. "I'm going to bed."

**

Bruno laid his head on the back of the small couch clinching his eyes shut thinking to himself. He wasn't sure what he was doing or where his head was. He heard a soft knock on the door. "Go away." He whispered hearing the click of the keycard let someone in.

"Come on, Brun....oh shit." Ryan said looking down at the wrinkled papers and finished bottles of alcohol. "Please tell me you didn't drink all the vodka. It makes you sound like my sister. And you have a show tomorrow."

"I'll be fine tomorrow. Just tell everyone I fell asleep. I don't want to go out." He told Ryan putting his head in his hands.

Ryan started to walk away. "You know, I'd like to tell you that she's going to forgive you. But I think this might have just been it."

"Shut up! I know!" Bruno yelled throwing a bottle in Ryan's direction watching him dodge the bottle seeing it explode against the wall.

"Just call me when you get your shit together." Ryan responded stepping over the broken glass closing the door.

He waited until the door was closed to walk over to the broken glass. "I'll pick up the pieces until I'm bleeding...."