Bitesized Fiction

TJ looked up from his conversation with his girlfriend Jamie to his female best friend, Kristy, whose voice seemed sigher and speech a bit slurrier than usual. Her eyes were wide with panic, and she had jumped up on her chair so her feet would not be on the grass.

“What is it?” TJ asked, standing up slightly to see what was making Kristy freak out. They were at the backyard of his cousin’s house for his birthday party, and they were enjoying the night with good conversation and lots of drinks.

Lei, Kristy’s best friend, laughed. “Kristy, it’s just a frog.”

“But you know I am afraid of frogs!” Kristy whined. “Oh my gosh, it’s jumping towards meeeee!”

Richard, TJ’s best friend, stood up and shooed the frog away until it jumped all the way out of the gate. “There, it’s gone.”

“Promise?”

“Yeah, don’t worry Kristy. Richard got rid of the big, bad frog,” Gabby, Richard’s girlfriend, said with a high pitched giggle followed by a hiccup.

“Is Gabby drunk?” Jamie asked.

“No, I’m not,” Gabby replied, blinking. Then she giggled again.

Lei looked at her closely. “You are drunk. How many glasses of margarita did you drink, anyway?”

“Uh…” Gabby said, blinking twice. “Three? Four?”

Before anyone else could say a word, Kristy jumped up from her seat. “I’m going to get more cake.”

“More cake? Kristy, you already ate three slices, including the half you shared with me,” Lei said. “Are you okay?”

“Of course I am,” Kristy said, grinning. She took a few zigzag steps towards the buffet table but before she even reached it, her knees gave and she started to fall.

TJ was beside her in a flash, ignoring Jamie’s surprised look. He caught Kristy before her knees hit the ground. “Kristy!”

Lei stood up and helped TJ with their friend, whose eyes were now closed and she was murmuring unintelligible words. Lei leaned closer to smell her breath and she got a whiff of the sweet scent of the drink. “She’s drunk too,” she informed TJ.

“Too much champagne for this one,” TJ said.

“See, I’m not drunk, Kwisty is,” Gabby said with another giggle. She then put her head on the table and fell asleep.

“She’s cute when she’s drunk,” Richard said. Lei threw him a sharp look. He raised his hands up and added, “Kidding, kidding. I’ll drive her home. I should go home too, it’s getting late and I still have to wake up early tomorrow.”

“Can you bring Kristy too?” Lei asked. Richard hesitated, but before he could answer, TJ spoke up.

“I’ll drive her home,” he said. “Kristy’s out of the way for Richard and Gabby. I’ll drop you off too if you want to go home, or if you want to accompany Kristy for a while.”

Lei glanced at TJ and then back at the table, where Jamie sat, listening to their conversation. Richard took up Gabby in his arms and bid goodbye to them, oblivious to the growing tension between TJ and Jamie. Lei looked back at TJ with a question in her eyes, which took a while for TJ to figure out. Then realization dawned in his eyes.

“Jamie,” TJ said, looking at his girlfriend, who wore a weird expression on her face. “I have to bring Kristy home.”

“Okay,” Jamie said slowly. “I’ll wait for you here.”

TJ paused. “Are you sure you don’t want to go home yet? It’s getting pretty late…”

Jamie raised an eyebrow. “Well, if you have to go home, it’s okay. I’ll just ride with Vera on the way home, she brought her car anyway.”

“It’s okay?”

Jamie nodded without a word. TJ leaned over and kissed her on the cheek and then took Kristy’s other arm and swung it over his shoulder, where Lei was having difficulty keeping her upright. Lei bid goodbye to Jamie and the two of them started walking out to the parking lot.

* * *

“Are you sure you’ll be okay with her? You don’t need me to help you anymore?” Lei asked as TJ stopped in front of her house.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” TJ said, rubbing the back of his neck. Kristy lay at the backseat, asleep, but murmuring some words occasionally. Lei’s mom had called her while they were on the way to Kristy’s house, demanding that she goes home at that moment since it was already late. As much as Lei hated to leave Kristy, she knew she had to obey her mom or else face a month of grounding from her. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll bring her home.”

“Thanks, Teej,” Lei said. “Take care.” She got out of the car and closed the door gently. TJ waited for Lei to get inside the house before driving off.

A few minutes later, he was at Kristy’s house. He stopped the car, got out and woke Kristy up from the backseat. She came to, albeit a bit groggily and TJ helped her get out of the car and walk towards their gate. She leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked, her eyes shut but with a small smile on her face as if she was dreaming of something good.

“Almost there,” TJ whispered as they neared their gate. “Kristy, I need your keys so I can open your gate.”

He felt her raise her head a little, and thankfully, she heard what TJ said. Kristy started rummaging inside her small bag and pulled out a set of keys, which TJ got from her hand. She leaned on his shoulder again and they continued walking.

“Thanks, TJ,” she said softly, as if talking in her sleep. “Have I ever told you?”

They reached the gate and he shifted a bit so he could reach over to open the padlock. “What? Have you ever told me what?”

“That…” Kristy’s voice trailed and moved her head a bit on TJ’s shoulder. “That I love you?”

Click. The key slid in the padlock and it opened. TJ stopped and looked at the top of his friend’s head. Her eyes were closed and she wore that smile again.

“What? Kristy, are you awake?”

“I love you TJ. I really do.” Kristy said again, her eyes still closed.

TJ looked at her, wondering how to react to what Kristy said. Is she drunk or is she already sober? Was she just talking in her sleep, or is she serious?

Before he could think anything else, Kristy’s eyes flew wide open and she took a couple of steps toward the shrub beside their gate. She fell on fours, her face hidden by the plant and threw up.