Episode 18: Numb

Well it has been two weeks since the incident with Joel and Dustin at Stanky’s and Joel has pretty much stuck to his word. It has actually worked out really well for the rest of us because when Joel is with us, Dustin does not come around. That, and Dustin has been working a lot lately, so he hasn’t been joining us on our nightly trips to Stratler’s.

I think that Brian has enjoyed being away from Dustin the most. The poor guy has to live with Dustin, so he automatically has the sympathy of everyone. Lately though, he has been on cloud nine and very appreciative to Joel, though Joel plays it off like it isn’t that big of a deal. All in all, things have been great except for one thing.

Joel’s new girlfriend, Amber.

Joel and Amber have been out a few times over the last two weeks and judging by Joel, things are going good so far. He brought her to Stratler’s to meet us a few nights ago and as much as I wanted to like her, I just couldn’t. I couldn’t help it. She is with my guy. Hmph, I say my guy like I ever had him in the first place. Anyway, I just hope that it was not noticeable to Joel that I couldn’t stand Amber.

This weekend, we decided to go to our favorite comedy club, Chuckles. Apparently Brian accidently forgot to invite Dustin. And when I use the term accidently, I use it very lightly. It wasn’t the nicest of moves to make, but nobody seemed to mind.

As Joel was driving himself, Stacy, and John to pick up Tiffany at her apartment, John sat in the back while Stacy rode in the front. Joel was flipping through the radio stations while driving when a song caught John’s attention. Joel let the song play for a few seconds before changing the station.

“Hey,” said John, “go back a station.”

“Why?” asked Joel, being intentionally difficult.

“Just do it,” protested John. “I like that song.”

Joel furrowed his brow as he changed the station back and looked at John in his rear-view mirror. “This song?” he asked, almost disgusted at the thought.

“Yeah.” answered John.

“Dude, you do realize that you just made me turn it back to a Miley Cyrus song, do you not?” asked Joel.

“So,” answered John. “I like this song.”

“There are so many things wrong with that, I do not know where to begin,” said Joel, shaking his head. “I guess I should start with the fact that you are a guy.”

“What’s wrong with a guy liking this song?” asked John.

“Everything!” exclaimed Joel. “No self-respecting man listens to Miley Cyrus.” He then turned the station.

“Come on!” yelled John.

“No,” said Joel. “I will not sit idly by and let you do that to yourself.”

“I like that song,” said Stacy.

“It is ok for you to like that song,” responded Joel. “You are a girl.”

“Fair enough,” answered Stacy.

“Yes!” said Joel loudly. “You insisted, but I told you that it would wear off on you.”

Stacy was puzzled as she looked at Joel and asked, “What?”

“You just said ‘fair enough,’” answered Joel.

“No I didn’t,” said Stacy, thinking about her previous comments.

“John?” asked Joel.

“Yeah,” said John, not looking up from his text message, “you said it.”

“No!” said Stacy, slapping her knee playfully. “I swore that would never happen.”

“It was only a matter of time,” said Joel, smiling while nodding his head.

When the trio arrived at Tiffany’s apartment complex, John exited the vehicle and entered Tiffany’s building. Joel and Stacy sat in his Charger, awaiting the arrival of John and Tiffany.

I am not sure what came over me when John left Joel and myself alone in the car while going up to get Tiffany, but I became so bold in that moment. What I said next was probably-no, it was definitely a mistake.

“So,” asked Stacy, “you really like this Amber girl?

“Well, I haven’t known her very long, but she seems like a really cool girl,” said Joel.

“You think so?” asked Stacy.

“Yeah,” answered Joel. “Why? Did you get another impression?”

“You want my honest opinion?” asked Stacy.

“Yes,” responded Joel.

“I think you could do better,” said Stacy.

“Thanks,” said Joel, “but the girls aren’t exactly lining up at my door.”

“You will find the right girl,” said Stacy. “Who knows, she could be right under your nose.”

Oh no! What am I doing? He is going to see through this for sure! I cannot believe that I just said that!

“Yeah I guess,” said Joel.

“Any girl would be lucky to be with you,” said Stacy.

Shut up! What is wrong with you!? Why can’t you just stop talking!?

“If you say so,” said Joel, with a sigh.

“I do say so,” responded Stacy

It was then that I realized what I was doing. I was building my way to a confession of my love. Then, in what I feel was on purpose, Joel changed the subject.

