Michael's Vengeance: Chapter 3

Amelia and I's relationship was unfortunately strictly professional. We were just friends. Oh, how that killed me. I didn't want to be just friends. I wanted to be her lover, her hero, her man. This is the first girl that I've met in years that I don't want to run out the door on after I've had my fun. What do I get for falling for someone truely special? A one-way trip to the friend-zone. Shit. 1

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I would not wish the friend-zone on even my worst enemy. It's like purgotory. Your not in heaven, but your not in hell. Close enough to see the light, but not close enough to reach it. Close enough to Amelia to see, and hang with her every day, far enough away that nothing romantic will ever happen between us. God. I'm starting to sound like a desperate cliche.3

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Did you know that if you took all the men whose best friends were female, 82% of them secretly wished they were more than just friends. 5

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Did you know that 18% of all statistics are made up.7

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Weeks pass, and I'm still just 'that guy whose obviously in love with Amelia but will never be more than just a friend', meanwhile she has eight guys waiting on hand-and-foot for her. And not just random scrubs either, lead singers of bands, famous artists, Navy boys, college professors, even high-up business men. If any of them lasted more than two weeks with her, I got to meet them. This is when I noticed the one benefit of being the friend-zone master. These different suitors came and go, but one thing stayed constant, me. I would always be in her life, while these guys just got a passing glimpse. Poor saps. 9

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Another thing I noticed during my time in purgotory, she never ever did anything more than kiss a guy. She never let them enter her apartment, I had been in her apartment almost every day, but these guys were never allowed access. This raised the question in my head, "Was Amelia a virgin?" 11

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I had to ask.13

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"Michael," she huffed, "that is a very personal question!"15

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So she is.17

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"I didn't say I was."19

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So she isn't.21

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"I didn't say that either." she smiles, "Why do you wanna know?"23

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I'm curious...like a cat.25

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"Well if you must know George," (She calls me George, like Curious George, she thinks shes clever.) "yes, I am still a virgin."27

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Why?29

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"Because unlike a certain someone I know, I do not need sex to keep my ego alive, and I am also saving myself for marriage. Call me old-fashioned that way."31

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Very old-fashioned. But it is an acceptable answer, I guess.33

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Less than a week after this specific convo I get to meet Him. Richard Cooley. Son of a bitch. A big business man who has somehow captured the heart of Amelia better than anyone of his previous competitors. 35

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When I first met Richard I could tell why Amelia liked him. He was tall, brunette, clean-shaven, muscular man. Not to mention he was very charismatic, very loud, very funny, and had a lot of connections. Kind of like Hitler. He also had his idiot friends with him, the bugged the shit out of me.37

One was Aaron Garcia, a man of Mexican-heritage, and apparently an up-and-coming mixed-martial-artist. His other buddy was Erick Carlson, a fat, curly-headed, moron. I'm not sure what he was trying to do with his life. The only intelligent things that I could grasp from is slurring and drooling was something about exotic videos and pot-dealing. Niether one would have surprised me. 38

I decided I would tell Amelia that I did not approve of Mr. Charming. I decided I would put my foot down and forbid her from seeing Richard. Well that went over about as good as a turd in a punchbowl. She blew me off. She didn't care about my warnings. She said that I never liked the guys she introduced me to. This had a little truth to it. I mean would you like the guy who was contending for the heart of the girl the you really do love? No. I didn't think so. 39

This is when I made the biggest mistake of my life. I stopped being difficult. I let Amelia date Him. Looking back, I should have snapped his little pencil-neck the minute I saw him. But nope, I welcomed his with open arms. Oh, what fools men are. 40

Amelia dated Richard for a couple months and I, like an old toy, faded more and more into anonymity. I stopped seeing her everyday, and my time spent with her was cut down to once a week, if I was lucky. The rest of her time was Richard-time. 41

Do I sound bitter? I should.42

At least I was fading out of Amelia's life until 'it' happened. What would change my life forever. What would turn me from just a friend into an avenging guardian angel that even Hell's fury could not stop. I became vengeance. 43

"One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives."- Euripides 44

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