The Choice (a Painful Past)

55

He just stared at me with a blank face.

"I have watched my sister be beaten by her ex husband. I have seen the bruises where he threw her across the room, into a freezer. I won't live that way." I replied, in a hushed, determined tone.

I may put up with a lot of shit, but that was something that I refused to deal with. I would never live with a man who put his hands on me in that way. His face softened a little, but he didn't reply.

Since that day, Will had never once even looked like he was going to hit me. Usually, he doted on me. He gave me back rubs after a long day, he cooked me dinner, washed my clothes.

He has literally done so much for me. I had done nothing to deserve it. He just did it...because he loved me.

"I think that I'm working 2nd shift on Friday, so it should be fine." I responded.

I didn't bring up the fact that he didn't discuss this party with me, before he just decided to invite people into my home.

It was his home now too though, so I was going to have to learn how to share.

"I'll see if Sherri and Shawn want to swing by, too."

I would love to see my cousin. It felt like it had been forever since we had a good girl talk. I missed her.

"Okay, yeah, tell Shawn to bring some weed and we'll match. Blunt for blunt." He replied, nodding his head.

I nodded, signaling that I would. Friday came before I knew it. One day, I was rushing and scrimping change, just to pay the light bill, then I was getting off of work early, ready to party.

It had been such a long time since I had just let loose. Well, I mean, I had gotten pretty drunk with Colby, but that wasn't a happy drunk.

When I got home, my yard was full of cars.

"What the fuck?" I breathed out, taking in all of the people that were milling around my yard.

There were people going in and out the front door, some standing around a fire barrel, some playing basketball, and even more gathered around the picnic table. I could see clouds of smoke being lifted into the air, and I was pretty sure it came from more than just the fire. I was shocked and unprepared for this amount of people.

I got out of my truck, and lifted my hand in greeting to all of the people who shouted my name. I had to find Will and see how the fuck this had happened.

As soon as I walked into the house, I saw random people making out on my couch. Will had moved his huge stereo system into the living room, and it was blaring Screamo music so loud that I couldn't think. I fucking hated Screamo.

I still didn't understand why people like it. It wasn't music, in my opinion. Just screaming with some music in the background.

I pushed my way through to the kitchen, where I found Will, Dusty, and a few other people, sitting around the kitchen table. They were throwing some dice on the table, while drinking whatever they had in front of them. They were playing a dice game called Bones. I recognized it immediately.

"Hey baby!" Will said, when he noticed me.

He jumped up from his chair, wrapped his arms around me and gave me a sloppy, wet kiss.

"Hey." I laughed, before I wiped my mouth. "That was gross."

He laughed and sat back down. "Wanna play? We're almost finished with this game." He offered.

I shook my head.

"No. I'm good. Who are all these people?" I asked. "I thought it was just supposed to be a small party."

He shrugged. "I don't know all of them. They just kind of showed up. I'm guessing that someone shared the info and it just kept growing. Awesome though, right? Our party is bomb!"

I sighed and felt my nerves tighten. People that neither of us knew were at my home.

How was I supposed to be okay with that?

"Okay, I'm gonna go change." I replied.

He nodded, with his eyes on the dice, then yelled when Dustin rolled a good score. I was already forgotten. I went down the hallway towards my room, but stopped at the bathroom.

When I opened the door, I was shocked by what I saw. A guy that I had went to school with, Justin, was leaning over the bathroom sink. I noticed a mirror lying there, with two thin white lines on it.

There was cocaine at my house. I was not okay with that.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I yelled.

Justin jerked, standing upright, with his finger over one nostril. His eyes started to water, then he coughed.

"Oh my God, Callie, you scared the shit out of me." He replied, moving his hand from his nose to his chest.

"Good!" I exclaimed. "You need to get this shit out of my house now. I don't want it here."

He held up both hands in surrender, and smiled. "Okay, shit, my bad. Will said it was cool."

Seriously?! He knew how I was about drugs!

Why would he say this was cool?

"Well, it's not." I replied. "Either leave, or flush it. Now."

With that being said, I turned and stalked to my room. I slammed the bedroom door a little, out of frustration.

What the fuck was wrong with him? I was fuming. It took a lot to get me angry, but this was definitely a lot.

I changed out of my uniform, fixed my hair, then started to walk out.

Before I could, Will walked into the room and shut the door.

"Why did you tell Justin to leave?" He asked, with anger lacing every word.

I felt myself shrinking away from the oncoming fight.

"Because he was doing cocaine in the bathroom!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up. "You know how I feel about drugs!"

He rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Oh, come on, Callie! It was just a little Coke. Everyone is doing it. It's not like Crack and Heroin. Chill out. Seriously, you complain about not having friends, but then you act like this. This is why you don't have friends. Because you constantly judge them for their own choices. You can't control what people do."

My mouth fell open a little.

Was that what everyone thought of me?

That I was trying to control them?

"I'm not trying to control anyone." I replied, quietly. "I just don't want that stuff at my house."

"For fuck's sake." He groaned. "You're such a goody goody."