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Tom sat alone in a dimly lit restaurant. The clanking of dishes mixed with the din of a dozen conversations throughout the room to create a thick blanket of sound. A small candle burned on the table in front of him, almost down to its base. The waitress who had seated him, a tall woman named Kate with a name tag that read 'Joan,' locked eyes with Tom and understood that she'd have to try again later; just a few more minutes this time, Tom's look assured her. But he was a nervous wreck. It was the night he planned to break up with his girlfriend, [[Anna->Thoughts 1]].//Oh god, she's late. Maybe she's late on purpose because she figured out that I want to dump her. Maybe she's trying to torture me in advance by dragging things out and forcing me to worry. Wait, that means I'm playing into her hand by even thinking this, doesn't it? God, I'm acting like a total psycho. People don't do stuff like that in real life. Unless they're a psycho. Like how I was acting a second ago but for real, I think. Does a psycho know they're psycho? Oh god, what if this restaurant is too nice? What if she comes here thinking I'm going to pull some grand romantic gesture? She's probably been thinking about it all day, imagining the perfect scene for me to do something sweet, and I'm about to shit all over it. Oh god, [[she'll be here any minute->Thoughts 2]].////No, no no no, everything is alright. She always been really level headed about stuff. I don't think I've even seen her freak out over anything, other than maybe that time we watched The Notebook and she ended up screaming at the TV for the better part of an hour about how cruel it was to make her get invested like that... Or that time we went to the zoo while the otters weren't in their exhibit and she almost broke into the vet facilities because she had to see their little hands... Or that time when we were in a sandwich shop and some guy made a face at her for ordering extra mayo and she went on tirade about how mayo was the best part of a meal and how he deserved to live a sad, mayo-less life forever... [[Or that time->Thoughts 3]]...////Okay, but she probably thinks things are bad too, she just has to at this point. Like the other day, when she asked if I had any preference for what movie we watched, I just said whatever. That's totally a sign. I might as well have put it up in flashing lights for how overt that was. And she's been doing stuff like that too! Just two weeks ago she asked me about moving in together; that always signifies that a breakup is coming! I mean, this is what she would want too, right? I know in the past she's said pretty explicitly that it isn't and that the idea of a break up blindsiding her is terrifying, but that's probably some reverse psychology something. They guys on the message boards all say that women use reverse psychology because they don't want to be blunt. I get that, I guess. I just have to get it over with quick. Yeah, I'll do it first thing. Oh god, [[here she comes->Pre Bad Day]]!//Anna was walking swiftly to the table. She was wearing her favorite red dress with comfortable black flats, her makeup was flawless, as usual, and her pale skin seemed to almost glow in the candle light. She was beautiful, and altogether out of Tom's league, but she liked him anyway. He made her laugh.
She let out a heavy sigh as she sat across from Tom and [[began to speak->Bad Day 1]]."Sorry I'm late! Ugh, I have had the worst day. The cat brought in a dead rabbit this morning and left it at the foot end of my bed. Then, when I went to go clean it up, it sprinted off into the house! It wasn't dead; it wasn't even hurt! It knocked over all my plants, tracked dirt everywhere, and I swear I had to tear the whole house apart looking for that thing. I finally caught it and let it outside but I'm still not over the shock of it all!"
[[Interrupt->Break Up 1]]
[[Stay Quiet->Bad Day 2]]"I think we should break up."
[[Continue->Break Up 2]]"As if that wasn't bad enough, after I finished cleaning I got a call saying my dad broke out of the nursing home again. He bit a nurse and stole her keys! Then he ran out into traffic acting like a pirate and trying to steal a car. I went over there as fast as I could to help lure him back into the facility but nobody could convince him to follow us. Eventually we just had to tell him there were doubloons buried in his room and he went back. Trouble is, now he keeps trying to dig a hole under his bed and his downstairs neighbor is pretty pissed about it."
[[Interrupt->Break Up 1]]
[[Stay Quiet->Bad Day 3]]"After all that, I was late for my big test! You know, that math test? It's basically all I've been thinking about for the past week. Anyway, I got there and realized that I didn't have my lucky pen! So right there I knew it was hopeless; I always fail without that pen. The questions were pretty easy, all, 'what's the average of this and that,' but I still know I failed because I didn't have that pen. If I don't find it soon, I swear, I'll have to drop out of school!"
