couldn’t help it.
“What’s so funny?” Nick sounded hurt.
“Are you actually trying to tell me that I’m better off because you cheated on me?” Josie said through bursts of laughter.
“I don’t know. Maybe?” She could picture his nonchalant shrug, which only pissed her off.
“Maybe? Like maybe you did me a favor by cheating on me? Toughened me up by breaking my heart? Saved me from pain by giving
my
necklace to
her
?”
“I didn’t give it to her,” Nick snapped.
“Oh yeah? Then why is the necklace you bought for me hanging around your new girlfriend’s neck, huh?”
Nick was silent for a moment. “I was going to return it.” His voice was strained. “But she found it in my room and wanted it.”
“Oh.”
“I didn’t know she was going to tell everyone I’d given it to her. That wasn’t my fault.”
“Right,” Josie said, her temper flaring once more. “Because none of this is your fault, right? You’re Boyfriend of the Year.”
“Look,” Nick said. He sounded angry. “How would you even know I bought the necklace for you? It’s not like you remembered our anniversary.”
Josie’s face burned. He was right. She’d totally forgotten their anniversary in the middle of everything else in her world falling apart. She was about to apologize when she remembered that whatever gift Nick had bought to celebrate their year together, he’d still been sleeping with Madison for almost two months. Suddenly, the gesture seemed hollow.
“So now you’re trying to blame this on me?”
“No,” Nick said quickly. “But you did forget our anniversary.”
Josie set her jaw. “You’re trying to make yourself feel better. I get it. But understand this—there is no scenario in this universe or any other that makes what you and Madison did acceptable, okay? There’s a special place in hell for backstabbing friends and cheating boyfriends, and the two of you have reservations.”
“You want this to all be my fault,” Nick said. “Fine.”
“It
is
all your fault,” Josie interrupted.
“Maybe you should take a look in the mirror, Josie. There were two of us in that relationship. Ever think that maybe this is partially
your
fault?”
“Are you kidding me?”
“You haven’t exactly been available lately, you know,” Nick said bitterly.
“Well, gee, Nick. My parents are going through a divorce.” Josie let the sarcasm drip from every syllable. “What did you expect?”
“You think you’re the only one with problems?” Now Nick was getting pissed off. “We’ve all got shit going on. Did you even know my brother has cancer?”
Josie caught her breath. Tony had cancer? How did she not know that?
“We found out two months ago. I wanted to tell you, but you never had time. I felt like you had too much going on, so when Madison and I were hanging out one night, I told her. The rest just . . . happened.”
So it was her fault, in a way. Nick cheated on her because he felt like she wasn’t there for him. Ugh, why hadn’t he told her? Or had he tried and she just didn’t notice? She’d been so wrapped up in her own drama, it was a real possibility.
Nick took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Look, I don’t want to fight. I just needed you to know that I didn’t mean to hurt you. And I’m sorry.”
“Okay.” Josie felt deflated. Her quick burst of anger had evaporated as soon as she heard about Tony’s cancer. “Thank you,” she said somewhat lamely.
“Good-bye, Josie.”
“Bye.”
3:57 P.M.
Josie’s hands were shaking as she tossed her cell phone onto the bed.
She wasn’t the only one going through life drama, but in her own pain and grief she’d managed to box out the one person in her life she cared about most. She pictured Nick’s face Monday during their last conversation. There had been something wrong, something he desperately wanted to talk to his girlfriend about, and Josie didn’t have time.
Josie leaned against the windowsill
“What’s so funny?” Nick sounded hurt.
“Are you actually trying to tell me that I’m better off because you cheated on me?” Josie said through bursts of laughter.
“I don’t know. Maybe?” She could picture his nonchalant shrug, which only pissed her off.
“Maybe? Like maybe you did me a favor by cheating on me? Toughened me up by breaking my heart? Saved me from pain by giving
my
necklace to
her
?”
“I didn’t give it to her,” Nick snapped.
“Oh yeah? Then why is the necklace you bought for me hanging around your new girlfriend’s neck, huh?”
Nick was silent for a moment. “I was going to return it.” His voice was strained. “But she found it in my room and wanted it.”
“Oh.”
“I didn’t know she was going to tell everyone I’d given it to her. That wasn’t my fault.”
“Right,” Josie said, her temper flaring once more. “Because none of this is your fault, right? You’re Boyfriend of the Year.”
“Look,” Nick said. He sounded angry. “How would you even know I bought the necklace for you? It’s not like you remembered our anniversary.”
Josie’s face burned. He was right. She’d totally forgotten their anniversary in the middle of everything else in her world falling apart. She was about to apologize when she remembered that whatever gift Nick had bought to celebrate their year together, he’d still been sleeping with Madison for almost two months. Suddenly, the gesture seemed hollow.
“So now you’re trying to blame this on me?”
“No,” Nick said quickly. “But you did forget our anniversary.”
Josie set her jaw. “You’re trying to make yourself feel better. I get it. But understand this—there is no scenario in this universe or any other that makes what you and Madison did acceptable, okay? There’s a special place in hell for backstabbing friends and cheating boyfriends, and the two of you have reservations.”
“You want this to all be my fault,” Nick said. “Fine.”
“It
is
all your fault,” Josie interrupted.
“Maybe you should take a look in the mirror, Josie. There were two of us in that relationship. Ever think that maybe this is partially
your
fault?”
“Are you kidding me?”
“You haven’t exactly been available lately, you know,” Nick said bitterly.
“Well, gee, Nick. My parents are going through a divorce.” Josie let the sarcasm drip from every syllable. “What did you expect?”
“You think you’re the only one with problems?” Now Nick was getting pissed off. “We’ve all got shit going on. Did you even know my brother has cancer?”
Josie caught her breath. Tony had cancer? How did she not know that?
“We found out two months ago. I wanted to tell you, but you never had time. I felt like you had too much going on, so when Madison and I were hanging out one night, I told her. The rest just . . . happened.”
So it was her fault, in a way. Nick cheated on her because he felt like she wasn’t there for him. Ugh, why hadn’t he told her? Or had he tried and she just didn’t notice? She’d been so wrapped up in her own drama, it was a real possibility.
Nick took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Look, I don’t want to fight. I just needed you to know that I didn’t mean to hurt you. And I’m sorry.”
“Okay.” Josie felt deflated. Her quick burst of anger had evaporated as soon as she heard about Tony’s cancer. “Thank you,” she said somewhat lamely.
“Good-bye, Josie.”
“Bye.”
3:57 P.M.
Josie’s hands were shaking as she tossed her cell phone onto the bed.
She wasn’t the only one going through life drama, but in her own pain and grief she’d managed to box out the one person in her life she cared about most. She pictured Nick’s face Monday during their last conversation. There had been something wrong, something he desperately wanted to talk to his girlfriend about, and Josie didn’t have time.
Josie leaned against the windowsill
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