Thorn Ch. 03

Sunday, October 16th, 2022

The morning wasrough. I woke up groaning, with a piercing headache. I wasn't twenty years old anymore : drinking as much as I had was completely irresponsible.

Maybe taking sleeping pills with the alcohol hadn't been the brightest idea. Remembering what I had been trying to escape, though... yeah. It was worth a little headache.

The wordlittleseemed inappropriate when I sat up in bed and immediately screwed my eyes shut, my brain assaulted by the light and the sudden movement.

"Woah, Hols, take it easy..." I encouraged myself.

Orange juice. That was what I needed right now. In a weird, unexplained way, orange juice had always been the solution for bad hangovers. I checked my phone for the time : eleven thirty-seven.JesusChrist.

I painstakingly got dressed, then made my way downstairs.

Howstupidhad I been? Accepting Aaron Adamik's offer to play pool, at my big age? I didn't recognize the person I had been last night. Maybe trying to appeal to my younger self hadn't been such a good idea. Of course it hadn't been! Back then, I was... just an inexperienced young woman, fooling around with boys exactly like that curly-haired Adamik fuck.

It wouldn't happen again. It needed not to happen again. Right?

I expected to find the kitchen empty, like it was every morning, but to my surprise, Eric was already there, munching on toast lathered with peanut butter.

"Hey," he said between bites. "You're up late. And... no offense, you look a mess."

I laughed a bit, and it made the headache worse. Wincing, I replied, "Oh, I'm fine."

"What happened?"

I hesitated as I grabbed the orange juice from the fridge, but decided to tell him the truth, or at least a half-truth. "I went out last night, and I... I had a little too much to drink. That's all."

His eyes widened. "Really?You? Drinking?"

"Yeah. I just wanted to... let loose a little."

Eric scoffed, leaning back in his chair. "Wow. Real responsible."

I turned sharply toward him. "Excuse me?"

"Even I know better at my age than go party like the other teenagers I know," Eric commented.

A quiet fury settled inside me. How had I raised this kid?!

"I'll let you know that I am a grown adult, Eric, and I can make the choices I want to make. Maybe a little partying could be good for your social life."

He blushed and looked down at his plate, a guilty look on his face.

I sat down next to him and took a sip of orange juice straight from the bottle.

"Hey, Eric. I'm not angry at you, alright? It's just... that was a bit disrespectful."

"Yeah," he mumbled.

"What, you think I should stay in the house all day and night?"

"No, just... it could've gotten you in trouble. It's just not how I see responsible adults acting."

"Well, I spend every waking moment working to make enough money to feed you, house you and buy you nice-looking clothes."

"Yeah, but that's your job as a parent. I didn't ask to be born."

With how much he was arguing, I could almost put myself in Aaron's place, and... no. God, no. How could the thought have even crossed my mind?

"Eric," I pleaded. "When you have a family, you'll see that it has wonderful advantages. I love you more than anything in the world and I would do it all over again if I had to. Adult life can also be difficult. I would doanythingto let myself have a bit of fun. I feel strangled, Eric. Since your dad left us, it feels like my job has gotten twice as hard and twice as unforgiving. I want you to think twice before judging your own mother for choosing herself justonce."

He nodded slowly, seeming like he really wanted me to go.

I sighed and got up.

"I'll... call Kathryn. I had to take a cab here last night, so the car is... still at the bar."

I was carefully avoiding the topic of Aaron and admitting that part of him was right. It hadn't been very responsible to drink as much.

"Have a nice day, sweetie."

"Yeah," Eric said.

I walked back upstairs to call Kathryn, carrying my life-saving bottle of orange juice with me and leaving my ungrateful son downstairs.

♾️

The little 60's diner-themed brunch joint was busier than I expected. Kathryn had thankfully been free and had driven me to my car. We decided to join up for brunch.

"No mimosa this morning, I suppose?" Kathryn asked me as we sat in a booth, a humorous twinkle in her eye.

"No," I groaned, "definitely not. Oh my God, Kat, I can't believe how much I drank!"

My friend laughed warmly. She was tall, black and gorgeous, wearing large golden hoop earrings and an aubergine shawl on a black top.

"I want you to tell me all about it. Distract me from my daily chaos."

"Oh, I will, but I need food in my belly first."

Almost as if she heard our discussion, a waitress appeared at that moment. I ordered a fruity pancake plate, something really sugary, and a coffee with two creams. Kathryn ordered eggs benedict with a black coffee.

