This is cruel.
My heart skips a beat as I stare at my pathetic boyfriend, Jack, standing next to my evil stepsister, Joanne.
I can sense that something terrible is about to happen. The smirk on Joanne’s smug face says it all.
“What’s going on?” I ask slowly.
“There’s no easy way to say this Lara,” Jack avoids eye contact with me. He has never been good with confrontation.
“Just tell me what’s going on Jack,” I say slowly.
“I… um…” Jack can’t get the words out.
“He’s leaving you for me,” Joanne bluntly answers for him.
My eyes almost pop out of my head, “Jack?”
He doesn’t answer.
“Jack?” I question again. “Is this true? Are you dumping me for my stepsister?”
“Um… Yes,” he gulps.
No.
No way.
Not her. Anyone but her.
“You’re doing what?”
“I’m leaving you for your stepsister. You’re always so busy at the hospital and you don’t have time for our relationship. I was lonely. Then your stepsister started coming around and one thing led to another and, well, I like her – a lot. She is the one I want to be with. I’m sorry to have to tell you this way but it’s just how it is,” he says looking at me with concern.
“Okay,” I say in a drawn out tone, trying to resist the urge to punch Joanne in her small little petite jaw.
“Okay?” a confused look crosses Jack’s face. “That’s all you have to say? I’m telling you that I’m leaving you for your stepsister and that we’re not going to be together anymore, and all I get is an ‘okay’?”
I nod my head.
“Yes, that’s all I have to say. What am I supposed to do? Cry? Beg you not to leave? Because if that’s what you’re waiting on then you’re going to be standing there for a long time.”
I’m not going to give either one of them the satisfaction of thinking that they have the upper hand on me.
“Come on, Lara. Don’t be so passive. I know that you’re torn up over this,” says Joanne with a smirk in her eyes. “Stop trying to be brave because I know that soon as Jack and I walk out that door you’re going to be a wreck.”
“Actually… no, I’m not. If he thought that you were the better choice then I definitely know that he’s not the one for me. Jack you can get your stuff and leave and take her with you,” I defend myself.
Truth is, no matter how much it is inevitable, breakups still hurt.
Yes – I will be crying once they leave the apartment, but I’m not going to let them know that.
I thought that I had hit the prize when I had found Jack - handsome, intelligent and funny. It’s a pity he turned out to be a wimp.
“What are you waiting on? If you’re in love with her then move your stuff out of my apartment and into hers. It’s not that hard. You have ten minutes because after that my show starts and I don’t want either of you in here.”
Jack sighs and goes to the back of the apartment to pack his stuff, but Joanne doesn’t take her eyes off me.
I stare back at her and coolly drink my glass of wine. She is looking to see if I am going to breakdown in front of her but I won’t. My feelings with Jack were beginning to fade and frankly, this was a lot easier having to break up with him myself because I sucked at stuff like that.
Jack comes back out the room with a large suitcase and rolls it to the door.
“I’m sorry that it had to end like this,” he says. “But I thought you would put up a fight for me.”
“Why? You already made your decision? What more did you want me to do?” I ask him.
“I don’t know, but I never thought that you would let me go so easily,” he says.
I wave my hand at him as they leave the apartment. I finish off my wine and let out a sigh.
I know that Joanne hates me but I never thought that she would sleep with my boyfriend.
But then again, I would put nothing past her. She hates me and I hate her. It’s the one thing we have in common.
I flip through the mail, noticing that my
C. J. Cherryh
Learning to Kill: Stories
John O'Riley
Brenda Sinclair
Christopher George
Stephen Lloyd Jones
Karl Iagnemma
Celya Bowers
Jill Gregory
Aria Cunningham