Janet.
I walked onto the bus and took my seat. Back to reality. I was prepping my snack when someone coughed. I looked up and saw Tina.
"Oh.. hey." I said.
She smiled and sat in front of me. "Hey, J."
I took a bite out of my celery covered in peanut butter and let awkward silence fill the air. I could tell she was staring me down, but I was avoiding eye contact.
"Janet. When Shawn told me about your relationship, I had no int—"
"We aren't together anymore." I interrupted. "We ended things two days ago."
She nodded in understanding and let her head drop. "I'm sorry to hear that. I know I've been distant but from what I could tell, you guys were good together."
"Yeah, I thought so too." I said more to myself. "Listen, I'm sorry. I should've told you so you weren't left in the dark. I knew how you felt about her and still went after her. That was my fault."
Tina had a crush on Shawn while Shawn had a crush on me but I was with Rene. When Rene and I separated, Shawn was there for me and I fell for her still knowing Tina liked her. Then when Shawn asked me out, I completely disregarded Tina's feelings.
"It's cool. I've gotten over my little crush. I'm seeing someone now." She smiled.
"If I'm not intruded, who?"
"It's against family rules but Rob. We kind of clicked and it's been magical ever since."
I try to discourage the Kids dating one another because if things weren't to end well, it'd cause tension amongst the group. But by the way Tina was glowing and not to mention I broke that rule myself, I had no say.
"That's very nice, T. I wish you two the best of luck."
"Thank you, but again, when Shawn came over that night and told me about what you guys were, I knew my place. I mean, I kissed her but I gu—"
"You kissed her?" I questioned.
Shawn told me that she kissed Tina.
"Yeah. I was mad and wanted revenge but I couldn't even make it passed a peck without feeling like I was betraying you. I'm sorry about that." She said.
I chuckled and bit another piece of celery. I couldn't help think of the problems that stemmed from that alone. I wouldn't have fussed about the kiss had I known Tina initiated it.
"It's fine, T. I apologize for not being honest with you. You of all people know all my business and is one I should trust. I'm sorry for being a bad friend."
She smiled and took my hand into her own. "We're good again?" She asked.
"Definitely."
"Okay, soooooo..." Her smile dropped, "Why did you and Shawn break up? You were close to hitting a year. You were, what 3 weeks, away?"
"2 weeks and 3 days." I sighed. "We broke up because of Shai."
Her jaw dropped instantly. "Shai? What does he have to do with any of this?" She asked.
"I told her about him because I thought her and I were stable enough and she kept pressuring me about what had me upset these few weeks. Shai is about to turn 2 and his birthday always rattles my nerves. So I was a mess and Gil took me to go see him and Shawn wanted to know where we went." I said. "She trashed me, called me a bad mother and a bad girlfriend. So I left because I deserve more than that."
"But did she know about Joe? About the threats?"
"She didn't let me explain it all. It all would've made sense had she listened and given me the time of day. But she didn't. So I left and went to Tip. I was tired of hiding it from him and we just..."
Tina's hands slapped against her face. "Jan, no. Don't tell me—"
"I didn't want to hurt her. Or maybe I did. I don't know but what happened happened. I didn't expect to fall so easily. Gil brought Shawn over to the house the next day and I told her and we ended things." I said fiddling with the ring on my neck.
"I'm sorry, Jan. Want me to talk to her?" Tina asked.
I shook my head. "We're done for now. It's what's best for us." I said faking a smile.
"Okay, well, promise me you'll say far from Tip. He is good to you but is he good for you.. Just something to think about." She said before standing up. She blew me a kiss and waved as she got off the plane. "Love you, boo."
I sat and looked into nothingness, still playing with the ring. "I love you, too." I mumbled.
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