Too Much
One
-2006-
The cold, late October air hit me hard as I stepped out onto the front stoop leaving the deafening party behind me. Sighing, I sank down to sit on the cold pavement, being sure to spread my mini skirt the best I could before sitting. I took a minute to pull the heels off my feet, rubbing each of them as I did so. There was a slight chill to the air, causing me to shiver and wrap my arms closer to my body.
I looked out across the street at the house I had spent so much time in just a few short years ago. The porch light was on, and I could faintly make out the distinct shape of a familiar body making its way out the front door.
“Great…” I mumbled to myself with a roll of my eyes. I sat trying to decide if it was better to stay and hope he didn’t notice me or to retreat back inside the party.
He seemed to notice me right then, stopping in his tracks and letting out a visible sigh. I was comforted in the fact that he wasn’t pleased with the current circumstances either.
“Hey Hads,” The old nickname rolled off his tongue with an eerie ease.
“Hi.”
“Why are you out here?” He asked. His eyes were glossy and I could tell he had been drinking this evening.
“You know me…” I said with a shrug. “Not one for parties.”
“If it’s worth anything…” He said, the sides of his coat went up as he gestured with his hands which remained in the pockets. “You look great.”
My eyes found the ground not wanting to accept his compliment.
He stepped around me, making his way to the front door of the house and into the party.
“Alex!” I said loudly as he opened the screen door. I could tell he had paused waiting for what I had to say to him. “I listened to the record.”
A slight chuckle came from him and I didn’t have to look to know it had probably been accompanied by an eye roll.
“I hope you liked it, because every fucking song on it was inspired by you.”
His words stung like a slap to the face and I swallowed the lump that had risen to my throat. “I deserved that…”
“Hadley, just stop. You and I both know you don’t mean it.” He said with a heavy sigh. “You made the right decision. I bet you love school, your dad must be super stoked for your future, as he always
was. I bet everything’s just perfect for you right now.”
I began to sob wondering how we had gotten to this place. Behind me I heard him enter the house, leaving me waiting outside for an apology that was never going to come no matter how badly I wanted it. Eventually I stood, grabbing my heels and made my way down the driveway to my car. I shut myself inside with a heavy sigh, wiping the tears from my cheeks, trying to convince myself that I was happy and that I had made the right decision to break up with the boy who had his heart set on his best friends and the music they created together.
I started the engine, making a mental note to never attend a party when I was home again. I gave the house one final look to see Alex step out of the house with a smile on his face and Lisa Ruocco on his arm.
Laughing to myself I put the car in drive and drove as far away as I could.
-2013-
“Hadley!”
I looked up to see Ron Stewart, editor in chief of Philadelphia Magazine, making his way towards my cubicle, rubbing his hands together.
“Yes?” I said politely looking up as he leaned in the doorway of my tiny workspace.
“I’ve got a task for you!” He announced. “There’s this band coming to town, tickets have sold out incredibly fast. I’d like you to go to the show and write up a quick review on it.”
“Sure…” I said nodding as he handed me the tickets.
“You can take Melanie with you too.” He said absentmindedly mentioning my close friend and co-worker.
I glanced down at the tickets and felt my heart drop.
“Um, Mr. Stewart, sir…” I said quickly jumping from my seat and jogging to catch him in the hall.
“What’s the matter?” He questioned peering at me with his tiny eyes.
“I-I can’t go to this show…” I said looking once more at the tickets to make sure I had read them correctly.
“And why not?” My boss gave me an inquisitive look waiting for my answer.
“I-I…” I stalled trying to think of a lie that would make a good enough excuse.
“Hadley, if you’d like….I’m sure I can find someone else who would want that promotion that’s dangling over your head.” He taunted.
“I thought it was on a different date, but silly me!” I said laughing awkwardly. “Can’t wait for the show!”
“Much better…” Ron smirked turning on his heel and making his way back to his office.
“Shit…” I sighed under my breath making my way to Melanie’s cubicle.
“I don’t understand what the problem is?” She asked looking at the tickets. “It seems like a good time to me!”
“The problem is…” I said taking the tickets from her hands roughly. “This band….this band…I could rant for hours about this band.”
“What’s wrong with them?” Melanie asked. “I’ve never even heard of them.” She turned to her iMac, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder.
I sighed heavily questioning how I had gotten to this point in my life. I thought I had left all of this behind years ago, along with Maryland and high school in general.
“Ooo, they have a new single out!” Melanie exclaimed, clicking the little blue link.
Music suddenly filled the tiny cubicle and as much as I didn’t want to see the video, by the time I heard the familiar singing of the boy from my past, I was leaning over Melanie’s shoulder watching it.
“The lead singer is really hot!” Mel giggled glancing up at me.
My breath was caught in my throat for the entirety of the four minute length video.
“I can’t believe they fucking made it…” I mumbled.
“What?” Melanie laughed. “That was really good! I’m really excited now!”
“Yeah…” I scoffed getting lost in my thought for a moment.
“What’s with you?”
“I know them…” I sighed gesturing to the computer screen where the video was now replaying.
“What do you mean?” Melanie asked shaking her head.
“I dated Alex in high school….the lead singer…” I clarified when she still didn’t understand.
“What?” She asked looking baffled.
“I know…” I sighed crossing my arms in front of my chest. “I’ve been doing everything in my power to avoid them for years.”
“Well, think of it this way.” Melanie said. “There’s probably going to be a bunch of people at the show, and it’ll be a big dark room. What are the chances of him even knowing you’re there…right?”
I took a moment to let what she had said sink in before smiling and nodding. There was no way I was going to let Alex Gaskarth get in the way of me and my promotion.
