All Hail the Heartbreaker, chapter 2
Billie Joe thought about this girl all the next day, it was the only thing on his mind. He could barely recall anything that had happened since she had left him standing there in the cold night air.
The next night he went out of his way hoping she would be there. Sure enough, there she was, sitting on the curb, a cigarette between her lips. He walked up to her, close to her. She didn't look up. He crouched down on the cement at to look her in the eyes. He lifted her chin up with a touch of his finger.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"Another notch in the bedpost?" she said, smirking.
"Seriously. Who are you?"
"My name is Ryn. Prornounced like 'ring' without the G. There, is that good enough for you?"
"No." He said, trying to catch her evasive eyes. "Why are you here? Where are you from?" There was something about her that intrigued him.
"What do you want here, an E-true hollywood story? God damn. I'm nineteen years old, I'm from Clemson, South Carolina, not too big of a town. I have no family. I have no career. The only education I have is a High School degree from Daniel Boone High School, and my G.P.A. was 3.7. Are you happy now?" She stated in a frustrated tone.
"So why here? Why are you here?"
She looked him straight in the eyes. "Where else is there to go? I had to get out, I got out, I did what I had to."
She was avoiding him now. He moved his head to lock his eyes on hers. "What do you mean, did what you had to do?" She shot him a look of pure hatred and started to get up. Billie grabbed her wrist and held her there. In the dim light, he saw right above her left eye was a scar, a nice little scar. He moved his hand near her face and she flinched and started shaking.
He jumped back a little, not expecting that. Then she leaned in, as if to kiss him, but instead just pulled out quickly. But he put his arms around her and kissed her. She didn't fight at all, she kissed him back eagerly. He wrapped his arms around her and he noticed her entire body stayed perfectly still. Her arms, her legs, didn't move. She didn't wrap her arms around him. She was just cold and emotionless.
He pulled back and looked at her face. This girl was what, two years younger then him? Her eyes looked like she had lived a thousand years, like she had seen everything there was to see.
"Goodnight." she whispered, and she turned around and walked into the darkness again, not looking back.
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Billie Joe couldn't concentrate on anything. He had time off and instead of going out and hanging with Mike and Tre, he just wandered around aimlessly. He ended up walking downtown. He swore to himself probably ten different times that he had seen her walking on the street, or sitting on a bench on the sidewalk, standing in line in front of the movie theatre.
His hope of finding her diminished. Ryn, he thought. What kind of name is Ryn? And why is she here, why is she all of a sudden in my life like this? He wondered. He wandered into a used bookstore while thinking. He went to the stacks of books and started to look through them without any care toward them. Over the bookshelf he saw the top of a girl's head. It looked just like her but he didn't want to get his hopes up, he just ignored it.
He then heard a plopping noise and the top of the stranger's head disappeared behind the shelf of books. She had grabbed his attention. He had to check now.
Sure enough, right as he had given up hope of finding her, there she was, sitting with a used copy of "Of Mice and Men."
He sat down next to her and looked at her. She was completely aware of his presence but didn't say a word.
"You know," he said, "that book is incredibly sad. It's just about people who are constantly thrown down by the strong and spend their whole lives without ever finding happiness." She looked up at him and almost smiled. Her mouth didn't move, but her eyes had this little glint in them that showed she was pleased.
"So you've read it." she said. "It's one of my favorites."
He smiled at her. "So. What is Ryn short for?" he said.
"Koryn." she replied. "Koryn is my real name, people who loved me called me Kory, and Ryn is what I tell strange men who come up to me on the street the night after we had sex on the sidewalk to call me." she said with a smirk on her face.
"So how long have you been here?"
"A few days," she replied. "I've only been here a few days, and I'll probably only be here a few days longer."
"Why'd you leave South Carolina?"
"There was nothing left for me there."
"Do you have any family there?"
She smiled. "I have an older sister, Kylie. She's always had a good head on her shoulders, got out of college and settled down."
He couldn't help but almost grin seeing her smile. Her smile was so beautiful.
"So.. did you have a boyfriend back there? I bet you did, you're too pretty not to have the boys all over you. What was his name?"
The smile automatically left her face. Her eyes almost looked like she was crying but no tears came from her eyes. "Yes." she said. "His name is Ryan."
It was obvious the question had upset her. Had he dumped her and she was still a little heartbroken about it? He decided it would be best to change the subject.
They spent all day there, talking about stupid things like movies they had seen, songs they had heard and loved, their favorite bands, stupid moments from their child hood, even how they liked their coffee.
Billie Joe needed some information. As they walked out of the bookstore and into the
street he asked her, "So... do you still have a boyfriend?"
She looked at him and then looked down at the ground. "No. I swore off love."
"So... then where's your ex?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"I DON'T KNOW, OKAY?" She snapped at him.
He looked down at his feet. "I'm sorry."
They walked down the street. She had a hotel room in the hotel at the end of the road. They walked upstairs, and without saying a word really, had sex. Billie Joe lay in the hotel bed afterward thinking. It was so weird, it was like she was completely disconnected from him, not to mention the entire world. Something between them just didn't click.
She was out of bed, leaning against the railing of the tiny balcony, smoking a cigarette. When she was done she walked back into the room.
"Ryn, why'd you swear off love?" Billie asked.
"It only hurts people."
"What happened with Ryan?" he asked. The moment it slipped out he regretted it. She was sitting on the end of the bed and she turned to him, looking at the ground. A tear slid down her cheek. Billie moved towards her and put his hand to her face and whiped away her tear with his thumb.
Ryn jumped off the bed and looked out the window. She walked over to the end table, picked up her lighter, lit a cigarette, and took a drag. She looked at Billie who was just sitting on the bed shocked at her abruptness. She looked out the window again. "I think you need to leave." She said. And she walked towards the door and watched him walk out.
