the lehman house [35]

Rachel & Ams playing with Maebe

Monday. I slept until noon and then went outside and it was very cold as I smoked my morning cigarette. I had Subway for lunch. Ams worked 4-Close. She’s pissed: Sarah did something on her laptop and now Ams has ten or so viruses chewing away at her system. I’ve lost the Windows XP installation disc, so I’m at a loss to fix it. When Sarah came home from work, we worked out and watched “Arrested Development.” Chris and Ams broke up tonight. She broke up with him; she’s still in love with tom, an ex whom she dated while I was with Courtney. Maggie got a hold of me before I went to bed, said she wants to hang out tomorrow.

Tuesday. Maggie came over, and we jumped into her car and went to Buskin Bakery, Michael’s, Jack’s Aquarium, and Urban Outfitters. She dropped me off home and ran to work. I decided to buy a hamster with all the accessories, and I named her Maebe after the character from “Arrested Development.” She’s curious, skittish, and playful. Sarah and I watched a movie called “Carriers.” Ams went over to Chris’, and they went and saw the movie “Avatar” (which they were supposed to see on the 23^rd during the whole fiasco between her and Mom). I guess they’re friends now?

Wednesday. The Riley’s are out of town (in India), so I went over to their place and took in their mail and fed Bob’s turtle. Mandy came over, suspects the reason Maggie’s been so hot-&-cold is because she genuinely likes me but knows she’s not at a place to date. Ams worked till close and then headed to Dayton. Mandy and I went to Westside Liquor and loaded up, then got drunk at my place. Mandy got TRASHED, ended up puking all over the dining room floor. Tony H., a friend of Mandy’s who has a crush on Jessie, came over, too. Mandy thought she saw a bird in the trashcan and flipped out, then promptly passed out. Rob came by, and since we couldn’t get Mandy to wake up, the two of them crashed in the living room on the spare mattresses. I was in bed by 1 AM, and I spent the night flitting between fitful sleep and puking.

New Year’s Eve ’09. My hangover lasted till about 4 PM. I took Mandy to Tazza Mia, and Rob hooked me up with a sandwich and a mocha. Chris, Ams, Sarah and I celebrated the New Year at our house. We drank wine and watched the ball drop. Sarah was pissing me off, complaining about having no one to kiss at midnight. “I can kiss Maebe!” she exclaimed. “I hope you get a disease,” I said. I got really depressed, first time in a while, so I took a drive downtown and watched the fireworks blossoming over the river and reflecting in the current beneath the bridges. When I got back, Sarah told me that Ams & Chris were trying to get her to kiss me because I was upset. “It would’ve been a pity kiss,” I said, “meaning nothing.” I wish I would’ve gone to Maggie’s: she invited me, her parents even agreed to let me spend the night, but I declined. Would’ve been far better than being around Sarah. Why am I so damned pathetic?

New Year’s Day ’10. Ams told me that Keith and Sarah are still dating. I confronted Sarah about it, and she denied all of it. But Ams knows the truth: half the time Sarah’s gone to her “brother’s” or to Wilmington, she’s been seeing (and fucking) Keith. I talked to Maggie: apparently her party went to shit last night, and she’s afraid she’s lost some of her friendships. “I hate myself and want to die.” A good Nirvana song. Ams and Sarah went to The Olive Garden, and Maggie invited me over, so I headed to her place. She was being quiet and closed-off, still stewing over yesterday’s events. She apologized, asked if she could come over tomorrow. “Sure,” I said. I headed home to hang out with Ams & Sarah, and Rachel came over and we watched the football fames (OSU won, UC lost). Rachel got super hungry, so I went to McDonald’s for her, but when I got home she was fast asleep.

Saturday. Snow fell rigorously all day, but the roads were well-salted, so it isn’t sticking. Rachel and I went to Tri-Health to visit Sarah and eat lunch. I took Rachel back to the house, spent the day running errands. Maggie told me she couldn’t come for some reason or another. “What a shady dumbass girl,” Mandy said. “I’m thinking this may not be the best idea.” I’m agreeing with her.

Sunday. I spent the day searching for jobs and shooting out resumes. Sarah and I went and saw “Sherlock Holmes” with Ams at the Showcase Cinema in Harrison. Last time I was there it was an awkward “first date” with Courtney. Jessie returned from Illinois, and since it’s freezing in Alumni, she’s crashing here. We played with Maebe, watched “Arrested Development,” and baked beer bread.