[[Interrupt->Break Up 1]]
[[Stay Quiet->Bad Day 4]]"I went home, feeling like trash, and saw I had an email from some nigerian prince. He told me all about his struggle coming to America and I just felt so bad for the guy I couldn't help but send him the money he asked for. Turns out the whole thing was a scam and I'm just stupid, but I really needed that money back! Then I remembered this poker site my friend Julie mentioned, you know, Julie? She said she won a lot of money there so I tried to at least get back what I gave the prince but I lost even more! I'm five hundred bucks in hole with nothing to show for it."
[[Interrupt->Break Up 1]]
[[Stay Quiet->Bad Day 5]]"So today had pretty soundly kicked my ass at that point and I decided to blow off some steam by drinking. I started just sipping a beer and listening to music but then I broke out that whisky my brother gave me a while back and I guess I blacked out? That's gotta be what happened, because the next thing I remember is waking up on bench in Johnson Park with forty dollars, that I didn't have when I left the house, tucked in my back pocket. It's not exactly nigerian prince money, but I was pretty happy to have it."
[[Interrupt->Break Up 1]]
[[Stay Quiet->Bad Day 6]]"I looked at the time and saw that I was going to be late so I started sprinting home to get ready but some asshole in an SUV ran a red light and hit me! I had barely hit the pavement and that jerk was already driving off. That slowed me down, for sure, but I still made it okay. My leg does hurt though, I think it might be broken, but that's why I'm a bit late. Anyway, you mentioned earlier that you wanted to tell me something?"
[[Tell Her->Break Up 1]] Anna looked stunned. She stammered out a single,
"[[W-why->Break Up 3]]?"//Okay, okay, I prepped for this. I know exactly what to say. The guys on the message boards gave me enough good lines that I should be able to talk my way out if things get messy. But what if it seems forced? Oh god she's just staring at me...//
[[It's not you, it's me->Break Up 41]]
[[Stay Silent->Break Up 42]]
<<set $Count to 0>>"It's not you, it's me..."
//That was awful, I mean genuinely terrible. It's not you, it's me? Oh god, could I have been more blunt? They even used that line in that one movie; I don't remember the title. It was just some trashy chick flick that Anna forced me to watch because she's into that, but I didn't really pay much attention. She insisted that it was SO GOOD but, honestly, how good could it really be with a line like that? Really? Oh god, she's still just watching me.//
[[I can't make you happy->Break Up 51]]
[[Stay Silent->Break up 52]]
<<set $Count += 1>>"..."
//A long burst of nothing... there have been worse plans, I'm sure. She doesn't look too angry, too sad, hell, she doesn't look too anything. What's she even thinking? Oh god, was staying quiet the right move? She probably thinks I'm some new breed of jerk, operating on a whole new level. I can fix this. I've got a million lines and at least one of them has to be good, right?//
[[I can't make you happy->Break Up 51]]
[[Stay Silent->Break up 52]]"I can't make you happy..."
//Okay, that's a decent line. It's the truth, I mean, the truth is always the right answer, and I just can't; it's not within my capability. I'm built for a lot of things but catering to her every need just isn't one of them. I'm sure she's noticed that by now, right? I don't just exist for her, I'm not some slave for her to drag around town and show off to all her girlfriends, I can't be that guy. Who would want to, even? She's still not saying anything... Probably because she's digesting all that. Should I use another line? Would that help? Oh god, what if she thinks I'm cocky now?//
[[I just need some space right now->Break Up 61]]
[[Stay Silent->Break Up 62]]
<<set $Count += 1>>"..."
//This may have been a bad idea. I mean, I'm just letting her stew in her own thoughts and not telling her my actual side of this. She's probably imagining some awful thing I did to justify me wanting to break up. I can already see it; she's going to tell all of our friends this horrible story about what she's pretty sure I did and then they'll all hate me. I have to explain myself...//
[[I just need some space right now->Break Up 61]]
[[Stay Silent->Break Up 62]]"I just need some space right now..."
//That line is one I know she'll understand. Hell, when I was staying with her last summer, she was the one who set up my own place for me, and she definitely mentioned needing space! This is one fool-proof line, Tom. But what if she doesn't get it, what if she doesn't want space too? Maybe she did what she did last summer out of some kind of obligation and she didn't actually want me leave! She did mention moving in together, and if she thinks that's a good idea now then I'm sure means she thought it was then, too. And I see her even less since I started working! I just kicked her while she was down didn't I... It's okay, shit, I can fix this.//
[[I don't feel the sparks anymore->Break Up 71]]
[[Stay Silent->Break Up 72]]
<<set $Count += 1>>"..."