“I hope the comedians are good tonight,” said Joel.

I grimaced in frustration, but I quickly hid it so that Joel would not notice. “Yeah,” said Stacy softly. “They usually are though.”

There was an awkward silence for a few minutes after Stacy’s comment, but then John returned along with Tiffany. When the two got into Joel’s Charger, they looked at each other as if they were entering a hostile environment. Tiffany leaned up and put her hand gently on Stacy’s right shoulder.

“Is everything ok, Stacy?” asked Tiffany.

“Yeah,” responded Stacy, obviously dejected.

Simultaneously, John leaned up and said, “You okay up there?”

Joel snapped out of his deep thought. “Uh, yeah,” he said. “Yeah. I am good.”

“We need to get going then,” said Stacy. “We don’t want to keep Brian and Lauren waiting.”Joel nodded and started the car, put it in drive, and pulled away from the curve.

When the four of them had reached Chuckles, Joel circled the parking lot once before finding a spot. He pulled in and the four of them exited the vehicle.

Stacy and Tiffany walked ahead as John held Joel back.

“Ok,” said Tiffany. “What happened?”

“Well, uh,” started Stacy, before pausing to sigh. “I have feelings for Joel and I have been trying to tell him, but it just goes wrong every time.”

“Oh,” said Tiffany, not sure what to say.

“It’s ok,” replied Stacy. “I am going to just have to live with the fact that it just wasn’t meant to be I guess.”

“Why don’t you just tell him how you feel?” asked Tiffany.

“It isn’t that easy,” answered Stacy.

“Trust me,” said Tiffany, giving Stacy a distinct look. “You need to tell him.”

Wait, is she trying to tell me that... I think she is!

“Are you sure?” asked Stacy.

“Just tell him,” said Tiffany with a wink.

It was at that point that Stacy walked over to Joel in the middle of the Chuckles parking lot.

“Joel,” said Stacy, walking up to him, “I need to talk to you.”

“Okay,” said Joel, looking over at John, who nodded and walked away.

Stacy watched John walk away, then turned back to Joel. “There is something that I need to tell you,” she said.

“What is it, Stacy?” asked Joel.

I was so nervous. My stomach was in knots. I could barely summon the words to speak. But then I thought about how I had to pretend that I did not have feelings for Joel for so long. It was that thought that made me come out with it.

“I cannot do this anymore, Joel,” said Stacy. “I am tired of hiding behind false feelings.” She paused and looked down, but not long enough for Joel to get a word in. Stacy then raised her head and her eyes met Joel’s. “I love you, Joel.”

I cannot believe it! I told him! Then it hit me, I actually told him. I anxiously awaited his response, but it was not what I had expected or hoped for.

“So at Shenanigans you knew that when I said I love you, I meant as more than a friend?” asked Joel.

“Yes,” answered Stacy. “I am sorr-” Before she could get her apology out, Joel interrupted.

“Then why did you say you loved me only as a friend?” asked Joel, who at this point was growing angry. Before Stacy could answer, Joel continued. “You do not know the heartache that I have gone through since then, Stacy. If you knew what I meant, then why did you do that to me?”

“Maybe I was scared,” said Stacy.

And that was the honest truth. I was scared that night and I panicked. Then Joel started gritting his teeth and looking around like he always did when he got mad.

“But I am telling you now, Joel,” said Stacy. “Why are you angry?”

Joel finally looked back at Stacy. “You have no idea what that did to me. I was devastated!” he shouted. He quickly regained control of himself and continued. “I have been torturing myself for thinking that there was more between us than what really was.”

Stacy, obviously regretful, looked down at the ground. “I am sorry, Joel.”

She looked up and watched Joel walk over to the rest of the group, who by this point, were paying attention. He asked if Brian could take John, Tiffany, and Stacy home, then walked over to his car, got in, and left.

The tears started streaming down my face uncontrollably as I watch Joel speed away. I didn’t now what to do or think. I was numb.

* * *

Episode 17: My Misery

I know, I know; I really messed up this time. Joel tells me that he loves me and what do I do? I panic. Then, I played the friend card. I do not know if Joel meant if he loved me just as a friend or not, but, regardless, it still gave me the opportunity to confess my love for him and I blew it. I have been kicking myself every since it happened last weekend.

