Freshman (First Time 3)

“Well too late!” My mom laughed, obvious to the thoughts of hurt and betrayal rushing through my head. “I just bought your ticket!”

I winced again, ribbing my eyes with my hand and feeling my heart sinking through the floor.

“Well, guess we’ll see you Friday, honey!”

Wonderful.

Chapter 23:

Jake

“Dammit, why are you here, Lenore?”

It was the fourth fucking day in a row of her showing up here; the six-month pregnant, crazy ex-wife. And one guess why she was suddenly darkening my doorway?

Because she’d stepped out on the new guy - you know, the one she cheated on me with - and he’d caught her. So, no he was gone, and here she was looking for a damn handout. Or to get back together, or something equally as ridiculous that I’d spent four days trying to get out of my life.

I didn’t hate Lenore - I’m not that kind of guy. But I knew we’d been wrong for each other on every level. And now? Shit, now there was Chelsea. Jesus, Chelsea who I’d been ignoring like an asshole for days because I just had to deal with this whole Lenore crap first. I knew I should’ve just told her, but I also just didn’t want to bring her into all this garbage. She was above petty shit like this; like some sort of damned angel that I didn’t want to sully with my old baggage.

I’d meant to call her for days after I’d first told her I couldn’t come visit, because I’d known from that hitch in her voice that she was probably devastated. Shit, I was pretty messed up that I couldn’t come. But I hadn’t wanted to go there with this cloud hanging over me. I needed to settle this ex-wife crap and get her out of here before I could give everything to Chelsea that she deserved. So yeah, I’d meant to call her, and then when I finally did, she’d stopped answering.

Great.

Lenore was giving me the same sob story again, like there was some big misunderstanding about her new guy coming home and finding her with yet another guy in their bedroom. Right, I could totally see how someone might misconstrue that one…

She started to yell, and I put my hands up on her shoulders to stop her. “Lenore! Jesus!” I growled and shook my head, scowling. “For the last time, get off my damn porch.”

And just then, the car pulled into the driveway; Sarah McKenzie’s car. And just as it pulled past me, my whole heart suddenly dropped out as I realized who was sitting in the passenger seat.

Staring at me, with my hands on my damned ex-wife’s shoulders on my porch.

Chelsea.

Fuck, I couldn’t imagine what she thought seeing that. Actually, by the smoldering and broken look she flashed me from the car, I could imagine what she thought, and it was nothing good, that’s for sure.

Fuck.

I whirled back to Lenore as the car drove up the rest of the driveway and narrowed my eyes at her. “I’m going to tell you this one more fucking time, Lenore. There is nothing for you here, got it? Look, you need money and don’t want to admit to your parents why you’d be asking? Fine. Your deadbeat new guy bailed? FINE.” I drew myself up, my face stony and my fists clenched at my sides. I had to settle this now so that I could go explain everything to Chelsea.

“I’m the better guy here, Lenore, and if you need money for your kid, fine. I’ll send you a check, but get the fuck off my porch and stay out of my life.” And with that, I stepped back inside and slammed the door.

Slammed door.

I could hear her huffing something about “this not being over” as she stomped back to her car, but I was already whirling around to find my phone.

Because never mind all the Lenore crap. Right then, I needed to get to Chelsea. I needed to get to the one good thing in my life - the one perfect, pure thing - and fix it.

Chapter 23:

Chelsea

That fucking asshole.

It hadn’t been enough for me to hear about him trying to get back together with Lenore. I’d had to come to see him with her the first second we pulled into the driveway. So screw him; him and all his bullshit and his lies and for messing with my head.

I stomped my way to my room under the pretense of being tired the second I walked in the house, barely saying hello to my dad and Dennis. I could barely see straight, just thinking about seeing him with her right on their front porch like that. I mean, the whole thing with Jake had been foolish, I knew that now. I’d thought of it as “wild” and “crazy” before, but I knew now I’d just been a stupid, inexperienced girl. I’d been Jake’s mid-life crisis; his little red sports car.

And I hated him for it, and for what I’d given him.