Empty cups were scattered all over the sticky floor. Food, drinks, vomit, and probably piss had spilled and soiled the marble tiled floor. The cleaners had just arrived to do their job. His dad always booked a team of cleaners for the morning after.
They were stripping all the curtains, they would fog every room and sprayed disinfectant once the trash had been taken out and the floor had been scrubbed clean.
Marlon was leaning against the door frame when a car arrived. It was a silver grey Mercedes, Dennis. His nose was covered with a white strip, he had a black eye and his lips were swollen. He didn’t look at Marlon, he actually avoided his gaze. Then Mandy came down from the passenger side.
“I thought you went home?” Marlon asked.
“We were all too drunk to drive home to Goldstone, we had to crash at a hotel … we were suppose to stay here last night before you threw us all out … remember?” Mandy snapped at him and took off her sunglasses as she walk pass him.
“I left my necklace at the pool house … trust me, we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for that … you were out of line last night, you won’t be seeing us for a while,” she continued walking toward the pool house.
“Maybe that’s for the best,” Marlon replied.
Mandy stopped at her feet and turned to him in anger. “That’s all you have to say? You broke his nose! And you would’ve done more than that if we hadn’t stopped you!”
He raised his brows, “Damn right.”
“He didn’t do anything to her … he was just trying to keep her away from the party … you could’ve asked him nicely and he would tell you everything … like a normal human being … like a friend.”
“He would’ve done something if I hadn’t caught him in time,” Marlon looked straight into her eyes. “Or did he convince you otherwise while you were fucking him last night?”
Mandy’s expression turned sour, she picked up a can from a table near her and threw it at him. “Fuck you, Marlon!”
He ducked, “Oh come on … you don’t think I didn’t know? He’s been fucking you for a while now … and that’s not the point, Mandy, he’s an asshole … he’s not my friend … he would’ve violated Hazel without a doubt if I hadn’t knocked on that door last night, you and I both know that.”
She rested her hands on her waist, “Really? So that’s what it was about? You beat him up because you knew we’ve been sneaking behind your back?”
“Behind my back? What are you talking about? I thought everybody knew?” he looked at her in confusion. “It was pretty obvious … he practically left traces of him every time he went to your place and fucked you … nobody is making any effort to cover it up … and no, I beat him up because violating a girl is a crime punishable by law … and he was going to do it under my roof to a good friend of mine … it’s different than having sex with a girl who is willing.”
Mandy shook her head, “Wow … you really know how to make me feel like shit … what is it about this girl anyway, huh? She doesn’t seem like your type?”
“And what’s my type? You?”
She walked over to him and slapped him hard, “You can have an obsession with school girls now, but I will NOT have you disrespecting me!”
Her slap stung him. He knew he was out of line. He didn’t mean to disrespect her, as far as he was concern, Mandy had done that all on her own.
“You’re right … I’m sorry … we’ve never had an agreement to be exclusive … we both know that, you’ve always been free to do whatever you want and I shouldn’t judge you for it … I’ve been doing the same too … you can’t expect anything from me either.”
She shoved him, “And why is that? Am I not worthy enough to be your girlfriend? You don’t love me enough to be exclusive? What am I to you, Marlon? Sometimes I wonder … you’ve been treating me like shit and yet here I am still hoping that I could mean something more to you than just an occasional lay.”
“Is that what you want? Is that why you told Hazel you were my girlfriend?”
“Of course that’s what I want, Marlon!” she threw her arms up in frustration. “God! What is wrong with you?? We’ve known each other for years … and all that time I’ve been smitten by you, we flirted, we kissed, and when we finally slept together … I thought that was a done deal? I thought that was the beginning of us?”
Marlon looked at her in the eyes, “We were sleeping with other people too … that’s not how you start a relationship, Mandy, it was never clear that we were going to be exclusive … it was just … sex.”
That last sentence hurt her deeply, she felt tears fell down on her cheeks. “Don’t you feel something for me? Don’t you want me to be with just you? Because that’s what I have always wanted from you, Marlon, the only reason why I sleep with other people is because I want you to fight for me.”
He was silent. He didn’t know what to say to that.
“And when I saw you last night … how crazy you were because you thought Dennis was doing something to that girl … all I could think of was why you’ve never done that for me?”
“Because he never assaulted you, Mandy, I told you … it’s different …”
“Oh and if she was willing to do it with Dennis, you wouldn’t flipped off like that? I saw that look in your eyes … it wasn’t just about that, you didn’t want anyone to touch her … the whole night since she arrived, you were watching her like a hawk.”
“She would never be willing …” he sighed, “She’s a nice girl … I’m not trying to disrespect anyone here … but Hazel is a good girl … okay? And last night … she didn’t belong in a party like that … I was worried, I felt responsible for her wellbeing because the only reason she was there was because I invited her … you’re jealous … I get it … but it’s not what you think, she has a boyfriend, we’re just friends.”
Mandy nodded, but all hope was lost. Marlon’s explanation just made it even more obvious to her. Hazel is a good girl. How could she ever compete with that if that was what Marlon wants? A good girl.
“Okay …” she folded her arms in front of her, she was ready to give it one last try. “So does that mean we can start to be exclusive now?”
They’re eyes locked. Marlon’s expressionless face gave her the final answer.
“I’m going to look for my necklace now … please don’t follow me,” she said and walked away.