by Mercy Amare
“Tonight isn’t good,” I tell him.
Because, seriously, what if I run into Brian. Or what if he locks me in the bathroom again and sets the place on fire?
“Tomorrow?” he asks.
Crap. What am I supposed to do? Keep telling him no? I don’t want that. Micah is my friend. I can’t avoid him forever.
“Let’s wait and go out this weekend,” I say. “I kind of want to spend time studying.”
“Sure,” he says. “Let’s do it Saturday night. We can go somewhere nice for dinner and maybe see a movie.”
“Sounds good,” I say, hoping that it will be safe.
I will just have to figure out something before then.
“Can you do me a favor?” I ask him.
He nods.
“Don’t tell anybody about our date.”
“Why?” he asks.
“Umm...” Because I have a psycho killer claiming he’s in love with me. No telling what he will do if he finds out I’m going on a date with another guy. “Because of Ty. I want to tell him myself and not let him hear it from somebody else. I don’t want to hurt him.”
“Okay,” he agrees. “I guess I will see you on Saturday.”
“See you then,” I say, and then get in my car.
What the hell am I going to do?
7 p.m.
Bad boyfriend.
Ty left to grab some clothes from his dorm room and to get food for us all. Now, I am sitting alone in the hotel room with Gabe.
Alone.
With.
Gabe.
I swear Ty did this on purpose. Like, he wants me to talk to Gabe or something, which is a very bad idea. He and I don’t get along right now. We might not ever get along. I broke his heart. I don’t think you ever get over your first love.
Or second love in Gabe’s case.
Lily is dead, and yet I am still jealous of her. And why? I’m not even with Gabe anymore. From what I know about her, she was closer to Ty than Gabe.
But Ty never said he was in love with her. Gabe did. Plus, I know Ty. He’s only ever been in love with me. Which makes me happy.
I am so selfish.
“How are you doing?” Gabe asks me, interrupting my thoughts.
“Fine,” I say, awkwardly. “How about you?”
I am going to kill Ty when he gets back.
He shrugs. “I guess I’m okay. I’ve been missing you. I know this whole situation sucks, but at least I have an excuse to talk to you again.”
“You never had to stop talking to me,” I say. “Just because we aren’t dating anymore doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.”
“Actually, that is exactly what it means. I’m only here because I care about you. I don’t want you to have to go through all of this alone,” Gabe says. “You need me, and I’m not going to abandon you.”
I nod my head like I understand.
What Gabe doesn’t know is that I am plotting how I can kill Ty and get away with it. I wonder how hard it is to dispose of a dead body.
“What is going on with you and Ty?” Gabe asks.
“We’re friends,” I answer.
“Friends who fuck?”
I roll my eyes. “Ty and I stopped having sex about a month ago.”
“Really?” Gabe asks, looking way too pleased.
“That doesn’t mean I’m going to have sex with you,” I clarify.
He smirks. “If you can forgive Ty for cheating on you, certainly you can forgive me for being a bad boyfriend.”
Dear God.
Save me from this awkward situation.
I look at my phone, hoping I have a text from somebody or a notification. There are none.
Seriously?
I haven’t heard from anybody all day.
I look at my text history and see that the last text I received was last night, right before I ran into Brian. I’ve been too busy to notice my phone. Maybe it’s not working. I pull up my text history with Ty to send him a text. Before I can, Gabe grabs my phone from my hands.
“No, you are not going to ignore me,” Gabe says. “I’ve been waiting forever to get a chance to talk with you alone, and now I have it.”
I sigh and sit on the edge of the bed. “What do you want to say? You now have my full attention.”
“Do you still love me?” he asks.
“Gabe, I love you like I love Toby. Like a brother. Or, not exactly like a brother... like a friend,” I say. “A friend I used to date. But I’m not in love with you.”
“Are you in love with Ty?”
“I don’t think so,” I answer. “I mean, what I feel for him is more than just friendship, but I don’t know exactly what it means. I don’t want to be with Ty right now. I just want to be his friend.”
Gabe frowns. “I don’t like that you have these feelings for him. I’m jealous. I hate being jealous. But Ty is my best friend. He has been since we were kids, and I’m not going to let anything ruin that. Not even you.”
“I’m not trying to ruin your friendship.”
“I know,” he says. “But I think you should back off.”
“Back off?”
“From Ty,” he clarifies.
“Why?” I ask.
“Because I don’t want Ty to get hurt. And right now, you’re hurting him. You’re leading him on. Don’t give him the impression that there could ever be more than friendship between the two of you unless you’re absolutely certain,” Gabe says.
“Ty and I have talked about this. I’m not leading him on.”
“Don’t hurt him,” he says.
“Maybe you and Ty should stay in your own dorm room tonight. I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.” I’m so lying. I mean, I can take care of myself, but I don’t want to be alone. I’m scared to death.
“I’m not leaving you alone. Neither will Ty. You know that,” he says. “Just because you’re not in love with me doesn’t mean I’m not in love with you.”
“You shouldn’t be in love with me,” I tell Gabe. “In fact, I really wish you weren’t in love with me. It makes me feel guilty.”
