I spun around and glared daggers at him.
“How long have you been seeing this slut behind my back?”
Daniel laughed. “How is it any of your business? We are done.”
“Yeah, we are done,” I said. “I just wanted to prove to myself exactly how big of a slime ball you are.”
“This is what I didn’t want to look forward to for the next sixty years,” Daniel said. “I’m twenty-three years old. I’m young. I want to live. I’m sorry if I hurt you. I never should have proposed.”
“Then why did you? Why did you propose if you were feeling this way?”
Daniel shrugged. “I guess I succumbed to peer pressure and family pressure. You know how old fashioned our parents are. They kept asking me when we were going to get married, get our house with the white picket fence, and have kids. I heard that constantly and it just seemed like it was what was supposed to happen. I made a mistake. It isn’t what I want right now.”
“Wow, I never thought you would be so gullible as to be worn down by other people’s comments. I’m glad we broke up; you saved me a lot of heartache and pain.”
I got in my car and drove away without so much as glancing back at the jerk.
And now I was alone in my room on what was usually my favorite night of the year, and I was feeling sorry for myself. I figured I’d stay in and binge watch some Netflix with a big pint of ice cream. It felt like the right thing to do.
I was still staring at my phone and the happy picture of me and Daniel. After a few moments I threw it down on the bed in disgust. God, why couldn’t I just move on? Just let it go and delete that stupid picture. It was just so hard. I never thought I would go through something so difficult.
Daniel wasn’t the first serious relationship I’d had, but he was the most intense for sure. From the get go we had just clicked and everything snowballed from there. I’d say I knew I was deeply in love with him after about two months. It was almost scary fast, but it was a thrill ride, a true whirlwind romance.
But it was over. I had to move past it. I knew with time I would be fine, but the time was moving by so slowly that it felt like the pain would last forever.
My phone began buzzing just then. I sighed and picked it up to see an incoming call from Lara Miller, my best friend since we were twelve. We were more like sisters. She’d been so helpful during this time, but there was only so much a friend could do for me.
“Hey,” I answered.
“What’s up!” Lara yelled in an almost cheering sing-song kind of way.
I chuckled. She was hilarious sometimes.
“Oh, nothing,” I said.
“Yeah… you are sitting in your room pouting, aren’t you?” Lara asked.
“I’m not pouting. I’m ruminating,” I said.
“That is basically the same thing,” Lara said. “You haven’t forgotten about tonight have you? I can’t wait to see you in your outfit!”
“I’m not going,” I replied.
“No! You have to go! It’s the coolest night in town. And you know our town has like nothing else going for it. If you don’t go tonight then you can’t justify living here the rest of the year.”
I smiled.
“I know, but I’m just not in the mood,” I said. “I just want to be left alone and do nothing.”
“I know you are depressed and I don’t blame you one bit, but I know that Daniel is not sitting around being lame. He is probably going out tonight and having fun. You should, too. It’s the only way you will feel better.”
I sighed. I knew she was right and she was trying to help, but I was just not feeling it.
“No, I’m staying home. You go and have fun.”
“But the whole gang is going,” Lara said. “It won’t be the same without you. We all go every year. It’s tradition. Now, you don’t want to be responsible for breaking up a great tradition, do you?”
“It won’t be any fun if I go. The way I’m feeling now, I’m just going to bring everyone down.”