What the hell is going on? Why did she just look at me like that? What have I done to hurt her? She started crying into my chest, and I felt like the biggest bastard even though I knew I hadn’t done anything to harm her, I wouldn’t, I couldn’t. “Lora, baby, please tell me what’s wrong.” I was damn near tears myself at this point.
She said a bunch of garbled words that didn’t make sense. All I got was you and Sherry, and that’s it. “You wanted to go with us? Why didn’t you just say so?” Wait, that doesn’t make sense; she was acting strange long before tonight.
She pulled her head back and glared at me like I was the dumbest fuck on the planet. “I didn’t want to go with you and her; I wanted to go with you, alone.” There was something in her words that I was sure I wasn’t getting. That set her off, and she pushed me off the bed.
“Get out, just get out. Go back to your girlfriend and leave me alone.” She was damn near hyperventilating, and I didn’t know what the hell to do. Getting angry and calling her out on her shit wasn’t going to help the situation, so I left. Mad as fuck, but I left. I have to come up with some way to get to the bottom of this shit.
I was in the middle of my room when her words registered. ‘I wanted to go with you alone.’ What did she mean? Was she jealous of me spending time with Sherry? Jealous how? I felt equal parts hope and confusion. It can’t be, can it? I turned back for the door; I’m going to make her tell me once and for all.
Lora
My heart felt like it would break into a million pieces when he left and closed the door behind him. I had to bite back the screams that threatened to escape and couldn’t even enjoy the fact that he’d returned so soon with the skank, because he’s so clueless.
Realistically I know it doesn’t make sense to expect him to read my mind, but still, we’ve lived together for more than a year, shouldn’t he know me a little by now? Then again, if he hasn’t noticed anything, maybe it’s because he’s just not interested. I’m not sure which of those thoughts hurt more.
I wanted so badly to get up and go to him, to tell him once and for all, but the fear of rejection, or worse, destroying the great relationship we now share by throwing myself at him and making a complete ass of myself kept me sitting where I was.
But if you don’t make a move, you’re going to lose him to someone else for sure. Look at what happened tonight? You saw it with your own two eyes. And what about when he leaves for college in the fall? My mind was relentless as I imagined every scenario in which he was taken away from me because I was too chicken to speak up.
Unbeknownst to him and everyone else, I’ve been pushing myself harder this year in hopes of graduating early. I’ve always been smart enough, but with the divorce, things had got a little bit sketchy, and I hadn’t been pulling my weight as much as I used to in the past.
Since meeting Tyler, no, since coming to accept my feelings for him, I’ve had this secret desire to go with him when he goes away to college. It doesn’t even matter where, just as long as I’m not left behind. It just so happens that he’s pretty smart as well and will no doubt be getting into the Ivy League school of his choice, whether he gets a scholarship or not.
Me, on the other hand, will only be able to afford it if I get a full ride. Mom can’t afford it, that’s for sure, and I’m not expecting Eric to pay thousands of dollars a year to send me to school. I won’t even think of my dad doing it even if he could afford it, so the only way to get in is to buckle down and give it my all, which I have been.
But it might all be pointless now if that Sherry person is in the picture, which she seems to be. My tummy hurt when I remembered the way he’d helped her into the car; he’s never done that with me before, never touched me like that with such care. In fact, he’s never even held the car door for me, the jerk.
I heard movement at the door and thought it was him until I turned to see Sherry standing there. I was too shocked at first because she’d opened the door without asking to say anything. “Excuse me?” I almost told her that she had the wrong room, that if she was looking for Tyler, he was down the hall but bit a hole in my tongue instead.