13. PARIS
VANESSA
“God, that wasn’t pleasant, was it?” Sadie pipes up on the way to the humanities building.
“No,” I grumble.
“I thought Paris broke up with that hag ages ago.”
“He did. Six months ago.”
“Blimey. Poor lad. It was painful to watch, but I couldn’t look away.”
“Yeah, she’s a train wreck.” I stop in front of the door, and since I don’t see a button to open it, I ask, “Do you mind getting that?”
“Duh, obviously. Man, I’m gutted about your injury.”
“It’s okay. The physio said I can return to practice in a couple of weeks. It sucks that I can’t play for our first game though.”
I’m glad we changed the subject, despite the new topic being my inability to play soccer for a while.
I so didn’t want to keep talking about Paris.
Yesterday, I had a moment of clarity. As much as I’m into Paris, I can’t allow myself to follow that path.
It’ll only lead to heartache and stress.
So I replied to one of his texts to avoid being a total cow, but I ignored the rest. Witnessing his argument with his ex just served to reinforce my decision.
“That’s brilliant! God, who do you think Coach Lauda is going to sub in your place?”
“I’m not sure,” I reply absent-mindedly. “Ginny Sanders maybe.” Then I notice who is walking down the corridor toward us and freeze.
Ryan.
“Oh, your boyfriend is coming.”
Shit. I never told anyone I broke up with him.
Last weekend felt like I was caught in a tornado, like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz .
If I landed in Oz, then Lydia is definitely the Wicked Witch of the West. But who the fuck is Ryan in this scenario?
I can’t think of a character evil enough to represent him.
“He’s not my boyfriend anymore,” I reply through clenched teeth while my fingers curl tighter around my crutches.
Sadie doesn’t have a chance to get another word in before the asshole is standing in front of us. My only solace is that Paris’s handiwork still shows on Ryan’s face.
“Good morning, ladies.” He smiles despite his busted nose.
“What happened to your face?” Sadie asks, erasing the son of bitch’s smirk in a flash. God, I love her bluntness.
“Nothing. What happened to your friend?” He nods toward my crutches.
“Why do you care?” I snap. “Run along, Ryan.”
He sneers. “I hope it’s broken. It’s exactly what you deserve.”
Sadie jumps in front of me, body poised to strike. “What the fuck did you just say to her?”
Ignoring her aggressive stance, he walks backward with the odious smirk in place, the venom in his eyes aimed solely at me. “Karma is a bitch, babe.”
Sadie makes a motion to go after him, but I use one of my crutches to stop her. “Don’t. He just wants to get a reaction from me. He didn’t take the breakup well.”
“That’s no excuse. He acted like a total wanker.”
“He is a wanker.”
She glances at me. “When did you end things?”
“Last Friday.”
He eyes widen. “And you didn’t tell me?”
Guilt sneaks its way into my heart. I could have told her that I had broken up with the douche without giving her all the nasty details.
“I’m sorry. I had a busy weekend with my family, and then the accident. It slipped my mind.”
Pouting, she crosses her arms. “I’m still mad at you. I tell you everything.”
“I know. I feel awful now that I didn’t update anyone about my new single status.”
Her expression softens. “You don’t need to feel bad. And if I’m totally honest, I’m relieved you tossed that bellend to the curb. I never liked him.”
I stare into the distance, thinking about what led me to start dating Ryan in the first place.
“Yeah, he was a bad decision. Proof that you shouldn’t jump into a relationship as an attempt to mend a broken heart.”
“Wait—what? Who’s the arsehole I need to punch for breaking your heart?”
I blink fast, regretting my confession. “No one you know.”
She narrows her eyes, and I can tell she’s trying to see if I’m lying. “Lucky him then.”
I give her a pitiful smile. “Come on. Let’s get to class.”