I'm Coming Home

Not in That Way

Cassandra

I knew agreeing to this was insane. It was late and I was tired, and she was just lonely. Hell, she probably just wanted to rub salt in my wounds but I couldn't deny her this one meeting. It's 3 am, and I'm sitting at the playground on Fuller Ave, expecting some sort of one-sided catfight, but at the same time, I was curious. She seemed upset and if anyone asked me why she wanted to meet I wouldn't be able to tell them why. I weighed my options but the longer I ignored her, the more my guilt built.

If I didn't answer her, she could think I'm with her boyfriend and that just wouldn't end well. Knowing her temper, she would show up at my door after figuring out where I lived, which wouldn't be too difficult knowing her connections. So, I agreed, and here I am sat on a swing at the playground waiting for the blonde to show up.

I wasn't sure what to expect, all I knew was the longer I sat here the more on edge I got. Maybe this was a prank? I started cursing myself as I started to think that I may have been tricked but then I heard it. The echoing of heels on cement. Standing up from the swing, I turned around to face the women who may very well lead me to heading back across the country. "Em," I sighed, shoving my hands in my pockets, swaying back and forth on my heels.

"Do you know where he is?" She sounded distraught. Her face was red and her eyes were puffy, clear signs that she had been crying. I wasn't expecting this. I expected some yelling, some scratching, maybe even some hair pulling, not her crying to me about a guy I had no control over.

I didn't know what to say. Honestly, I didn't know where he was currently, but I knew where I left him. Part of me didn't want to tell her that, if he didn't contact her, I knew that maybe he didn't want her to know where he was. On the other hand, I knew what it was like to not know where he was, or who he was with, and I was never a fan of the unknowing. "I..."

"Please Cass." She cried, moving closer to me. As an automatic reflex, I stepped back. Once again reminding me of how much damage she had left behind after a simple spat between friends.

"I don't know where he is Emily," I groaned, I wasn't up to lying to her and I wasn't up to telling her the truth. "I left him at some pub downtown. After that I have no idea where he went. He could have gone to another town and I wouldn't know, nor would I care." At least I wasn't lying.

She let out a sad sigh, shaking her head as she kicked a pebble across the ground before looking up at me. "So, he was with you." It wasn't a question; it was a statement and I knew what she meant. "You've been home 3 days, not even a whole 3 days, and everything has changed." She took another step towards me, and I made sure that I didn't move this time, knowing it would either offend her or just make things even more difficult.

"If I knew you were together, I never would have come back Em." It was an honest confession. If I had known that he was in the middle of moving on with someone new, I would never have come back. I had a pretty good life back west. A one-bedroom apartment in one of the best parts of town, my job that paid so much better than this rinky-dink restaurant, and a guy who was genuinely interested in me. I never wanted to become one of those girls stuck in some sort of love triangle.

"Yeah," She scoffed, "Alright, then just leave. I mean, isn't that what you're good at?" It was warranted, but I didn't like it.

"And you were always one to sleep with my guys, so, I guess nothing's changed," I barked, instantly I regretted it, but I knew it was the truth. "Anyway, he's your man Em, you should know where he goes when he's in a funk."

"He's not mine." Those words came out of her mouth so fast that I didn't know what to do. Her shoulders were slumped and her eyes seemed to water, tears she had held at bay starting to spill over into her already fractured face. "I don't think he'll ever be Cass. He doesn't look at me the way he looks at you, and I can't help but wonder what it feels like to have that much power over someone?"