UNDERCOVER SOULMATING

Chapter 2: I'm Like A Bird

Saturday, June 14th

Since the breakup I had moved back in with my mom. A few days after the fight, I had the police escort me to my old place to get my things. He was acting like an ape at the zoo trying not to rip someone's head off when we went inside. He kept yelling about how everything was my fault. The police seemed unaffected and continued to make him stay calm, or atleast seated, but that didn't stop him from calling me names. It pissed my mom off to where she couldn't take it anymore. She started yelling back at him, calling him a bitch, and saying things like 'you not tough' and 'you so lucky' without explaining more of what she meant. I kept telling her just ignore him but it wasn't working so she decided to wait in the car. I know my mom is my ride or die but we didn't want the police to pay more attention to her than him. She wasn't very good at keeping her anger in check, and to top it off, she never liked us together. I on the other hand, loved him in a way I can't describe. I am not one to tolerate physical domestic abuse, AT ALL, but we had been through so much together that I couldn't help but wonder if I was throwing it all away. I had changed so much of my life for him and now it was all gone in an instant. It wasn't until I saw him acting that way that I was sure we were done. I wouldn't let him make an ass of me any longer.

My mom moved to a part of town that was further away from my jobs. Yes jobs, I have two. So I was happy she let me go back to driving my car which she had taken from me when I decided to move in with my now ex. Despite the breakup, the universe seemed to really be on my side because this person, who I before would see everywhere, I never saw anymore. He used to work at Zoes and had referred me to the job right before he got fired. So due to this I got him a job at ihop, my second job. Karma really is a bitch though because right after the break up he got fired from there too. I won't say I'm happy about this but... Karma is definitely my friend. Speaking of friends, I didn't really have any.

As I walked into work I realized we were slow, as always. I walked straight to where all the employees would hang out and sat down. Right after I sat this new guy came and sat by me. I really wished that he didn't because he hadn't been there long and was already stirring up drama with the other female waitresses. I didn't see what they saw in him. He was tall but had a slouch that made him look a little shorter. He had carmel brown skin that appeared dirtied by blemishes and even though he was a very thin guy, his face was kind of chubby. He had the type of cheeks that made you want to pinch them. His curly hair sat above his head in a length that made it hard to tell if he was growing it or cutting it. Lastly, the most distinctive part about him was his glasses because they looked slightly big for his face. None of this stopped him from being the biggest flirt yet, and the girls loved it. I wasnt that type of girl.

When he sat down he said "So that guy that worked here, that is your boyfriend?"

Wow way to start a conversation, I thought before dryly answering, "No, we broke up about a month ago." I really didn't want to speak of him.

"He does music right?" He spoke to me as if we talked all the time. Or as if he knew anything about me other than my name.

"Yeah, I guess so." I said even more dry than before.

"I do music too. I think his music sucks." This comment brought a smile to my lips. Not because it was an insult but because I agreed with it. I also was a person who loved music and people interested in it so I decided to inquire.

"Oh really? I wouldn't mind hearing your stuff."

"Well I can't do that here but you could come by my place any time and I can let you hear something." He processed outrageous, and in my opinion, undeserving confidence, but something about the way he spoke made it not seem conceited at all.

"Not likely." I answered sounding dry in my responses again.

For some reason this made him laugh. But he caught that I wasn't budging on the subject because he said "Why did yall break up anyway?"

"He tried to choke me, it was no big deal but I don't play around with that type of thing." I tried really hard to downplay it and sound uneffected. I'm not even sure why I answered him honestly. I could have lied like I had been doing to everyone else that asked for the past month.

"Wow, I'm sorry. He obviously was an idiot."

Right when I thought he was flirting again and was about to ask him to go away, I looked into his eyes and they were filled with sincerity. Not pity or judgement but I think he actually felt sorry. I really wasn't expecting that so all I could think of to say was

"Yep."

Changing the subject again he asked "So do you smoke?"

"Why do you ask?" I said with a puzzled look on my face. I really appreciated that he knew when to change the subject. It made talking to him seem very easy. But this question was still random.

"Its super slow in here if you wanna come outside with me."

Almost all the the servers at Ihop smoked marijuana at work. That had never really been my thing. I grew up around a lot of older people and they all did it, but I never wanted to. Today I really needed something new.

"Sure why not." I answered and followed him outside.

***

Once I got back in the store and sat down, everything seemed to start spinning. He was sitting right beside me and I guess he noticed I was feeling the effects. The conversation seemed to create a mind of its own after that. It was so easy talking to him. He started talking about the customers and singing songs. I'm sure it was the effects of the weed but I couldn't stop laughing at him. When it finally came time for me to get a table I couldn't bring myself to do it. I looked at him with the best puppy dog I could muster and said,

"Take my table please.... There is no way I'm going over there like this."

He laughed and headed for my table.

As I watched him standing at my table I began to think about how funny he was. And even though he seemed so flirty before, I don't think he was trying.

"I just completely fucked up their order." He said laughing as he made his way back to sit down next to me.

He was amazingly relaxed. Unlike your normal goofball he was goofy in a lazy way. Which I guess could be because he was high. I could see why it seemed like all the girls didn't mind his very plain appearance. Even though we were both clearly under the influence of a drug, it was one of the greatest days I had at Ihop since I started and that wasn't because of the marijuana, it was because of him. We talked the rest of the night and I could tell I had made my first friend. I was in such need of a friend that I didn't even care that the girls didn't like me getting the attention. It didn't matter to me, He was something that I needed. This break up was eating me alive inside and I needed an escape. I didn't have anyone to talk to and was honestly too embarrassed to prove everyone right by telling them what he did. I just wanted to be someone new. I wanted to do something different than what I always did and he seemed like my golden ticket. The perfect escape.

It was about 5 am when we started closing up our shift.

"Hey, so let me get your number." He asked as he followed me out of ihop and to my car. I gave him my number without a second thought. "This your car?"

"Yep." I said and nodded at my 2001 gold pontiac sunfire.

"Will you drop me off? I stay right around the corner."

"No problem, get in."

When I arrived in front of his house, he said thanks and smiled at me then hopped out the car. It was nothing special yet I couldn't help smiling. Before I drove off I made sure to save his number in my phone.

"Jordan ." I read aloud and pushed save.