"What about you?" I questioned my friend. "What's been going on? You seem so busy!"

"Oh, I am," she admitted. "Clara is starting ballet lessons, and with John working so much, I've pretty much been having to carry her to and from her classes. It's good, though, she's good. She's doing great."

"I'm happy for her, then. I would love to see one of her shows."

"You should totally come! I'll text you the time and place."

"Perfect. Good."

"And you? How is Eric?"

I puffed my cheeks and exhaled, "Jesus. I feel like he's getting worse. This morning, when I told him I'd gone out, he said 'real responsible of you', or something like that."

"What?" Kathryn seemed shocked. "That's not like the Eric I know."

"I know! I feel like I don't recognize him anymore. I'm afraid that it's all this bullying he's gone through..."

"Oh, no, little Eric is getting bullied?!"

"Yeah," I sighed. "He just told me this week."

"If Clara or Louis got bullied, I don't know what I wouldn't do. They'd have to tear me off the bully."

"I thought about going to the principal, but Eric didn't want me to. Said it would only make it worse. So I gave a talking to the little brat and Eric says he's been leaving him alone."

Kathryn's eyes widened and she laid forward a bit. "You went into the school? To confront the kid?"

"I did," I nodded. I couldn't help but smile a bit as I remembered how absurd it had felt.

"That's... bold, Hols. But, damn it if I don't like the way you go about things. You just thought about Eric and said 'You know what... I'll just do it myself'."

I burst into laughter, and Kathryn laughed too. "You should have seen the little fucker's face," I said, my bout of laughter trailing into the tone of my sentence. "He thinks he's all that."

"Young men have a way to them that just makes you wanna... slap the hell out of them," Kathryn agreed. "Way too cocky, all the time. Your Eric isn't like that. Well, mostly."

"Yeah. I gave him a talk and now I'm afraid that it was too stern for his age. He's a man, now, Kat. My little angel is a grown man!"

"I know!" my best friend squealed. "I can't believe I was there when he was taking his first steps and now... well, now he's talking back at you. And getting bullied in school, poor kid..."

"At least college is starting soon," I said after taking a sip of my coffee. "He'll be left alone, I hope."

"College is a different story," Kathryn agreed. "The students are all adults, they're more mature. The worst that could happen is him getting a girl pregnant."

I gasped at the thought.

"No. Not my Eric."

Kathryn chuckled a bit. "You're right. He's a good one."

The waitress came with our food, and as soon as I bit into the blueberry pancake, it was like my hangover disintegrated and floated away in a cloud of dust.

"That is so good," I said, my mouth full of food. "So good."

"Now I need you to tell me what happened last night."

I swallowed the bite I had taken and sighed.

"Okay... but don't laugh at me, okay?"

"You know I can't promise that," Kathryn smiled.

I chuckled. "I'm allowing you to laugh. So, I was sitting there, thinking to myself about how lonely I've been, and I decide to just take a risk, you know, and get out of the house. James and I used to go to this bar, so I drive there, and at that point I'm only expecting to have a drink or two."

"I'm very curious to see where this goes," Kathryn said, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Almost as soon as I walk in, this... well, thisguycomes up to me and asks me to play pool with him."

Kat's eyes widened. "Ooh. Did you know him?"

"Well, yeah, kind of," I winced.

"Was he handsome?" Kathryn wiggled her eyebrows.

I sighed and smiled against my will. "Yes. He was."

I couldn't believe I was saying that. It hadn't even slipped out of me. I had heard what she'd said, I had thought back to Aaron, and I had answered truthfully. Now, I could absolutelynottell her that this was the same "guy" who was bullying my son.

"Oh, my! Holly is back on the market!"

"No, it wasn't like that. He was... stupid and arrogant. I kinda hated him."

"But you did play pool with him."

I gave her a pathetic half-smile.

"I know you too well, Holly. You like the ones who give you a hard time."

I scoffed. "I donot, thank you very much." I took another bite of my pancake before continuing, "James was sweet."

Kathryn's expression softened. "He was, hon. You got lucky, though. Remember Bobby Warren?"

I almost burst out laughing. "Oh, God. I do like the bad boys, don't I?"

"You sure do. So, keep going. What did he look like?"

"Oh, just... you know. Tall. Short, curly hair. Dark brown or black. But you should see his eyes... they're some shade of green or grey or... both. Stunning."

His boyish grin appeared in my mind. His white teeth, the dimples in his cheek when he smiled... the way his sleeves constricted his arms...

"Holly. Look at me."

I looked up at my friend.

