Empty Net
Page 24
How did she keep getting herself in these kinds of messes? She should have known that Levi didn’t want anything with her, he hadn’t before so what made her think he had now? Was it the hope that maybe he had missed her, that maybe this time she was good enough? What made Janet better than her? Audrey was beautiful, funny, peppy, and damn it, she was freaking amazing! Why wasn’t she good enough for him? Why didn’t he love her!
As she rocked back and forth, her body becoming numb, Audrey still couldn’t figure out what she had done wrong. Part of her knew she never would, either. The other part, like her heart, needed to accept it and move on, but it was hard. And at that moment, crying at the bottom of her bathtub seemed like a good idea. All she needed was her neighbor to start playing his piano and everything would be better. When Audrey remembered that the piano playing would be by Tate, a new round of tears rushed along her cheeks. She had f**ked that up too.
God, she was such a winner.
Audrey stayed in the bath until the water ran cold. When she couldn’t take it any more, she turned the water off and climbed out, wrapping a towel around her splotchy red body. She felt better, a good cry and hot shower usually helped her cope with the pain. Her head still wasn’t right, but really she probably never would be. Not until she learned that she wasn’t the one messed up, it was actually the idiots she continued to date.
As she made her way back into her bedroom, she wrapped her head with a towel to dry her hair. It was early but she needed to get up and get going. Nora, her mother, would be coming by that afternoon with Aiden. He was staying the week with her while Fallon and Lucas were in Goa. Even in her state of depression, she was still excited for the week. They had a lot planned and being with Aiden would take her mind off dickhead.
Audrey went to her drawer and pulled out shorts, a tee, and underwear throwing them over her shoulder onto the bed. When she turned from the drawer, she came to a halt in front of her bed. The sheets were tousled and stray pillows lay on the floor with her panties and bra from the night before. As she stared down at the bed she and Levi had had sex in, her eyes filled with tears as her heart started to beat in overdrive. She reached for her underwear and went through the motion of putting on her clothes as her body started to shake. Then without thinking, she ripped the sheets off the bed throwing them out the opened door into the hall. One by one the pillows joined them before she ran to the hall, picked up everything and ran down the stairs. It surprised her that she didn’t fall on her face when she did this. The next thing she knew she was throwing the sheets and pillows out on the front lawn.
Audrey turned again and ran back up the stairs. She then reached for the mattress, pulling it off her bed. Again, she was surprised she got the king size mattress down the stairs, only knocking off picture frames from the walls and slightly twisting her ankle. She was pretty amazing when she was dead set on doing something. As she pulled the mattress through her living room, she knocked over a bookcase and two end tables before she got it out the door. When she laid that on top of her sheets, she clapped her hands before running back inside to grab anything that reminded her of Levi.
One by one, picture frames flew out the door, hitting the mattress with so much force, that when they landed, they bounced off and broke.
It was so invigorating!!
She found anything and everything that reminded her of him. All their favorite shows, DVDs, their favorite snacks from the kitchen, their favorite blanket. It all had to go! She stood in front of her pile of Levi, breathing hard, as she thought about anything else that could be in the house. When she remembered the old Xbox that sat in the closet, she ran inside and grabbed it before going back out and throwing it in the pile. Still breathing hard, her body covered in sweat, she ran her hand through her wet hair as the tears welled up in her eyes.
Stupid ass**le.
There was only one more thing to grab but she knew it was going to take a minute, so she took a second to catch her breath as she silently said goodbye to their things. Even though she wanted to kill him, it still hurt to see their things go. To see him go. After she calmed down a bit, she turned to go back inside. When she hit the top step of the porch and saw Tate sitting in a lawn chair, drinking coffee, she let out a loud scream. Tate let out his own girly scream before falling out of his lawn chair, coffee flying in the air before landing at her bare feet. When it didn’t burn her feet she realized it wasn’t coffee, but chocolate milk.
“What the hell!” he yelled, standing up quickly.
“You scared me!”
“How!? I’m just sitting here. You are the one throwing stuff and screaming out obscenities!”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“What? I am sitting here, enjoying my milk and watching the show! What did you want me to do, say ‘Hey Audrey, I am watching you de-clutter your house, do you need help?’”
Audrey narrowed her eyes, but then it was like a light bulb went off. “Yes.”
“Yes?”
“Yes, I need help! Come on,” she said walking back into the house. When she went to one end of the couch, she looked up to see Tate standing in the doorway. “Grab the other end.”
“Huh?”
“Help me,” she knocked her body into the end of the sofa, “get this sofa out.”
“Really?”
“Yes! Or I’m gonna do it myself!”
Tate shrugged his shoulders before he bent down and took the other end. They carried it down the stairs and to the pile that lay in the lawn. She threw down her end and without much choice, he threw down his. Audrey then ran inside, getting matches and the lighting fluid from the grill before running back outside. Once there, she started to drench the pile, making sure it was good and wet before she struck a match. Audrey threw it down on the pile and watched it become engulfed in flames. It was a beautiful sight watching Levi’s things burn. She hadn’t realized that doing this would be better than sitting on the bathroom floor bawling her eyes out. As the fire burned, she felt someone take a step closer to her and she remembered that Tate was there.
