Prom Queen To... Metalhead Bitch??? What Is HAPPENING To Me??? [01] Glamorous

The night air was refreshingly cool as I stepped out of the Plaza complex and into the parking lot. As soon as the movie finished I had hightailed it out of there, getting out before most other people. Toby, Matt and Trey had stayed to get some more food, but…

I needed space.

I saw a bench nearby and so went and sat on it, feeling the metal cold through my jeans. I leant against the back and looked up at the stars, just breathing. I don’t know why I was reacting like this; nothing had happened in the cinema. Maybe it was just the dark enclosed space.

Or maybe the zombies got to me more than I thought.

The silence was slightly unnerving so I started to hum another one of the Lostprophets songs Finn gave me.

'...Yesterday I lost my closest friend

Yesterday I wanted time to end

I wonder if my heart will ever mend

I just let you slip away…'

A quiet sobbing noise distracted me from the night sky and my quiet singing. It came from behind me, so I turned around. I was not prepared at all for what I saw.

Finn sat, knees up, head down, in practically the foetal position, leaning against the side of the Plaza’s external wall. He was shaking and sobbing so hard I thought someone must have died.

I didn’t know what to do. I stood there for a second, torn. Should I just pretend I never saw it? I couldn’t just walk away, though, so I tentatively went over.

“Finn? Is that you? Are you alright?” I asked in a quiet voice, instantly regretting the last question. Of course he wasn’t all right. “Well, obviously you’re not alright. Sorry. What happened? Did someone die?” I winced again. Callous much? Nice going, Audrey.

Finn lifted his face from his arms and looked at me through eyes full of tears. My heart instantly went out to him. He was obviously devastated about something. “Audrey? Oh, shit. Look – sob – don’t worry, ok. I’ll be – sob – fine, I don’t want you to –sob – see me like this, it’s fucking embarrassing…” Another huge sob racked his chest and I sat down next to him on the cement. A little awkwardly, I put my arm around his shoulders, not really sure what to do.

“Shh. Its fine, I don’t think you’re an idiot for showing emotion. Seriously, don’t worry about it. Do you want to tell me what happened?” I asked soothingly while rummaging around in my bag with the hand that wasn’t around his shoulders for the packet of tissues I always keep in there. I offered one to him and he took it, burying his face in it and taking a shaking breath.

“Lucie, the whore… Lucie… oh, God, she fucking cheated on me.” He choked out, and sobbed again. “F-fuck,” he continued, “I loved her so much. How c-could she do this to me?” He started to shake again. I tightened the hold my arm had and let him sob into another tissue.

“Oh, Finn… I’m so sorry, I can’t believe it. I never thought something like that would happen…” I trailed off, not sure what to say. What the hell DO you say to something like that, anyway? I felt so sorry for him.

“She wasn’t even drunk. It was last Saturday, Audrey. She’s been with him in secret since last fucking S-S-Saturday. And I had no id-dea.” He took another big, shuddering breath. “That slut. You know what she said to me, just now?”

“No…”

“She pulled me aside, and just goes ‘Look, Finn, I need to talk to you. I… I’ve been ch-ch-cheating on you. Please dump me so I don’t feel guilty.” He said, the sobs now sounding like he was choking on them in anger. “Just like that. Like she wasn’t killing me with every syllable. It only just hit me.”

“That whore.” I said disbelievingly. I never picked Lucie for the type. “Do you know who with?
It wasn’t one of your friends, was it?”

He shook his head. “No, luckily for both of them. Some fucking emo cunt she met at a concert. The one concert I refuse to go to and I fucking lose her.”

“Oh, shit, Finn. I can’t even imagine how you’re feeling at the moment.” I said, then brought my other arm around to give him a proper, if slightly awkward, sideways hug.

He turned his upper half towards me and leant his head just above my collarbone, on my shoulder. Then he started to shake again. I just sat there, cradling him in my arms, letting him sob his heart out on my shirt. This was both the most bizarre and most heart-wrenching thing I had done in a long time.

“Finn? Don’t take this the wrong way, but where are your friends? Have they gone?” I asked, it suddenly occurring to me that one of them should probably be doing this job in the first place, rather than me.

“Probably inside or gone. I just walked off. I heard Luc tell them nothing was wrong, that I was just going out for a sec. Stupid whore. I can’t believe… I can’t believe I ever loved her.”

“That’s alright, I was just wondering. Did you drive here? Do you want me to drive you home?” I asked gently, aware that we couldn’t just sit here all night. Also my phone had gone off quietly before and I was fairly sure it was Toby.

“Yeah, I drove… do you mind just sitting her for a little while longer? I’m sorry… I just really need someone to be around at the moment.” He looked up and said miserably. “Otherwise I might punch a wall or something.”

I wasn’t exactly going to refuse. “Sure,” I said soothingly, “that’s fine. Cry as much as you want. Just let me send a message first, I’ve got to let my ride know I’m not going with them.” He sniffled a response and I sent Toby a quick text telling him I wasn’t going home with him.

Then I put my arms back around Finn and we sat there for a while, intermittent sobs and mutters of ‘How could she?’ coming from his direction.

After a little while, maybe another twenty minutes, Finn sat up and said, sniffing, “I think we should go now. Sorry about this.”

“Alright. It’s ok, really. Here, give me your keys. You probably shouldn’t drive, and I have my licence. Where’s your car?” I asked, looking around the now near-empty parking lot. There were only about six cars left in it.

“Oh, ok… If you’re sure.” He said, digging in his pocket for his keys and handing them to me. “It’s the black one over there.”

I looked around and saw an oldish black vintage-looking car near the end of the lot. “Ok, come on, get up.” We both staggered to our feet, stiff after sitting there for half hour or so on cold cement. I gave him my last tissue and he wiped his eyes, and we walked to his car.

“I’ll drop you home,” I said, mindful he might do something stupid, “And then drive back to my house. I’ll drop the car around in the morning, ok? It’s a bit far to walk.”

Finn sniffed. “Ok.”

We both got in the car and I did what I said I would. I’d give the car back the next morning and then walk home, I reasoned. I’d have to get him to promise not to mix driving it with alcohol though.

I mentioned this to him and he smiled sadly. “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything stupid. I’ll go home, try to sleep and listen to a lot of loud angry music. And then drink myself into oblivion.” He wiped his eyes and tried to smile. “Only I’ll use my own tissues. Thanks heaps for doing this, Audrey. I appreciate it shitloads.”

I didn’t know what to say, except “No problem,” which seemed a little banal. I started the car, getting a shock as loud music blared out of the sound system, and drove him home, dropping him off at the front door. “See you tomorrow. Try to sleep, ok? And tell your parents. They’ll want to know.”

Finn just waved and headed inside, already letting tears run down his face.

I drove home and went inside, feeling sadder than I have in a very long time.