Chapter 1 #3
“Alright,” I prod.
She says in one big rush, “Caleb asked me out on a date.”
I audibly gasp.
Caleb? She can’t mean my Caleb. Except we don’t know any other Caleb. Which makes no sense. He has never shown her any special attention at karaoke night, and that’s the only time they see each other.
“I’m confused,” I say. “You barely know him.”
The two of them share another long look.
Finally Mallory speaks, but doesn’t look away from Krystal. “Caleb and I are friends. Maybe we could become more than friends.”
“How did this happen?" I sound upset, and force myself to take a breath and relax my tense shoulders. I feel like I’m getting ganged up on as their silent conversation continues.
“We started texting,” Mallory admits. “Then hanging out.”
Texting? Hanging out? She knows that I like him. She knows that I don’t text or hang out with him. Yet she is. Why wouldn’t she tell me sooner that he isn’t interested in me? It’s mean to let me believe I have a chance with him when that’s obviously not the case.
I close my eyes for a few seconds to block out how betrayed I feel by her silence. “How long have you been hanging out?”
“A while,” Mallory admits.
“Weeks?”
She clears her throat. “Months.”
The shift in my perspective is painful as I am forced to acknowledge that there is a friendship between Mallory and Caleb she didn’t bother to tell me about for months. Krystal knows. Mallory confiding in her and not me pushes the hurt deeper.
Is my crush on Caleb one more thing Krystal will hold against me and “joke” about going forward?
Mallory sharing my feelings for him with anyone, especially someone who dislikes me as much as Krystal does, is a betrayal of my trust. I sent her a text this morning about Caleb with too many exclamation points.
Did she show it to Krystal so they could laugh about it behind my back?
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” I ask.
Mallory finally looks at me. Really looks, as if she’s solving a tough math problem. “I didn’t want to hurt you. If nothing happened between us, there would have been nothing to tell.”
Texting each other is something happening!
I want to yell. I don’t. I’ve known Mallory for a long time.
She is an avoider. When there’s a situation or conversation that makes her uncomfortable, she ignores it, hoping it will disappear.
Maybe Caleb is the reason I haven’t seen her much this summer.
She’s been avoiding me so she wouldn’t feel guilty for keeping him a secret.
It’s obvious she wouldn’t have told me a thing if he hadn’t asked her out on a date. I’m her best friend. Other friends have come and gone, but since we met our freshman year of college, we’ve always stuck together. My eyes cut to Krystal.
Maybe not anymore.
“I want to date him seriously,” Mallory says. “If that’s okay with you?”
“Yes, of course it is,” I say automatically, but truthfully. It hurts that he isn’t interested, but this isn’t the first desperate crush I’ve had on a guy who sees me as nothing more that a friend. I’ll get over it.
No, what hurts is Mallory’s part in all of this.
“Stella? Are you mad?”
Mallory’s question makes me realize I’m frowning. I pull out a smile and try to pretend that I’m not close to tears.
“No, not mad. Definitely surprised. Have you made plans yet for when you’ll go out?”
“Tomorrow.”
Krystal stifles a laugh, and Mallory gives her an answering smile, though she tries to hide it by turning her attention back to the TV. There’s a joke hidden in all of these shared looks, and like the new normal, I’m the butt of it.
“What should we watch next?” Mallory asks.
“Sleepless in Seattle,” Krystal answers immediately.
Another movie I dislike. I prefer my romance to not include stalking. And again with the female ditching the reliable, “boring” fiancé for the other guy. It’s not a trope I appreciate.
Krystal stands. “But first, we should go on a walk. My backside is hurting from all this sitting.”
“Good idea.” Mallory stands and stretches. “Stella, are you coming with us?”
The sidewalk only fits two people side-by-side. I don’t want to follow behind. “No, it’s been a long week. I’m going to head to bed.”
“It’s not even nine o’clock,” Krystal mocks.
“Yep.” I don’t need to defend myself. Let her ridicule me. “That’s the time.”
She snorts. “Okay, well, have fun sleeping.”
I escape into the bathroom for my nighttime routine.
In a few minutes the apartment is quiet, and I venture out.
Once in bed, I grab Hockey My Heart from my shelf and try to read.
For the first time, Mickey is not a strong enough distraction.
I don’t want to cry, but I can only hold back the tears for so long. They stream down my cheeks.
The full weight of Mallory’s betrayal presses down on me, cutting deep. The tears come faster. It’s hard to breathe, and my body trembles from the pain. I feel as if I’ve lost my best friend and I can’t figure out how or why.
The front door opens. Mallory and Krystal’s laughter and light-hearted conversation carries into my room. I cover my face with my pillow so they won’t hear me sob.