As she rocked back and forth, her body becoming numb, Audrey still couldn’t figure out what she had done wrong. Part of her knew she never would, either. The other part, like her heart, needed to accept it and move on, but it was hard. And at that moment, crying at the bottom of her bathtub seemed like a good idea. All she needed was her neighbor to start playing his piano and everything would be better. When Audrey remembered that the piano playing would be by Tate, a new round of tears rushed along her cheeks. She had f**ked that up too.
God, she was such a winner.
Audrey stayed in the bath until the water ran cold. When she couldn’t take it any more, she turned the water off and climbed out, wrapping a towel around her splotchy red body. She felt better, a good cry and hot shower usually helped her cope with the pain. Her head still wasn’t right, but really she probably never would be. Not until she learned that she wasn’t the one messed up, it was actually the idiots she continued to date.
As she made her way back into her bedroom, she wrapped her head with a towel to dry her hair. It was early but she needed to get up and get going. Nora, her mother, would be coming by that afternoon with Aiden. He was staying the week with her while Fallon and Lucas were in Goa. Even in her state of depression, she was still excited for the week. They had a lot planned and being with Aiden would take her mind off dickhead.
Audrey went to her drawer and pulled out shorts, a tee, and underwear throwing them over her shoulder onto the bed. When she turned from the drawer, she came to a halt in front of her bed. The sheets were tousled and stray pillows lay on the floor with her panties and bra from the night before. As she stared down at the bed she and Levi had had sex in, her eyes filled with tears as her heart started to beat in overdrive. She reached for her underwear and went through the motion of putting on her clothes as her body started to shake. Then without thinking, she ripped the sheets off the bed throwing them out the opened door into the hall. One by one the pillows joined them before she ran to the hall, picked up everything and ran down the stairs. It surprised her that she didn’t fall on her face when she did this. The next thing she knew she was throwing the sheets and pillows out on the front lawn.
Audrey turned again and ran back up the stairs. She then reached for the mattress, pulling it off her bed. Again, she was surprised she got the king size mattress down the stairs, only knocking off picture frames from the walls and slightly twisting her ankle. She was pretty amazing when she was dead set on doing something. As she pulled the mattress through her living room, she knocked over a bookcase and two end tables before she got it out the door. When she laid that on top of her sheets, she clapped her hands before running back inside to grab anything that reminded her of Levi.
One by one, picture frames flew out the door, hitting the mattress with so much force, that when they landed, they bounced off and broke.
It was so invigorating!!
She found anything and everything that reminded her of him. All their favorite shows, DVDs, their favorite snacks from the kitchen, their favorite blanket. It all had to go! She stood in front of her pile of Levi, breathing hard, as she thought about anything else that could be in the house. When she remembered the old Xbox that sat in the closet, she ran inside and grabbed it before going back out and throwing it in the pile. Still breathing hard, her body covered in sweat, she ran her hand through her wet hair as the tears welled up in her eyes.
Stupid ass**le.
There was only one more thing to grab but she knew it was going to take a minute, so she took a second to catch her breath as she silently said goodbye to their things. Even though she wanted to kill him, it still hurt to see their things go. To see him go. After she calmed down a bit, she turned to go back inside. When she hit the top step of the porch and saw Tate sitting in a lawn chair, drinking coffee, she let out a loud scream. Tate let out his own girly scream before falling out of his lawn chair, coffee flying in the air before landing at her bare feet. When it didn’t burn her feet she realized it wasn’t coffee, but chocolate milk.
“What the hell!” he yelled, standing up quickly.
“You scared me!”
“How!? I’m just sitting here. You are the one throwing stuff and screaming out obscenities!”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“What? I am sitting here, enjoying my milk and watching the show! What did you want me to do, say ‘Hey Audrey, I am watching you de-clutter your house, do you need help?’”
Audrey narrowed her eyes, but then it was like a light bulb went off. “Yes.”
“Yes?”
“Yes, I need help! Come on,” she said walking back into the house. When she went to one end of the couch, she looked up to see Tate standing in the doorway. “Grab the other end.”
“Huh?”
“Help me,” she knocked her body into the end of the sofa, “get this sofa out.”
“Really?”
“Yes! Or I’m gonna do it myself!”
Tate shrugged his shoulders before he bent down and took the other end. They carried it down the stairs and to the pile that lay in the lawn. She threw down her end and without much choice, he threw down his. Audrey then ran inside, getting matches and the lighting fluid from the grill before running back outside. Once there, she started to drench the pile, making sure it was good and wet before she struck a match. Audrey threw it down on the pile and watched it become engulfed in flames. It was a beautiful sight watching Levi’s things burn. She hadn’t realized that doing this would be better than sitting on the bathroom floor bawling her eyes out. As the fire burned, she felt someone take a step closer to her and she remembered that Tate was there.
