The Heartbreak

Chapter 5

For what was left of the week, I felt like a ghost, walking through the halls and getting looks as if I was a bizarre little creature everyone observed from afar. I wanted to be like a shadow, hiding and going unnoticed instead of receiving those pitiful looks and hearing the murmur behind me. But being a shadow took too much effort; I had to get out of my way to avoid Mason. I had to beg Jack not to pounce on Mason as soon as they crossed paths. And I kept rehearsing what I would tell my parents, but every time the tears won when I tried to keep a straight voice, as if it didn't affect me.

“We could go to the mall,” Skye offered in a soft voice, afraid to startle me.

I looked up from my lap and shook my head.

Could anyone blame me? I just didn’t feel like going out and pretend things had not happened and I wasn't suffering. They had happened and it did hurt. Maybe if he had told me before that he did not see a future with us together I could have handled it better, but he did not. He had broken my heart for everyone to see.

“You…” Skye hesitated and then sighed. “You’re wearing sweatpants. To school.”

My mouth quirked up as I nodded. I was not exactly a fashion trendsetter, but I enjoyed looking nice and cute. Like most girls, I took good fifteen minutes just doing my makeup and a few more to finish fixing my hair. That morning I had woken up barely fifteen minutes before Jack drove us to school and I couldn't say for sure if I wasn't wearing the same shirt as the day before.

“And not even a coat of mascara,” Skye said in a whisper, batting her long and expertly curled eyelashes that framed her pretty eyes.

I heaved a long sigh. “My brother said I look about twelve.”

Skye grinned and giggled, while I let my mouth curve into the fraction of a smile.

“You look pretty in anything, Joey.” Skye rummaged through her bag and pulled out a little make-up bag. “Mason can’t take that away.” She opened her mascara and held my chin with one hand as she swept a couple of coats of mascara on my eyelashes. “These days it doesn’t look like you believe it.”

It was hard to come up with an answer then. She was probably right.

“It’s waterproof, by the way. You know, just in case.”

It was only then that I let myself snort a laugh, leaning my head against Skye’s shoulder and letting myself finally believe that this would pass. Not for a moment I would deny that I wanted to stay home and wallow in self-pity, eat my weight in junk food and watch sad movies for a few days until I was all cried out or my tear ducts blocked or something; Jack refused to let me, though.

“Put your game face on,” he said as if it was some sort of joke.

I wanted to shout at him that this was not just her being sad over a lost game or a TV show being cancelled - he was a extremely sensitive guy when it came to his favorite shows and sport teams. Unfortunately, I did not have the strength. I did not want to fight.

In the back of my head, I did think that perhaps Jack was right. I just had to get through my life like before and maybe things would get back to normal at some point. Like right then, as Skye spoke about the latest details of Ollie’s life in college and how he complained about schoolwork and food; she also added a few jokes about her sister who was a bombshell dating a nerdy guy she had met after being dumped at a bar by her douche-y ex.

Skye had always been funny and able to make me smile. This time wasn’t the exception.

After the extensive talking, I finally worked up an appetite and dug into my lunch, taking a few bites of the sandwich Jack had made for me that morning. I wanted to laugh at the prosciutto sandwich; it was Jack’s favorite. I was more of a turkey sandwich kind of girl, whatever that could mean.