No Curtain Call

Chapter 1

Once I got out of there and packed my old, beaten truck, I immediately drove to the small bakery where my best friends worked. I tried to be strong, but as soon as I saw their worried faces, I burst into tears. "H-he cheated," I cried out, my hands flying up to cover my face to hide my shame. How could I be so stupid to not see what was in front of me? All those nights when Sean called me to let me know he would be working late, or whenever he went out and he came back with a gift, like flowers or chocolates. It was to cover up the fact he was actually cheating behind my back.

Gene furrowed her eyebrows and rushed to my side to pull me into her arms and comfort me, and Holli rushed over to the door of the shop, twisting the sign around to say "Closed". They gathered around me as I stuffed my face with pastries from their shop, and listened as I spilled my guts, telling them everything about what I saw.

They tried to cheer me up, saying that they would take me to their favorite bar so I could find a hot guy to have some rebound sex with. I was hesitant, knowing that I wouldn't be able to have sex with just anybody. I felt like I had to know them on a personal level, like I had with Sean, but I gave in anyway. When Sean and I had sex, I found that I wasn't really ever turned on, not like what women supposedly felt like in the harlequin novels I read when I was alone. But Sean was my first, and I hadn't been with anyone else. Maybe a one night stand would do me good?

Now here I was, stumbling through a neighborhood of houses, completely intoxicated. I came across a familiar house, and after recognizing it, I stumbled my way up to the doorway, hoping to find another person to help me and tell me what I did wrong to deserve Sean's adultery. I rang the bell, "Knock knock," I called out drunkenly, barely recognizing myself. When no one came, I started ringing the bell to the beat of a song that was suddenly stuck in my head.

"I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped up four wheel drive," I sang, my ears ringing and my voice slurring. "Carved my name into his leather seats." In reality, I would never have the nerve to do something so rebellious, though Sean deserved that and more. "But he don't know," I called out, sinking to the floor with my back pressed up against the large, white door of the house. I couldn't remember the words beyond 'leather seats', so I kept on repeating myself over and over. "I dug my-"

My drunken solo was interrupted by the sound of the door being unlatched and opened. I cried out as my back had no support and I fell back against the hard floor. "Ouch," I hissed, wanting to get up but I was too weak to even move anymore.

"Anya?" An familiar, authorative voice called from up above my head. I glanced up, seeing his worried face, and grinned for no reason. I vaguely remembered his face, but I couldn't put a name to it right away. "Aw shit," the man at the door cursed, and bent down to pull me into his arms.

His warm, familiar scent engulfed my senses and I recognized him immediately. "Nicky?" I slurred, and felt him sigh in relief. "Nicky, I think I'm drunk," I giggled, my head tilting back from my laughter.

"Anya, why are you drunk?" He growled in frustration. I sensed the confusion in his voice, and I turned to face him, tears welling up in the back of my eyes at his harsh tone. When he saw my reaction, his eyes softened. "Anya," he whispered in worry, "What the fuck happened to you?" He asked the question with horror evident in his tone, and I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. The pain had gradually dissipated with each sip of alcohol I took, and now I was almost completely numb. It was comforting. I didn't want him to ban me from the alcohol.

"I'm fine," I said harshly, though I obviously wasn't. I moved to scramble out of his arms, though my limbs were heavy, and I tried to stand on my own. I couldn't stand for even a second before the world spun around her and I felt myself falling.