Small Bump

ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ ｔｗｏ

I pulled into Tessa's driveway. I was still crying. I looked into the rearview mirror to check my makeup; sure enough, I was a mess. Mascara was running down my cheeks, my lipstick was smeared, and my eyes were red and puffy. I took a deep breath as I got out of the car.

As I walked inside, I was instantly greeted by my sister's labradoodle, named Mickie. I pet her as I walked through the hallway into the kitchen. "Tess," I called.

"I'm here, I'm here." She quickly pulled me into a tight hug. "Are you okay? What happened," she asked intently as she pulled away.

"Anthony, he-"

"Did he break up with you?"

"No- I- I-" I tried my best to pronounce the words for the first time. "I came home from my errands, and he-"

"No... he didn't... he wasn't."

"He- cheated on me." I collapsed into her arms again.

"But Valentine's Day, your 4 years together, your birthday, they're all coming up here in a few weeks."

"I know, I don't know what to do."

"How long, was he-"

"Three months," I said and pulled away from the hug. "He was fucking this slut. And I, being fucking clueless, didn't even see it coming."

"Oh my god, well let's get you cleaned up. I have some ice cream in the freezer, and we can watch a movie. You can pick it."

I could barely breathe from crying so hard. The chest of my shirt was drenched with tears. I followed Tessa up the stairs and into her room. She tossed me a t-shirt and sweatpants.

"Got any fuzzy socks," I asked. She chuckled and threw me a pair of big, fuzzy, purple socks.

I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and threw my hair in a messy bun. As we made our way down the steps, Tessa asked me what movie I wanted to watch.

"How about a lesbian movie because men are worthless," I said, half-seriously.

"I don't have any of those, I'm sorry, but I'm glad you still have your sense of humor," she laughed.

"Dirty Dancing," I asked, already knowing she had it. That's always our go-to movie; we've been watching it since we were just little girls. I got the ice cream, and a few blankets. Tessa and I cuddled up on the couch and watched the movie. Afterward, she stood up. She crouched down to turn on the stereo.

"What are you doing," I asked suspiciously. She just smirked at me.

"Do you remember when James broke up with me in 10th grade? And you, being the supportive little sister you are, tried to help me out the best you could?"

"Yeah, but what does that-"

"Shh. Just wait." She fiddled on her phone for a second, and looked back at me. "And remember how you made me have a dance party with you?"

"Oh my god, Tess-"

"Oh yes, payback. Get up." She hit play the first few notes of some breakup song started playing through the stereo speakers and she started dancing to the beat.

"This is so cheesy," I sighed. She danced over to me and held my hands, trying to pull me up. "This is like what those teenage girls do in the movies." She eventually pulled me up onto my feet. "No. I'm not dancing. This is stupid." She saw a smile start to appear on my lips and she raised her eyebrows at me. "No." The chorus of the song was coming in a few seconds, and it was so tempting to dance. I bit my lip, trying to hide my smile. The chorus arrived and I broke out into some awkward dance. We jumped around and sang at the top of our lungs. We didn't care at all; it was a great feeling.

The song eventually ended, and I sat down on the couch, catching my breath. Tessa turned down the music, she realized my smile had faded and she frowned. I started breathing heavily again, and I felt tears brimming my eyes. I let all my sad feelings out, and just bawled in my sister's arms. Mickie jumped up on the cushion beside me and laid down.

"What did I do to deserve this," I sobbed. Tessa rubbed my back.

"It happens to the best of us," she said simply.

"I should've known. He said he's been staying late at work, he changed the password on his phone, he stopped taking me on dates. There are just so many signs that I now realize. Like what the hell? How can I be so fucking oblivious?" I let my head fall into my hands. I sighed; my breathing was unsteady from sobbing. There was still music playing softly.

"What can I do," Tessa asked. I just shook my head.

"Nothing, really. There's nothing you can say. Just let me stay here until I find an apartment of my own."

"Of course, stay as long as you need. You can sleep in the guest room. Do you have clothes and stuff?"

"I think I have like two shirts and a pair of jeans, I don't know. I just grabbed stuff and left. I was pissed," I wasn't crying anymore, but I was still sniffling and my eyes were irritated. Tessa was quiet for a moment. "I was gonna go get the rest of my stuff tomorrow."

"No, you are not going back there. I'll get your stuff for you."

"Tessa, it's okay. I can handle it."

"Alright, but I'm at least going with you. I'm not letting you go by yourself."

"Okay. I can deal with that. Can I go to sleep," I sighed. She nodded, and I stood up with the blanket wrapped around me. I almost tripped on it while walking up the steps, but I quickly recovered. I didn't even turn on the light when I reached my temporary room for the next few days. I just shuffled over to the bed and collapsed.