"You're practicallydrooling. Your eyes were lost somewhere in the haze of that man. Like the kids say, you are downbad."

"I am not!" I protested. "I... he was an asshole!"

She leaned her head to the side.

"Kat! I am not infatuated with him! He's..."

I almost slipped. The words "He's way too young" almost came out of my mouth. That would have been disastrous. Thankfully, Kat was preoccupied with teasing me. "So what happened? Did he flirt with you?"

"Jesus, Kat. Yes, he did, okay? He bought me... multiple drinks. That's how I got so drunk."

"What are you waiting for, then? Do you have his number?"

"I am not going to date this man."

The shame and guilt of having gone to play pool with Aaron were coming back full-force. If Kathryn found out the truth... hell, ifEricfound out, god forbid...

Kathryn took my hand. Hers was warm from holding onto her coffee.

"Holly, listen to me. Youdeservesomeone in your life who can put some light in your day. I know I haven't been around very often, and I'm truly sorry. But now you have an opportunity to get on a wild adventure with someone who truly wants you, and you throw it away because he's a bit rough around the edges. Please take my advice and see him again."

"He..."

Weirdly, tears were forming in my eyes. The years of sheer loneliness was catching up to me.

"He was mean, Kat. Cruel."

She sighed. "To you?"

I shook my head. "But he's not a good person."

"Then maybe you're right. He's not the one. But when there is one, can you promise me you'll take the chance? You deserve it. Truly."

"I promise," I smiled, my voice tight with sadness and appreciation.

"Now, can I take a bite of your pancake? It looks absolutely delicious."

I chuckled. "Sure. Only if I can taste your benedict, though."

We swapped plates and laughed when we both admitted we preferred our own meal.

The shame and guilt inside of me stayed, though, fermenting in my gut. I was a schoolgirl with a crush on the bad boy, and the worst part was that I liked being teased about it.

I would have to take firm steps to forget everything about Aaron Adamik.

Saturday, October 29th, 2022

~

I couldn't believe my eyes.

There he was. Dressed as a fucking vampire.

Blood was running out of his eyes and mouth as he stood off to the side of the bar, on the phone. He was scratching his eyebrow and frowning, visibly annoyed or upset about something.Good.

Ignoring him pointedly, I made my way into the bar, following Angela.

Reuben had organized this stupid event for Halloween with everyone in the office, and it just so happened to take place in the very same bar I had met Aaron in two weeks ago. I had tried to get Reuben to change the venue, staying vague of course, but he was a stubborn son of a bitch.

My costume felt silly on me. I wore the horns of a devil, a black shirt with a scarlet belt and a red skirt. I even had the spiked tail of the devil. It was stupid, so stupid, but Angela was dressed as an angel (it was purposedly ironic) and she had wanted someone with whom to be an angel-and-devil duo. I had accepted, happy to not have to think too hard about a costume. And now, here I was. I was accompanying Reuben, dressed as an obscure horror movie reference I didn't know ; Faith, dressed as a fairy ; Angela with her angel's halo and wings ; Summer, wearing a disco-inspired costume ; and Cody, who I could not believe had even agreed to dress up and wore a Superman t-shirt under his open button-up shirt.

"This is really spooky!" Faith commented, with a worried tone. "The decorations are very believable. Are you sure this isn't a real dead body?"

"That would smell, Faith," Angela remarked. I couldn't help but puff out a laugh, and Angela winked at me.

As we settled inside, I immediately sat next to Angela and ordered a drink, grateful for the warmth that contrasted the uncomfortably cool outside air.

"Well, look at you!" Angela cooed. "Looking like a perfectly adorable little demon."

"I can't believe I'm wearing atail," I sighed, making Angela laugh.

I could feel Cody's eyes on me. Maybe my skirt was alittlebit too short. I mean... Cody wasn't an ugly-looking guy at all. Maybe a bit awkward. His ogling did creep me out, though.

He tried to strike conversation as Angela turned away to talk with Summer, who was going on and on about her love for Halloween.

"I love your costume," Cody said.

"Thanks," I smiled tightly. "Yours is... very original."

He nodded, cheeks flushing. He scratched the stubble on his chin. "I'm not much of a dress-up guy."

"I figured," I smiled.

He laughed nervously. Really, Cody? Was he even trying to flirt with me? Maybe I was making this up.

His eyes darted down to my skirt again, and he saw me staring him down.

"I'm sorry," he blurted out, "I didn't mean to... it's not..."

