Chapter 10

Julie:

“Why wouldn’t I believe her? I mean, it’s not like you were spending the weekends at my place, and who the heck is this guy following us around.”

“Alex, meet Jay, my ex-boyfriend, and Jay, meet Alex, Sara’s fiancé.”

“Nice to meet you,” they both shook hands and looked back at me.

“Jay, I never once cheated on you. You can ask May how we would study until 1 in the morning or how we’d Skype just to study together. What hurt me the most is that you believed her and not me. I mean, you know all she’s capable of after sending me and Kyle to the hospital. And my arm still hurts because of her. Also, you’ve known me since we were kids, enough to know that the only guys I ever talk to are the ones who are friends with you and Kyle. As for the guys at school, I barely even talk to them. You and Kyle were my only guy friends, so tell me, with whom would I cheat on you? Tell me why would I cheat on you when it was even hard for me to spend the night next to you? Why would I allow someone I don’t even know to spend the night with me?”

He looked deep in thought before looking at me, opened his mouth, and then closed it back again.

“Look, Julie, I’m sorry, okay? I shouldn’t have believed her. I mean, Nate told me she told him the same thing after your parents shipped you off to Miami.”

“So that is why Nate broke up with me because she lied to him so they could be together.”

Tears ran down my eyes. “Why does she always have to have everything that I have, everything that I want? Why, I cried. God, I hate her so much. I don’t think I will ever be able to forgive her.”

“Come on, Julie, she is your sister. You don’t have to do this.”

“Do what? Hate her? Or want her to go to hell and rot there for all I care. Look here, Jay, she is my sister, but also the one person who can’t stand to see me happy. So why shouldn’t I hate her? You know what, I really don’t want to talk about Sara anymore. So, if you would excuse me, I have some shopping to do. So, bye.”

Stepping out of the car, I walked around him and entered the shop with Alex. I wiped my face and just filled my thoughts with what I was looking for, something for Angel. I looked at Alex and smiled. “Thanks for being here for me, Alex. Even though you didn’t do a thing, just the fact that you were there, thanks.”

“It’s okay. I’m just glad I got to learn something new about Sara I didn’t know. So, tell me about your hand that you mentioned earlier. What happened?”

“Well, what do you say I tell you tonight after dinner?”

“Okay, sure. So, what are you looking for?”

“Hmmm, I was thinking a necklace with her name on it. Would you help me look for it?”

“Yes, sure. Why don’t you go look over there, and I will ask the shop lady if she has anything else with the name Angel?”

“Thanks.”

Going to where all the necklaces were, I started looking. I found a few, took them to where Alex was standing. He was holding a few, so we put them on the table. It was time to make a choice.

After contemplating, we ended up choosing the silver one with the little diamond on the side.

Entering the grocery shop, we bought some stuff and went home. We made dinner, but before that, I had to get Angel some outfits, which Alex wouldn’t let me pay for. After making some spaghetti bolognese, we ate and talked and laughed.

Mary and Angel came home an hour ago, and my little princess was already asleep. So, I cleaned her as much as I could, not wanting to wake her up, because, trust me, making her sleep back after cutting her sleep in half is just so hard. Mary dropped off Angel and went to her boyfriend’s place, so it was just me and Alex in the bedroom, lying down. Then he asked me, “So, are you going to tell me what happened to your arm now?”

“Hmm, yes, it’s nothing big. I got into a fight with Sara because she couldn’t keep her hands off my boyfriend. She would go around telling them nasty stuff, like what you heard from Jay. My arm was so badly broken they wanted to remove it because it wouldn’t heal. But after half a year in the hospital, it started healing. But sometimes, it does fall asleep and hurt, especially during winter. But I’m fine, really. It’s not something I can’t live with.”

“So, do you want to talk about Kyle? What happened to him?”

Tears ran down my cheek, but Alex wiped them away.

“Well, Kyle was like a big brother to me. His sister was my best friend, and I always spent my afternoons after school with them. He used to give me advice and help me out. So, he and Sara started dating, and for some reason, his sister wouldn’t talk to me or even want me over. So when he came over one day, I was upstairs doing homework. When I heard his voice, I invited him to come in so he could explain to me what was going on with May. When Sara walked in on us talking, she wouldn’t even listen to a word I or Kyle had to say. She beat the crap out of us. In case you didn’t know, she has aggression problems. I mean, don’t take this wrong, but after beating him up, he ended up in a coma. When he woke up, it seemed like his brain was damaged, and all he can do is breathe and see. I think he can still hear, but the doctor doesn’t think so. But he is making some progress. He sometimes moves his fingers or feet, and I’m hoping that with time, he will get better. When I found out what happened to him, I couldn’t believe it. I felt so guilty because it was my fault. If I hadn’t invited him to my room so he could tell me what was wrong with May, he might still have been here now. If I didn’t have so many problems, he would still be here, smiling like there was no problem. I really do miss him, Alex.”

Alex pulled me close to his chest and kissed the top of my head. “So, what time are you leaving tomorrow?”

I was really glad he was trying to change the topic. “I’m leaving at noon.”