//Whoever said 'silence is golden' had clearly never dumped anyone before. Her eyes are practically screaming at me but I just can't make out what they're saying. I bet it's about how disappointed she is. I bet she's holding back tears right now, ready to burst at any moment. I feel bad but it's what needed to happen; I can't deal with such an emotional wreck all the time. Is that a tear? Oh god, I think it's starting.//
[[I don't feel the sparks anymore->Break Up 71]]
[[Stay Silent->Break Up 72]]"I don't feel the sparks anymore..."
//Man, when things first started, it felt like magic. I remember kissing on the ice rink after I wiped out and hurt my leg, and drinking hot chocolate by the fire when we got home. Things haven't been that good in... Who knows, even. She's not as warm as she was back then, and never seems interested in what I'm up to. She just dumps the happenings of her day on me. What am I even supposed to do with that? That's not magic. Damn, she's still not saying anything. Maybe it's time for the big one. The guys on the message boards said that line works every time.//
[[I love you, I'm just not IN love with you->Break Up 81]]
[[Stay Silent->Break Up 82]]
<<set $Count += 1>>"..."
//This was an even worse idea than I thought. She's mad. I can feel her white hot anger in the air and it's all aimed at me. She'd probably rip me limb from limb if there weren't people around, and if she was strong enough to pin me. I mean, who is she to get mad if I want out of this relationship? Anger isn't really a fair response, I'm justified in this, yet here she is, glowering. Her body language tells me everything, even if she won't talk. Maybe... Maybe I should break out the big one. The guys on the message boards said that line works every time.//
[[I love you, I'm just not IN love with you->Break Up 81]]
[[Stay Silent->Break Up 82]]"I love you, I'm just not IN love with you..."
//She'll get that, she has to get that. Emotions are fickle! She's great and all, and I really do care for her, but not in the same way anymore. I just hope she doesn't take it too hard. I know that if I was madly in love with someone and they told me that it'd be hard to keep it together. What a tragic way for a relationship to end; the emotions simply disappearing. It's not like it's my fault that it happened either, it's not like I can just control everything. Poor Anna.//
[[Continue->Ending 1]]
<<set $Count += 1>>"..."
//Staying quiet at this point is beyond a bad idea, we've reached Hindenburg levels of poor planning. I think it's time to accept my fate. I'm at the mercy of Anna and whatever emotions she decides to let fly, and whether or not that's fair, that's the reality of this situation. Brace yourself Tom, she's unpredictable...//
[[Continue->Ending 1]]After a long wait, Anna finally broke her silence, tears welling up in her eyes.
<<if $Count > 2>>\
"Tom... You're a [[fucking asshole->Bad 1]]."
<<elseif $Count < 3>>\
"Tom... I [[get it->Good 1]]."
<<endif>>\Splash!
Anna grabbed her water glass and threw it in Tom's face before storming out. The dull roar of the restaurant grew quiet as the other patrons craned their necks to see what had happened, and Tom let them. He didn't get up, he didn't dry himself off, he just sat there and let himself be judged. Being a spectacle seemed punishment enough, and he took it willingly. The waitress named Kate with a name tag that read 'Joan' hung back with a towel, ready to bring it to him at a moments notice. She felt kind of bad for the guy but even worse for herself, having been unable to give the table to someone who would actually order food. She had left the nicer towels in the back closet for a reason, after all.
Tom sat there, alone and dripping, thinking about what he could have possibly done better. Anything that would have made his relationship work better, or at least that would have made the break up less harsh.
And [[he couldn't come up with anything->Fin]].She continued,
"I know things aren't perfect, and I know there's no easy way to bring that kind of thing up without it hurting, at least a little, so thanks for not mixing in too much bullshit. I'm a big girl, I can handle things. Um, if you don't mind, I don't feel up to staying for dinner with you right now. I just need to collect myself a bit before we can really figure out the details, you know? I'll, ah, I'll talk to you later, okay? Goodbye, Tom."
She stood up slowly from the table and walked back out the way she'd come, graceful, even in the face of heartbreak. Tom sat alone and watched the candle on the table in front of him burn itself down to nothing. It worked, he was free, and [[he didn't know what to do with himself->Fin]].The EndRamona Neill
Raining Sideways