“It’s my fault you’re no longer in love with me,” he says. “I get that now. I was a jealous idiot.”
“I can live with jealousy,” I say. “A little jealousy is a good thing. But it was like you stopped caring about me. You were distant. We never went out on dates, we never had sex, and we hardly ever talked.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I don’t think you’re really in love with me,” I tell him. “If you were, you would’ve seen that I was pulling away. You would’ve tried harder to keep me. I think you’re in love with the idea of me. But I’m not the right girl for you.”
Gabe rolls his eyes. “You’re clueless and wrong. I will find a way to prove it to you someday.”
Tuesday, November 2
4 p.m.
We need to talk.
My dorm room is officially cleared of snakes, so I can go back to my dorm.
Ty stands by my side outside of the door. I reach for the door handle about three times, each time pulling back before I even touch the handle. I’m scared. What if there are more snakes? Or what if they forgot one? Or what if there is something else in there now?
“I can’t do it,” I tell Ty.
“Yes, you can. It’ll be fine,” he says.
“No.”
“Well, what else are you going to do? Sleep in my dorm room all semester?” he asks, joking.
“Maybe,” I answer.
Seriously, staying in a dorm room with my two ex-boyfriends sounds better than staying one more night in my own dorm.
Maybe I should just call my dad and tell him that Brian is back. I should tell him about the snakes. I should let him pull me out of school. I can just stay home and hide forever. Who needs college? I don’t. My dad is a billionaire. I’ll just mooch off him for the rest of my life.
But what kind of example would that be for Kailee? My mom taught me not to back down from bullies
. She would be disappointed if I did that.
I pull out my phone and click on my dad’s number.
“What are you doing?” Ty asks.
“Calling my dad,” I answer.
When I try to call, my phone just beeps and disconnects. I do it again and the same thing happens.
“I think my phone is broken,” I tell Ty. “Can I borrow yours?”
“If you’re sure this is what you want to do,” he says, handing me his phone.
“It is,” I say, pulling up Mark Evers in Ty’s phone. I touch his number, this time the phone rings.
My dad answers on the second ring.
“Hello.”
“Dad, it’s me,” I say.
“Hey. What’s wrong with your phone?” he asks.
“I don’t know,” I answer. “It’s not working.”
“Go pick up another one. You have a credit card for a reason,” he says.
“I just noticed it was broken,” I say. “I’ll go get another one this afternoon.”
“Good,” he says.
“I called because I have a favor to ask you.”
He sighs. “This doesn’t sound good.”
“Well...” I bite my lip, trying to decide how to word it. “On Sunday night, I found a snake in my dorm room.”
“A snake?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I answer. “Nobody is sure how it got in. And it’s gone now, but I’m kind of scared to sleep in my dorm room. I know that there isn’t anything in there, but I keep imagining snakes... and I just can’t stay there, Dad.”
“Do you want an apartment?” he asks.
“Really? You’d get me an apartment?”
“Yeah. I don’t want you staying there alone though. I’ll get Gabe and Ty to room with you,” he says. “I’m sure Jack and Libby would be okay with it.”
I know Libby would. She wants Gabe and me to get back together.
Ugh, really? I am going to get an apartment with my two ex-boyfriends?
I look at my dorm room door and remember the snakes.
Yeah, I am doing this.
“Okay, Dad. Set it up,” I say.
“When does your last class end tomorrow?” he asks.
“Two o’clock,” I answer.
“Okay. I’ll set you up an appointment with a realtor. You pick out the apartment you want and I’ll take care of the rest,” Dad says.
“Thanks.”
“No problem,” he says.
I disconnect the phone and smile at Ty.
“So, we’re getting an apartment,” I tell him.
“We?” he asks.
“Me and you,” I say, then frown. “And Gabe.”
“Gabe?” Ty asks.
I nod.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled to have him there, but why in the hell would your dad want you to be roommates with him? You two just broke up,” Ty says. “That’s really awkward.”
“Ugh, yeah. Very awkward,” I agree.
I guess I can’t avoid him anymore. He will always be there. Always.
“I don’t want to think about it,” I tell Ty. “I just want to go get a new phone.”
“Maybe you can have Gabe take a look at your old one,” he says.
“Why?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Find out what’s wrong with it.”
“I guess.” I pull my phone out of my pocket. “You take it to Gabe. I’ll go get a new one.”
I wave goodbye to Ty and then walk out to my car.
How am I supposed to live with Gabe and Ty? Ugh, why can’t I have girl roommates like normal girls? I need a girl friend.
Well, I guess Andrea and I are friends. But she’s so hyper. I don’t think we could live together, not if we want to remain friends.
I get in my car and start it. I’m about to take off when I notice there is an envelope stuck under my windshield wiper. I unbuckle my seatbelt and get out. I reach for it. On the outside it says my name.
This can’t be good.
I pull a piece of paper out of the envelope.
We need to talk.
It’s the only thing it says.
I know the handwriting. It’s Brian’s.
