Ballet Slippers

38

(Ed’s Point of View)

I hated being lied to.

One of the biggest things that Ella and I ever shared was our hatred for lies – how can you have a relationship when they aren’t telling you the truth? Now to be honest, this lie wasn’t going to ruin our relationship, Taylor was the love of my life and nothing could change that… but why did she feel like she couldn’t tell me?

“Ed?”

I looked up and instantly my jaw clenched; the one person responsible for most of the lies in Ella’s life was looking at me, “Jack.”

He smiled at me, as if almost to look friendly, “how are you?”

I chuckled but without humor, “you have a lot of nerve asking me that.”

His face dropped, “Ed what do y-,”

“I know everything Jack,” I glared.

“I suppose Ella told you then…” he said looking away from me.

“No actually, I told her. That’s the funny thing about seeing your brother in law in a place he shouldn’t be – you can find out lots.”

He just looked at me, “Ed, I want you to know I never meant to-,”

I held my hand up to stop him, “don’t Jack. I shouldn’t even be talking to you about this.”

I turned around to start walking away when my body betrayed me and I became angry, “actually you know what,” I said turning back around.

And with that swift turn of my heel I punched him square in the jaw.

He fell to the ground with a thud from my contact, and I looked down sternly, “that’s for cheating, lying and betraying my sister you dick.”

He sat starting at me in pure shock, clutching his now busted lip; but I didn’t care I just stepped over him and kept walking.

My phone rang and I saw it was Taylor, “Hey,” I answered.

“Hi…” she said shakily.

“Are you okay?” I asked, pained that she was upset.

She sighed, “No. I shouldn’t have lied to you.”

My image of Jack came back, of how much I hated him for being such a coward and a liar – I didn’t feel that for Taylor.

“I know.”

“I’m not asking for forgiveness, and I’m not saying what I did was right, but there’s so much you need to know.”

I stopped walking for a second and looked up at the sky, “Taylor?”

“Yeah?” she asked a little worried because I ignored her.

“I love you.”

“I love you too…” she said softly.

“I know what you did was wrong, and I’m upset about it – but I want to hear it, all of it.”

“I know,” she said, “please come back…”

I smiled at her voice, “I’m already on my way babe.”

“Okay, I’ll be waiting.”

“You’d better be, otherwise you’ll have a whole new issue to deal with,” I smiled.

She giggled and it brought joy to my heart, I loved that she knew when I was joking.

“I’ll see you soon,” she said.