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She takes a shaky breath, and I hope she’s not about to burst into tears.
And I’m not sure why, but I’m pissed.
Finally, she lets out a slow breath. “I found out my boyfriend has been cheating on me.” She pauses and then drops her face in her hands. “It’s so weird to say that out loud.”
“When did you find out?” This trip suddenly makes more sense. There’s always a breakup crisis.
Some people change their hair.
Others get tattoos.
And Claire takes the train to Florida.
She glances down at her phone and checks the time. “An hour and forty-seven minutes ago.”
“You found out tonight?” Most girls I know would have locked themselves in their room with a tub of ice cream for a week. Either Claire didn’t care much about this guy, or she’s in a way more fragile state than she’s letting on.
“Yeah...” She looks down at her hands. “I’m not sure what to make of everything yet. I know I’ll have to talk to him eventually, but I couldn’t stand the idea of listening to him try to justify what he did.”
I can’t believe this asshole. “He was trying to make excuses?”
“I mean, I don’t really know. He said he wanted to explain, so I got in the car with him, but once he started talking I just couldn’t take it. I had to get out, so he finally pulled over in front of the bar tonight.”
I turn to face her. “He left you? He let you out of the car, and he drove away?” It’s like I can see her visibly shrink when my questions hit her ears. She looks like she thinks I’m going to criticize her for something, and the realization only gets me more fired up. Her eyes fall to her hands in her lap again, and seeing her fold in on herself makes me curse under my breath. “Piece of shit.”
Her eyes snap up, and she carefully asks, “What are you so mad about?”
Honestly, I don’t know. People cheat all the time. Fuck, even I know that, but seeing her reduced to this gets to me more than I want it to.
There are plenty of girls out there who don’t mind hooking up. Lots of girls want to keep things casual. Why take a girl like Claire and destroy her? One look at her, and it’s clear she expects more from people. Why break her? Why put her through all that when you can just find a girl like Jasmine instead?
Shit, Jasmine.
Pulling out my phone, I send a quick text. She won’t care, but the fact that I haven’t once thought about our plans tonight still makes me feel like a dick.
Me: Can’t come over tonight. Something came up.
Looking up, I realize Claire is still waiting for me to answer her. What did she ask me again? My phone lights up, and I glance down to read the response.
Jasmine: Still don’t know her? ;)
I roll my eyes and flip my phone over. No, I don’t know her. Except when I look at her again, and she’s still patiently watching me, I’m reminded that I did know her...sort of. Seeing her look at me this way might as well be a recipe for time travel. It’s like we’re back in high school, and I don’t like it. I’m not that guy anymore—the good parts or the bad. I left both behind when I decided all people do in this world is hurt other people, and I don’t want to be a part of it.
I let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m mad because we still have over twenty-five hours before we’re in Florida, and I’m already going to break rule number one.”
12
Claire
Aiden runs a hand through his dark waves, and I brace myself for what he’s about to say. He’s going to break my rule? Now is really not the time.
“Aiden, you really shouldn’t—”
He shakes his head. “I told you, I’ve never been good at following rules anyway. Just let me say this one thing. I’m not trying to flirt with you, but I think it’s something you need to hear.”
When I don’t say anything, he lets out a breath and rests his elbows on his knees before looking over at me. “Listen, when you moved here in the middle of freshman year from Pennsylvania—”
My face must show my shock. I had no idea Aiden noticed me at all back in high school, let alone knew where I was from. My mouth falls open slightly, but he holds up his hand to stop me.
