TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE

15. BLOOMING FRIENDSHIPS

The next day, I was lucky since I only had one class.  I was surprised when Tristan or Jean Luc didn't walk into the class.  Then again, I was told that there was someone there to keep an eye on me in the classes they were not in.  I wish they hadn't gone to all that trouble.  Yet, I can understand everything my mother, her husband, my step-sister, and my ex-fiancee were threatening to do to me they wanted to make sure I was safe.

Instead of racing back home, I decided to sit in the quad, taking in the day while reading one of the books for my literature class.  I was so caught up in the book that I jumped out of my skin when Tristan sat next to me, saying hello.  He chuckled "Sorry didn't mean to scare you."  I just shook my head."My fault I know better than to read in an open area."  He turned my face to him."Stop that, Trina.  You are not around them anymore you can relax. You have a right just to be enjoying the day."

"OK, I see your point.  How about we go get something from the cafe?"  "Sounds like a plan.  Maybe we can get to know each other better.  Since you are living with Jean Luc's sister and him being my best friend, we will be spending a lot of time together.  There is no way Jean Luc is going to stay away from a house with no restrictions."

Chuckling, I stood up, brushing myself off. "You have a point there?  I am curious, though, why doesn't Jean Luc have a house of his own?"  "He wanted the full college experience.  Although I think the constant monitoring is getting to him.  I heard him talking to Charles about him getting a place of his own and maybe having us guys move in with him."  "You sound as if you are not thrilled with that idea."  

"I am not thrilled.  As long as Wendy thinks she is still my girlfriend, I should stay in the dorms where she can't get to me."  "True, although I don't think that will last long.  Her father thinks the reason she refused to accept the breakup was his threat to her cheating."  "Yeah, Luce told Jean Luc, who told me.  Maybe therapy will help her accept that we are no longer together."

We had just made it to the cafe and paid for our drinks before sitting down.   I explained in more detail why everyone was protecting me.  He could not believe that my mother was behind helping keep the infidelity a secret until my step-sister could rub it in my face.  He explained how his parents and brother pretty much abandoned him.  That if it wasn't for his grandparents, he would have had no one.

He even went into explaining how his brother's fiancee's sister tried stealing him from her.  He also told me that the sister was being childish and refusing to be at the wedding.  She also got the family to shun them.  He did say he wasn't sure his brother was telling the whole truth.  Since his grandparents would not shun someone on a whim.

I asked if he had spoken to his grandparents about the situation with his brother and his fiancee.  He told me no because he couldn't care less.  After his family chose his brother over him years ago, he decided to just live his life as if they didn't exist.  I could understand where he was coming from.  After all, they sent him away as soon as they could, only to shower his brother with love all because he wasn't a girl.

I was happy that his grandparents swore to cut them off if they had another child just to ignore them if they were not the correct sex.  Not to mention, they would have to accept Tristan since he was their son.  Tristan admitted he was glad they chose not to have more children.  He would have hated them pretending to love him because they were getting paid to.

We spent most of our conversation getting to know each other.  I never really thought about it until I was talking to Tristan since we had a lot in common.  But Lewis and I never really had anything in common.  We always ended up doing what he wanted, and he would ridicule my hobbies and wants.

We were so wrapped up in talking to each other that we didn't realize how long we had been in the cafe until Jean Luc messaged us asking where we were.  We let him know, and it wasn't long before he joined us. Jean Luc sat next to me, saying there was no way he was sitting next to Tristan and having people think they were a couple.