A Simple Life: Chapter 122 (Patreon)

My heart is beating double time as I stare down at my phone scared and confused as to what was happening.  Was Winona actually crying?  I couldn’t tell.  Was she hurt?  Was she angry?  At me?  What had I done wrong?  Last I spoke to her everything was fine!  What did I do?  All sorts of dark thoughts swirl through my mind, each one of them a razor slicing across my heart.  I knew that I didn’t deserve a woman like her.  Had she finally figured it out herself?  Had she finally realized how bad I was?  Did she hate me?

“No.”  I whisper as my heart clung to the last words she’d spoken.  She did love me.  Winona didn’t say things she didn’t mean.  And deep down I knew she really did care for me, whether I deserved it or not.  No.  Something happened.  Something bad.

Sitting on the floor, curled up in a ball at the side of my bed, I look at my phone and wonder what to do.  Whatever was happening, I wanted to help.  I wanted to help fix it.  Or, if I couldn’t, I wanted to be there for her.  If I couldn’t be her hero at least maybe I could give her a hug.  I did understand that deep need to be alone.  I understood it better than anyone.  But this didn’t feel right.  Not for her.  Not right now.

Turning to the only person that I knew might help I dial Kayla.

“Avery, mah boy!”  Her upbeat tone would have brightened my mood any other day.

“Hey K-Kayla.”

“What are you up to?”  She asks.  “I was about to watch a movie but I could wait.”

“Um, actually.  I’m k-k-kind of c-calling about s-something.”

“Oh?  Shoot.”

“I th-think Winona’s m-mad at me.”

“Pff.  Probably.”

“Huh?”

“Let me guess.  She’s giving you the silent treatment?  Am I right?”

“Y-Yeah.”

“You have to understand with her, she’s great with other people’s emotions.  Her own?  Not so much.”  She says, her casual giving me a little bit of comfort.  By the sound of it what was happening was not unusual behavior.  “When things get emotional she either explodes, like she did after the game, or closes off completely.  Some sort of macho warrior bullshit.  Probably got it from her Dad.”

“Amos isn’t l-like that.”

“Mom then, I don’t know.  I love that girl to pieces but she’s a bit of a mess.”

“M-My k-kind of mess.”

“Adorable.  You two are absolutely adorable.”  Before I could say anything she cuts me off.  “Spill the tea.  What happened and what did she say?”

“I d-don’t know!  That’s the problem.”  I sigh in frustration.  “Everything was f-fine this morning.  She t-texted me to say she was thinking about me. I was supposed go up there tonight.  Then j-just now I called and…she just spoke in like…one w-word answers…”

“Gah!  The worst.  Yep, she’s mad at you.”

“What do I doooo!?”

“Heyyy, bestie.  Chill.  It’s going to be okay.”  She says.  “You sure you don’t want to come over?  We can talk.  I’ll put on a pot.”

“I n-n-need to fix this.”  Tipping over I lay on the floor on my side, still balled up.  “She n-n-needs me.”

“Needs you?  Ugh!  That’s some codependent BS right there.  You’re starting to sound like her.”

“What do I do?”

“First, you take a breath and then you relax.  This will blow over.”  She says.  “Just let her cool down.  She’ll come around.”

“Okay.”

“She’s crazy about you Avery.  I’m talking head over heels.”

“I know.”  I whisper.  “I’m c-crazy about her.”

“So we’ve established that you’re both definitely crazy.  Ha!”

“Kayla!”

“Sorry.”  She chuckles.  “You’re making a lot out of nothing.  Trust me.”

“Okay.”  I take a breath.  “Okay.”

“There you go.”  

“You’re sure?”

“Of course I’m sure.  I know that girl better than she knows herself.”

“Ok-kay.”  I take another deep breath, still bothered but far calmer than a few minutes ago.  For the following few minutes we chat about more pleasant things and I start to consider maybe actually going over for that movie.  It would be better than sitting here alone and worrying.  But then the conversation takes a turn.

