Maybe Someday(16)

Sydney: Ridge, they’ve been friends for

longer than I’ve even known Hunter. I

think you’ve misinterpreted everything.

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Me:

If

sticking

your

tongue

down

someone’s throat while straddling him is

friendship, then I’m sorry. But I’m positive

I’m not misinterpreting anything. It’s been

going on for weeks. I’m assuming they

come out to the patio while you’re in the

shower, because they’re never out there

long. But it happens a lot.

Sydney: If you’re being honest, why didn’t

you tell me when we first started talking?

Me: How does one comfortably say this to

another person, Sydney? When is there

ever an appropriate time? I’m telling you

now because you’re becoming suspicious,

and it’s as appropriate a time as it can be.

Sydney: Please tell me you have a warped

sense of humor, because you have no

idea what you’re doing to my heart right

now.

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Me: I’m sorry, Sydney. Really.

I wait patiently for a response. She doesn’t text

me back. I contemplate texting her, but I know

she needs time to absorb this.

Dammit, I’m such an *. Now she’ll

probably be pissed at me, but I can’t blame her. I

guess I can kiss the lyrics good-bye.

My door swings open, and Warren barges in,

then hurls a cookie straight at me. I duck, and it

hits the headboard behind me.

“Asshole!” Warren yells. He turns and

marches back out of the bedroom and slams the

door.

Chapter Four

Sydney

I must be in shock. How the hell did the day turn

out like this? How does one girl go from having a

best friend, a boyfriend, a purse, and a roof over

her head to being heartbroken and naked, stand-

ing frozen in a strange shower, staring at the wall

for half an hour straight? I swear to God, if this is some huge elaborate birthday hoax at my expense, I’m never speaking to anyone. Ever again.

Ever.

However, I know it’s not a hoax. A hoax is just

wishful thinking. I knew the second I walked

through the front door and headed straight for

Hunter that everything Ridge had said was true. I

flat-out asked Hunter if he was sleeping with

Tori, and the looks on both of their faces would

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have been comical if they didn’t completely

crush my heart and deplete my trust in one fell

swoop. I wanted to sink to the floor and cry when

he couldn’t deny it. Instead, I walked calmly to

my bedroom and began packing my things.

Tori came into the room, crying. She tried to

tell me it meant nothing, that sex had always

been a casual thing between them, even before

they met me. Hearing her say it meant nothing to

them hurt worse than anything. If it meant

something to either of them, at least I could

vaguely understand their betrayal. But the fact

that she was claiming it meant nothing, yet it still

happened, hurt me more than anything else she

could have possibly said at that moment. I’m

pretty sure that’s when I punched her.

It doesn’t help matters that I lost my job just

minutes after Ridge told me about Hunter and

Tori. I think it’s frowned upon in most libraries

when student workers begin crying and throwing

books at the wall in the middle of their shift. But

I can’t help the fact that I happened to be

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stocking the romance section the second I found

out my boyfriend of two years was sleeping with

my roommate. The sappy, romantic covers on the

cart in front of me just really pissed me off.

I turn the water off in Ridge’s shower and step

out, then get dressed.

I feel better physically after finally getting into

dry clothes, but my heart is growing heavier and

heavier with each passing minute. The more time

that passes by, the more my reality begins to sink

in. In the course of just two hours, I’ve lost the

entire last two years of my life.

That’s a lot of time to invest in two people

who were supposed to be the most trusted people

in my life. I’m not sure if I would have ended up

marrying Hunter or if he would have been the

father of any future children of mine, but it hurts

to know that I trusted him enough to possibly fill

those roles, and he ended up being the opposite

of who I thought he was.

I think the fact that I misjudged him pisses me

off more than the fact that he cheated on me. If I

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can’t even accurately judge the people closest to

me, then I can’t trust anyone. Ever. I hate them for taking that away from me. Now, no matter

who comes into my life after this, I’ll always be