Nothing to lose

Chapter 1: Mia

I felt like, at some point, a girl may get this idea in her head that she wanted to live out some love story that she has read or seen in movies.

The idea of love might sound appealing enough to have her swoon and daydream about her prince charming. And I couldn't blame her.

I'd hate to admit that I was like that girl because that would be silly of me.

There had been parts of life that felt like less of a dream and more of a nightmare, and because of that, it had me questioning just how close I would get to a fairytale if they even existed.

Speaking of a nightmare, I might be living one right now, and the embarrassment I was experiencing would probably haunt me until my ten-year high school reunion. Great.

There was a crowd gathering in the courtyard, and whatever drama was going down, I didn't want to be a part of it. But all the students had their cellphones out filming the whole thing. Teenagers really had nothing better to do than record a personal matter like that.

"Keep your voice down!" I instantly recognized the guy speaking out loud.

"Hell no!" The second voice was even clearer than the first.

It was the last day of my senior year, and when that bell rang, I was ready to start my summer vacation. But leave it to my cheating boyfriend to make a scene and ruin all of it.

James stood in the middle of the crowd with Stephanie opposite him.

She shoved him hard enough to have him stumbling.

James had his back to me, unaware that I was watching this all unfold.

I heard the whispers from the people close by.

"Oh crap, Mia is here."

"Isn't that Mia, James' girlfriend?"

"I don't think they'll be together anymore after this."

"It's a shame. They always looked like the perfect couple." Ha. Funny.

"Mia must be shook, hearing about her boyfriend cheating on her like this?"

"James, don't pretend I didn't get this from you! I always get tested. I start sleeping with you, and BOOM! I get a freakin' S-T-D!" Stephanie shouted.

My jaw hit the ground.

This couldn't be happening.

"For all I know, you could be playing the victim right now when you're the one who gave it to me. But somehow, you're looking for someone to blame," James fired back angrily.

Stephanie's eyes met mine over his shoulder. "Or maybe your little girlfriend gave it to you?"

Nope. Completely out of the question.

James and I never had sex. But I could see that I dodged a bullet right there.

"Leave Mia out of this!" James yelled.

Stephanie laughed bitterly. "No. I want to know. Let's ask her."

All the cellphones and eyes turned towards me as James realized I had been three feet away.

A million stupid questions were running through my mind, but all the answers to them were undeniable.

My boyfriend cheated on me. And by the sound of it, it happened more than once.

Stephanie couldn't have been the only one either.

There was no good way to find out about a cheater. But there were less public ways, and James didn't take that route.