I knew what I had to do though. I needed to get Joel to say it again. Then I could tell him exactly how I feel. That is why I have called him pretty much everyday. Maybe if I show interest, it will compel him to do the same.

However, it proved to be more of a chore than I had realized it would be. Every time we hung out at Stratler’s or anywhere else over that week, I laid it on thick, but to no avail. I do not want to make Joel sound mean, but he definitely ignored my advances. Maybe he didn’t love me the way I thought he did.

It was a good thing that I was not going to take no for an answer. That’s right! I’m not giving up that easily.

Anyway, remember when Joel and Dustin had their argument? Well that would soon be pushed back to the forefront as it would soon reach its climactic point. Since Jack has been gone, Dustin had no one but us to hang out with and he and Joel had not exactly been getting along. Well, we all had a problem with him, but Joel was the only one that would actually say something to him.

He never would come right out and say it, but he did chime in with a smart remark that would make Dustin mad, which would make him quiet. Needless to say, nobody seemed to mind.

It was eight o’clock on Saturday night when Stacy arrived at Joel’s apartment. John and Tiffany were already there and the four of them had a few drinks before heading out to go downtown at roughly fifteen minutes after nine.

It was nine thirty on Saturday night when Joel, Stacy, John, and Tiffany piled out of a cab in downtown Charlotte and walked into a bar by the name of Stanky’s. When the foursome walked through the door, they quickly scanned the crowded bar to find their friends, Brian, Lauren, and Dustin. John found them sitting in a booth and started toward them, leading Tiffany, Stacy, and Joel.

Upon arriving at the table, the seven of them exchanged greetings and poured into the booth, large enough to fit the seven of them.

I tried to sit beside Joel, but he pulled an evasive maneuver at the last second and switch which side of the booth he was going to sit on and before I knew it Dustin scooted in beside him, which I knew he absolutely loved.

It was not long before Dustin started nudging him and the two were off to talk to two blonde bimbos. So there I was, stuck there, watching the guy I love hitting on another woman.

“Are you ok?” asked Lauren of Stacy.

Stacy did not answer, looking over at Joel.

“Stacy?” asked Lauren.

Stacy finally snapped out of her trance. “Uh yeah, I’m fine,” she said. She then looked back over at Joel.

“Stacy, just go over there and talk to him,” said Lauren.

“No,” responded Stacy. “The time isn’t right.”

“But he is talking to another girl,” said Lauren.

John, who had no previous knowledge of Stacy’s feelings for Joel, overheard the conversation. Luckily for Stacy, he did not pick up on what they were talking about.

That is when I decided to go into what Lauren and I like to call Stealth Mode.

Stacy motioned toward John and mouthed the phrase, “Let’s talk later. I do not want him to overhear anything.”

Lauren nodded and mouthed the phrase, “Gotcha.”

Ok, so Stealth Mode is when we mouth what we are saying instead of actually saying it, but what can I say? It works!

Anyway, the night did not get easier from there. Much to my dismay, Joel and Dustin did not get shot down. I know its mean and selfish, but I was hoping that the guys would strike out and be right back over to the table. However, that was not the case. This only added to my misery.

We did get a good laugh when Dustin apparently made the other girl mad and stormed off. I was kind of hoping that Joel’s conversation would taper off because of this, but it didn’t. I could see that she was very interested in him.

Stacy sat there in the booth, unable to look away from Joel. It was almost as if it was happening in slow motion as everything else sped around it at one hundred miles per hour. It was at that moment that she knew that she had blown it. The only thing that she could take solace in was the fact that Lauren shared her pain. That, and the alcohol was flowing.

Lauren bought me a drink and the two of us started a conversation that I got lost in. For a while, I forgot about all of my problems. Then, I happened to glance over and see Joel and the blonde swapping numbers and my heart dropped.

Then, something very bizarre happened.

As Joel slipped his phone back into his pocket, Dustin approached, making his way back through the people that filled the bar. When he reached Joel and Amber, he pushed passed Joel, almost knocking him down and walked up to Amber.

I do not know what Dustin said, but it did not sit right with either Joel or his new skank...sorry, I mean lady-friend.

At that point, Lauren and Brian noticed that Stacy was no longer listening to them and turned to see what it was that she was now focused on. After the two of them began to watch the scene, John and Tiffany also joined them in watching.

