"So what?" I asked. "He was there when I needed someone. While you were here with John. And that's the end of it." I pushed Trent aside and opened the door.
"Wait. Are you breaking up with me?" Trent asked.
"Yes. Goodbye. Good luck, John," I said and slammed the door behind me.
I was still heaving angry breaths when the phone rang. "Darla?" I asked.
"Quinn, where are you? Are you out of breath?" my roommate asked. "You can't seriously be going to class right now."
"Now's not the best time, Darla."
"Okay, fine. It’s just I saw your stuff so I know you're on campus. I just wanted to make sure you were heading to class. Do me a favor, okay? Before you head off to see Trent will you come back? We need to chat," Darla said.
"Chat about Trent?" I asked.
"Yes. Maybe it’s no big deal but I don't want you to get blindsided by rumors," Darla said.
"What rumors?"
My roommate hesitated and then plunged ahead. "I don't want to do this over the phone, but I saw Trent at this big party."
"When he was supposed to be with me at my sister's funeral," I said.
"God, yeah. This is awful. Just come back here after class, okay?" Darla asked.
"It’s fine, just tell me," I said.
"Well, I was at the party too, and I saw Trent there with someone," Darla said. "He was with a guy and they were, ah, really getting to know each other."
"Like go back to his dorm room and have drunken sex?" I asked.
"Oh my God," Darla said. "Did you already go over there? What happened?"
I reached our dorm room and once I was inside I dropped my phone. "What happened is I went to Trent's and found him having sex with John."
Darla dropped her phone too. "Quinn, I'm so sorry. What did you do?"
"I broke up with him," I said. There were no tears in my eyes. I blinked and realized how my hurt was mixing with relief.
"So, what do you want to do now?" Darla asked.
"I'm heading back home for a few days," I said.
The four-hour drive was a blur. When I got home, my parents had not even remembered I had left. So, I grabbed some snacks and headed to the basement before the tears came.
Chapter Six
Quinn
I had to dive into the chocolate ice cream first. Every television show, movie, and girl's night had taught me that chocolate ice cream was the magical elixir for broken hearts. And it was a good distraction from the other emotions I was feeling.
I tried a few bites, but the cold, sweet slide of the ice cream did not lessen my hurt, the future embarrassment, or the strange mix of relief and excitement my sudden single state caused.
Next up was a glass of red wine. It had been easy to boost from my parents' kitchen. A few open bottles remained after the reception, so I took the fullest. I sipped down a double pour while I thought about Trent.
His constant need for attention was exhausting, so the idea of him wanting a girlfriend and a lover made sense. I just could not fit myself into that equation. And how had I not noticed his attraction to men? It just showed me that one major flaw in our relationship was the amount that I was involved. Trent was fun and the rest had not really mattered to me.
Still, it hurt. The red wine was helping, but I decided against watching sad movies and bawling my eyes out. What I really wanted to do was eviscerate something.