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Everyone had left the party over an hour ago. Wyatt and Mitch were helping my parents clean up the house while Michelle and I were on dishwashing duty.
“Beth and Mitch? Did you really see that coming?”
I shrugged. “See what coming? I don’t think they’re a couple. Every time they were asked, they’d just laugh it off. They never acted like anything more than friends.”
Michelle paused mid wipe while she tilted her head and stared out the window. “What in the world would he even see in her? I mean, do you think he’s just lonely?”
“I’m going to guess they ran into each other at UT, and they’re friends. That’s it.”
Shaking her head, Michelle started cleaning another dish. “I guess I knew he was going to move on, but I really didn’t think it would be with someone from our hometown. Oh my gosh! It’s like that Sam Hunt song. What is it? Something about breaking up in a small town. That’s exactly what this is going to be like. We’ll come home on holidays, and I’ll have to see him with her. I’m never going to be able to listen to Sam Hunt again.”
Michelle was for sure bothered by the idea of Mitch being with someone else. Especially someone she knew.
Turning to her, I laughed. “Have you even heard anything I said?”
Looking my way, she asked, “I’m sorry, what?”
The corner of my mouth quirked up. “Why don’t you admit it, Michelle? You’re jealous.”
Her eye twitched, and she looked like she wanted to argue, but she did the exact opposite. “Fine. I’m jealous as hell, and it’s driving me insane. It’s all I can think about. Your aunt Nelly asked me what I was majoring in, and all I could say was, ‘Doesn’t he know Beth swings both ways?’”
I instantly let out a bark of laughter. “Oh my gosh! You said that to my aunt? What did she say?”
Michelle waved it off with her soapy hand, causing little bubbles to float off into the air. “Nothing. She had no idea what I meant.”
“Seriously, Michelle. Beth?”
“It’s true. She told me once that she made out with Karen Munch.”
I stared at her with a blank expression. “Do you mean Karen Munster?”
Michelle glanced up in thought. “Oh, yeah, that was her last name.”
Giggling, I grabbed the plate from her hand and dried it off. “Beth made out with Karen? I don’t believe it.”
“Ask her for yourself. Granted, she said she was more curious than anything and slightly tipsy. And something about a dare.”
Setting the plate to the side, I faced her again. “There ya go. She was tipsy, and it was a dare. We all know how Beth is. And, besides, that was high school.”
Michelle dropped both hands into the soapy water and groaned. “Damn it. I don’t know what to do. I’m so confused, Sky. I thought, after time, my feelings for Mitch would slowly fade. I’ve been kidding myself. They’ve stayed the same. I can’t stop thinking about him. Even when I’m with Zeb, I wonder what Mitch is doing. Is he in class? Does he have any classes he hates? Is he eating? Sleeping okay? Has he been with another girl, or is he pining away in his dorm room? Does he think about me?”
“What about you and Zeb?”
She let out a gruff laugh. “I’m pretty sure Zeb is fixin’ to walk. He wants to take our relationship to the next level. I don’t. It doesn’t feel right. At first, it was kind of thrilling, having another guy touch me.”
I gagged. “Ew. Gross.”
She ignored me and kept talking, “But the more things have been happening between us and the longer we’ve been together, the more I feel like I’ve been falling into a funk.”
My chest felt tight. How have I not noticed Michelle has been unhappy?
“I didn’t realize you weren’t happy. I had no clue.”
Michelle wiped her hands on her jeans. “You wouldn’t have. I’ve learned to hide it, and I pretend like everything is okay. I want so badly to believe that I can move on, but I am only kidding myself.” She slowly shook her head as tears formed in her eyes. “I can’t move on, Sky. I love him, and I know he’s always going to hold a piece of my heart. I never even gave him a chance to really talk to me about what happened.”
With a step closer to her, I took her hands in mine. “Then, you have to talk to him, Michelle. The only way things can move on is by talking. Trust me, I speak from experience. Mitch fractured your trust. What you have to decide is if it was a clean break or something that will mend.”
Michelle nodded her head. “You’re right. I need to talk to Mitch.”
“What about me?”
I looked behind Michelle to see my brother standing there. Michelle’s face was wet with tears, and I knew she didn’t want Mitch to see her crying.