They watched as Joel grabbed Dustin’s arm and turned him away from the girl that he had been talking to all night. Dustin jerked his arm away from Joel and once again engaged the girl. The girl, who obviously wanted nothing to with him, turned and said something to Joel, then left.

“Dustin must be up to his old tricks,” laughed Brian.

“Obviously,” said John.

“What a jerk,” said Tiffany.

After she walked away Joel confronted Dustin. Only Dustin seemed angry. After a short exchange, Dustin turned and walked away while Joel returned to the table.

“What was that all about?” asked John of Joel as he returned.

“Oh nothing,” said Joel. “Just Dustin being Dustin. You know, same ole, same ole.”

“All too well,” said Lauren.

“I do not know why he has to be that way,” said Stacy.

“I’ve pretty much accepted it by now,” said Joel.

“Yeah, yeah,” said John, “He’s an ass. Now tell me about the girl you just met.”

“Yeah,” said Stacy. “Let’s hear about that.”

I wasn’t being sarcastic, I promise. I really wanted to know about this girl and try to read Joel’s opinion of her so I could try and gauge how much he likes her. We did not get too far into the conversation before an obviously drunk Dustin came back and made a scene.

As Joel stood at the table, talking to Stacy and John, Dustin came up and stood quietly for a few moments. It was obvious that he was bothered by something. Brian glanced over at him and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” said Dustin, glowering at Joel, who did not notice. A few minutes passed before Dustin spoke again. This time he said, “I’m leaving.”

He said his goodbyes to Brian and Lauren, then made his way around Joel without saying a word to him and told Stacy, John, and Tiffany goodbye, then turned and as he walked back by Joel, he lurched forward, striking Joel with his shoulder.

The impact dislodged Joel’s beer from his hand, which fell to the floor. The glass bottle shattered as the liquid spilled and went everywhere. Dustin stopped, looking up from the floor, he and Joel now stood nose to nose.

Brian quickly stood and got between them as John launched out of the booth to grab Joel. By this time, the eyes of everyone in the bar were on the two men as they were being restrained by their friends.

“What is your problem!?” shouted Joel.

Dustin did not say a word. Instead he continued to stare at Joel as he took a few steps back and eventually turned and walked out of the bar.

“What was that all about?” asked Brian.

“Apparently that girl I met,” responded Joel. “He tried to get between me and her when we were talking and I called him out on it, but not in front of her.”

“You two need to stop,” said Brian sternly. “You are friends.”

Joel shook his head. “No. Not anymore,” he said. “I’m tired of the way he acts toward me.”

“You don’t mean that,” said Brian.

“Yeah, actually I do mean it, Brian,” said Joel. “I’m done with that guy.”

The scary thing about the whole situation was that Joel was serious. I have known him longer than anyone and I can say, without a doubt, that Joel meant what he said. It was the end of their friendship.

Episode 16: No Coming Back

It has been a week and a half since Ron came after me and subsequently Joel went after him. I have talked to Ron only once since going with him to the hospital. That was to confirm the break-up and to plead with him not to press charges against Joel. It was kind of funny because he agreed to not press charges quicker than he accepted me breaking up with him.

As for Joel, I only talked to him to let him know that Ron agreed not to press charges. I was still very angry at him, so I stayed on the phone just long enough to let him know that he would not be going to jail. He, of course, tried to call me at first, but finally gave up when he realized that I was not going to answer. It has been five days since his last attempt.

The truth is, I’m not that mad at him anymore. At first I was furious and I did not want to talk to him. Then, the anger thawed and melted away for the most part and I was not sure what I wanted to say to him. Now, I let the whole thing linger for too long and now it is too weird. And there is still the fact that I still get angry at Joel every time I think about what happened. I do not know what to do.

I will have an opportunity to talk to him tonight at Jack’s farewell party. His job is taking him to Michigan for a few months, so we are getting together tonight.

Lauren sat on Stacy’s couch as she waited for her to get ready to leave.

“Have you thought about what you are going to say to Joel?” asked Lauren of Stacy.

“Not at all,” replied Stacy.

“Are you still mad at him?”

“Yes and no,” said Stacy, sighing while thinking about the whole situation. “I do not know for sure because I haven’t seen or talked to him.”

“I’m sure that everything will work out fine,” said Lauren, trying to reassure her friend.

“I hope so,” said Stacy. “I sure am nervous.”

