Email Me (Chunk 13)

Carrie sat alone in a rectangular dorm-like room.  She was perched on a twin-sized bed that reminded her of that in Bedknobs and Broomsticks—it had brass bedposts.  Pushed up against the wall opposite was an identical bed with identical blue sheets.  At the foot of this bed was a small desk and a very old looking chair.  The small room—with its dark and worn wooden floors and faded blue walls—had the look of being well lived in, however, now, it sat mostly empty but for a large grey suitcase laying open on the second bed and six or seven small boxes piled around the desk.  The room had a single light bulb to brighten the room during darker hours, and a small medium sized window—halfway up the wall, between the beds--for when the sun shone.1

Bright rays danced across the room, falling short of the poorly painted wooden door.2

Suddenly—or finally—the ancient brass handle turned and Kyle stumbled in.3

“Surprise!”  Carrie smiled and skipped over to him, kissing him on the cheek.  “Ug!  You smell!”4

“Do you like my new place?  I have it all to myself—unless some other guy comes along.  Then I have to share.”5

“Kyle…have you been drinking?  Come sit down.”6

“Yeah!  Sit down!  Great idea!”7

Carrie pushed Kyle down onto his bed and dropped down beside him.  “Where’ve you been?  I haven’t seen or heard from you since we had dinner with my family.  That was almost two weeks ago!”8

“I was out.”9

“Out?”10

“Busy.”  He hiccoughed.11

“Kyle!?  Too busy to call and say hello?  I missed you!  I didn’t know where you were!”12

“I’m right here!”  Kyle tapped his head drunkenly and laughed.13

“Kyle,” Carrie sighed.  He leaned on her and kissed her sloppily.  “Kyle!”14

“You can’t just disappear for half a month and then show up drunk!”15

“You found me.”16

“Uh!  This isn’t going to work if you are going to be like this.”17

Kyle’s grin ran away form his face and he straightened up, “We’re over?”  Carrie’s words were sobering.18

“I won’t stand for your drinking.”19

“But it was just this once!”  Kyle begged.20

“I thought I smelled something on you at the mall with Cherrie…”21

“But—”22

“And you were acting a bit…wobbly at dinner.”23

“Carrie…!”24

“Kyle!  You have to take care of yourself!  You can’t just get drunk and laugh life away.”25

“So we’re over?”26

“Yeah.”27

There was a strange silence.  Carrie and Kyle were both stunned by what she was saying…  They had never thought it would last forever, so why was the thought of breaking up so alien?28

“Can—can we still be friends?”  Carrie asked hopefully, trying to hold back her tears.29

“Carrie…we both know that won’t work.”30

“Yeah.  I know.”31