"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.
"Its 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.
I turned on my gaming consul and cued up Dark Flag. Before long, I was running alongside the Black Fields. One of the perks of my break-up, I decided, was that it did not matter if I hoped to see Owen in the game. Light Slayer was single and so was I.
My thoughts skittered off nervously and so did my avatar. Was Trent right? Had I been cheating on him emotionally with Owen? I depended on Owen for good advice, a shoulder to cry on, and ways to cheer me up. It seemed like my actual boyfriend had been more jealous of my crush on Owen than I was over his suddenly-discovered relationship with John.
No, I thought, I was just out for revenge. Trent had hurt me and the very first thing I could think about was hurting him right back. That seemed to go along with a break-up just as naturally as ice cream. Just because Owen was the first person I thought about did not mean anything out of the ordinary. Neither did the excited pace of my heartbeat as I traversed the Black Fields where Light Slayer had last been seen.
Still, I was more surprised by the appearance of Owen's avatar than I was by the sudden attack. A Black Fields Boa, a nasty creature that was half person, half snake, appeared and coiled a paralyzing grip around my sword hand. I struggled to master the kick-boxing sequence of commands. Luckily, the other player was also a newbie, so the Boa was still unable to undulate, and I sent a hard kick to his chest.
"Impressive," Light Slayer said.
I ignored the soaring feeling and typed, "Thanks. Guess this proves hand-to-hand combat heals a broken heart better than chocolate ice cream."
"Broken heart?" Light Slayer asked.