That Night

I think it's about time I explain That Night and the events leading up to it.

I loved you. Correction, I still love you. Our relationship started out great. Everyone was happy that we were together and we were happy to be together. Personally, I had always thought you were cute and one day I found my mind wandering as I watched you stock the shelves and I thought, "Man, the girl who gets to cuddle with that is one lucky girl." and I had a boyfriend lol.

Things were great until more people became aware of how old you were and how old I was. To us it never really mattered. We made a joke about it. You were the old man and I was the little girl. It was funny to us because at the end of the day we were on the same cognitive level, regardless of when our birthdays fell. But other people didn't take it too lightly. My friends thought it was weird that you graduated with their teacher and your friends thought it was weird that I wasn't even legal yet. Yes, it did look weird til you saw us in action together. You can't even tell the age difference until someone asks. I look older, you look younger. I know it took a great toll on you. You said you never cared what anyone said but I think you did. Like that night you went out with David and Ashley and everyone and David was giving you crap because you were out drinking with my parents and not me. I know you said it didn't bother you but I think it did. I couldn't go out to bars or clubs or stay out late and party with you and your friends. I was 17 and living with the world's strictest parents.

Slowly, you started to pull away. You did what you do best and you immersed yourself in work. You made up excuses to not hang out. You stopped coming over. Your texts became fewer and fewer. And I was hurt. I didn't know what I did wrong. Things around me were tough as it was. My two best friends left me because I didn't want to hang out with them at a movie premiere I went with you to. They viewed  it as me choosing you over them and ditched me. I was under the stress of applying for college, graduating early, yearbook deadlines, and being friendless. The only person I had was you. You were my rock. You made me laugh and made everything better. You always knew what to say and were always there. I could tell you anything and everything. When I realized I was losing you I felt so alone. I remember the exact moment.

It was Christmas. You hadn't seen me in awhile and you promised to come over on Christmas so we could exchange gifts. I was so excited. I had spent forever picking out the perfect gift for you. A brand new leather Fox wallet and a movie gift card so we could go to the movies. I know how much you love your movies. I wrapped it carefully and set it under the tree. I waited. and waited. and waited. Everyone kept asking me where you were, when you were coming and I said soon. I hadn't heard from you but I knew it would be soon. and that's when you text me. You text me and told me you wouldn't be coming over because you were going to the movies with some friends but you promised we would get together on your next day off. I was hurt. No, crushed. I felt unimportant. I felt worthless. I felt like you didn't want me anymore. On Christmas of all days. Of all holidays.

We ended up getting together a few days later. I went to your house and we exchanged gifts. A leather wallet for you ( I kept the gift card) and a brand new art book for me. (That book is still my pride and joy) I remember how it felt. Kind of awkward. At least for me. I felt like you were only doing it because you had to. Maybe because you were playing video games half the time I was there. Not cherishing the precious time we had together. Then we watched a movie. And that's what set me over the edge. You didn't cuddle me like normal. You just sat next to me, stiff as a board, occasionally playing with your phone. Like you didn't even care.

It took all I had not to cry. I knew it was over. I knew what we had just wasn't there anymore and I didn't know why. I figured it was something I had done and you were just in it as a pity move. Because you didn't want to break my heart. Too late. As soon as the movie was over I immediately went home. I didn't want to break down in front of you, but the car was the perfect place.

I remember getting home and feeling like I was in a daze. My mom asked me how it went and I lied and said it was fine. You loved your gift. I got a book. I loved it. I took some pills because I had a pain. A headache. But I don't think it was a real headache. It was a heartache. I went to bed and text you goodnight and told you what I did. In a way I think it was my way of getting back at you. I think I wanted you to feel the pain that I felt. and that was the only way I knew how. I continued the next day. I refused to answer my phone and sat infront of the TV just staring off into space trying to think about anything and everything except for you and what I was feeling.

That's when my mom told me that you asked if I was ok. That you hadn't heard from me all day and you were concerned. That's when I kind of snapped back to myself for a second and decided I might as well tell you I was alive. I remember looking at my phone. Three missed calls and countless text messages. Ouch. I remember thinking, "I hope he's feeling it. I hope he feels what I feel." and that's when I told you I was fine. Exactly like that. I remember typing out that text like a robot. Disregarding all your concerned texts before. I am fine. I remember your text back. Burned into my memory: How could you :( . I was numb. I didn't care. Mission accomplished. I was happy I had hurt you. Maybe you were starting to feel my pain a little bit. I wasn't myself.

That night my parents told my sisters to tell me to get ready to go look at a car they found for me. So I threw on a jacket and got in the car with them. I remember I had a headphone in. That's when they took me to the Clifton Elementary parking lot and told me you told them everything. I remember the hurt in my mom's voice as she told me how concerned you were and how scared you were. And that's when I lost it. I started crying. I never wanted to hurt you. I never really wanted you to feel what I felt because it was such a terrible terrible feeling. I would rather take it all than have you feel that way. I remember just sitting there crying and shaking while "Amazing Because It Is" blared in my ear. To this day whenever I hear that song I flashback to that moment.