I take the note and throw it in a nearby trashcan. I hope he’s watching right now. I want him to know that there is no way I am going to talk to him. Ever. You know, if it wasn’t obvious enough after I found out that he stalked me for nine months.
6 p.m.
A good liar.
When I turn on my new phone, a ton of notifications come through. A lot of texts. I ignore the ones from Gabe and Ty, because they’re from earlier in the day and I’ve talked to them since they sent these. I see a few from Micah. I will deal with him later. I cringe when I see I have ten texts from Andrea.
I hope she’s not mad that I ignored her.
Me: Hey Andrea. Sorry I’ve been so quiet. My phone quit working. Just got a replacement.
Andrea: I was beginning to think you were dead. We need to meet up. Maybe grab some dinner?
Do I really want to meet up with Andrea when I have Brian out there watching me? I so don’t want her getting mixed up in this. What if he kidnaps her like he did Ariana? Because of him, Ariana is no longer a part of my life.
No. I can’t let this happen again. I can’t let him bully me into abandoning my friends. Besides, more time spent with Andrea, less time I have to be with Gabe and Ty. I’m not sure I can be with and still be sane.
I send a quick text to Ty and let him know what I’m up to.
Me: Got a new phone. I’m going to go out with Andrea. See you later?
Ty: K. I’ll move your stuff to my dorm room for now.
I roll my eyes.
This sucks.
Thirty minutes later, I meet Andrea at a cafe just off campus. It’s never too crowded here, which is nice. There are always so many people around campus that sometimes I feel overwhelmed.
I walk inside and see Andrea sitting in a booth towards the back of the restaurant. I look at her shirt and laugh. It’s a unicorn, pooping a rainbow. Which is exactly why I love Andrea. She’s such a nerd. But an adorable nerd. She has gorgeous blonde hair that almost reaches her shoulders and light blue eyes. You might not notice her in a big crowd, but once you get to know her, you realize what an amazing catch she is. I’m lucky she’s my best friend.
Let’s just hope Brian doesn’t kidnap her.
Or worse.
I take a seat across from her and force a smile. I am so not getting her involved in my ex-boyfriend drama.
Maybe I should warn her. I should tell her to look over her shoulder... maybe even carry some pepper spray. But the selfish part of me can’t tell her. If I do, she might not want to be my friend. I wouldn’t blame her. I wouldn’t want to be my friend if I were her. I can’t lose her, so for now, I will just pretend everything is all sunshine and rainbows.
“Glad you’re alive,” Andrea says, grinning as I take a seat. “I ordered you a vanilla latte with extra vanilla.”
“Thanks,” I say.
She remembers my coffee order, which is pretty much a requirement of a best friend.
“What’s going on with you?” she asks. “You disappeared from the Halloween party and I haven’t heard from you since. I even stopped by your dorm room a few times, but you weren’t there.”
“Yeah, I... umm...” Why wasn’t I staying in my dorm room? “There was a snake in my dorm,” I say, going with a version of the truth. “So while animal control took care of the situation, I stayed in a hotel.”
“Oh, my God,” she says. “A snake?”
I nod.
“I’m going to have nightmares.”
“You and me both,” I say. Because, really, my life is a nightmare.
“I’m going to check my room every night before bed,” she says. “Your dorm is only two floors below mine. If a snake got in your dorm, one could get into mine too.”
“I’m sure it won’t,” I say. “You’ll be fine.”
“Still,” she says, then cringes. “Poor you. I would hate the idea of sleeping in there after that.”
“I’m actually not,” I say. “I called my dad and he’s getting me an apartment.”
“That’s awesome!” she says. “I can come stay with you, like, all the time. I seriously don’t know how much more I can stand to listen to my roommate having sex at three in the morning when she thinks I’m asleep.”
“Actually, my dad doesn’t want me getting an apartment alone, so I’m kind of sharing,” I say, bitting me lip.
“Oh, God,” she says. “Don’t tell me... it’s one of the ex’s, isn’t it? Ty or that other dude?”
“Ty,” I say.
She snorts. “You two have so much sexual chemistry. I probably won’t want to stay there anyway.”
“And Gabe.”
Her mouth falls open. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
“I wish I were.”
She laughs.
Hard.
And I’m beginning to rethink her best friend title.
The waitress walks over and sets down two cups of coffee in front of us.
“Anything else?” she asks.
Andrea is still laughing.
“We’re good,” I tell the waitress.
She walks off.
And Andrea is still laughing.
I glare at her. “It’s not funny.”
“It is,” she says, catching her breath. “You... and them...” she starts laughing hard again. “Both of them!”
“I’m glad you’re amused by my discomfort,” I say sarcastically, then take a sip of my coffee.
“Sorry,” she says, taking a breath. “You’re right. I’ll be supportive.”
“This sucks... bad,” I tell her. “I’ve spent the last two months avoiding Gabriel Johnson. Now, we are going to be living together. This is going to be so awkward.”
“You think that will be awkward?” she asks. “Come on, Kihanna. You’ve been sleeping with Ty and you’re practically dating Micah. Imagine Micah bringing you home from a date and having both of your ex-boyfriends waiting up for you.”
