AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You were working. Plus, I wasn’t really alone. I mean, there were other people there, I just wasn’t sitting with them. Well, Ben did come over to check on me when he saw I was crying. He didn’t say anything, just handed me a box of tissues and offered to refill my popcorn for me.”
“The owner?” I know exactly who she’s talking about.
“Yeah. I dated his younger brother in high school for a little while. I was a freshman, and Brandon was a senior. He was the smart one, and Ben was the screw up back then. Ben was good at sports but not much else. I was surprised when he took over the business for his parents when his dad got sick a few years ago. If Brandon and Ruth hadn’t bought the Hideaway, I bet Brandon would have taken over the theater.”
“That was nice of him to check on you, but next time, don’t go to the movies alone. Just come see me at work or something if you want to hang out. You know Mindi will break all the rules and let you sit at the bar and drink as long as Riley’s not there.”
Riley’s never there anymore. Not past five in the afternoon anyway. If Mindi is in the building, she runs the show. Hell, she runs the show even if Riley is around. Everyone knows it.
“You never hang out anymore,” Sam complains, tossing the magazine she’s been browsing through on my coffee table before running her fingers through her hair. The tips are teal right now. She said my new chair inspired the change. The chair she’s sitting in even though it’s the most uncomfortable piece of shit I’ve ever owned. “It’s like I’m cursed. You’re busy with school and Jay’s busy tearing apart every computer he can get his hands on. What happens when both of you graduate in a few months? I’m going to be left here with no friends.”
“Mia and Spence are going to be here.” I’m not sure why I feel the need to point this out.
“Is that your way of telling me you won’t be here?”
I haven’t confirmed I’m leaving but I’ve never tried to hide the fact either. My plan was never to stay in Great Falls. I came here for school, and with a degree in psychology, it’ll be easy to find a job back home. Here? Not so much.
“You know I’ve always planned to go back to LA for work. It’ll be easier to get a job there than here.”
“Jay’s already said he’s planning on going back to Virginia.” My back stiffens at the mention of him leaving and I avert my eyes back toward my laptop.
Did she catch the slight shift? Was she looking in my direction? I really hope not. I used to be good at hiding my reactions from her but after three months of spending time apart, I’m starting to slip.
“This town doesn’t have much to offer beyond an education. Don’t take it personal, Sam. You can always come visit; you know that. It’ll give you an excuse to travel. You love going on epic adventures.”
I use her own words against her and I don’t even feel bad about it. She showed up at my apartment in the middle of me studying for a test on my night off. A test she knows is a big chunk of my final grade. It can make or break this class for me. As much as I’ve been using school as an excuse, I was actually busy tonight.
“Right. Epic adventures.” Her voice lacks emotion, but I don’t bother to look up, avoiding eye contact with her so she doesn’t see through my lies. What I’m really worried about is her seeing the guilt in my eyes.
“How much longer do you have? Want to take a break and walk over to Jay’s apartment with me? Maybe if we show up together we can get him to take a break from whatever he has his hands on and spend time with us.”
His hands have been on me, I think to myself.
I want to say the words aloud. To confess my sins to her. Instead, I shake my head and keep my eyes trained on the screen in front of me. The words are blurring together the harder I stare, my thoughts drifting to the fact Jay is leaving after graduation.
Not just leaving Great Falls. Leaving Sam.
My gut tells me that if she didn’t know, she suspected something. She had to. Sam wasn’t stupid, and we were both acting distant.
Taking my hand, Mia gives it a little squeeze. “She loved you, Andi. You were her best friend. She would want you to be happy. She wouldn’t resent you for falling in love with Jay. And, most of all, she would want you to be with someone who loves you as much as you love them. Someone who can help you heal from your loss. Who understands you and accepts you for the person you are.”
Mia’s given me a lot to think about at a time where I already have enough running through my mind. Yes, I can hear everything she’s saying. I believe her. She may be the only other person who knew and understood Sam as well as I did. That doesn’t make the guilt any less palpable.
Or my heart any less broken.
It’s beat for Jay for years, and as much as I’d like to hold onto the way I feel when I’m in his arms, I don’t know if I’m strong enough. No matter how you spin it, it still feels like betrayal.
All I can do is nod my head, over and over again, as Mia stares at me, waiting for me to reply. The words won’t come. I can’t even muster the strength to agree or disagree with her.
Instead, I stand and turn toward the entrance to the park. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, I put on a brave face and put one foot in front of the other.
Maybe in another life we could have been together.
Perhaps if I’d met him first.
If he’d chosen me over Sam the night she introduced us.
People like to use the phrase ‘what a difference a day makes’.
