John

1.

Cortney held the black jacket to her face and the scent immediately struck her; its familiarity and warmth. She placed it in the large box beside her bed and closed it, sealing it with tape.

On one of its sides, she carefully printed his name. She sighed as she looked around her room, absorbing its emptiness and what seemed to now be its loneliness.
The truth of the matter was that John was gone and he would never come back to her after what she did.

She rose from her knees and went onto her bed. Tears began streaming down her face. Panic took over and she began to cry again. She knew she had made a huge mistake, she knew she was wrong. She also knew there was no second chance this time.

She would never again be able to sleep next to him and wake up with him holding her. Guilt ran through her veins as she weeped. She was alone.

All that was left of her life with him were memories and the tainted imagine of him in her mind.

Stacey had once warned her. She told her that one day he might find out she she cheated on him. And he did. Two months later.

She was tired of everyone calling and telling her she messed up. Even her own mother asked her what she was thinking. Of course, she didn't have an answer to all these questions. No one would understand why she cheated...even she didn't understand why she cheated.

A few days ago, Chris, one of their close friends called her and insulted her. A slut, he called her. You're a whore. She shut her eyes and cried as he continued to speak. She wanted to shut everyone out.

John was furious. I'm committed to you and you do this to me? I gave you my all Cort, my everything. Hell, I was even going to propose in a few weeks times. You're fuckin' pathetic! He packed his stuff and left town.

To him, everything was swell. They were going through a rough patch but it was going to be okay. Yeah, a few communication problems here and there, but that was it.
To her, she was a little confused and she needed a little space. She lied to him about going to an old friend's for the weekend just to catch a break and that's when it happened. That's when she met Theo.

John was always at work and hardly ever around. She was at work too, but she wasn't as busy as John.

Her wrecklessness led to them breaking up, ending what seemed to be a good relationship according to everyone around them.

It had been three weeks since he found out and left her. There was nothing she could do to get him back. He blocked her calls and told no one of his new location. Not even his parents.

Cortney's eyes were puffy from crying. She got up from her bed and headed to the kitchen to grab something to eat. She had lost a lot of weight from starving herself; as if that was going to bring him back.

She opened the cupboard and grabbed a mug. It was the grey mug that he usually had his morning coffee in. She looked around the kitchen for another mug and they were all in the sink, dirty. She grabbed the mug and boiled some water for her coffee.

Her phone vibrated in her back pocket. It was Stacey again. Well, she was the only one that still called her after what happened.

"Hello," she answered, her voice crackling a little. It was hoarse and she really couldn't care any less anymore.

"Cort, hey. Let's got out for a late lunch."

"I erh, I dunno Stace. I'm not really..." I stopped and realised I might as well go out and get some fresh air with her. She was now the only one I had left anyways. "Oh alright. Where and what time?"

"Great. Don't worry, I'll come and pick you up in an hour and a half."

"I'll be ready then."

Cortney hung up.

Cortney starred at her hair in the mirror after her shower. It seemed to be breaking. She tied it in a slightly neat bun whilst it was wet and changed into a pair of blue jeans and a T-shirt.

The sound of the doorbell made her jump off her feet. It was Stacey. She dashed to it and opened the door for her to enter.

"You've lost some weight, Cort." She said as she hugged her. She took a step back and frowned a little, making Cortney feel insecure.

"I know. I just..." She cut her off

"Oh come on! Let's get on it. We'll talk 'bout it during lunch."

She smiled. She didn't really want to even talk about it now, but over lunch seemed like a better idea.

"Let me grab my keys."

They arrived at St Lucia's where they normally went and talked about what happened. You just going to let it go. You cheated. It happens. Move on. That's what Stacey told her and that's what she knew she needed to do. She hurt John yes, but she needed to let go before it harmed her more.

It was almost 9pm when she got home and she was tired, in need of some rest.
The sound of the phone startled her. She quickly removed her shoes and went to the parlour and answered it.

"Hello." She sat down on the couch arm and waited. There was a long silence.
"Court...it's John." He sighed. "I just wanted to tell you that it's fine. I want us to move on from each other..." He sighed again. "It's not entirely your fault."
"Okay, John. And uhmm, I have a few boxes of your stuff here..." Too soon? Maybe. "I hope you're fine."
"I'll come and collect them tomorrow."
"Okay."
She cut the phone.

A fresh start. That's what she needed.