Louie

"I am sorry, Ethan. I have feelings for someone else." Gina, my girlfriend for three years, said to me in the vintage coffee shop.

Great.

Just freaking great!

Can you catch my drift?

I scrunched my face when she reached to touch my cheek. She saw and pulled her hand back.

When I first saw Gina, I knew I loved her. She had long red hair and gorgeous green eyes. Her freckles was hidden under thick rimmed black glasses. The only specimen I actually considered a future with, so I thought.

"Leave." I managed to say through clenched jaw. She frowned and sadly walked towards the door near our table. "You will always be my best friend, Ethan." She cried as she walked out the door.

The coffee shop was empty except for a girl with dark blue hair across the room.

Hey, it's her fashion choice. At least she is wearing a black hat.

I would wear a hat.

Wait, why I am I still here again?

My phone vibrated in my jeans pocket. I pulled it out.

You have thirteen missed calls.

Step-Mother.

Ugh. This lady needs to get her own life.

Delete.

I switched my phone off and shoved it in my pocket. I stared at the gloomy clouds that matched my mood through the dirty window.

I took a sip off the coffee which had gone cold. "Yuck! I hate the place!" I exclaimed and my voice echoed through the shop. The old waiter came from the back and was walking towards me.

I searched for my wallet, dug out a few bucks and threw it on the table. The girl that was sitting by one of tables, stopped the man.

I got up and angrily walked towards the door.

"Hey, jackass! Show a little respect!" She called me. I turned around to come face to face with her.

She raised her brow.

"Screw you, Smurf." I snorted at her.

"Hey, Richie Rich. This coffee shop has been running for years thanks to this man," She pointed towards the old waiter and continued, "Have a little respect. Maybe your girlfriend would stop screwing you over." She remarked.

I stared at her wide eyed.

Did she really just....?

"She... She isn't screwing me over." I stuttered. The girl snorted. "Sure, and I am Princess Leia. I have seen her with five different guys in this place. Face it, guy. You got conned." She said turning around and giving the old man some money.

Gina Oak was just my girlfriend. So, I helped her with her rent a couple of times, bought her jewellery and....

Damn, she conned me.

How could she?!

I turned towards the old man and the girl. "I am sorry, sir." I said. He smiled but the girl still had a grim look on her face.

She started walking towards me and narrowed her eyes. "You better be." She whispered dangerously and walked away.

She was so.... different.

Most girls wore jeans or skirts with a top that hugged their cleavage and their figure, but she wore a brown three quarter pants with a loose white t-shirt that said, "Get bent."

Who is this girl?

I followed her outside and that is when I saw my BMW get towed.

"Wait, stop! I am here!" I shouted and tried to run after the truck that was already driving away.

"Damn." I panted as I stood in the middle of the road.

A honk behind me got me startled and a fell on the asphalt like an idiot. I looked at the car that honked at me.

An old, hippie Volkswagen van?

I didn't know that they still exist.

I squinted and looked at the driver.

It was Smurf.

She stuck her head out of the window and said yelled at me, "What the hell are you doing on the middle of the damn road?! Do you want to get killed?"

"Sorry." I mumbled standing up. I got up and realized it has already gotten dark. It would be hard to get a cab now.

Walking it is.

Maybe I could hitchhike like a hippie.

"Loser, do you need a lift?" She asked uninterested. "How do you know?" I asked.

"You probably shouldn't think with your mouth." She retorted. "No, it's fine." I tried to be cool.

She shrugged and started the van. I quickly ran to the passenger side and jumped in. "You should lock the doors. You never know what creeps are lurking around." I smirked.

"You should not get your convertible towed." She said putting her round prescription glasses on.

"So, where to?" She asked me as started the van.

I wanted to get wasted.

I didn't want to go home.

Step mother would yell at me for being so late, but I don't care.

I am an adult.

"Do you know any bars?" I asked. "Nope." she snorted.

"Do you know any clubs?" I asked. "God, no." She replied.

"Do you know any liquor stores?" I asked. "Yep. Kingsbury Liquor has a pretty good range."

"Could you take me there? Please?" I smiled. She raised her brow and started driving. "It will be a few minutes. It looks like the rain is coming down heavy." She said squinting through the windscreen which was being furiously wiped.

"It's cool. I don't want to go home just yet. I would rather stay in a hotel." I said looking out the window.

"Hold on, Richie Rich. I have no clue who the hell you are. I am just giving you a lift. I am not your therapist." She said adjusting her glasses.

"I am Ethan Green, and you are?" I stared at her. "Louie." She answered.

"Louie? Isn't it a bit.... boyish?" I frowned. "I like it." She smiled and then it faded away quickly.

She reached out to switch the radio on and an Imagine Dragons song was on.

"So, Louie, where are you from?" I tried to make small talk. "Don't try to make small talk. We are here." She replied parking the van in front of the bright and flashy liquor store.

Girls are weird.

"Do you want anything? I mean, I did kinda hitch a ride for free with you." I smiled sheepishly.

"No." She said flatly. "Are you sure? I got..." I started but was cut off by her. "I am sure." She said firmly.

I put my hands up in defeat. "Okay, Louise." I grinned. "It's Louie." She corrected. "Okey dokey. Do you need to be somewhere? I can walk."

"With liquor? Alone? Are you asking to be mugged? Just shut up, get your alcohol and I will take you home." She ordered.

I kinda liked it.

I mean, girls who are bossy in a shitty way, absolutely suck but girls who are bossy in the right way, are gold.

I had this little fuzzy feeling inside.

I got out of the van running through the pouring rain, into the store. The rain came down pretty heavy, making my hair and clothes dripping wet.

I walked in the store and a shiver ran down my spine not from the cold, but something else.

"Hey, man. How can I help you?" A hairy, rugged man greeted. I smiled sheepishly, "Nah, I am good."

I walked around looking for something strong.

Something strong enough to forget about everything.

The fact that Step Mother only tries to control me.

The fact that Gina broke my heart.

The fact that I drove the entire day to a place I have never been to, to get rejected.

The fact that I was going to propose to her, tonight.

I reached for my thick jacket pocket and felt the box.

I don't think that I ever will meet someone who made me feel like Gina again.

"Hey, dude. You dropped your wallet in the van." Louie said behind me. I quickly tucked the box back into my pocket and turned around.

"Thank you." I said as she handed me the brown leather wallet. "It's fine. I am going to wait in the van." She said awkwardly.

"Wait, can you help me pick out the strong stuff?" I asked. She turned around and looked at me slightly confused.

"Have you ever consumed any alcohol in your life?" She questioned. I shook my head.

That is true.

It's not that I am a saint or something, it's just that I never tried it.

But now, I am going to change.

For Gina.

I am going to win her back.