The next night he went out of his way hoping she would be there. Sure enough, there she was, sitting on the curb, a cigarette between her lips. He walked up to her, close to her. She didn't look up. He crouched down on the cement at to look her in the eyes. He lifted her chin up with a touch of his finger.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"Another notch in the bedpost?" she said, smirking.
"Seriously. Who are you?"
"My name is Ryn. Prornounced like 'ring' without the G. There, is that good enough for you?"
"No." He said, trying to catch her evasive eyes. "Why are you here? Where are you from?" There was something about her that intrigued him.
"What do you want here, an E-true hollywood story? God damn. I'm nineteen years old, I'm from Clemson, South Carolina, not too big of a town. I have no family. I have no career. The only education I have is a High School degree from Daniel Boone High School, and my G.P.A. was 3.7. Are you happy now?" She stated in a frustrated tone.
"So why here? Why are you here?"
She looked him straight in the eyes. "Where else is there to go? I had to get out, I got out, I did what I had to."
She was avoiding him now. He moved his head to lock his eyes on hers. "What do you mean, did what you had to do?" She shot him a look of pure hatred and started to get up. Billie grabbed her wrist and held her there. In the dim light, he saw right above her left eye was a scar, a nice little scar. He moved his hand near her face and she flinched and started shaking.
He jumped back a little, not expecting that. Then she leaned in, as if to kiss him, but instead just pulled out quickly. But he put his arms around her and kissed her. She didn't fight at all, she kissed him back eagerly. He wrapped his arms around her and he noticed her entire body stayed perfectly still. Her arms, her legs, didn't move. She didn't wrap her arms around him. She was just cold and emotionless.
He pulled back and looked at her face. This girl was what, two years younger then him? Her eyes looked like she had lived a thousand years, like she had seen everything there was to see.
"Goodnight." she whispered, and she turned around and walked into the darkness again, not looking back.
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Billie Joe couldn't concentrate on anything. He had time off and instead of going out and hanging with Mike and Tre, he just wandered around aimlessly. He ended up walking downtown. He swore to himself probably ten different times that he had seen her walking on the street, or sitting on a bench on the sidewalk, standing in line in front of the movie theatre.
His hope of finding her diminished. Ryn, he thought. What kind of name is Ryn? And why is she here, why is she all of a sudden in my life like this? He wondered. He wandered into a used bookstore while thinking. He went to the stacks of books and started to look through them without any care toward them. Over the bookshelf he saw the top of a girl's head. It looked just like her but he didn't want to get his hopes up, he just ignored it.
He then heard a plopping noise and the top of the stranger's head disappeared behind the shelf of books. She had grabbed his attention. He had to check now.
Sure enough, right as he had given up hope of finding her, there she was, sitting with a used copy of "Of Mice and Men."
He sat down next to her and looked at her. She was completely aware of his presence but didn't say a word.
"You know," he said, "that book is incredibly sad. It's just about people who are constantly thrown down by the strong and spend their whole lives without ever finding happiness." She looked up at him and almost smiled. Her mouth didn't move, but her eyes had this little glint in them that showed she was pleased.
"So you've read it." she said. "It's one of my favorites."
He smiled at her. "So. What is Ryn short for?" he said.
"Koryn." she replied. "Koryn is my real name, people who loved me called me Kory, and Ryn is what I tell strange men who come up to me on the street the night after we had sex on the sidewalk to call me." she said with a smirk on her face.
"So how long have you been here?"
"A few days," she replied. "I've only been here a few days, and I'll probably only be here a few days longer."
"Why'd you leave South Carolina?"
"There was nothing left for me there."
"Do you have any family there?"
She smiled. "I have an older sister, Kylie. She's always had a good head on her shoulders, got out of college and settled down."
He couldn't help but almost grin seeing her smile. Her smile was so beautiful.
"So.. did you have a boyfriend back there? I bet you did, you're too pretty not to have the boys all over you. What was his name?"
The smile automatically left her face. Her eyes almost looked like she was crying but no tears came from her eyes. "Yes." she said. "His name is Ryan."
It was obvious the question had upset her. Had he dumped her and she was still a little heartbroken about it? He decided it would be best to change the subject.
They spent all day there, talking about stupid things like movies they had seen, songs they had heard and loved, their favorite bands, stupid moments from their child hood, even how they liked their coffee.
Billie Joe needed some information. As they walked out of the bookstore and into the
street he asked her, "So... do you still have a boyfriend?"
She looked at him and then looked down at the ground. "No. I swore off love."
"So... then where's your ex?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"I DON'T KNOW, OKAY?" She snapped at him.
He looked down at his feet. "I'm sorry."
They walked down the street. She had a hotel room in the hotel at the end of the road. They walked upstairs, and without saying a word really, had sex. Billie Joe lay in the hotel bed afterward thinking. It was so weird, it was like she was completely disconnected from him, not to mention the entire world. Something between them just didn't click.
She was out of bed, leaning against the railing of the tiny balcony, smoking a cigarette. When she was done she walked back into the room.
"Ryn, why'd you swear off love?" Billie asked.
"It only hurts people."
"What happened with Ryan?" he asked. The moment it slipped out he regretted it. She was sitting on the end of the bed and she turned to him, looking at the ground. A tear slid down her cheek. Billie moved towards her and put his hand to her face and whiped away her tear with his thumb.
Ryn jumped off the bed and looked out the window. She walked over to the end table, picked up her lighter, lit a cigarette, and took a drag. She looked at Billie who was just sitting on the bed shocked at her abruptness. She looked out the window again. "I think you need to leave." She said. And she walked towards the door and watched him walk out.
