Free Boyfriend by Faye McCray

came out of my mouth. 
    Her head whipped back as if I had smacked her.  She got up clutching her water bottle in her hand and threw it at me.  It bounced off my chest and landed on the floor beside me, the water splashing out at my feet.
    “Fuck you, Nate!” She grabbed her backpack and bounded towards the door.  I had never heard her curse, the words sounded foreign coming from her mouth.
    I ran towards the door grabbing her arm, and she pulled away, yanking the door open, I grabbed her again.  “I’m sorry, baby.”
    “Let me go, Nate.” She struggled to free herself from my tightening grip.  Just then, Phil came sauntering towards the door.  He smiled but noticing the serious look on our faces, his expression grew solemn. 
    “Is everything okay?” he asked concerned, looking more at Kerry than me.  I released her arm.
    “Fine,” she said looking at him. “I’m leaving.”  She pushed past him and walked away.  I started to follow.
    “Whoa,” Phil said stopping me.  I pushed him hard and backed away.  “What’s wrong with you?” he said walking in and looking around at the turned over chair and the spilled water bottle.
    “My sister came by.”
    “That explains so much.” Phil picked up the chair and dropped a paper towel on the spilled water.
    “I don’t want to talk about it.”
    “Okay,” he said raising his arms in defense.
    We stood in silence for a moment. 
    “Well,” he began after a moment as he reached in his pocket.  “I have some treats from the ice cream man.”  He held up a dime bag of weed.  I had not smoked since I started dating Kerry.  The wall clock in the living room read 12:13pm.  I had a class at 1pm.  Fuck it. I took the bag from him.  He laughed.
     
    CHAPTER SEVEN
    Phil and I polished off the bag, did a few shots of Absolute and drank a six-pack of beer by 9pm.  I tried calling and texting Kerry over ten times before Phil threatened to throw my phone in our trash compactor.  She was refusing to pick up, and Phil warned that I was too drunk and high to speak to her even if she had.  I initially refused when Phil first suggested we go out, but I knew if I stayed I would keep drinking.
    When we arrived at the party, I could barely see straight.  I grabbed a bottle of water from the bar and posted up against the wall listening to the music and watching people dance around the packed club. Phil immediately started chatting up a group of girls.
    “This is Nate,” Phil said pointing in my direction.  I nodded struggling to focus on their faces.
    “What’s wrong with him?”  One girl asked staring in my face. 
    What’s wrong with me? My eyes were blurring over and I smiled widely in an attempt to look normal.
    “Stop smiling like that, Nate,” Phil said, leaning in and patting me on the back.  “Drink some more water.”  I drank another gulp and shook my head trying to shake off the effects of a day of drinking and getting high.
    “Nate?” a voice said.  I turned to see Jayna facing me holding a cocktail.  She was wearing a short and tight blue strapless dress and very high black heels.  Her curls were loose around her face.
    “Hi,” she said pressing her hand against my chest and kissing my cheek.  I tried my best to keep looking in her eyes but her body was practically popping out of her dress.  She caught me looking at her breasts and laughed.  I looked away quickly. Sober up, I told myself.  As far as I was concerned, Jayna was part of the problem.  I didn’t want to make it worse.
    “Kerry told me what happened,” she said trying to be heard over the music.  “Bad boy,” she sang wagging her finger. 
    I took a sip of my water looking into her eyes. Her playfulness was unexpected.  I knew she was a flirt, but I thought she would be at least slightly angry with me for the way I treated Kerry.
    I shrugged.  “I tried to apologize but she won’t pick up.”
    She said something, but I could not hear her over the