I blink. "What? Oh, yeah. I'll let him know."
"You alright?"
"Yeah!" I say, shaking my head to focus on this current conversation instead of drifting off with my thoughts. "Everything is just happening so quickly."
"This wasn't what you expected when you signed up to come to the beach. I know we're being awful hosts," Kennedy says.
"No, it's fine. I can manage being here by myself — well, not myself, with Curtis. You know what I mean." I'm blabbering like an idiot.
Kennedy forces a smile, sadness in her eyes. "Good thing you guys are friends now, right?"
I nod.
Last night, while Kennedy and Curtis went out, Erin and Bonnie explained to me what was happening: they were going to Melbourne and would be away for two nights. And I would stay here with Curtis. Just the two of us.
Saying I'm freaked out is an understatement.
I woke up earlier than usual this morning to have breakfast with everyone and see the girls off. As usual, Kennedy left packing to the last minute, so after breakfast, I followed her to her room to talk to her.
"It has," Kennedy agrees, folding her pyjamas. Her shoulders are hunched over when usually she has the posture of a ballerina. I thought she was distressed over family drama and the sudden change in plans, but it's something more than that.
"Hey," I ask, sliding off the bed and landing on the floor beside her. I touch her shoulder. "You okay?"
Kennedy meets my eyes, and after a second, nods.
"Oi," I scold her gently. "I'm your best friend. Don't lie to me."
Kennedy bites her lip, a sign that soon she's going to tell me bad news. And then she says it. "Last night, Curtis and I broke up."
Everything goes quiet. I force my mouth to move. "W—what?"
Kennedy shrugs. "It was the right thing to do. It was mutual."
"What?" I repeat. "That came from nowhere."
"Yeah. Well… yeah."
I pull her into a hug. "I'm sorry," I say, my head resting on her shoulder.
Kennedy takes a deep breath into my chest. "Thanks. I don't know how I feel. In the moment, I was super nonchalant about it, but I now I feel numb."
I pull away to look at her face. Her expression is blank, but she inhales a wavering breath and tells me everything. When she talks about her and Curtis's plan to sleep together yesterday morning, my first instinct is to jerk my head away and not listen, but that story doesn't end the way I expect.
I feel sorry for Kennedy. I wish the relationship worked out. Even if I sometimes have complicated feelings about Curtis, that means nothing. I want Kennedy to be happy, and I want her to have a loving relationship.
We talk about it for a little while, and I keep offering the same useless platitudes to cheer Kennedy up. Her mood seems to improve a little when she mentions how it'll be good to get away from Curtis, but her eyes dim again when she remembers she has to deal with her family in Melbourne.
In silence, Kennedy packs the rest of her stuff and together, we bring the suitcase out to Erin's car in the front-drive.
Erin, Bonnie and Curtis are already there. Erin talks on her phone, and from her exasperated tone, I'm guessing she's speaking to relatives. Bonnie and Curtis chat and I glance at Kennedy.
Do the cousins know about the breakup? Probably not yet, though I bet Kennedy will tell them on the drive up to Melbourne.
Which brings me to another thought. I walk over to Kennedy, who has just loaded the suitcase and is closing the trunk.
"Hey," I murmur in a quiet voice. "Do we hate Curtis now?"
She shakes her head. "No, he's a good guy. It just wasn't meant to be." She wraps her arms around herself, pulling the edge of her sweater over her hands. I haven't seen Kennedy look so vulnerable in ages, and it pisses me off. For a second, I have the urge to yell at Curtis for hurting her.
