Unfaithful

Chapter 27: Richelle

I never thought I could feel this angry, especially not at him. Like how dare he? Talk about he like that to Jacquie. He had to have cared at some point. He had to have loved her. It couldn't all have been a lie. I walk away from the locker room, I don't want to hear anymore. I don't want to see either of them ever again. My footsteps echo in the hallway, but I don't care. Relief hits me as I walk into an empty studio 1, and I slide down next to a wall, taking deep breaths and trying not to let the tears spill over.

After all our history, after everything we've been through together, even when we were just friends, he still had to disrespect me by flirting throughout the whole rehearsal, as if he hadn't literally cheated on me. Eventually West had a go at him for it and he walked out with the routine only half learned. I've never respected West as much as Emily, but right then I did. Emily loves me but I know she never would have done that for me. She's too much of a professional.

And now this. Now we're really over, if we were ever really together in the first place. Because apparently, he never loved me. No, he loves Jacquie. After every second chance I gave him, after every time I let him convince that they were "just friends", that he loved me, he still had to go and betray me like this. He still had to go and disrespect our whole relationship.

And now I'm the one paying the price. I'm the one paying for his cheating and his lies, while he goes off and enjoys his relationship with his new girlfriend. He's the one who gets to be ok. And I get to be heartbroken and injured. Maybe I deserve it. Maybe I should've seen our relationship for what it was - a lie. Maybe I should have dumped him back on the first day of the season, when Skylar and Amy made those hurtful remarks. "Are you sure they're just ... acquaintances?" No Amy, I'm not. Not anymore.

I want him to hurt too. I want him to actually feel how hurtful it is to get cheated on. I want him to be in pain, I don't want him to able to just swan about the place, acting like nothings wrong. But I could never do anything to hurt him. I love him too much. I guess that's the difference between us.

I realise I'm crying, tears dripping slowly down my cheeks. I don't really care though. I know I'm meant to be strong, but I deserve the chance to cry, after everything Noah has said and done.

I don't know how long I was sitting there for but I know it was a while. Eventually I hear footsteps coming into the room, and I'm praying it's not Emily. I don't want to explain this to her. She just won't get it. "Hey, hey, it's gonna be ok." Lola's quiet voice reassures me as she sits down beside me and pulls me into a hug. That's all it seems to take for me to start crying properly. I bury my head in her chest and let someone, for the first time in my life, comfort me. Funny, I don't think I've ever even been this vulnerable with Noah before. I guess I didn't think he'd still love me if I was.

"I'm here, shhh, it's ok. I'm here" Lola continues to comfort me, stroking my hair softly and hugging me tightly. I feel so lost right now. I genuinely don't know what I'd do without a friend like her.