Good and Evil

Some guys I know have art in a group show downtown titled "Good and Evil".
I want someone to go with me.
So before I go to work I IM James Dean. I'll try one more time. I do like hanging out with him. The other night we had a good phone conversation, even though I'm a nightmare and was drunk. Although he never made time to bring his daughter over for card making.

I need a wing man.

He says he'll go. We text during the day.
He comes over around 7 and we head downtown.
When we get there the two guys I know are outside. Rick gives me a big hug. Bryan says go in and have a beer. I feel good. I know people.
We head inside and James gets a beer, I get a glass of wine.
We walk around and look at the art.
Bryan's good painting has weird pod aliens having their arms reattached. It's strangely sweet. The evil painting has their arms being sawed off by an alien machine.

Our other friend Emily's husband has sold his piece. That's "sweet".
All of the sudden James is freaking out. He sees someone he knows and is trying to "hide" he beer. He tells me that he is on antidepressants (explains some things!) and this guy knows his sister. She's on antidepressants too and they aren't supposed to be drinking alcohol. Why do I try?? He gets over it. We have another drink. We enjoy ourselves. We talk to Dave the street artist I work with, he's entertaining. James is enjoying talking to him.

The rest are moving on to the bar next door. We follow. I buy us beers. We chat. When James uses the bathroom I let Rick know he's "some guy I'm fucking" When he asks about my "friend". I feel like I'm using him like an accessory, which I am.
When I get back from the bathroom, Bryan tells me James bummed a cigarette off him and went outside. I go out to look for him and he's not in the outdoor area where all the other smokers are. Hes over on the other side away from the bar, all alone. He makes me sort of sad.

We go home. He tells me some stories about girls who want to hook up with him, we are buddies. I think he has a thing for his lab partner, but he denies it.
He spends the night but it's not fun. He can't come. We are tired of trying to pretend were into it.