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“I can’t breathe. You’re choking the life out of me.”
“Oh, hush. Between you and your sister, I don’t know who’s worse. Hey, you know what, Dad’s home early today and I know he’d love to spend some time with you.”
Maryanne Murphy, folks, subtle as a jackhammer.
“On my way.”
Two minutes later I step out of the library and step into a dumpster fire waiting to happen when I come face-to-face with Crystal Roy. Gripping the doors of the library, she sees me and her blue-green eyes grow as big as silver dollars.
“Maren.” She looks down at her son. “We’re returnin’ books,” she says brightly. Way too brightly.
The problem with hating Crystal is that it’s difficult to hate Crystal. She’s a nice person. And I’m talking genuinely nice. Always befriending the loners at school. Always sticking up for the kids other kids picked on. After high school, she did a stint in the Peace Corps. See what I mean, she’s nice. Or so I thought before my boyfriend’s dick tripped and fell into her wide-open vagina.
“Crystal,” I reply in a less than enthusiastic tone. I glance down at her adorable son.
“This is Charlie. Say hi, Charlie.”
“Hi.” Charlie sounds as sullen as I feel right now. “Momma, I gotta crap.”
Crystal’s eyes get even bigger. “Say you gotta go number two, Charlie, we spoke about this.” Then, to me, she says, “My father babysits during the week––this is what happens. He’s almost four. He repeats everything.” To Charlie, she says, “Daddy will be here soon.”
“I kind of have to go.”
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” She looks vulnerable, her voice tentative.
“Umm, I need to see my father,” is my reply, which is true; I owe my father an apology. However, I mostly don’t want to talk to her because it’s awkward as all get out.
“It will only take a minute. I promise.”
Now she looks vulnerable and hopeful…like Bambi. Those big eyes blinking at me in eager anticipation. I can’t say no to Bambi and that bugs me.
“Fine,” I mutter sullenly. “A minute.”
“Oh great…thank you, really. I really…” Discomfort is all over her. She fidgets, raking back her long, dark hair, tucking it behind her ear.
“I gotta go crap!”
“In a minute, Charlie.”
Charlie is now pulling at the seat of his pants. It doesn’t take a genius to see where this is headed.
“I wanted to apologize. Gosh, I’m so embarrassed. I’m so sorry for what I did to you.” She presses the heel of her palm to her forehead, looks away again. She’s incapable of standing still. “It’s been eating me up for years. And…and I don’t expect you to forgive me.”
I can’t believe I’m having this conversation outside the library. “It takes two to cheat, Crystal. And it’s Noah I was in a relationship with––not you.”
“Yeah, but––” Her face scrunches up. Mine does as well. Go ahead, guess what we smell.
“I did a crap.” Charlie grins and giggles.
A tall, good-looking stranger walks up to us and gives me a brief smile. “Sorry I’m late.” His gaze flickers over Crystal for a disinterested second before moving down to Charlie. “Ready, buddy?” Charlie nods.
Crystal’s lips slowly curve into a fake smile. “Oh, he’s ready, Dean. You two have a great weekend.”
“Bye bye, Momma.” Holding on to his dad’s hand, Charlie waves over his shoulder with the other.
“Bye, baby. Love you.” She blows Charlie a kiss and watches father and son walk away.
“I did a crap,” I hear Charlie tell his father.
“I’m so proud of you, little man.”
Crystal’s sober gaze slides from them to me. “My ex.” I nod. “He cheated.”
Oh.
“At first, I felt sorry for you. You know, always following him around like a lost puppy. Until I realized how much he cared about you. How close you two really were. I was jealous. I told myself that he was mine first. I saw my chance and took it.”
She obviously didn’t get the memo that said I claimed him when I was ten. “I don’t know what to say, Crystal,” is what I say because how else am I to respond to this unfiltered verbal dump that is only making me feel worse.
“He talked to you. Really talked to you. He never talked to me and it…it drove me crazy.”
Yeah, I don’t feel bad.
“That night––”
“No.” I’m shaking my head instantly. “No, I don’t want to talk about that night. Not now, not ever.”
“He cried after,” she blurts out.
She might as well have exploded a glitter bomb in my face. I’m shocked and confused––if one could be those two things at once.
“He was so torn up.” Face tight, she looks down, away. Anywhere other than at me. “He tried to hide it from me but I saw his face. He was crying.”
Chapter Sixteen
Maren
Nothing like tragedy to separate the wheat from the chaff. Zach and I began dating late my sophomore year. Noah was still with Crystal. True to his word, we started spending time together again, playing video games and talking about everything. Like his goal to be drafted in the first round to the Dallas Cowboys. That hadn’t changed over the years; he was as single-minded in the pursuit of his dreams as I was of mine. Which college would be best to showcase his talents as a wide receiver. We talked about his parents pending divorce. He told me it broke his heart but it was better than listening to them argue all the time. There wasn’t anything we didn’t discuss…except for us.
