He pulls me in close as everyone around us begins to dance. We move to the music for what seems like a long time, but could only be minutes.
When the music stops, someone else comes on stage to talk, and I excuse myself to the bathroom.
When I step inside, I can hear voices, but I ignore them and head into the stall, and then I hear her. Brit.
“He’s only using her.”
“What do you mean?”
“He doesn’t care about her. I mean, who the fuck would? Caydence is a nobody. Devon knows when he has something better. She isn’t it,” Brit states.
“You don’t know that,” another girl says.
“Yeah, I do. I was just with him. He told me he’s only using her for what he can get,” Brit adds. My chest tightens. Is that where he went when he walked off? He was talking to her? No. That can’t be true. Devon wouldn’t do that to me. I know what he’s done for me. She’s lying. Isn’t she?
I finish up in the stall and walk over to wash my hands. My head is spinning, and I’m not sure what to believe right now. Why would she say that? Why would she lie, is a better question. She doesn’t even know me, but she knows Devon.
I walk back out into the middle of the gym in a daze. He did this for me. He wouldn’t do all this if he were lying to me, right? I can’t make sense of it. I hear someone talking, bidding on donated items. I glance around for Devon, but I don’t see him.
Hearing her voice over and over in my head, I decide I’m done. I can’t do this. I can’t compete with someone like Brit. I should have known better.
I take one last look around before I head for the door. I walk out and down the street before calling Megan to come pick me up. She says she’s on her way when it starts to sprinkle rain. I look up as if I’ve managed to piss off the sky when the downpour starts.
I sigh as the rain hits me, cooling my overheated skin.
“Where the hell are you going?” Devon’s voice sends a chill down my spine, but I cross my arms over my chest and ignore him. That is, until his hands are on me. “Answer me.”
“I’m leaving.”
“I can see that. Why?”
“I’m nobody, right, Devon? Just something for you to use,” I snap at him. His eyes darken as he looks at me.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I heard all about it. How you and she talked,” I tell him.
“Who are you talking about?”
“Brit! I fucking heard Brit talking in the bathroom, Devon. You can have her!” I shake his hands off me when he reaches for my arms. He takes a step back, and then I see it. The darkness I know that lurks inside of him. The anger. The rage.
“What did she say?” he asks in a deadly tone.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m done.”
“Done with what?”
“You!” I yell.
“We are never done, Caydence. Ever! What did she say?” he demands. I debate not telling him, but then I do. I tell him what I heard her saying, and that she didn’t know I was in there. Megan pulls up as we are arguing, and he looks to the car before looking back at me.
“She’s dead.”
“What? No. You can’t do that.”
“You want to walk away from me? She’s dead.”
“Devon, stop! You can’t kill her.”
