Safe from Scars (COMPLETE)

37. Mean girls

Emily bursts into the bathroom, staring at me like she's seen a ghost.

Her beach waves are sitting perfectly in a high ponytail, and a blush pink dress is clinging to her figure. She's got a full face of makeup on, even gloss, and a designer handbag hung around her forearm. Her six inch nude pumps make her almost as tall as Roman, who runs into the bathroom behind her.

All expression leaves her face as she sees me in the tub.

"You seriously brought her here?" Her head whips back to Roman, who's face is pleading with me to not freak out.

I stay in the water, unbothered, watching steam blow from Emily's ears.
She certainly doesn't look like the recovering addicts I know, but then again, people are full of surprises. Especially Emily.

I keep my mouth shut, allowing Roman to handle the situation. It doesn't feel like my place to voice my opinion.

"You should have called before showing up here, Emily. You can not just come here, unannounced. And you need to give me my key back." His words are a lot nicer than my thoughts, but I can tell that he means to be careful with his words to her.

I stay silent.
"I was gone for a year, Roman! How could you seriously throw away everything we had for this?" She gestures toward me.

I clear my throat.
Hello, bitch. I'm still in the room.

"I'm not throwing anything away, Emily? Why can't you understand that? I'm moving on with my life!"
They face each other, standing in the bathroom doorway, arguing, while I watch from the tub.

She's shaking her head and points a finger in his face.

"This is just one of your phases. Like I had mine. You will come to your senses soon enough." She spits the words through her teeth.

"Emily, listen very carefully to me."
He's upset.
"I'm not in love with you anymore. I don't love you. I feel for you, and your situation, and everything you went through, but while you were gone, I decided to love myself too." I can see tears pooling in his eyes, but they don't fall.
"And loving myself meant letting you go, and moving on with my life. So that is exactly what I did."

There's silence.

"You will NEVER be happy with a girl like her."
Ouch.
Emily's voice cuts the tension in the room.

"I may have my problems, but she is pathetic."
She speaks harshly, but doesn't dare to look at me.

Fuck this.

I stand from the tub, and both sets of eyes turn toward me as the water drips from my body.
Emily scans me, up and down, and her face goes red. I see a smile play on Roman's face.
I don't care to be seen fully naked by her. 
I look good.

I wrap a white towel under my arms and step out of the tub.

"My name is Kali. You must be Emily. It's not a pleasure to meet you, and I don't feel catty enough to put up with you right now, so you can see yourself out when you're done getting your things from the spare bedroom."
I push past them, still standing in the doorway, bumping Emily's shoulder.

Harsh? Maybe.
Immature? A little.
I'm not a mean girl, but I'm not going to listen to someone who doesn't know shit about me,  insult me.

Both their eyes are still on me, as I pretend they aren't there. I walk around the bed, and pull a red lace thong from the dresser, and let the towel fall.

"This is what you're into now, Roman?" She's definitely taken back by my lack of interest for her petty drama.

"Em. You need to leave." He moves from the doorway, allowing her to leave, but she doesn't pass.

"What does she have that I don't?" Her voice begs.
And she called me pathetic?

"Em. Go please." He asks again. He's too nice.

"She will never be me!" Emily screams. I slam the closet door open, and grab one of Roman's T shirts, then slip it over my head.

This bitch needs to leave right now, before I loose my shit. Why hasn't he kicked her out yet?

Emily turns toward me.
"You will NEVER be me!" She screams again.

Roman's fist connect with the bathroom door, quickly, the loud noise causing both Emily and I to jump.

"She will NEVER be you. You were a selfish, high maintenance, jealous, materialistic mean girl, and that was BEFORE you were a drug addict. I fell in love with you once, when we were young, and you were all I'd known my entire life, but I'm done. I pity you, Emily I really do. I hate that you went through all that shit, and I am happy that you are sober, but we would have NEVER worked out. I don't ever want to work things out with you.  Just leave."
His words cut her deeply.
Shit, it almost hurt me too.
She stares blankly at him.
I feel sorry for her just a little.

"My father's driver will be back tomorrow to pick up my things."

She wipes a single tear from her eye before it falls, and hurries past him, stopping in the doorway.

She turns her head to face me across the room.

"He will never love you the way he loves me. You will never have what we had."
Then she walks quickly, slamming the front door on her way out.

Good fucking grief that is over.
So much for my relaxing bath.

I stare at Roman, leaning in on the doorway of the bathroom staring at the hole he'd punched in the bathroom door.

I'm too afraid to speak. I've seen him angry, when he laid Trey out, but I don't think I've ever seen him so hurt. There's a giant difference.
I'm standing, awkwardly, across the room from him.

"I'm sorry." He doesn't make eye contact with me.

I can't bring myself to say anything. I was just as shocked that Emily barged in here. I'm glad he kicked her out, but I don't understand why he's so hurt.

I want to shake him. I want to scream and tell him I'm here, and I'm nothing like her. I want to tell him I love him, so there's no reason for him to be upset over her.
But I know he is, and that is a feeling I can't stomach.

"It's okay." I mumble, and climb into bed, hiding under the pillows.

"I'm going to go out for a walk." He says, and leaves be room.
Just like that. With another slam of the door.

Gone.