Writing A Wrong (Write Stuff 2)

"Don't be an ass. I meant are you crazy being outside when it's this cold?" Monica corrected.

"It wasn't too bad," I said through chattering teeth.

"Right, and Theo James is my new husband," Tina threw out. "You okay, honey?"

Chances were Michelle had filled in Monica and Tina on the full details of my fractured love life. At least, the version of the story I had spit out the night before. If they knew the latest turn of events, they might have wanted to take back their ill-placed concern. My forced smile stretched tightly across my lips. The urge to let them continue to believe I was the victim weighed heavily on the back of my mind.

"Alec didn't cheat on me and I kissed Greg." I spun around and headed for the elevators, leaving their mouths gaping in surprise. Greg, who showed up in time to hear my confession, looked as if he didn't know whether to stay and explain himself to the others or chase after me. I was actually relieved he'd been there to hear the truth. Not that I had lied to him last night, I just didn't have all the facts. Either way, I wasn't in the mood to offer him the rest of the story. I realized I was being selfish. After all, he had been there for me the night before when I needed a shoulder to cry on. Tomorrow would be different.

I tapped the button on the wall several times, believing it would somehow make the elevator arrive faster. When the doors opened, I jumped into the elevator and turned around to face my jury. They all watched me, just as I expected. Women could be harsh, and judgment and criticism were weapons, especially when cheating was involved. I know I would have been the first one to judge if the shoe was on someone else's foot. The doors closed, sealing me away.

***

The next morning, Greg's prediction proved to be right. We found out from the hotel manager that the roads in the surrounding area had been cleared. They had also hired a private plow to shovel their parking lot so the RV was no longer buried.

By nine a.m. we were all loaded up and ready to head out. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep because I sat up half the night hoping Alec would call, and the other half stressing over how to deal with the rest of the bus tour with four former friends who no longer wanted to talk to me. Surprisingly, the barrage of accusatory questions I had been expecting never came. Everyone, including Greg, acted like nothing had happened. I climbed on board and sat on the couch, grateful for their consideration.

After making sure the ringer was at full volume, I placed my phone in my bag so I wouldn't be tempted to check it every few minutes. Even though I wished for it most of the night, Alec hadn't called. I guess I wasn't surprised. I probably wouldn't have called either. All right, I definitely wouldn't have.

The drive could have been awkward and terribly uncomfortable, but Michelle and the others went out of their way to make it the complete opposite. None of them pulled out their laptops, and the conversation stayed away from anything to do with relationships. At times it even became weirdly intense. Like when Tina, our resident science buff, tried to explain black holes and dark matter. Even Greg joined in on the conversation. He spent forty miles trying to convince us that black holes made time travel possible. "Who cares about black holes? All you need is a DeLorean and a flux capacitor," Monica said, making us all burst into laughter.

The hours slid blissfully by with each mile that passed. Through it all, though, the ache in my heart never decreased. It was there as a constant reminder of the phone in my purse that still hadn't rung. I'm not sure I could ever remember a time when I had been so brokenhearted. Not when I tried to hand over my V-card to Alec or when he freaked out after I told him I loved him. This was a different pain. The kind that persisted and refused to go away. I'd written about tons of breakups during the years, but for the first time I actually felt like I understood loss.

Time continued ticking by without a call from Alec. I forced myself to survive the only way I knew how. Ignoring my feelings and stuffing them down. I immersed myself in the attention my friends offered. The distraction provided much-needed relief. It was only when I felt the vehicle begin to slow down that I allowed myself to take in my surroundings.

It took me a minute after seeing the street lights in the shape of big old chocolate Kisses that I fully registered where we were. "Are we in Hershey, Pennsylvania?" I asked, gawking out the window.

"Surprise!" Michelle, Tina, and Monica shouted in unison.

"We're a little ahead of schedule since the last signing was cancelled. Philadelphia is less than a couple hours away, and they're not expecting us until this evening. The way we figure it, you have about two hours to explore," Tina crowed happily.

"You guys," I said as my eyes watered up. Unlike the hundreds of tears I had spilled during the last forty-eight hours, these were not soaked in pain. My friends could have judged me. They could have made me feel worse for what happened, but instead they planned a special day.

Hershey's Chocolate World was everything I ever imagined it would be. The smells alone convinced me this was the closest you would ever get to heaven on earth. By the time I was dragged from the building, I was practically in a chocolate-induced coma. My arms were loaded with bags stuffed with chocolate goodies, a giant Hershey bar stuffed toy, and other knickknacks I felt I couldn't live without. Michelle had to stage an intervention when I tried to buy a ten-pound bar with my name printed on it. The experience was enough to take my mind off Alec, if only momentarily.

"Are you sure you bought enough? I mean, considering they don't sell Hershey bars anywhere else," Monica teased as we climbed back into the RV.

I hefted my bags onto the couch, flexing my sore fingers to get the blood circulating again. "True, but these are fresh from the source," I said, lovingly patting the bags.

"You're incorrigible," she laughed, placing her own purchases behind her chair.

"Says the woman who popped ten Kisses without skipping a beat."

"Can I help it that they were so insistent with the samples? You saw that overly cheerful employee. She practically shoved them in my mouth for me. What was I going to do, get her fired?"

"I was teasing. I ate my fair share too. Needless to say my stomach isn't very happy with me, but it hurts so good," I said, rubbing my rumbling tummy.

I plopped down on the small sofa, tapping my fingers on the armrest as I glanced at my purse next to me. I never heard my phone's ringtone, so as far as I knew Alec hadn't called. Of course, I also resisted the urge to check my phone the entire time we walked around Hershey. Not that the uncertainty wasn't killing me. So many questions bounced around my head. Would I ever hear from Alec again? Would I get home to find my apartment stripped of his belongings?

Regardless of what Alec may or may not be doing, I couldn't let it drag me down to the point where I wouldn't be able to function. I shoved my purse to the opposite side of the sofa and leaned back as the RV began to move. Everyone seemed to be pooped and content to sit and relax for the two-hour drive to Philadelphia. Greg tuned the radio to a top-forty station and the girls and I sat in silence, readying ourselves for a busy evening.

Resting my head against the soft cushions, I contemplated everything that had happened during the past month or so. It already felt like so long ago that I landed in New York, both eager and frightened for what lie ahead. I had released Wicked Lonely, appeared on Good Morning America, survived the Love Bus, and met tons of adoring readers. Not to mention, leaving my boyfriend, being surprised by my boyfriend, believing the worst about my boyfriend, cheating on my boyfriend, and now possibly, I had lost my boyfriend. Without a doubt, I had experienced enough emotional ups and downs to last ten lifetimes.

By tomorrow evening, the bus tour part of my trip would be over. Even though not everything about the Love Bus had worked out like I anticipated, I would miss my friends. We had become as close as anyone could get while spending nearly a

month cooped up together. That being said, I was ready for the tour to be over. The countless signings were fun, but mentally draining. Plus, it was difficult being away from home for so long. I was jealous that the others would be heading off to the comfort of their own beds while I still had a few more weeks on the road. My only consolation was that the remaining events were spread out, giving me a break in between, and Mom would be with me for ten days of the trip.

We arrived in Philadelphia with just enough time to check into the hotel and change before we had to head out to a dinner party set up by the publisher. It was a VIP ticketed event, which basically meant the readers would get an opportunity to chat with us on a smaller scale. They could get their books signed without worrying about a line or feeling rushed. Out of all the stops on the tour, this was the event I had been looking forward to the most.