Drizzle Some A-1 On Me

I was racking my brain trying to figure out what I was going to do with Claire and Daisy. Sunday night I stood in the kitchen while Aaron, Lance, Calvin, and my old friend Tiffany discussed my conundrum.

They all knew that I would've much rather spent the previous evening rolling around with Claire than with Daisy. And really, I would have preferred sitting on the floor, a triple combination away from Claire just talking to her... than making out with Daisy. Surprisingly, my friends were all very understanding. I expected a scolding for my whiny -"ooooh my life sucks, I made out with the hottest girl, ohhh noooo.". My roommates understood though that liking a girl is much different than wanting a girl.

Tiffany had the following to say: "If you want Claire you have to tell her how you feel... now. Admit how jealous you were of [Old] Adam and how, even though it is not an excuse for what you did, that it was that jealousy which led you to succumb to Daisy's advances."

Tiffany thought if I told Claire how stupid it was and how much I wished it were her that it would move Claire to forgive me. I thought that sounded like a terrible idea, and did what I usually do when girls gave me advice about girls... looked at her chest-- just kidding. No what I usually think when girls are giving me advice about other girls is, "What do girls know about girls? They can't even live together or be friends for longer than 5 year periods."

Similarly, my roommates disagreed. That being said, each one of my comrades suggested that if I wanted Claire, my best course of action would be to date and continue to make out with and exhibit public displays of sweetness and affection with Daisy. Each of them thought I should date Daisy while I had the chance. Not because she was hot and a good kisser. No. But because they believed it was the best strategy I could employ to get Claire.

Lance made this case: "When Claire sees that you're dating Daisy, the hot one, not only will it make Claire jealous, but it'll force her to see that you can do better than her. Make her second guess herself. Then, when you do make your move, she'll feel oh so special."

Aaron agreed and added: "Also, Claire's going to start dating Adam. You might as well make out with Daisy while she's snoggin the geezer."

Calvin expounded: "It's not like you dislike Daisy, right? If Claire is dating someone else you might as well see how it goes with Daisy... otherwise you'll fall further into the friend zone because with you not dating anybody those 'heart to hearts' you and Claire will keep having will be about her and her boyfriend - who isn't you."

It did seem to make sense. I didn't dislike Daisy. Perhaps if I spent a little time getting to know her and courting her then I would feel for her as strongly as I do for Claire.

Daisy is quite the trophy, too. Tuesday, I went to the Heights for a minute, and on my walk up the three flights of stairs to their hallway, I passed two guys whose names I didn't know, but recognized. One smiled at me and the other raised his hand for a high five as we passed. In a deep voice he said, "Daiiiisy... Niiiice!"

So, to recap, Daisy and I kissed Saturday night. I texted her Monday and we chatted a little. Then Tuesday I texted her and didn't hear back all day. Then Wednesday she texted me and I purposely didn't respond. Claire texted me Wednesday that a group was gonna go eat at the Bombay House that night. I figured I'd stop by and see Daisy while I was there.

Right as I reached the top of the stairs, down the hallway, I saw Adam walk into Claire's apartment. So I decided to walk past her door and see if Daisy was home first. Her roommate Shelly answered. She opened the door a head-sized crack and looked a little surprised. I said, "Hey Shelly is Dais--" Shelly quickly moved out into the hallway and shut the door behind her. In order to do that she had to open the door a little more and I was able to see Daisy sitting on the couch in the living room with some dude. When I say "sitting"... her legs were draped over his.

Shelly said, "Oh hey Jake... um, Daisy's busy." I replied, "I can see that." She grimaced and said, "Oh..." I noticed she still had the TV remote in her hand and she sort of covered her mouth with it when she said, "Yeah, we're not going to dinner with everyone." I felt pretty silly and said, "Oh cool, just checkin." I turned back towards Claire's place, and Shelly said, "Sorry Jake... I hate to say it but I think the other night, you know, it was... you know...?" It sucks when people are speaking in incomplete sentences and you know what they mean. I did "know", I had seen Daisy with the guy on the couch a few times before.

I said, "Yeah, I know. I was actually coming to tell you that your're next." Shelly laughed nervously. I smiled nervously and walked to Claire's, feeling like an idiot. How foolish. I imagined the laughter that must be ensuing in Daisy and Shelly's apartment right now. There I was, thinking that all I had to do was just decide that Daisy was mine and she would be... not realizing that as out-of-my-league as she was that she was using me as much, or actually, more so than I was using her.

I wished to crap that I wouldn't have listened to my roommates because now Daisy would always think she broke my heart or something, and would never know that my pursuit of her was, in actuality, me "settling". It didn't bother me one bit that she tongue wrestled me with no intention of dating me. Used me like a perfectly cured piece of medium rare, Grade A, New York strip steak. I didn't mind being used like an object or toy that could be discarded once a better object/toy came into play. It did bug me that I thought she was thinking she broke my heart.

Got worse once I got to Claire's and the "group" ended up being Old Adam, Claire, Wendy, and me. It was like a blasted double date. Like one of those double dates where the other guys date is cuter than your date in addition to him being too cool to dislike and totally out flirting and out funnying you - you know the kind. It was torture. At least the curry was good.

Jake