Intertwined

Twenty Four

Houston

Days after Cassidy left with that man in his Porsche, I stole the whiskey bottle on the bar's top shelf and walked out with the only place I could go in mind. Another day later, I pounded on the motel door waiting for an answer from the other side. I took a swig from the bottle and yelled, "I know you're in there, Dallas. Let me in, or else I'm waiting out here all night."

The motel door was yanked open as I strolled in and plopped onto the couch, relieving my anger by taking another long swig from the bottle. All I wanted to do was punch in that man's face, after seeing him smirk at me with his arms around her shoulders and look in my direction every time Cassidy wasn't looking.

The worst thing about tonight was that Cassidy let him get under my skin. 

I rapped my knuckles against the door one last time, then slumped down in the hallway and took several large gulps from the whiskey bottle. I yelled, "That's alright with me, Dallas. I can stay out here all night and cry."

As I took one last swig, the motel door swung open and my brother appeared, who was no doubt relishing in my misery. In my half-drunken haze, I announced, "Welcome, Dallas. Have I shown you my new home? This hallway seems a more perfect fit than the Mitchell's ranch."

Dallas raised an eyebrow at me, grabbed my shoulder, and hauled me to my feet forcing me to drop the bottle. My brother asked in the most caring way he could muster, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at home with your girlfriend?"

"It's over," I replied as I let my guard down for once, and for the first time in my life I felt tears prickle my eyes. "I blew the only chance I had with her."

"What happened?" Dallas asked again in a somber tone, as he pushed me further into the motel room. "Everything about Cassidy can't be as bad as you're making it out to be."

"You don't understand I blew it with her," I cried out, the whiskey bottle hanging from my fingertips as I fought the urge to drink it all. "I told her I loved her."

"That's awesome, man."

I shook my head in reply and finished, "She didn't say anything, and then when she brought it up this morning, I broke up with her."

In reply, Dallas slapped me and I stumbled pack, a stinging pain left in my cheek.

"What was that for?"

Dallas answered, "For being stupid."

I opened my mouth for one second and shut it promptly, knowing that my brother was right. I was an idiot for losing the one girl I had ever loved in my life, and now she was with some guy with a Porsche. He has a Porsche; I can't afford one.

How can I compete with him?

"So you're upset about Cassidy," My brother started as I glared at him, chugging the last of the whiskey bottle in my hands. "You're upset because of her, and you're not going home. Talk to her."

"I can't go home or talk to her," I answered defeatedly. "I embarrassed myself in front of her, and everyone in this town is probably waiting to put my head on a stake. Hey, aren't you thinking of staying in Plainview? We can be roommates again."

Dallas shook his head and stood up to grab a drink, as he muttered, "You're pathetic."

I drunkenly muttered back, "You're pathetic and bossy, and short. I'm so glad I got the tall genes in this family. At least they weren't wasted, unlike your unathletic ass."

Something struck a chord in my brother, as Dallas grabbed my shoulders and hauled me to my feet. I defeatedly let him drag me to whichever place he was taking me, every ounce of willpower leaving my body the second I broke up with Cassidy. As Dallas led me outside of the motel room, I stopped in my tracks as the same guy I saw with Cassidy under the streetlight, with an entourage of other like-minded people.