Just Friends

lies #2

"K-kiar-ra?" I asked in a shaky voice.

     There she was, kissing him. Arm wrapped tightly around my ex's waist, his hands holding her face. They pulled away from each other looking at me stunned.

"B-bee i-it's not-" she tried but I ran to the bathroom before her bullshit excuse was over. She'd done the one thing I trusted her not to do. I'd ignored all the signs, thinking that she valued our friendship more, but her priorities were clear; I didn't matter as much as he did in her eyes.

     I sat alone in my stall, in the empty bathroom, sobbing. I heard the door open and tried to be as quiet as possible. However I knew they'd heard me judging by how they went to the next stall over and sat down.

"Brooke," I heard Justin's voice say. Of all the people I wanted to talk to right now, he wasn't one of them. I walked out of my stall and stood by the sink. "Look, I know you're mad-"

"No you don't Justin," I snapped at him. I didn't hear him try to say anything and continued.  "Him? And her? After everything that happened? After everything he did? She fucking betrayed me. She-"

     Before I could finish my sentence, sobs overwhelmed me. I felt like my chest was about to explode. I couldn't breathe. I heard the stall door click and I immediately got up to walk out of the bathroom.

"I-I'm sorry," I muttered to him as I stood up on shaky legs and left the bathroom. I caught a glimpse of him as I left. A worried, defeated look on his face, and bloody hands. I wanted to turn back. Why was I yelling at him? He's not the one who left me for Kiara. At that moment I saw Hailey and Mason running over to the bathroom and I dashed for the door.

     As soon as I was out of the building, I called an Uber, which arrived faster than I expected, and went home. Just as I saw the brightly coloured sign indicating my apartment complex, I turned off my phone. I didn't need to know who ran into the bathroom after me, and I didn't need to know why. I just wanted peace.

     I used my key to open the door to the darkness of the house. I figured mom had taken another late shift at work. She's a triage nurse and most of the time when I got home she wouldn't be there. However since our money problems started she'd been taking extra morning and night shifts to cover costs.

     I quickly took a shower and climbed into my bed, finally alone with my thoughts. I thought about Matt. He knew how much Kiara meant to me, breaking my heart wasn't enough for him. I thought about Kiara. I told her everything and anything that happened between Matt and I. I guess she wanted to experience it for herself. I thought about Hailey and Mason, running to the bathroom. I thought about Justin, how he blocked the door. He didn't want me to see. He didn't want me to be hurt like this. But in the end, my stubbornness made his efforts useless. Then I'd yelled at him for something that wasn't his fault. His only mistake was trying to protect me.

     I buried my face in my pillow and sobbed. Why was this happening to me.

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