“In other friend news, want to hear something wild?”

“Uh, sure.”

“In confidence.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”  She says, eager to share.  “Briar sent me the weirdest message yesterday.  I was telling her about an issue I was having with Babe and she sends back something like, ‘Madam Briar will discipline him’ and that I shouldn’t worry my ‘pretty little head about it’.  Ha!  Then she had a little smiling devil face.  I don’t know what she’s on about but it was SO CUTE!  Madam Briar?  Ha ha ha!  Can you believe that?”

I giggle along with her.  I knew darn well Winona and I had given Briar the confidence and the idea of mustering her dominant side to gain Kayla’s interest, but I wasn’t about to betray her confidence and let Kayla know what was up.  Instead I just say.  “She l-likes you, you know.  She was asking me ab-bout you.”

“Awww.”  Kayla says.  “Well she’s got a funny way of showing it.  Every time I put the moves on her she clams up.”

“You’re intimidating!”

“Me?  Yeah right.”  She chuckles.  

“It’s t-true!  B-Brayden’s terrified of you cause he thinks y-you’re hot.”

“Ew!”

“Anyway.”  I giggle.  “She l-likes you.”

“So does the ‘Madam’ by the looks of it.  Ha!”  She chortles.  “So with that text, the worst part of it was that it came in right when I was having coffee with Becca and Kimmy.  I burst out laughing, but then I couldn’t tell them why.  And you know how nosy they are.”

“Yeah.”  I say glumly at the mention of a pair of my many tormentors from my school years.  “I actually saw them t-today.  They r-ran right into me.  At the…”  My voice fades.  Becca?  Kimmy?  The college.  Briar.  Uh oh.  “Kayla?”

“What’s up?”

“Did you happen to tell them ab-bout W-Winona and I?”

“Uh, weird question.  Is it a secret or something?”

“Did you?”

“Well, yeah.  They both know Winnie through me.  When they found out that she was back they were asking about her.  And, yeah, you came up obviously.”

“Oh!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Kayla?  Wh-What would W-Winona do if she s-saw me holding hands w-with another…girl?”

“Did you…?”  There is a pause.  “Oh my God.  Avery!  I TOLD you she was the jealous type.”

“I-I-I…”

“When she’s with you she thinks that she owns you or something.  It’s fucked.  When we were a thing if I so much as did a little flirt…eeeesh!”

“S-Silent treatment?”

“Oh yeah.  Dog house for sure.”  She says.  “You weren’t…holding hands with another girl, were you?  What you up to, my little Romeo?”

“Ohhh boy.  I’m in t-t-trouble, Kayla.”

“You are?  You were with someone else?  Really!?”

“No!  It w-wasn’t l-l-like that.  W-We just…held hands.  And I th-think Becca and K-Kimmy saw us!”

“Oh boy is right.  Well…shit.  Yeah.  This is bad.  On the bright side, at least you aren’t that girl.”

“Huh!?”

“You might want to give her a ring and tell her to look into witness protection.”  She says.  “I’ve seen Winnie spark out a grown ass man when her blood was up.  A regular gal wouldn’t…”

“I gotta go!”

“What?”

“I g-g-gotta go!”  I was already on the way to my door.  “Ohhh no!”

“Avery, what’s…”

I hang up the call and quickly dial up Winona as I scramble for my keys.  Her phone was off!  Out the door and flying down the stairs I dial Briar…and get Meadow asking me to leave a message.

“No, no, no, no!”

No helmet or jacket I jump on my bike and kick it into life.  The only question was, go to Winona’s or try to find Briar?  The decision is made for me as I realize that I didn’t even know where Briar lived.  Besides, I had to have some faith in her.  Winona wouldn’t actually hurt poor little Briar over something as minor as holding hands…would she?

“Ohhhh no!”

I click my bike into gear and roar out of the parking lot.

Chapter 123