“I can tell,” replied Lauren.

“Thanks,” said Stacy facetiously.

“Relax,” said Lauren with a laugh. “You will be fine.”

“You are right,” responded Stacy, letting out a deep breath. “I will be. Let’s go.”

The two girls exited Stacy’s apartment, which she turned and locked. They headed down stairs, got in Lauren’s car, and headed off to Jack’s. Stacy grew more and more nervous as she got closer to Jack’s apartment building, which also happened to be Joel’s. she wanted to see him, but at the same time, she did not.

Upon arriving at Jack and Joel’s apartment building, Lauren and Stacy exited the car and began toward the front steps.

“Wait,” said Stacy, stopping in her tracks. “I can’t do this.”

“What?” asked Lauren, a little confused. “Why?”

“I don’t know. I just can’t.”

“Come on,” said Lauren, taking Stacy by the arm. “You will be fine. Just take a deep breath.”

“Ok,” said Stacy, exhaling. “I’m good now.”

With that, the two women entered the building and took the elevator up to Jack’s floor. When the bell rang and the doors slid open, they exited and walked to Jack’s door. Stacy was hesitant, but entered anyway. After discovering that Joel was not there yet, she was relieved.

This is going to be harder than I thought. I should have called Joel before tonight. Waiting was definitely a bad idea. It would be much more awkward in person than over the phone. At least I had a while to get a few beers in me before he got here to loosen myself up.

Stacy immediately grabbed a beer and opened it. She sat rather quietly on the couch while everyone else sat around and enjoyed themselves.

I just was not in the mood to talk. Don’t get me wrong though, I didn’t ignore my friends completely. Dustin, of course, was trying to hit on me the entire time as usual. I brushed him off like I usually did and pretty much ignored him. I would have felt bad, but, well, I know the guy and I just can’t feel bad for him. It wasn’t long after that Joel showed up.

Everyone’s attention was drawn to the door as the knob turned and it opened. Joel, John, and Tiffany walked through the now open doorway. Joel hung back while John and Tiffany walked past. They were greeted by Brian and Dustin, then Jack, Lauren, and Stacy, who upon seeing Joel, turned and walked into the kitchen. She was followed by Lauren.

“Stacy, are you ok?” asked Lauren.

Stacy let out a sigh. “No,” she replied. “I thought I was ready to see him, but I guess I’m not.”

“Just talk to him,” said Lauren.

“I still have no clue what I want to say to him.”

Lauren grimaced as she looked at Stacy. “Just be patient. It will come,” she finally said.

Stacy sadly nodded and the two of them headed back into Jack’s living room.

Remember the ten-ton elephant that was in the corner when I was going to break up with Ron? Well, he’s back and he brought friends. Seeing Joel did confirm one thing though. I was not still mad at him. It was just weird because we left the situation unsettled. Maybe I should have answered one of his calls.

Anyway, as the night went on, he did not try and talk to me, so I assumed that he wanted nothing to do with me. After staying at Jack’s for what seemed like forever, we finally left for downtown.

It was a little past eleven when the eight friends arrived at Shenanigans in downtown Charlotte. They stood in the long line for about fifteen minutes before finally reaching the door. There, the bouncer checked their ID’s to make sure that they were of age and then let them enter.

Loud music greeted the group as they walked came through the entrance. The club itself was practically alive as the walls were vibrating from the boom of the bass. The floor was not visible as people stood and danced shoulder to shoulder.

Shenanigans was a two story club, situated so that when you walked in through the front doors you were at the back of the dance floor. The D.J. stood in his booth, which was located on the back wall. There were two long bars, lining the sides of the interior of the building.

Upon advancing past the bar on the right, a door led to the restrooms. Also in this doorway, stairs could be taken to the second floor of club. The dance floor upstairs covered a little less than half of the first floor, leaving it open to look down at the dance floor below. Exiting the door at the top of the stairs, a walkway, which hugged the wall, led to the upstairs portion of the club, which was above the front doors. After passing a bar, the walkway opened up into the rest of the upstairs area.

Electing to stay on the first floor, Jack and Joel led the group through the sea of people that covered the dance floor and to the bar, where each of them ordered and received drinks. It was not long before Lauren and Tiffany dragged John and Brian onto the dance floor. Stacy was not far behind them as Joel, Jack and Dustin remained at the bar for the time being.