The cold, late October air hit me hard as I stepped out onto the front stoop leaving the deafening party behind me. Sighing, I sank down to sit on the cold pavement, being sure to spread my mini skirt the best I could before sitting. I took a minute to pull the heels off my feet, rubbing each of them as I did so. There was a slight chill to the air, causing me to shiver and wrap my arms closer to my body.
I looked out across the street at the house I had spent so much time in just a few short years ago. The porch light was on, and I could faintly make out the distinct shape of a familiar body making its way out the front door.
“Great…” I mumbled to myself with a roll of my eyes. I sat trying to decide if it was better to stay and hope he didn’t notice me or to retreat back inside the party.
He seemed to notice me right then, stopping in his tracks and letting out a visible sigh. I was comforted in the fact that he wasn’t pleased with the current circumstances either.
“Hey Hads,” The old nickname rolled off his tongue with an eerie ease.
“Hi.”
“Why are you out here?” He asked. His eyes were glossy and I could tell he had been drinking this evening.
“You know me…” I said with a shrug. “Not one for parties.”
“If it’s worth anything…” He said, the sides of his coat went up as he gestured with his hands which remained in the pockets. “You look great.”
My eyes found the ground not wanting to accept his compliment.
He stepped around me, making his way to the front door of the house and into the party.
“Alex!” I said loudly as he opened the screen door. I could tell he had paused waiting for what I had to say to him. “I listened to the record.”
A slight chuckle came from him and I didn’t have to look to know it had probably been accompanied by an eye roll.
“I hope you liked it, because every fucking song on it was inspired by you.”
His words stung like a slap to the face and I swallowed the lump that had risen to my throat. “I deserved that…”
“Hadley, just stop. You and I both know you don’t mean it.” He said with a heavy sigh. “You made the right decision. I bet you love school, your dad must be super stoked for your future, as he always
was. I bet everything’s just perfect for you right now.”
I began to sob wondering how we had gotten to this place. Behind me I heard him enter the house, leaving me waiting outside for an apology that was never going to come no matter how badly I wanted it. Eventually I stood, grabbing my heels and made my way down the driveway to my car. I shut myself inside with a heavy sigh, wiping the tears from my cheeks, trying to convince myself that I was happy and that I had made the right decision to break up with the boy who had his heart set on his best friends and the music they created together.
I started the engine, making a mental note to never attend a party when I was home again. I gave the house one final look to see Alex step out of the house with a smile on his face and Lisa Ruocco on his arm.
Laughing to myself I put the car in drive and drove as far away as I could.
-2013-
“Hadley!”
I looked up to see Ron Stewart, editor in chief of Philadelphia Magazine, making his way towards my cubicle, rubbing his hands together.
“Yes?” I said politely looking up as he leaned in the doorway of my tiny workspace.
“I’ve got a task for you!” He announced. “There’s this band coming to town, tickets have sold out incredibly fast. I’d like you to go to the show and write up a quick review on it.”
“Sure…” I said nodding as he handed me the tickets.
“You can take Melanie with you too.” He said absentmindedly mentioning my close friend and co-worker.
I glanced down at the tickets and felt my heart drop.
“Um, Mr. Stewart, sir…” I said quickly jumping from my seat and jogging to catch him in the hall.
“What’s the matter?” He questioned peering at me with his tiny eyes.
“I-I can’t go to this show…” I said looking once more at the tickets to make sure I had read them correctly.
“And why not?” My boss gave me an inquisitive look waiting for my answer.
“I-I…” I stalled trying to think of a lie that would make a good enough excuse.
“Hadley, if you’d like….I’m sure I can find someone else who would want that promotion that’s dangling over your head.” He taunted.
“I thought it was on a different date, but silly me!” I said laughing awkwardly. “Can’t wait for the show!”
“Much better…” Ron smirked turning on his heel and making his way back to his office.
“Shit…” I sighed under my breath making my way to Melanie’s cubicle.
“I don’t understand what the problem is?” She asked looking at the tickets. “It seems like a good time to me!”
“The problem is…” I said taking the tickets from her hands roughly. “This band….this band…I could rant for hours about this band.”
“What’s wrong with them?” Melanie asked. “I’ve never even heard of them.” She turned to her iMac, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder.
I sighed heavily questioning how I had gotten to this point in my life. I thought I had left all of this behind years ago, along with Maryland and high school in general.
“Ooo, they have a new single out!” Melanie exclaimed, clicking the little blue link.
Music suddenly filled the tiny cubicle and as much as I didn’t want to see the video, by the time I heard the familiar singing of the boy from my past, I was leaning over Melanie’s shoulder watching it.
“The lead singer is really hot!” Mel giggled glancing up at me.
My breath was caught in my throat for the entirety of the four minute length video.
“I can’t believe they fucking made it…” I mumbled.
“What?” Melanie laughed. “That was really good! I’m really excited now!”
“Yeah…” I scoffed getting lost in my thought for a moment.
“What’s with you?”
“I know them…” I sighed gesturing to the computer screen where the video was now replaying.
“What do you mean?” Melanie asked shaking her head.
“I dated Alex in high school….the lead singer…” I clarified when she still didn’t understand.
“What?” She asked looking baffled.
“I know…” I sighed crossing my arms in front of my chest. “I’ve been doing everything in my power to avoid them for years.”
“Well, think of it this way.” Melanie said. “There’s probably going to be a bunch of people at the show, and it’ll be a big dark room. What are the chances of him even knowing you’re there…right?”
I took a moment to let what she had said sink in before smiling and nodding. There was no way I was going to let Alex Gaskarth get in the way of me and my promotion.
I love this!
4/21/14