I stared at Jon, tears streaming down my face. I couldn't believe it, this couldn't be happening. I loved him. And yet there they were, he and Beth, together. God damn it, I trusted her, trusted him. "Sure," I said, "I don't mind if he tutors you." No problem, I had thought, she is a good friend. But was I ever wrong, horribly, utterly wrong.
"Cassie, I can explain."
I cut him off with a vicious shake of my head. I didn't want to talk to him now, not now and not ever again. Blinded by tears, hurt and anger, I turned my back on the room and proceeded down the stairs. I could hear them whispering behind me.
"One of us should really go after her. We can't just let her leave like that."
"I'll go, I loved her." That was Jon and I noted the past tense of love.
"No, you better let me. I have known her longer. Plus this is all my fault."
"Beth, us falling in love wasn't--" I cut off the rest of his words by harshly slamming the door.
I walked slowly down the street, every step jarring a new painful thought into my head. I am glad it was dark out, because I didn't want anyone to see my, not now. If they did, then I would have to tell them and I couldn't, I just couldn't.
As I turned into the walk of my split level house, the trees and shrubs melted into a sea of green and the light of the house became blurred. I stumbled up the front steps and fumbled for my key. Before I could find it, the door opened and there stood Adam, my best friend and housemate. He was dressed to go out, black leather jacket thrown over a maroon polo and jeans. "Cassie, what's wrong?"
"Nothing." Though it was quite obvious something was wrong. "You better go if you don't want to be late."
"Just hang on one sec." He picked up his phone and dialed a number. "Hey, Ali? Something came up and I am not going to be able to make it tonight. Sorry. ...Next week? Sure...Yeah,...OK bye."
"You didn't have to do that you know." I managed to gasp before dissolving into another cloud of tears. I groped blindly toward the door heading upstairs and to my level of the house.
"Yeah I did and you aren't going anywhere." He grabbed my hand and tried to pull me toward the living room, but I just collapsed on a heap on the floor. Reaching down, he scooped me up and carried me over to the couch. "Now don't move."
As if I could. I was so hurt that all I could do was sit huddled in a ball crying as it the world was ending. It had, in a sense. Jon had been my world for a year and a half now. He had meant everything to me, I could see spending the rest of my life with him. Now he had to go screw that over. Damn the bastard. I felt so empty and it was all his fault.
"Ok now. Are you going to tell me what is wrong or am I going to have to guess?" said Adam. He pulled a tissue out of the box on his lap and gently wiped the tears from my face. I still shook with suppressed sobs. "OK then, I believe that means I have to guess. Does it have anything to do with Jon?" I nodded miserably. "Did you two break up?"
I couldn't answer that with a yes or no. "I caught him cheating on me...with Beth." I managed to choke out.
"You mean Elizabeth? Long brown hair, brown eyes, your friend from high school?" He sounded furious. "What were they doing together? Doesn't she know better?"
" I told her I was fine with him tutoring her in organic chemistry. I never thought I would lose him over it."
"How did you find out?" he asked bluntly
"I went over to her house to see what she wanted to do to celebrate her birthday. I found the two of them having their own celebration." The mere memory of those two sent me into a tailspin and I turned my back and curled up to stop the pain. I felt Adam's arms go around me. He sat there silently absorbing my pain through my shudders.
~!~!~!~TBC~!~!~!~
"Cassie, I can explain."
I cut him off with a vicious shake of my head. I didn't want to talk to him now, not now and not ever again. Blinded by tears, hurt and anger, I turned my back on the room and proceeded down the stairs. I could hear them whispering behind me.
"One of us should really go after her. We can't just let her leave like that."
"I'll go, I loved her." That was Jon and I noted the past tense of love.
"No, you better let me. I have known her longer. Plus this is all my fault."
"Beth, us falling in love wasn't--" I cut off the rest of his words by harshly slamming the door.
I walked slowly down the street, every step jarring a new painful thought into my head. I am glad it was dark out, because I didn't want anyone to see my, not now. If they did, then I would have to tell them and I couldn't, I just couldn't.
As I turned into the walk of my split level house, the trees and shrubs melted into a sea of green and the light of the house became blurred. I stumbled up the front steps and fumbled for my key. Before I could find it, the door opened and there stood Adam, my best friend and housemate. He was dressed to go out, black leather jacket thrown over a maroon polo and jeans. "Cassie, what's wrong?"
"Nothing." Though it was quite obvious something was wrong. "You better go if you don't want to be late."
"Just hang on one sec." He picked up his phone and dialed a number. "Hey, Ali? Something came up and I am not going to be able to make it tonight. Sorry. ...Next week? Sure...Yeah,...OK bye."
"You didn't have to do that you know." I managed to gasp before dissolving into another cloud of tears. I groped blindly toward the door heading upstairs and to my level of the house.
"Yeah I did and you aren't going anywhere." He grabbed my hand and tried to pull me toward the living room, but I just collapsed on a heap on the floor. Reaching down, he scooped me up and carried me over to the couch. "Now don't move."
As if I could. I was so hurt that all I could do was sit huddled in a ball crying as it the world was ending. It had, in a sense. Jon had been my world for a year and a half now. He had meant everything to me, I could see spending the rest of my life with him. Now he had to go screw that over. Damn the bastard. I felt so empty and it was all his fault.
"Ok now. Are you going to tell me what is wrong or am I going to have to guess?" said Adam. He pulled a tissue out of the box on his lap and gently wiped the tears from my face. I still shook with suppressed sobs. "OK then, I believe that means I have to guess. Does it have anything to do with Jon?" I nodded miserably. "Did you two break up?"
I couldn't answer that with a yes or no. "I caught him cheating on me...with Beth." I managed to choke out.
"You mean Elizabeth? Long brown hair, brown eyes, your friend from high school?" He sounded furious. "What were they doing together? Doesn't she know better?"
" I told her I was fine with him tutoring her in organic chemistry. I never thought I would lose him over it."
"How did you find out?" he asked bluntly
"I went over to her house to see what she wanted to do to celebrate her birthday. I found the two of them having their own celebration." The mere memory of those two sent me into a tailspin and I turned my back and curled up to stop the pain. I felt Adam's arms go around me. He sat there silently absorbing my pain through my shudders.
~!~!~!~TBC~!~!~!~