I thought that dancing would take my mind off of things, but it didn’t. I couldn’t help but feel bad for Joel. He just stood there by the bar while the rest of us were dancing. Granted, I know that he does not enjoy dancing like the rest of us, but he has never been the type to just stand by the bar by himself while everyone else is on the dance floor.

Jack and Dustin went over and tried to persuade him to come out and dance, but he didn’t. Brian had no luck either and neither did Lauren. It was then, that I decided to go over and end this stupidity once and for all.

Much to Joel’s surprise, Stacy shook off her nervousness and went over to him. She smiled warmly as she stopped in front of him. “Do you not feel like dancing?” she asked.

Joel smiled. “You know me,” he said, “always a wallflower.” There was a bit of an awkward pause for a moment, before they both started to speak. Both of them stopped to let the other one talk, but Stacy insisted that Joel be the first.

“I really am sorry, Stacy,” said Joel.

“I know,” responded Stacy. “I know you were just looking out for me, but you could have gone about it a different way.”

“Are we going to be ok?” asked Joel, his concern was obvious.

“Yes,” replied Stacy, nodding her head.

“Good,” said Joel.

“Come on,” said Stacy, grabbing Joel’s hand and pulling him away from the bar. “Let’s dance.”

And just like that, all was right with the world. As Joel and I danced, I could not help but feel attracted to him. All of my feelings we resurfacing once again. This time, though, I was single and ready to give into them. And then, Joel said the exact thing that I was wishing he would. But unfortunately, I would get in my own way.

“Stacy,” said Joel, “I have a confession to make.”

“And what is that?” asked Stacy.

“I love you,” said Joel.

“Aww,” said Stacy, smiling brightly. “I love you too...” Oh no! What if he means he loves me as a friend and nothing more? Don’t panic... don’t panic!

But then I did panic. And I blurted out the first thing that popped in my head. “...as a friend.”

No! What have I done!?

“I- I need to go,” said Joel through short quick breaths.

“Are you ok?” asked Stacy, a confused look took hold of her face. Joel looked crushed, but why? Wait, could he have meant...?

“Y-yeah,” he said. “I am fine.”

Joel turned and left Stacy standing there as he headed for the door. She watched as he made his way to the door and exited Shenanigans. She stood there facing a harsh realization.

I really screwed up this time. I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was no coming back from this one.

Episode 15: The Break-Up

A few days have passed since I walked out on Ron this past Saturday and things have not gotten any better between Ron and myself. I have been pushing the thoughts aside and enduring, what can only be described as, this toxic relationship for far too long. So as tough as it was, I have come to a decision. I am going to break up with Ron.

The only problem with that is, I have no idea when, where, or even how I am going to do it. All I know at this point is that it has to be done. I have only talked to Ron on the phone since Saturday and I do not plan on breaking up with him over the phone. He at least deserves to hear it in person. I would have done it after our nightly trip to Stratler’s last night, which was Monday, but he had to work. My next opportunity would be tonight.

I had rehearsed the whole thing in my head since I had come to this decision on Sunday evening. I was nervous all day on Tuesday and kept running through possible scenarios in my head. I drifted through the day, barely getting anything done. It is a wonder how I managed to stay off the radar that day especially given my low productivity.

Upon getting off of work, Stacy drove back to her apartment. As each second passed, she grew more and more nervous over the fact that she was going to break up with Ron on that evening. She kept rehearsing what she had panned to say, but eventually started to think if she could go through with the whole thing.

Then, she reassured herself that it was the right thing to do and regained control over her nerves. When she got home, she began to think about how it was the best for both of them and then a thought occurred.

I am going to be single.

It was a weird feeling for Stacy, seeing as how she had not been single for quite some time. The more she though about it, the more liberated she felt. It was almost as if the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. But it came crashing back down upon her when she started to think about the daunting task ahead of her.

Ron had not gotten off of work yet, forcing Stacy to take a cab down to Stratler’s, which was no more than a mile and a half away from her apartment building. As fate would have it, upon arriving at Stratler’s, Stacy found Ron awaiting her arrival outside. The greetings were awkward, as the two had not seen each other since Saturday night. The awkwardness did not last long because shortly after Stacy’s arrival, Lauren showed up and the three of them went inside to join their three friends.

