Things get complicated

“I’m just trying to get Doug to have some fun, Jenn.”

Jenn wasn’t happy, but she hadn’t been happy all day, and Scott was going to at least get Doug to lighten up and have some fun, one way or another.

Marianne and her friend walked up to the table. “Hey guys, this is Marissa.”

Introductions were made, and then again when Doug returned from the stage.

“You were good up there; you want to do a duet?” Marissa moved a stool over between Scott and Doug and started working on him. She was pretty, a girl-next-door look with black curly hair and big brown eyes. She had a nice smile and great energy, and it looked like she was taking her job seriously. Her jeans were tight, and showed off her curvy figure. She had a bit of a belly, but it was hard to notice with how big her bust was. She wore a purple overshirt, but it was open and showing an impressive amount of cleavage.

Scott looked at Marianne and smiled.

“So Scott, anything you want to sing?” Marianne had a friend talking to Doug, and it was clear she was going to hold Scott to the arrangement.

“You pulled off your end, so I’m up for anything.” He answered.

“Well, we need a song you actually know.”

“Oh, that’s not a problem, He can sing whatever you want.” Jenn added, she was acting tipsy already, and that was good, Jenn was a lot more fun once she loosened up a bit.

“I learn lyrics really fast.”

“We used to play a game where we’d ride around and switch through radio stations, you had 5 seconds to start singing along or your turn ended. Scott once went 45 minutes on one turn. Rock, Pop, Rap, Country, Oldies, even when the Catholic station had some old ladies singing hymns he knew it.”

“Okay, well I’ll just pick something I want to sing then.”

“Sounds good.”

Marrianne got up and walked over to check the song list. Doug and Marissa were talking about something computer related, Scott was impressed, but also felt sorry for the poor woman.

“So you and Mary now huh?” Jenn asked.

“I guess, this is one of the longest conversations I’ve ever seen Doug have with a woman.”

“You don’t know Scott, you haven’t been here.” Jenn said, reaching over and drinking Scott’s beer, hers was empty.

“Jenn!” Scott let his frustration show in his voice and his face.

“I’m sorry Scott, I don’t mean to be a bitch about it, I just. . .” Jenn looked like she was going to cry.

“I really thought I’d never see you again, and now that your back you’ve got all these. . . people taking you away. . . taking your time. It’s hard.”

She was pretty drunk now, and Scott hoped they could finally get to the bottom of why she was so angry with him. “What are you trying to say Jenn?”

“Like, you were my friend, you were this great guy but no one realized it, and you go away and I realized how much I missed you. And now your back and you look. . . you look like that and it’s like I don’t even have. . . like. . .”

“What don’t you have, Jenn?” Scott was getting frustrated, he just wanted a clear answer.

Instead Jenn started crying.

“Oh god you’re thick.” It was Marianne’s voice from behind him.

“What?” Scott turned to her.

“Marissa, you and Doug take our song. Come on Jenn, let’s get you cleaned up.” Marianne took Jenn by the arm and led her to the bathroom, Jenn was leaning on her friend and from the way her shoulders shaked, she was crying.

Scott threw his hands up, exasperated. He looked to Doug but Doug was engrossed in conversation with Marissa as they got up and started toward the karaoke machine.

He sat down and took a drink of his beer. He had screwed something up, and now Jenn, the girl who never cried was bawling in the bathroom with the girl he was supposed to be singing with right now.

The DJ introduced Doug and Marissa and “Take my Breath Away” started playing.

“Damn.” Scott said out loud, Marianne was going to have them sing that? And now she was in the bathroom with Jenn, Doug and Marissa were on stage, and he was left sitting by himself, feeling like an ass.