Who Breaks First (Clearwater University)

“Hey!” She perks up, smiling broadly at me. “Sorry for all the texts today.” She waggles her tongue at me, not looking sorry at all.

“No worries. I’m really excited for you.” The words come out by rote, but I’m not even hearing them. All I can think about is my plan for revenge. “You still going to your parents’ house this weekend?”

“Yes, again.” She rolls her eyes, pouting. “It’s kinda exhausting, but they get super upset if I don’t go.”

“That’s understandable. My dad gets really worried when we don’t have dinner, like, once a week.”

This is great. With Leslie gone, I’ll have a perfect window of opportunity to do what I have floating around in my mind.

“Uh… Earth to Emma! You okay?” Leslie asks, squinting at me.

I don’t know if we would’ve ever become friends if we hadn’t been thrust together as roommates, but since we are living together, we’ve gotten to know each other pretty well. And she knows me well enough to read the expression on my face and guess that something’s roiling my thoughts.

But I can’t tell her about this. For one thing, I don’t want to put my problems on her any more than I already have. And for another, I don’t want her to talk me out of it.

It might make me a bad person, but I don’t fucking care anymore.

“Yeah, fine,” I reply, scrubbing my face clean of agitation and affixing an easy smile in its place. Of course I’m lying. I’m not at all okay, and I just want all of this torture to be over with, once and for all.

This will end it. It has to.

“Uh, okay. Just checking.” She gives me another look, and I’m sure she doesn’t believe me. But she lets it drop. Then she waggles her eyebrows at me. “Rory and I are gonna have sex when I get back.”

“Oh. Really?”

They’ve done literally everything but that, and I’ve gotten a blow-by-blow—literally—of the whole thing, so I’d be lying if I said I was excited about hearing all about this.

“Yeah. It’s about time. He’s been wanting to fuck since like date one, but I made him work for it. When I get back, it’s going to happen.”

“Do you want that?” I ask.

“Damn straight, I want that!” Leslie says with a laugh. “I’ve wanted it from the moment I met him. I just don’t want him to think I’m cheap, you know. I want him to think I’m special. Someone worth waiting for.”

“I’m sure he thinks you’re special. Any guy would.”

I smile at her, wondering if I made a huge mistake ending things with Peter. I didn’t feel much with him, and I’m not the type to think she needs a man to give her life meaning. But I wouldn’t hate having someone think I’m special.

Special. Not trash.

Not gullible.

“Aw, thanks, sweets!” Leslie coos, coming in to give me a hug. “You’re the best.”

I hug her back, and we hang out in the dorm together for another hour, but a part of me is happy when I see her take her packed bag and walk out the door. It’s time to put my plan into action.

Before I can chicken out or question too closely why I’ve chosen this method of revenge, I sit on my bed and pull out my phone, sending Trent a quick text.

ME: Hey, Trent. I have an idea. Do you want to come over to my place instead of the restaurant? My roommate is gone, and I thought it would be nice. It’s more private, so it would make it easier to talk. Lemme know.

I send the text, and then I wait.

And wait. And wait.

Trent is not texting me back, and I’m beginning to think he’s onto me already. Maybe one of the guys saw me sneak away from the pillar and knows I heard Trent talking shit. If any of them did see me, I’m sure they would’ve told him.

But, no. A long fifteen minutes later, I get my reply.

TRENT: Sure. That sounds awesome.