That's when I knew I had to fix it. I had to fix things between us. That's when I texted you and asked you if we could talk. My mother didn't believe that I could safely operate a car, so you drove. I remember shaking in that passenger seat. Sitting in silence because I didn't know what to tell you. Finally I just told you I was sorry. I was getting help and that I was sorry. I remember crying and I remember you reached out and grabbed my hand because you could tell I was upset. You told me it was ok but I knew it wasn't. I wanted so badly to believe you but I knew it wasn't. I thought I had fixed it. At least for the time being. But again, I wasn't myself. When we got to my house that's when you told me. You told me you didn't want to be with me. And that's when I completely lost it. Went over the edge. I remember crying, no, bawling into your chest. You were trying to tell me that it was ok or something like that but I wasn't paying attention. All I could hear was the voice in my head saying,"You did it. You fucked it up. Don't you see? He doesn't want to be with you because you aren't perfect. It was you all along. He just wasn't going to tell you." and that's when I got mad. Mad because I thought you played me this long. That you crushed my heart into a million tiny little unfixable pieces and I just watched as you did it.

That's when I slammed the door in your face. I didn't want to talk to you. You hurt me so much to the point where I was angry. That's when I saw everyone wide eyed looking at me asking me what happened. And that's when I realized I was all alone. I had lost my best friend. My rock. The only person who understood me at that moment in time. That's when I shut down. I ran to my room and buried my head in a pillow and cried like I've never cried before. I hurt. I hurt like there was a gaping part of my heart missing and I knew I would live but it would hurt an awful painful unbearable kind of hurt forever. I cried because I didn't know how else to express my pain. I was so far gone I resorted to infant instincts.
Everyone was in that room. Everyone was begging me to tell them what happened and I couldn't bear to tell them how I had failed. How I had messed up. How I wasn't perfect enough. How I was truly alone now that I had lost the person I was closest to. How no one would understand. So I cried. I cried and cried and cried and cried to the point where I felt like I was going to throw up. I refused to talk to anyone. I tried to rip the pain out of my chest and cried some more when I realized I couldn't do it. My mom begged. Andrea begged. Kendra begged. My mom cried and begged. Begged I just talk to someone about it. I couldn't. And then I remembered Tyler. My brother. He would protect me from this pain. That's what brothers do. They protect you when no one else will. I told her I wanted Tyler. My mom was frantic. She was like, "someone get Tyler on the phone. Tell him to come over now."

To this day I don't know how Tyler got there so fast but he was there. And he didn't judge me. He just sat there and let me cry on his shoulder. He told me to tell him what happened. I told him because he would protect me. He is my brother. It's his job. He told me it was ok. That I needed to calm down because you wouldn't approve of me hurting this bad. He told me that it wasn't my fault. I tried. I put all the effort into it but I couldn't force you to make an effort if you didn't want to. He told me to calm down before I did something stupid. Obviously he didn't know the story yet. Good ol' Tyler. I was so tired from crying I crashed out. I don't remember Tyler leaving.

The next couple days were rough. I felt the pain. The gaping hole I was living with. I didn't want to live with it. I didn't want to live. So I didn't. I slept until my mom came in and literally pulled the mattress out of my room. She would yell at me to get up and I would make my way to the TV and sit there like a zombie. Staring into space thinking about my gaping hole. Crying. One day she lost it. She told me to get in the shower and I refused. I just sat there staring and crying. I could have been deaf. She literally dragged me to the bathroom and she told me to get in the shower. I sat on the floor of the bathroom just staring into space crying. She didn't know what to do. So she called the police. She told them what had happened and they transferred her to a suicide hotline and told her to put me on the phone. I refused. Then she said it. She said, "I'm not going to have him ruin your life Brittany. I won't." I lost it. I started beating my head up against the wall screaming at her that it wasn't your fault. To leave you out of it. You didn't do anything. She didn't understand. It was me. It was all my fault. I wasn't going to have her blaming you. I remember she was so happy she cried. It was the first words I had spoken in days.

Eventually, I got help. I went to Scott and he helped me piece back together my life. He helped me control my depression, which was a major trigger to that disastrous night because it controlled my thinking. My gaping hole isn't as big as it used to be. It's starting to scar over. It will never be completely healed though. Partly because you keep ripping it back open, but mainly because I don't want it to. I want you to forever have a piece of my heart. Masochist. That's what people would say I am. That's what I say I am. I don't blame you for what happened. I did what I did to myself. It's just the way I think. But I do blame you for the way things started to fall apart. You could never address an issue. Just bury it underneath other things, hoping I would get the hint. It's not that easy. I do cherish the time we spent together and thank you for what you did for me. I am forever indebted to you and continue to get better day by day. Hopefully we will too.