FicWad

I sat awkwardly in the echoing hall, a small group had shown up but I hadn’t expected a huge group of Shakespeare fans at all, most of this lot were probably English teachers anyways. The plastic chair I was sitting on squeaked loudly whenever I moved, I sat still and tried not breathe.
“Welcome to our new memb-or” A balding man sniffled through a grey moustache. He held a small notebook in one hand and a pen in the other. “Would you like to er- intor-duce yourself?” He ushered me.
I jumped up as quickly as I could so the chair didn’t make so much noise, “Em, hello, I’m Jared and I’m twenty-seven.”
“Hello there.” The group said in harmony, they all looked withered and bored; it was like they just showed up because they had been doing it for years… Or decades.
“What has you er- intor-ested in Shakespearian litor-ature?” The man asked, he sounded like he had a badly blocked nose.
I held up the little sonnet book loosely in my hands, “Er, just the sonnets really, very inspiring stuff.” I said awkwardly.
“Stuff?” One of them coughed, “Dear me, Antony, did he just call it stuff?” It was an older lady, she looked like she would have an autographed Shakespeare book she was that old.
I froze, freaked out by the white-haired lady. She looked down her nose, glaring at me though her thick rimmed glasses. Her eyes were the size of snooker balls. “By stuff I meant… I meant…” I panicked, looking through my vocabulary.
“He’s being vague to show how much there is.” A voice called behind me.
“That’s exactly what it…” I muttered, nodding at Antony and the old lady.
She sat back happily, “Why then I agree of course.”
“Very er- good point made er-” Antony nodded.
A girl walked in passed me, the one that had just saved my life. She sat opposite the old lady, fiddling mindlessly with a rubix cube. She sat with straight blonde hair. She was young, much younger than everyone there, even me. “Aren’t you going to intor-duce yourself Violet?” Antony stuttered at her.
“I don’t think he needs to hear my name twice.” She smiled at the cube in her hand.
Antony cleared his throat, awkward, Violet seemed to keep leaving them speechless. I couldn’t help but stare at her for a moment, she couldn’t possible be the one that read to me in the hospital.
“Why don’t we –or open sonnet 153 and read and discuss that one?”
Mumbled nods showered the room, I squinted at my book and tried to guess with one that was, the numbers in my book were all Roman numeral, and I didn’t have a clue.
“Shall I read Antony?” The old lady cawed.
He nodded and scurried to his seat beside Violet, pulling and tugging his grey collar.
“Cupid laid by his brand and fell asleep-” She began, her voice was droll and boring. It was tedious and awful hearing her voice.
After what felt like hours of discussing the meaning of the sonnet I dragged myself out of the hall, finding myself walking by Antony’s side. “Antony I didn’t know what was going on.” I admitted.
“Maybe you should write er- notes beside the sonnets.” He suggested.
I handed him my book, “It’s not mine.” I sighed.
He inspected it, “Are you and Violet friends long?” H asked casually.
I shook my head dramatically, “I don’t know her.”
He looked up suspiciously, “Then why do you have her book?”
I gawped at him for a slow passing moment, “This couldn’t possibly be hers!” I argued.
He pointed at the purple scribble on the book, “It’s er- hers alright.”
I blinked at him stunned, “This was given to me by a friend when I was in hospital.”
“Then they or- stole it from Miss Violet.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Do I look like I make jokes?”
I didn’t reply; we looked at each other awkwardly. He was expecting an answer that I wasn’t going to give him. “Good night.” He resigned.
“Yeah, goodnight.”

I turned around and looked for Violet, I didn’t believe that it was her; I didn’t feel anything when I heard her speak to me. “Violet? Violet?” I called out.
The bored looking blonde grinned deviously at me, “Yeah?” She grunted at me.
“I’ve been looking for you for ages and I just want to thank you for everything.”
“Righ’ that’s nice.” She nodded chewing gum loudly.
I looked at her tongue-tied, finding it hard to believe that I was sane. “I was wondering if you wanted to go out tonight.”
She looked at a loopy looking pink watch on her right arm, “S’pose.”
I half grinned, unsure of what was going on, still convinced that this wasn’t the girl that gave me the book.

I don’t know how I got there or why I was there but she lay under me with a cigarette hanging from her fingers in one hand as she screamed my name. I didn’t feel like it was natural, around me was a fresh cream neat room, under me was a mess of a girl smoking.
Time skip.
“Wow…” she muttered, breathing out smoke.
I lay staring at the wall; I felt weird and remained incomplete. I felt two claws running down my stomach. She was like a she-wolf and I was just a puppet to her. “You’re em, apartment is lovely.” I complimented awkwardly as she pushed her hands further down my body.
“Oh it’s not mine,” She laughed, “It’s my sister’s place.”
I pushed her away quickly, “What?! I’m sorry but you weren’t like I expected I mean its lovely to meet you but this just doesn’t feel right.”
She puffed another cigarette casually, “Maybe you actually were looking for Vee.”
“What?” I asked, puzzled, standing bare by the bedside.
“Well-” She began but the door of the apartment slammed open, light entered through the open door. I snatched a pillow off the bed to cover myself with; almost afraid that she had a gangster boyfriend she wasn’t telling me about.
“Laurie I’m back!” A sweet voice called.
“Laurie?!” I gritted through my teeth.
A sudden shriek entered the room, a girl similar to ‘Laurie’ stood with her hands clasping over her face. “What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck.” She sprinted out of the room. I could see her shadow on the wall, “Laurie, get dressed and get out! I’m sick of this happening.” She shouted.
“Sorry Vee……” The blonde stretched casually, pulling herself from the bed.
“That’s Violet?!” I demanded, “You liar!”
The blonde laughed at me and pulled on a t-shirt and jeans, puffing and chocking with giggles. “Vee, your boy Jared was great!” She called out.
I heard a gasp from the other room, a quick slam of the door. I stared at Laurie with an open mouth, “That was Violet?”