Blinking as my eyes try to adjust to the sudden change in light, I look at my sister and try to find truth in her words. I’ve never felt more lost than I have this last week and a half. After confronting Todd, I packed my shit, got in the moving truck, and just drove, not stopping until I pulled into the driveway of my parents’ house here in rural Indiana.
“And your friend Marcus has texted a few times.” Carly sits on the edge of the bed. “You haven’t texted him back, have you?”
I shake my head. “What am I supposed to say? Todd is the biggest dick I know, which is ironic considering his dick wasn’t actually all that big in real life, and now I’m here, back home with Mommy and Daddy, not sure what to do with my life. Though sitting here, eating my weight in junk food and watching trashy reality TV seems like a good way to go out.”
Carly snatches the remote from my hands and turns off the TV. She stands up and puts one hand on her hip. “You knock this off right now,” she demands with a quiet sternness only a mother is capable of. “Yes, Todd was a grade-A asshole, but you are not going to let that asshole turn you into…whatever it is you’re doing right now.”
“Wallowing in the failures of my life?” I supply, knowing I’m being overdramatic. It’s allowed, right?
“Stop it right now. You get your ass up and into the shower because I’m questioning the last time you washed your hair. And then we are going out. I spent the last two days ridding my house of everything that doesn’t spark joy, and Lord help me, we both need a night out.”
“What were you left with?”
“My vibrator and my electric wine opener.”
“Way to minimalize.”
“I might have kept my old Buffy the Vampire Slayer DVDs too. And a few of the kids’ favorite toys. I’m going to snap before we get this house ready to go up for sale.”
“Go out without me. I’m…I’m just tired.”
“No excuses. Remember when Tommy broke up with me right before prom my senior year?”
I nod. “You were devastated.”
“And you were boycotting dances for being sexist or something.” She holds up her hand, keeping me from arguing my point on the subject. “But you put on a dress and went with me so I wouldn’t have to walk through those doors alone.”
“We had fun that night.” I look up at my sister and smile. She’s only a year and a half older than me and was one grade ahead in school. We fought—of course—but for the most part, got along while we grew up.
“Now it’s my turn to take you to prom. Well, kind of. So get up, get your stinky ass in the shower, and then get dressed.”
Feeling a little emotional, I nod and get up, thankful for my sister. I didn’t intend on getting here and hiding out like this, but as soon as I stepped foot inside my childhood home, all I wanted to do was lie down on the floor, hiding from sight. I have friends here, friends I haven’t talked to much since I took the job in New York.
I never thought I’d be back here. Well, not in this sense at least. Yet here I am, and I don’t want to have to explain to anyone how the man I thought loved me more than anything cheated on me with his assistant.
Closing the bathroom door behind me, I turn on the shower and turn around, staring at myself in the mirror. My blue eyes are bloodshot with dark circles underneath and my blonde hair is in a bun so messy I’m not sure I’ll be able to untangle it without losing several strands of hair. I pull the band out and then strip out of my PJs.
I’m not one to feel sorry for myself, and I pride myself on being an upbeat and positive person. Funny, considering I’m a lawyer, I know. I worked hard to get to where I am—er, was—and I’m not going to let some asshole pull it all out from underneath me. Eastwood is a small town, but my father’s established his own firm here and represents people from all over the county, not just this town.
I always assumed I’d work with him and then eventually take over the family firm after he retired. But then I met Todd, who got me to visit New York City with him, which led to a job interview at the high-powered firm his uncle was a partner at, which then led to us both getting hired. I couldn’t turn it down.
As a new lawyer, I couldn’t ask for a better experience. I got to work with some of the best—and ruthless—lawyers in the city. I had access to huge clients and got to sit in on some even bigger cases. It was fast-paced, exciting, well-paying considering how new we were…but it always felt temporary.