I Introduce The Selfish Machine

I rubbed my neck, focusing my eyes on the bag of drugs that sat on our kitchen table. My eyes filled with tears, but none came out. "I can explain." I said after a long moment of silence.
"Explain, then." Tony said. I could feel him staring at me, but I didn't even bother to look into his eyes. I would break, and that's not what I need to do.
"It's not what it looks like-"
"Really? Because what it looks like is pounds of illegal drugs in our apartment. Why, Piper? And how stupid are you?"
"Tony, I did this for a reason, okay!" I snapped, still wanting to cry but not crying. "Whe-when we tracked down where your instruments were, we ended up at this house. Tony, this was a house I had seen before and when David-"
"Who's David?"
"Just let me finish, okay? When David opened the door, I finally remember how I recognized the place." I tried to swallow the knot in my throat. "When I came home from Germany, I really needed a place to live. My mother paid one month of the rent on the studio, but I was on my own after that. I got all these different jobs, but none of them paid enough for the rent. David came into one of the shops I worked at and I guess I was complaining about the job and he offer-offered me a job with him. He told me it would pay a lot, but never told me what. Tony, I was desperate, I was about to get evicted and I was eating Cheetos for dinner every night. I didn't know I was going to be a drug dealer, nor did I know that I was going to get addicted to cocaine. I needed money, Tony. I only did it until I was like 22, and I quit right before my sister's wedding. I started drinking to cope with the fact that I didn't have any cocaine. It kept me from wanting it." Then, I started to cry. "So, when we ended up at his house, he told me I could only get the instruments and the music back if I worked for him again. Just for one month, and I have two weeks left. I've already sold all my weed, but all of my old buyers are recovered addicts. I've been paying for stuff out of my own pocket so I can get David his money." I couldn't take it anymore. I sat in the chair and cried. I had let Tony down, and I can't believe I did. But, he has to understand now, right? I did it to save his career.
"What did you do with the drugs you paid for?" He asked, still on the other side of the table.
I couldn't tell him that. He couldn't know. "I flushed it down the toilet."
He exhaled. "That's a lie." Then he walked over to the other side of the table and showed me the half empty bag of cocaine. "This bag would be all the way gone. Piper, are you...?" He didn't even have to finish asking because I started to cry harder. He backed away, and I heard him start to cry. "Out of all the things I expected you to do, Piper, drugs was not one of them! I thought you-I thought you were smarter than this. You agreed to save my career, not to get addicted again!"
"I'm not addicted!"
"Then why are you shaking? Why are you crying? Gosh, Piper, you can't just lie to me like this! We're engaged, about to be married, you're supposed to tell me the truth and not hide things like this from me." He sighed. "Look at me."
I shook my head. "No..." I whined.
"Piper, I need you to look at me."
"Tony, I can't-"
"Piper." He said firmly. I brought my head up, and my eyes met with his. His eyes were red and puffy from crying, his face red from anger, and his face just screamed disappointment. "You need to take the drugs back to David and tell him you're not doing it anymore."
My jaw dropped and my head started spinning with flashbacks. "No, no Tony, you don't get it, he has to have his money. If-if he doesn't get his money-"
"Are you really this addicted?" He snapped. "Okay, I'll take it back and you'll move your stuff out."
My heart started to ache. What? "Tony, wait, no, you don't understand-"
"I understand, alright. You lied to me, and continued to when I asked you what you did with the drugs. I can't be married to a liar again, Piper. Get your stuff out, and give me back the ring."
"Tony, please let me-"
"Now, Piper." He said. My hands were shaking as I slipped the ring off my finger and placed it in Tony's open palm. He turned quickly to the bag and began to zip it up. I sat there, in the chair, shaking. I felt my whole world shatter into a million pieces. He doesn't understand. I did it to save his career. And now, he's kicking me out. He's making me leave. He doesn't love me anymore.
I should have been smarter than to fall in love with him, or anyone at that.
I grabbed my clothes and shoved them in a bag, then left the apartment, leaving my keys behind. I rubbed my now empty ring finger as I drove quickly across San Diego. My mind was tumbling, my chest literally hurt. How could he do this to me.
I pulled into the driveway, and ran up the stairs quickly. I banged loudly on the door.
Mike swung the door open. He stared at me for a second, the bag in my hand and the tears running down my face. "He found out?" Mike said.
I nodded, then stepped forward and collapsed into Mike's chest, crying. I cried so hard as Mike just held me. "Ca-ca-can I stay with you? Ju-just for a little while?"
"You didn't even have to ask." He said, then let go of me to grab my bag. I stepped inside the apartment, accepting my new life. A life without Tony.
A life without love, yet again.

Notes