#Chapter1
“I don’t need a rebound.”
Maria
The phone was lying there, cold and lifeless on the table. I knew that I needed to block his number, but I just couldn’t make myself do it. I didn’t know what to do about John. We had been together for over three years and it ended in a flash. I know his number by heart and I will probably know it for the rest of my life, so deleting it is probably just a symbolic gesture anyway.
“ What am I going to do about you?” I asked myself. I was alone in the house.
After several minutes of quiet introspection I got the nerve to pick up the phone. I knew what I had to do, but I just had to get the nerve to go and do it. John had cheated on me and it was over. I was not going to be played for the fool again. I had to face that fact. I had to delete his number from my phone and his place from my heart. Then move on.
It took several minutes for me to get the job done, and I didn’t feel any better after it was done. His number was gone, his messages were blocked, but somehow the thought of him with that other girl still pervaded my thoughts. He had been with her for the last year of our relationship. When I found out he gave me that tired old line that I wasn’t giving him what he needed so he got it elsewhere. Even though my brain understood that it wasn’t my fault he couldn’t stay faithful, my heart said something different.
I couldn’t take much more of this. I was a mess, and I knew it. I had spent the last week in a funk. Since John and I broke up, I just stopped trying. I hadn’t done my hair or worn anything other than pajama pants, a tank top, and a robe. I just couldn’t get myself moving. Shutting myself in I half-heartedly designed the website that I needed to get done and tried to keep myself together. I was just trying stay sane long enough to get my rent paid.
A little while later there was a knock on my apartment door. I knew that I wasn’t expecting anyone, so I looked through the peephole to see my three best friends standing outside. The twins were jockeying for the position in front of the door and Cathy was hanging a couple of feet back looking as cool as a cucumber.
I unlatched my deadbolt and let the girls in. Ada and Andrea rushed through the door as quickly as it opened and looked me up and down. Cathy strolled in behind them. “Oh my God!” Ada exclaimed at the sight of my messy hair and ice cream stained pajamas. “We have to do something about this Maria!”
“Let’s get moving girls!” Andrea ordered. “Cathy can you go pick out an outfit, while we get her into the shower?”
“ No Problem.” Cathy was always kind of distant, but she was a great friend. All the girls loved her and tolerated her need for space sometimes.
“ What’s going on?” I asked my friends.
“ You’re going out with us tonight.” Andrea chattered at her. “We’re going to pull you out of this.”
“ You used to go clubbing with us all the time.” Ada added to her twin sister’s explanation. “Maria, you need to get out of this apartment. It’s just bringing you down. C’mon and dance with us tonight.”
“ I can’t do this.” I told them. “I need some time.”
“ No,” Andrea stated. “What you need is a shower. No offense.”
I smelt my armpit. It turns out I really did smell bad. Without putting up much of a struggle I climbed in the shower. All that did was remind me of all the times I had made love to John in the bathroom. The tears were flowing as fast as the water from the shower head. I tried to get clean as quickly as possible, but it just wasn’t fast enough. By the time I was rinsing the shampoo out of my hair, I was leaning against the wall trying to keep myself from dissolving into tears. I don’t know how I managed to get myself all cleaned up, but it took quite a while.
I was sitting on the edge of the tub wrapped in a towel when Ada knocked on my door. “Whatcha doing in
“I don’t need a rebound.”
Maria
The phone was lying there, cold and lifeless on the table. I knew that I needed to block his number, but I just couldn’t make myself do it. I didn’t know what to do about John. We had been together for over three years and it ended in a flash. I know his number by heart and I will probably know it for the rest of my life, so deleting it is probably just a symbolic gesture anyway.
“ What am I going to do about you?” I asked myself. I was alone in the house.
After several minutes of quiet introspection I got the nerve to pick up the phone. I knew what I had to do, but I just had to get the nerve to go and do it. John had cheated on me and it was over. I was not going to be played for the fool again. I had to face that fact. I had to delete his number from my phone and his place from my heart. Then move on.
It took several minutes for me to get the job done, and I didn’t feel any better after it was done. His number was gone, his messages were blocked, but somehow the thought of him with that other girl still pervaded my thoughts. He had been with her for the last year of our relationship. When I found out he gave me that tired old line that I wasn’t giving him what he needed so he got it elsewhere. Even though my brain understood that it wasn’t my fault he couldn’t stay faithful, my heart said something different.
I couldn’t take much more of this. I was a mess, and I knew it. I had spent the last week in a funk. Since John and I broke up, I just stopped trying. I hadn’t done my hair or worn anything other than pajama pants, a tank top, and a robe. I just couldn’t get myself moving. Shutting myself in I half-heartedly designed the website that I needed to get done and tried to keep myself together. I was just trying stay sane long enough to get my rent paid.
A little while later there was a knock on my apartment door. I knew that I wasn’t expecting anyone, so I looked through the peephole to see my three best friends standing outside. The twins were jockeying for the position in front of the door and Cathy was hanging a couple of feet back looking as cool as a cucumber.
I unlatched my deadbolt and let the girls in. Ada and Andrea rushed through the door as quickly as it opened and looked me up and down. Cathy strolled in behind them. “Oh my God!” Ada exclaimed at the sight of my messy hair and ice cream stained pajamas. “We have to do something about this Maria!”
“Let’s get moving girls!” Andrea ordered. “Cathy can you go pick out an outfit, while we get her into the shower?”
“ No Problem.” Cathy was always kind of distant, but she was a great friend. All the girls loved her and tolerated her need for space sometimes.
“ What’s going on?” I asked my friends.
“ You’re going out with us tonight.” Andrea chattered at her. “We’re going to pull you out of this.”
“ You used to go clubbing with us all the time.” Ada added to her twin sister’s explanation. “Maria, you need to get out of this apartment. It’s just bringing you down. C’mon and dance with us tonight.”
“ I can’t do this.” I told them. “I need some time.”
“ No,” Andrea stated. “What you need is a shower. No offense.”
I smelt my armpit. It turns out I really did smell bad. Without putting up much of a struggle I climbed in the shower. All that did was remind me of all the times I had made love to John in the bathroom. The tears were flowing as fast as the water from the shower head. I tried to get clean as quickly as possible, but it just wasn’t fast enough. By the time I was rinsing the shampoo out of my hair, I was leaning against the wall trying to keep myself from dissolving into tears. I don’t know how I managed to get myself all cleaned up, but it took quite a while.
I was sitting on the edge of the tub wrapped in a towel when Ada knocked on my door. “Whatcha doing in
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