Rot in hell

One

"Damn, girl."

I grinned as I got in Travis's lightly-scuffed Mercedes-Benz. I pulled the mirror visor down to give myself one final check as Trav floored it. It had taken me nearly an hour and a half to get myself ready, but it had been worth it. With my hands busy, I found it easier to distract myself from Him.

"How are you doing, Miss Cherry Ice Cream Smile?"

I couldn't help but smile. Trav was the one who had gotten me through all of this. "Oh, I am so very fantastic, Trav. On top of the world."

"You could fool me. You look drop-dead sexy."

I leaned across the consul and kissed his cheek, leaving a red smudge. "Well, thanks, Trav."

"Did you do all that yourself?"

"Sure did. Birthday makeup from last year."

Trav fell silent, and we both knew why. I hadn't talked to either Jenna or Adam since all the shit came raining down.

"Honey..." Trav said gently, and I turned away to look out the window, feeling the weight of the conversation tip. "I think you should answer Adam's calls."

"Do you?" I felt my features set into a concrete look of pissed off. "That means, I suppose, that you have talked to either one?"

He hesitated, and I was upset that I couldn't find it in myself to hate him for it. They had gotten very close since Adam and I had gotten together. If I'm honest, all four of us had. In my mind, I was rooting for Jenna and Travis to get together. We could go to clubs and movies and bars together, just have fun as a four.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Cath. Yes, I've talked to both of them."

"And?"

"And, Adam feels like the biggest asshole on the planet."

"Good. He needs a solid reality check."

"Cath, you can't be bitter about this forever. That shit can sit inside you forever and rot you from the inside out."

I shrugged. "I'm not bitter. I'm over Adam."

"Don't even bother trying to pull that with me. I know you better than you know yourself." His voice softened. "Cath, you were together for six years. You were engaged to this guy. Walking in on him sleeping with your older sister isn't something you can let go."

"You're giving me mixed signals here, Trav. Do you want me to let it go or to be pissed?"

He sighed as he pulled into the parking lot of the club, and didn't say anything until he was parked, slightly crookedly, in front of the building. He rubbed his hands over his face.

"What I want, Catherine, is my best friend back. You're my other half, okay? I need you here. With me. I want to finish our bucket list, and I want to be there when you graduate next month. I want us to be us again, you know what I mean?"

I took his hand and kissed the back of it. "I know what you mean. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for. Come here." He pulled me into the most uncomfortable hug in the world, both of our sides pressed into the sides of the consul, my face squished into the headrest of my seat.

"Can we go inside now?" I asked, my voice muffled. "I am going to get makeup all over your seat."

"Ah, yes. My apologies."