Pizza With Jason
There will always be highs and lows in life. What I’ve found is, sometimes, you reach the lowest you’ve ever been and it seems there’s no way out. You become desperate and you begin to lose yourself. You begin to try stuff you shouldn’t, just to feel something. That’s where I am now, and it feels worse than death.
I feel…empty. Nobody has threatened to kill me in awhile, but I haven’t seen Edwin in half a month and that’s killing me. Hold on, I hear a knock on the door. It might be Edwin!
I hobble to the door, but it’s not Edwin. It’s Jason. He smiles warmly at me as I stare at him. Why is he here?
“Jason? Why are you here?” I ask.
“I came to visit you. Duh,” Jason says. “Can we talk?”
“Yeah, sure,” I say. “I don’t have food, though.”
“That’s fine. I’m not here for food,” Jason says.
“What do you want to talk about?” I ask as I go to take a seat.
“I heard about what happened with Edwin Vampries,” Jason says. “I wanted to say I’m sorry. You deserve way better than what he threw at you.”
“He saved my life,” I say.
“And ran away like a little baby. I mean, have you even seen or heard from him since?” Jason asks. “I wouldn’t abandon you like that. My dad says you would be much safer with my pack.”
“Your pack?” I ask.
“My family,” Jason says. “I would love you, protect you, and not allow you to suffer the way Edwin made you suffer.”
“But I love Edwin,” I say.
“I’ll let you think about it. Here, I’ll order us some pizza,” Jason says.
“Hmmm,” I say.
“I love you, Isadora…” Jason says, getting up with his cellphone in hand.
Jason leaves the room and orders pizza. I have no idea where he gets the funds for crazy spending like this. After placing the order, he returns. He plops down forcefully next to me and gets comfy.
“I know you love me,” I say.
“Yeah? And why can’t you love me back?” Jason asks.
“I just want to be your friend,” I reply. “Like the old days.”
“You can’t keep living in the past, Dora,” Jason says, looking hurt.
Why is he so offended by my decision? I already told him awhile ago that I’m dating Edwin, not him. You would think he’d get over it by now. After all, Edwin might come back soon. I must keep waiting.
“So, what’s your favorite pizza topping?” Jason asks. “Personally? I’ll take anything. Pizza is so good.”
“Hmmm…” I say. “I don’t know if I have a favorite.”
“Maybe you’re a cheese pizza type of person…” Jason muses, thinking on this a bit before continuing his thought. “Well, I ordered a few different types, so maybe you’ll find one you like.”
“Oh yeah? I guess cheese is alright,” I reply.
There is an awkward lull in the conversation. Jason and I wait patiently for the pizzas to arrive. The two of us are just sitting on the couch like a couple of potatoes. As for my mom, well, I think she’s busy. She’ll probably show up soon.
After waiting a long time, the door bell rings followed by a knock on the door. That’s got to be the pizza, though, everything inside of me is hoping that it is Edwin. I get up, but Jason is much faster. He answers the door and starts loading A TON of pizzas into the house.
“Having a party, I suppose?” the delivery guy asks with a chuckle.
“Something like that!” Jason says with a grin. “Thank you for delivering!”
“Have a good day, sir!” the delivery driver says with a nod before leaving.
“Like I said, Dora,” Jason says, shutting the door. “I ordered a lot of pizzas!”
“Whoa,” I reply.
They smell good. I’ll probably have like, one small slice. I know Jason is capable of eating all that pizza. It’s a wonder he hasn’t put on that much weight considering how much he eats. He’s a little pudgy, sure, but it’s like an adorable pudgy.
“Dora, are you alright?” Jason asks, smiling innocently.
“Hmmm,” I say.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” Jason asks. “Come on, let’s eat some pizza!”
I stop staring at his belly. I guess I picked up a bad staring habit from Edwin. Edwin… I wish he were here… Before we can sit down, the door opens again.
“Ms. Charlene!” Jason exclaims, grinning. “I bought pizza!”
“Oh my goodness,” my mom says, putting a hand to her chest. “You guys didn’t use my money for this, did you?”
“No, ma’am! I used my dad’s card!” Jason says, grinning even harder somehow.
“Don’t eat too much, kids. You’ll get a stomachache,” my mom warns.
“Understood. Don’t you worry, I can eat quite a few of these myself without pain,” Jason says with a thumbs up.
“I suppose I’ll have a few slices,” my mom says.
“Go for it!” Jason encourages. “After all, you deserve it.”
We sit and we eat. I’m eating a bit slow so Jason intervenes, shoving some more pizza into my mouth. I try to refuse it, but he presses further. Fine, just one more slice…
“Ugh. Too much pizza…” I complain.
“Nuh-uh! You barely ate any!” Jason says.
“Jason, be nice,” my mom warns.
“I am being nice, right Dora?” Jason asks, poking me in the belly.
“Urpp, yeah. Jason’s fine…” I mumble, trying not to throw up.
“See?” Jason says.
“Okay, then,” my mom says. “But if he makes you uncomfortable, I’ll throw him out.”
“I’m gonna train you in the arts of eating, Dora. If you’re gonna join my pack, you gotta eat like a wolf,” Jason prompts.
“Yeah, no, I’m not joining any “packs”,” I groan before I get fed another slice of pizza.
“Shhhh…” Jason says, gently patting my belly. “Good girl…”
Jason reaches to open another pizza box. I think I’m about to burst… Hopefully he’s just seeking more pizza for himself. However, when he opens one box, a letter falls out.
“Huh? What is this? It looks like someone taped a sheet of paper to this box, but who would be tampering with our pizza?” Jason wonders.
“Let me see,” I prompt.