"Don't worry about it," I smiled, patting him on the shoulder to let him know I wasn't interested in anything with him.

"You, uh... you free tomorrow? For dinner?"

I resisted the urge to sigh. My signal had not been well-received.

"I'm so sorry, but I'm... I don't really..."

I didn't know how to say it. I didn't wanna hurt his feelings.

Thankfully, Summer barged into the conversation, as she tended to do.

"Holly Fisher! Who told you to dress as asluttydemon?"

"I'm not- is this really slutty?"

"I mean... that smoky makeup look? It looks amazing, sweetheart. But yeah. You play the part of the demoness very well. The temptress... the compeller..."

"Well, thanks!" I beamed at her.

Summer was the brutally honest kind, who always spoke a little too loud.

"Cody, come on," she pouted. "A Superman shirt? Really?"

"It's a costume!" Cody argued. "At least people know what Superman is. What is Reuben even dressed as?"

"It's the villain fromRose Heart, thank you very much," Reuben mumbled, barely loud enough to be heard above the noise of conversation in the bar and the Halloween music.

"From what?" Faith asked.

"Rose Hearttakes place in a parallel world where... oh, forget it. The villain is cool. He can kill people with a look."

"Right, right," Angela said. "Well, the shots are here. Who's in?"

"Oh, God, me, please," I begged her. In the end, only Faith passed on the shots. I immediately felt better when the warmth burned through my throat.

"There we go," Angela said, rubbing my shoulder. "Let's make tonight fun, huh?"

Faith was fascinated with the fog machine in the corner of the dancefloor.

"Is this even safe?" she asked. "People can't see where they're going!"

We made our way to a booth, bringing another round of shots with us. As I sat down, gnawing on my bottom lip, I saw Aaron entering the bar after his phone call. He walked up to the bar and ordered something. His costume was spooky: he wore a vampire's gothic suit, with flared cuffs and collar. Fake blood was running out of his eyes and the corners of his mouth. The shirt of his costume was a bit too small for his wide-shouldered build.

His expression was different than the last time I had seen him. He scanned the room with his eyes and seemed preoccupied. When he spotted me, however, his signature grin bloomed on his face, letting his vampiric canines show. He winked at me.

I rolled my eyes.

"Who is that guy?!" Faith asked me. "He's got some shoulders!"

"And he's a kid," Angela remarked. "Probably not old enough to be here. How do you know him, Holly?"

"Oh, uh... he's my son's... his friend. From school."

"Wow! So irresponsible of his parents to let him go out in bars at his age!" Faith said.

"Go talk to him," Angela urged me.

I made a face. "Don't really want to."

"Come on. He's beckoning you!"

I turned, and Aaron was indeed gesturing for me to come.

I sighed. There was no walking out of this.

"Alright. Be back soon, you guys."

I got up from the booth, took another shot, and walked up to Aaron.

"What a nice surprise," he said when I got in earshot. "Hi, Holly."

He said my name like someone bites into a powdered donut. Like he knew it would irritate me.God, I hate him.

"What do you want?" I said.

"Just to talk," he answered. "As you can see, I'm quite lonely this evening. It's amazing to see a friendly face."

"I'm with my colleagues, Aaron... it's not..."

"Is that the first time you said my name?" he said, still grinning.

Taken aback, I answered, "I don't know."

"I hope it won't be the last. You say it very well."

My cheeks flushed deeply. I had indeed imagined saying his name in compromising situations.

"I- this is inappropriate."

"I'm sorry. I just had to say it. Love the costume, by the way. A demon, huh? Fitting, I'd say."

I scoffed. "And what about Dracula here? You think a vampire isn't fitting for you?"

He shrugged, the fabric of his shirt tightening even more. "I won't deny it."

He ordered a beer, and insisted on buying me one as well.

"So," I said. "None of your buddies around this time?"

"Nope. I've been having kind of a shit night. You see, I was supposed to, uh... meet a girl here. Ellie's her name. She bailed, stood me up, and then my fucking dad called to berate about going out in costume at eighteen."

"Well, he's got a point. Eric stopped dressing up for Halloween when he was twelve."

"I like to keep it fun," Aaron shrugged. "Keep it exciting, you know? Plus, you're dressed up, and you're how old?"

I blushed again. "Don't you know better than to ask a lady her age?"

Aaron scoffed. "A lady? You're not a lady. You're a woman. In fact, fuck Ellie anyway, you're much better company."

I smiled. "I turned forty a few months ago."

Aaron nodded. "See? Not old. A very respectable age."