"Don't. Don't you dare feel bad for him, Charlie. He cheated on you. Hell, he's basically been cheating on you with that filthy sperm-guzzling oxygen thief for over a year! Maybe it wasn't physical, but he was there emotionally because the boy I knew before she came into the picture would haveneverput you last.Thatboy knew exactly what he had in you and would have never risked losing it. So, don't you dare feel bad that most of the support is on your side."
Her cheeks burn red, and her eyes practically spark with fury.
I’ve only seen her this furious a handful of times, always when someone she loves gets hurt. Keaton once belonged to that circle, but now her anger is aimed squarely at him, and he deserves every bit of it.
People are paying attention to us, and I wipe my clammy hands against my thighs as I swallow tightly.
"I'm sorry, Mel. I can't change who I am just because he broke my heart. He's destroyed a lot of me, but I can't let that make me someone I'm not. Keaton was part of my life for sixteen years. That's hard to just shut off." I shake my head. "I don't want him back. There's too much damage, and I'll never trust him again. I might want him to suffer right now, but we both know I'll hate who I become if I let bitterness take over. You're right. Even if it wasn't physical, he was still emotionally cheating. He gave her things that should have been mine. I'll never get over that." I start walking again, knowing she'll follow. "Honestly, if it had just been physical, it might have been easier to move on. But knowing she's basically been his girlfriend in all but name for the last year? That scar is much harder to heal from."
Amelia sniffles, and I glance over at her. "I'm sorry. I'm just so angry that he did this to you. When I met you all in middle school, I was so sure that you'd be the endgame. You two were the damn relationship goals everyone set for themselves, Char. And it makes me so fucking angry that he just threw that away.He destroyed my best friend, and no matter what, I'll never be able to forgive him for that."
With a sigh, I bring us to a stop again and wrap my arms around her. "I'm okay with that because I don't think I'll be able to, either. He was one of your best friends, Mel, so he didn't just break my heart, he broke yours, too. You're allowed to be angry at him. Lord knows I am. But we can't let it consume us because that's no way to live. Feel what you feel alongside me, but when I'm ready to heal, I need you with me. I don't want to live the rest of my life in this much pain, Melly," I finish in a whisper.
She pulls away from me, cups my cheeks in her hands, and rests our foreheads together. "You won't. You've wasted sixteen years with this boy. It's time to find out who you are, Char. And like I've always been, I'll be right there at your side."
When we pull apart, she rolls her neck and shakes her body out. Her black-painted lips curve upwards, and she hooks her arm through mine. "Let's go show this stupid boy what his biggest mistake cost him."
We're only a few feet from the door when Amelia mutters, "Twat alert, twelve o'clock."
Rianna marches toward us, her glare sharp enough to cut glass. Whatever she’s about to say, I have zero interest in hearing it.
I attempt to sidestep her, but she blocks my way, forcing me to halt with a weary sigh.
And apparently, the entire campus wants front-row seats to this train wreck.
"Hey, thunder-cunt. Looks like you fucked the wrong person's boyfriend this time," Amelia quips, reaching out to flick Rianna in her bruised nose.
Rianna squeals as water fills her eyes.
A dark purple bruise blooms beneath her right eye, barely concealed by makeup. My fingers twitch, remembering the moment my fist connected with her skin.
"What do you want, Rianna?" I ask in a bored tone.
"He doesn't want you."
"Well, that's a good thing, since I don't want him either."
"He'll come back to me just like he has for the last year," she says.
"Okay." I shrug. "Run off and be happy together."
Her jaw clenches, frustration clear when I refuse to give her the reaction she craves. She will never get it from me.
Amelia opens her mouth, but I press my nails into her arm—a silent warning. This is my battle, and I won’t let anyone else fight it for me.
I lift a brow. "Are you done? I'd like to get to class now."
"Keaton is mine now, bitch. He doesn't love you. You were just some stupid childhood crush. Did you really think you would last? That you would always be his one and only?" She smiles, and I can feel the heat racing up my neck as anger builds inside me. "Yeah, he told me all about that. Seems he decided your pussy wasn't enough for him."
The crowd thickens behind me, but I block them out, forcing the ache in my throat back down. "You know, maybe you should try eating some of that makeup you piled on. Who knows, maybe it’ll make you pretty on the inside too."
Her mouth drops open, and she scrambles for something to say.
Two girls stroll past, and I can’t help but smirk when one deliberately shoulder-checks Rianna.
"Excuse you!"
The one that did it winks at me before saying to Rianna, "Oh. My bad. I was just trying to move the trash out of the way."
