Random Acts of Emotional Violence

It's a college town. The type where the population doubles when classes are in session. Kids flood the streets of the downtown area that boasts 90-plus bars within a 1/2 mile radius. Friends gather to drink, talk and engage in all varieties of debauchery.

A pair of friends decide that a change of venue is in order. Girl hops onto boy’s back and they start their journey. Along the way they encounter several obstacles; a man wailing on his guitar under the awning of a store (guitar case strategically positioned and open), hot dog stands wafting their addictive scents, a row of local bums negotiating for small cash donations, a slew of frat boys who seem unaware that anyone besides themselves might exist.

The pair dodges in and out of the crowds. They pause to wait for the next open space to appear. A boy, who seems engaged in his own live drama, turns his gaze upon them and yells to his friends (grouped nearby), “Watch out for this guy, he’s got something really heavy on his back!” The group erupts into jeering laughter.

“Keep walking,” she says. He complies, but offers to go back and kick their asses. She lowers her head in shame (and also to hide the redness appearing in her eyes). “No, just keep walking…please.”

She inches off of his back and tries to walk it off…Literally…

After receiving a clean bill of health from the doctor not a week ago, she heads home and makes her first voluntary attempt at throwing up. Perhaps an empty stomach will distract from the pain in her head.