Andrea.
"Michael Clifford! Can you please put your phone down and get serious for a damn minute?!" Leah exclaimed. We're sat on Michael's living room floor, trying to figure out the problem set for our statistics class. "Jesus, Ley. Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed."
Leah rolled her eyes at his remark. The two like to go at each other non-stop, but at the end of the day, they have each other's backs like they're Bonnie and Clyde. "I think I figured out how to do the first one." I said, biting the edge of my pen.
"Salamat sa Diyos. Manatili kang matalino, Santos." Ley sighed, laying down from her previous sitting position.
(Thank God. May you always be smart, Santos.)
"English, please!"
I chuckled. "She's just telling me I'm smart, Mike. We would never talk shit about you." I pat his head. Something he didn't seem to find funny. "Are you guys hungry? I feel like we've been working on this for so long, we forgot to eat." Michael said.
My stomach's been growling since last night. But because of all the events that unfolded, I didn't really have the energy to satisfy my tummy. "You don't know how fucking hungry I am, man." Ley said, still lying down on the floor, only now she's clutching her stomach. "Let's go get some food. My friend works at a taco shop a few streets down." Mike suggested.
I shrugged, putting away the papers and pens we were using previously.
We were sat in Michael's car. "Have we met this friend of yours?" Leah asked from the front seat. "Nope. He's a good friend from highschool. I wanted to go to uni with him, but he wanted to run a business."
After a quick 5 minute ride, we arrived at a place that said "Locos Tacos" out front. "Oh my god, Mike! So good to see you, mate!" the curly headed guy from behind the counter greets as he walks up to Michael. "Aw, you too!" he hugs him. "Ash, this is Leah and Andrea. They're friends from university. Ley and Drea, this is Ashton Irwin."
We exchange our "nice to meet you's" and Ashton gets us settled in a booth. "Everything's on me. I'll get you guys our bestsellers. I guarantee you'll love them!" Ashton exclaimed. He walked off into the kitchen and left the three of us with some complimentary chips and dip.
"This place is pretty dope. How come you've only brought us here now?" I ask Michael who's busy stuffing his face with the free chips. "Do you guys not realize this is the first time we're working on something together outside of campus?" he asked.
Ley and I both shared a look of realization. "Oo nga noh? We've always just been in campus for these kind of things." Leah said, grabbing her share of the free chips.
(Oh yeah...)
"Alright! Here's our little sampler platter. It's got a piece of everything. The pico de gallo is also to die for." Ashton said with a bright smile, putting down the tray of tacos down on our table. I couldn't lie, it all looked so delicious. Suddenly, I had the energy to eat.
"Thanks, Ash. You're the best." Michael grinned at him. "Why won't you join us?" he asked Ashton. And, just as if on cue, a group of customers walked in. "I got a taco shop to run." he smiled back.
I looked at the group that had just walked in and, lo and behold, it's my ex-boyfriend and his little posse. "Just my fucking luck, man." I whispered under breath. "What? Why?" Leah said, looking around trying to find what I saw.
So much for whispering.
"Some nerve he has walking in here." Ley spit, finally seeing him ordering by the counter. Michael takes a look back too. Great, now they're all looking.
"You know we don't own this place, right?" I said to Ley, who's been shooting daggers with her eyes at my ex-boyfriend. "It's fine, Drea. We can just leave." Mike said.
I shook my head in response. "I'm not gonna let him ruin our delicious and free meal." I joked, in attempt to make the mood lighter. I earned a couple giggles, but there was no saving this. We continued to eat our meal in silence, making it even easier to hear Calum's conversations with his friends.
"Oh dude, isn't that Andrea over there?"
"Do we go say hi?"
What? Do they not know that we're already broken up?
"She's not my girlfriend anymore, man. Shut the fuck up, you're being so loud." Calum scolded his friends. Well, they know now.
"Jesus, is my food that good? Made you all speechless?" Ashton chuckled as he walked up to our very quiet table, taking a seat right next to Michael. "Your food is very delicious, Ashton. But we're silent because of them over there." Leah said, nudging her head in Calum's direction.
Ashton took a look back at them, "Why? What's wrong with them?"
"The one wiv the tattoos ith Drea's exth-boyfwend." Michael struggled to say as his mouth was still full of food. "Chew your food, Mike. You're gonna get it all over the table." Ashton scolded. "Bad breakup?"
I swallowed my food before speaking (unlike someone), "Yeah. Caught him cheating. Found out it's been going on since the second year of our four year relationship."
Ashton's jaw dropped. "That's so fucked. What kind of sicko is able to live with that?" he said, disgusted with the thought of my cheating ex. "Right? Takes everything in me not to beat his ass right now." Leah replied, angrily taking a bite of her taco.
"You know, their food hasn't come out yet. Need me to spit on it?" Ashton joked. Or at least I hope he was.
-
We finished the problem set a few hours after we got back to Michael's from the restaurant. At this point, our brains were fried and no one was in the right headspace to do anything more. We decided to call it a day and head home.
Leah and I went our separate ways once we got back to campus. Her residence hall is on the east side of campus while mine is on the west. As I make my approach to my residence hall, I see a familiar car parked in front of the building.
Why the hell have I just been seeing him everywhere?
Of course, Calum Hood steps out of the car and waits by the door of my residence hall. I stay where I am so that he wouldn't see me. A few minutes later, a short blonde walks out of the building dressed in just a hoodie and sweatpants. She doesn't look familiar to me. I don't think I've ever seen that girl in my life.
Is this the girl he's been cheating on me with?
They hopped in the car and I ran to the back entrance to make sure they didn't see me just standing there watching them. It's crazy how our four year relationship didn't seem to affect him at all. I guess he's just gotten used to doing this to the point that it doesn't faze him.
How insensitive can he be?
My thoughts continue to race as I finally get back into my dorm room. I take a look at what a mess I've made last night. The pictures of him and I that previously hung on my wall are now scattered on the floor. His graduation photo ripped into pieces. The only thing left standing is the stuffed penguin. I didn't have the heart to throw that cute things away.
I decide to clean it all up and throw them away. Seeing him out with another girl only a day after we broke up just confirms that there is nothing left to save between me and him.
~ ~ ~
a little bit of a filler chapter but let me cook
mwa
- v.d.