Well the night was off to a... well let’s just say it was off. Seeing Ron after I had decided to break up with him was a lot more awkward than I had anticipated. I am just glad that Lauren came along to bail me out. There was, however, a lingering tension between Ron and myself.

When we got inside, we got to listen to another tale of Dustin, the incredible ass. After listening to what he had done to poor Molly, we could not help but laugh.

“Are you serious?” asked Lauren.

“I’m afraid so,” said Joel.

“What a pompous ass,” said Lauren bluntly. “I cannot believe that he did that!”

“I can,” responded Joel sheepishly, raising his beer to his mouth to take a sip.

After everyone shared a laugh and a few more comments about Dustin’s latest stunt, they veered off of the topic and on to a new one.

The night was off to a good start. Well, except for the two ton elephant sitting in the corner. I was ignoring it for now, but I knew that sooner or later, it would have to be addressed. Little did I know, that time would come a lot sooner than later.

Apparently Ron is really insecure, and on top of that, he is very threatened by Joel. Later in the evening, Joel said something funny and apparently Ron did not like how long or hard I laughed. He did not think that it was particularly funny which meant that in no possible way, should it be funny to anyone else, especially me. It couldn’t be the fact that he was not fond of Joel and that is the reason he did not think what he said was funny. Ok, sorry. I will get off of my little tangent here.

After Joel’s funny comment, he went to the restroom and Ron started.

“Why don’t you go with your boyfriend?” asked Ron of Stacy.

Stacy sighed and rolled her eyes. “Ron,” she said, “don’t start with that again.”

“I am just calling it like I see it,” said Ron.

“I said don’t start,” growled Stacy through gritted teeth. She was careful not to raise her voice so that she would not draw the attention of her other friends.

“You are going to sit there and lie to me?” asked Ron, who was growing angrier.

“Lie?” asked Stacy, who was also becoming angry. “I have not said anything that could be misconstrued or interpreted as a lie, Ron.”

“Yeah, whatever,” said Ron. “I am tired of this.”

“You know what? I am too!” said Stacy angrily. She stood and pushed her chair back forcibly, then stormed out of Stratler’s.

Joel exited the restroom to find Stacy marching out of Stratler’s with Ron right on her heels. As he watched the two of them argue through the front window, he quickly made his way back to the table to find out what happened.

Once outside, Stacy and Ron began to argue.

“Why don’t you just admit it?” asked Ron.

“Admit what?” replied Stacy.

“That you are in love with Joel!” shouted Ron.

“Are you that insecure, Ron!?”

“Just admit it, Stacy. I do-”

Stacy stopped Ron in mid-sentence and said, “That’s it, Ron. I can’t do this anymore.”

“What!?” exclaimed Ron, he began to yell uncontrollably as his face turned beet red.

It was not long after, when Ron started at Stacy. Stacy was terrified as she began to back away. Ron took two steps toward her and raised his hand, looking as if he were going to strike Stacy. She raised her hands, putting them in front of her face defensively.

That was the first time that I was legitimately scared of Ron. He had gotten mad before, but never like this. I am not justifying his reaction or coming at me at all, but he had been drinking, which could have caused this heightened reaction. All I know is that he was coming at me and I did not know what was going to happen or what I would even try to do to stop him. I guess it is a good thing that Joel came along.

Before Ron could do anything else, Joel came out of nowhere and punched him right between the eyes. Ron’s feet went out from under him, sending him to the pavement below. When he hit the pavement, he laid there dazed.

Do not get me wrong, I know that Ron had this coming and if it would not have happened, there is no telling what he would have done. Unfortunately the only emotion that came over me was rage. And the only thing I could say was...

Joel was shaking his hand as it was writhing in pain as he turned to face Stacy. She was stunned as she looked up at him. It was almost as if she did not recognize him. “Why would you do that?” she asked.

“Stacy, he was going to hit you,” said Joel, defending his actions.

“So you just hit him!?” yelled Stacy, pushing past Joel to attend to Ron. “You are no better than him!”

“I-I’m sorry Stacy, I don’t know what came over me.”

“Just get away from us!”

Ron’s nose was bleeding pretty badly when I got to him. Good thing somebody on the street who was passing by called 911, because I was starting to panic. Ron, who was an EMT, knew exactly what to do, even in his dazed state. By this time, all of my anger had melted away. One thought repeated itself over and over in my head.

What the hell was Joel thinking?