Reality's Chance To Speak

"When did you become so absurdly attractive?"

Cam took a drag from his cigarette and exhaled slowly. He reached out to the coffee table, stubbed out the butt in the overflowing ashtray and took a sip of water. Isabel said his drinking had gotten out of control - as if she knew what was best for him.

"You used to love it when I drank," he said, smiling over at her. His smile faded as soon as she returned it. "Used to."

Her smile never reached her eyes. He sighed and turned away from her to look at the TV screen. The election results were still being tallied on CNN, but it didn't matter anymore; he'd lost. He hadn't wanted to admit it to himself, but he'd known for weeks that it wasn't going to happen. Isabel's news sent his stomach reeling, causing him to grasp the edge of the table with both hands and heave into an empty pizza box in front of him.

She was wearing something white - a white dress, maybe? It was hard to tell with all her clothes lying around the floor like they had been before they'd started dating. The clothes were dirty now, though, stained with food and alcohol and other things Cam preferred not to think about anymore. There were dark circles under her eyes and her hair was limp and stringy against her shoulders. She didn't even look like herself anymore, but Cam couldn't blame her for that one bit - he'd done this to her, after all.

"They're saying you've got no chance," Isabel said softly, taking another drag from her Newport 100s as she watched him dry-heave over a pile of laundry on the floor. "You're going down in flames." Cam groaned as he felt bile rising up again and went back to emptying his stomach into the pizza box on the coffee table. "I'm sorry," Isabel whispered as Cam struggled not to pass out from exhaustion and dehydration.

"Fuck me," Cam muttered under his breath as he wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "I'm going down in flames." He glanced up at Isabel who was staring blankly at the television screen across the room with tears streaming down her face - tears for him or for herself? Cam shook his head and heaved himself off the couch and staggered over toward the kitchenette across from Isabel's bed where he leaned against the countertop and stared down at his phone. He needed some help dealing with this shit storm before it got any worse than it already was...