Who Said You Could Come Back?

I got pretty fucking hammered last Friday night when I went out with my brother and his friends. All the hope I had of meeting up with Sara and Billy at the club where she was going to sing vanished in round after round of godawful shooters and beer. In the early morning hours, Travis and I drunkenly stumbled into his his house, slurring words to some song, not really knowing what we were singing but enjoying every second of it.

"Shelly!" Travis yelled out as his drunk ass missed the couch he was trying to collapse onto. "Baby I fell on my ass!" He started to laugh, "I fell on my ass," he repeated when he spotted me staring at the matching love seat, the concept of sitting was beyond my grasp at that moment.

"Hey Fucker!" A cushion came flying towards me, it missed me by a mile but it startled me. "Come help me up," Trav laughed from his spot on the floor. "Fucker."

"Screw you," I mumbled. "I'm trying to sit here!"

"Shelly! Woman where the fuck are you?"

Tempting fate, I leaned forward, cursing the love seat for not moving to help me out at all. "Fuck!" I swore as I lost my balance and fell face first into the wall behind the love seat. "Fuck me!" I groaned, the pictures on the wall above me rankled and for a moment, I thought they would attack me for disturbing them.

While I was straightening myself out as much as I could on the love seat, Travis had rolled onto his side, attempting to get up. "Shelly!" He groaned. "Do you think she's ignoring me?"

"No," I replied. "She left you."

"Fuck you!" Another cushion came flying my way, it hit the lamp next to me before falling to the floor. "She wouldn't do that! Shelly! Baby! Come help me!"

There was no response.

"Fuck you," he slurred, I wasn't sure if it was directed at me or Shelly.

Silence settled over the living room, Travis had fallen back onto his back once again and I managed to lay on my back in the love seat with one leg over the arm and the other hanging over the side.

"I'm so fucking horny," Trav groaned, breaking the silence. "Shelly!"

"Shut up!" It was my turn to toss a cushion, it landed at his side. "She's not here."

"Where the fuck is she?"

"I don't fucking know, she's your wife."

Silence.

I closed my eyes, trying really hard not to let the fact that the room was rushing around me like a top, get to me.

The next thing I know, I'm being blinded. "What the....fuck!" I grabbed my head in my hands, hoping that would relive some of the pressure inside but of course it didn't. "Turn off the fucking light," I snapped.

But the light didn't go away. I attempted to open my eyes. It was morning. "Fucking sun," I tried to turn onto my side to cover my face, instead I found myself greeting the floor with a thud!

"Son of a bitch!"

I stayed there, facing down in Trav's carpet until the odor coming from it was too much, I felt like I was going to barf. I'm not sure how I did it, but I managed to push myself up off the carpet and onto my hands and knees.

My whole body ached as I shakily held that position while I scanned the living room and found Travis passed out, still on the floor in front of the couch although it looked like he attempted to get on the couch at one point - all the cushions were scattered around him.

A half hour later, I fell into the guest bed. I was going to go back to sleep when I spotted the phone sitting on the night table next to the bed. In my hangover clumsiness, I took a couple swipes for the receiver, knocking over the box of tissues and the photos in the table before my hand circles around what I wanted.

Sara's mom answered the phone, she hesitated but went to get Sara after I managed to mumble coherently into the phone that I wanted to speak with her.

"Hello?" She sounded so bright and cheerful.

I grunted.

"Hello? Tanner?"

"Not so loud," I whispered.

"Are you drunk?"

I nodded and groaned.

"Tanner?"

"Mmmm?" I closed my eyes, sleep was tugging on me.

She sighed. "What did you call me for? Did you need something?"

"Mmmm," I smiled. "Yes."

"What did you need?" She asked after a brief hesitation.

"Come over."

"Tanner I can't, I have -"

"Just for a little?"

I spent ten minutes trying to convince her that coming over would be in her best interest but in the end she told me she couldn't. "I really wish I could," she said as her mom called out to her, asking her if she was ready to go. "I have to go. I'll see you later."

Later, when the pounding in my head had ceased enough to function, I got up and went in search of something to eat. I tried calling her that night to see if she was free but there wasn't any answer at her house.

I spent all Saturday with my brother, recovering from the night before.

Sunday afternoon, after Shelly and the boys came back from visiting her grandparents, I swung by Sara's place but her car wasn't home but there was a red truck sitting on the street outside her house.

My heart leapt into my throat at the sight of the bastard's truck sitting there so innocently at the curb. I swerved across the street, almost hitting an oncoming car. I didn't even bother to shut off my car, I just slammed it into park. Jumping out, I ignored the curses from the driver of the car I almost hit as I raced to the front door.

I knocked and called out to Sara but there was no answer. I went around the house, peeking in all the windows and checking the doors but I couldn't get in and there was no sign anyone was even home.

While I was in the back of the house looking around, I heard a car coming down the street but I didn't pay any attention to it until I heard doors slam and Sara's laughter.

"Tanner?" Sara gasped as I came flying around the corner of her house, ready to cause injury to the bastard for even daring to be around her after all he did.