“I knew he was going to be dramatic when he stopped the conversation to tell everyone the sky was on fire.” I stuffed my head into my pillow and tried to forget the night even happened.
“He’s been dramatic his entire life.” I listened to Mykayla pour a glass of wine.
“But when he is constantly interrupting and bringing the focus back to him? It’s exhausting.”
“You know his parents have never paid any attention to him.” As Mykayla prattled on about what a sad childhood Robert had had, I let my mind wander. Robert and I had grown up down the street from each other and I knew how much time his parents spent with him.
Mark and Sandy were a solid presence in he and his sister’s lives regardless of what he told Mykayla. The had both worked 9-5, but had been present for dinner every night, school parties and every single birthday. Robert’s need for attention didn’t stem from a lack of confidence in himself. A lack of confidence stemming from the fact he spent most of his college days locked in his dorm or apartment playing video games.
I think he was just trying to make up for lost time and the fact he never really got the ‘college experience’. Not once had I thought he was unhappy or that he was trying to impress me. Or that I would find him in my car in the middle of the night. Waiting. Patient. Dangerous.
Standing Room Only 