Lovers of Yesterday

Chapter 1 • Shattered

I stared at the smashed plates on the ground. The pieces were scattered everywhere, some going as far as the living room. I was leaning heavily against counter, still in shock of what just happened. Liam had gotten angry and accused me of cheating. In his rage fit, he pulled the cabinets open and started smashing plates on the ground. In the end, I just stayed quiet as he yelled at me some more before storming out.

Slowly, I recovered from my paralyzed state and bent down to start picking up the pieces of the plates. I should probably get a trash bag to put the pieces in but I was still too out of it. I just started making small piles of the ceramic pieces. When most of it was piled together and I had a few tiny cuts from the sharp edges, I stood up and walked to the pantry, grabbing the broom and a small trash bag.

I swept the piles into the dust pan and dumped it into the bag, tying it up once nothing was left on the floor. I put the broom up and carried the trash bag through the apartment and out to the big dumpster in the parking lot. I scrunched my nose at the smell and held my breath as I threw the bag in, hearing it clunk as it landed on another trash bag.

I walked back to the apartment in silence. I didn't bring my phone with me and no one was out to wave at or say hello to. That made the walk all the more lonely. As much as I wanted to scream at Liam to get out of my life, he always weasels his way back in. And I hated it. Hated that he could get to me. Hated that he could convince me of his lies. Hated myself for believing them.

When I opened the door to the apartment, there was just more silence. The tv wasn't on, playing a football game that Liam watches. There was no music floating through the tiny space. It didn't even feel like a home. It was just a place. I stepped inside and shut the door, kicking off my flip flops, and setting them neatly by my other shoes. Something that I've always disliked about Liam. He's never neat. He throws his shoes off to the side, not bothering to straighten them up.

I mindlessly walked back the kitchen where my phone was laying on the counter. The screen showed two new messages and one missed phone call. All from my best friend. I picked up the phone and clicked on the messages, letting pop up in the chat.

*One attachment*

Ry, look at this bs. I found him while I was out. Did you two fight again?

I stared at the picture for longer than I felt I should have. Liam was sitting at an outdoor table at the coffee shop I work at, talking with another girl. I could feel the tears pick my eyes but swallowed them back. I shouldn't care. He accused me of something I never did. I should be angry at him. I quickly called Alexandria, hoping she would still pick up. She answered on the second ring.

"Are you ok, Ry?" Was her first question.

I bit my lip, wondering how to answer, "Yea, I'm fine."

"Sweetheart, that's code for 'he hurt me and I wanna cry'. When you say you're fine, you're not," she said bluntly.

I wiped the tears that were starting to fall, "Ok, fine. We got into an argument. He said I was cheating. He broke a whole bunch of my plates then stormed out."

My voice cracked in the end, making it obvious that I was crying.

"Oh, Ry. I'm coming over and picking you up. We're going out. Make you forget about him for the night," she said, making me smiled a little.

"Alright," I whispered, "Thank you, Dria."

"No problem, Ry. It's my job to help you."

With that, she hung up and I was left alone again. Since it wouldn't take long for her to get here, I settled with sitting on the couch and playing on my phone. I scrolled through Instagram and TikTok, waiting for a knock on my door. Eventually, I got bored with them and went to Snapchat.

What a fucking mistake.

The first thing I saw was the picture Alexandria sent me. It was all over Snapchat. I had a whole bunch of messages from people, asking if we were still together or not. I exited out immediately, not wanting to cry again. God, I'm such a fucking crybaby.

I hadn't realized I was staring at my phone until a knock resonated through the empty apartment. I jumped, not expecting the sound, before getting up and answering it. Once the door swung open, I was pulled into a hug. Her arms were wrapped tightly around me, limiting my movement. I awkwardly wrapped my arms around her, finding some comfort in her embrace.

When she pulled back, she kept her hands on my shoulders, searching my face for any emotion. I lowered my eyes and stared at her shoulder, spacing out. She's told me before that Liam is a bad person but I stupidly followed after him because I thought I loved him. Now I'm stuck in this stupid mess because of my stupid feelings and I feel like I've let her down.

Her gently shaking my shoulder pulled me out of my stupor. I lifted my head but couldn't look her in the eye. She sighed.

"Ry, it's not healthy to be this upset. Let's go out to get some ice cream or something and forget about that douche. He doesn't deserve you," she offered.

I looked up at her and gave her a small smile, "Ok, I'll go change. Then we can go."

She nodded, returning my smile with a real one, and moved to the couch while I walked back to my room. Even my room seemed dead. Most of the light was blocked by the blackout curtains and either way, there wasn't much personality in it. Most of my belongings were stored away in the attic back home. Most of the things I did bring were also boxed up because Liam thought they were childish. My room was pretty bare.

It didn't take long to change into some jeans, a tee and pull my hair up into a ponytail. There's no need for jewelry or anything fancy. It's just ice cream.

I walked back out into the living room and found Dria waiting for me, furiously typing at her phone. She waited a minute before triumphantly pumping her fist in the air. I gave her a weird look and grabbed my phone off the sofa.

"We're going by E's house and picking her up. Dakota is working so she's free and I managed to convince her to come," she grinned devilishly.

I sighed, knowing how Ember is, "She isn't gonna be happy. You probably took her away from working on something."

"Oh well," she waved me off and led us out the door, "She was voluntold to come so we're going to pick her up."

I shook my head and followed her out to her car. I managed a laugh when she sashayed to her car with her hand on her hip and climbed in the driver's seat. I rounded the front and got in the passenger side as she turned the key and brought it to life. She cranked the radio to life and turned on Bluetooth, blasting Taylor Swift.

She started singing along and I couldn't help but join in, almost forgetting Liam and my broken plates. He stayed in the back of my mind like a shadow.

×××

By the time we reached Ember's house, my throat felt hoarse from how loud I was singing with Alexandria. Ember was waiting on the front porch and walked down to the car once Dria stopped. She climbed in the back and reached forward, wrapping her arm around me in a hug. I gave her a weak smile as she pulled away and sat back. Shire jumped in behind her before she shut the door and I scratched his ear while he settled on the floor. He was such a sweet dog.

E had mentioned before that she went with Dakota to the doctor where he was diagnosed with moderate PTSD and he suggested that he get a service animal to alert for panic attacks. He said that while it was nice that Shire alerted to him a few times, Shire couldn't always be with him to alert so it would be best if he had his own alert dog.

"I remember him from high-school and he was a jackass then. I don't like him one bit," she crossed her arms over her chest, "I can't tell you what to do because it's your decision but I'm willing to beat the shit out of him when it comes to it."

Dria cut in before I could say anything, "Fuck yea! I'll film it for you and put it on Snapchat. Then everyone can see what a badass you are and a pussy he is."

E shook her head but she broke out into a smile, "Alright. I was promised ice cream so let's go. It a girls day."