002: The Boyfriend Disaster Part Two

~~Abigail Darlington~~

I stood there, getting drenched by the pouring rain, watching my boyfriend laugh with the girl he told me I shouldn’t worry about. Chelly joined his friend group four months ago. She blended in perfectly with them. These were the same people who rebuffed me. And acted like being in my presence made them dirty. They welcomed her with open arms.

They’re all A-class. Chelly is an A-class omega. Literal perfection, other than the rarity of an S-class anything.

She once asked if I was pregnant, then laughed when I told her I wasn’t. Elio told me she was just nervous about meeting me. I believed him. Even though it was uncalled for, and I'd barely sat down. The comments didn't stop, but Elio always had a defense for her. 

I guess I am naive. I always believed him because why would Elio lie to me? Why would my boyfriend/childhood friend lie to my face?

I forced my body to turn away from the scene, then walked off into the night. I was still crying, but I couldn’t let myself think about anything. Or I might collapse. I held my phone tightly, trying to keep it from the rain. I can’t afford a new one.

I got this after years of saving. I can’t afford to lose it. My part-time job only pays for my personal expenses, such as my medication for some of my allergies. The school covers everything. They even gave me a laptop and tablet for being one of the students to make it into their program.

They cover my dorm payment and my textbooks. But transportation out of the school needs to come from me. They covered some of my health and all of my food.

How else would I have survived this long here?

But every penny from my job goes into saving for the worst. I can’t touch a dime from that. What if mom passes away and dad needs to get back on his feet? I haven’t earned much, but I could help out.

I can’t spend it on my phone.

“Why am I thinking about my phone?” I mumbled to myself.

I was numb and cold by the time I got back to my dorm. I took the elevator to my floor; my tears were all gone by now. I guess that’s the beauty of being numb, I don’t really know what I feel right now.

By tomorrow, everything might sink in. Or maybe after I take a warm shower, I’ll get back to crying, but who knows?

At the ding, I stepped out and made my way down the hall to my room. One of the other girls rushed out, almost bumping into me. She blinked, then smiled. It took me a moment to realize who it was.

“Chiara?”

She grinned. She was wearing a long grey sweater and her underwear. “Hey, love. Why ask me questions? Let’s go to your room.”

She shot a look into the room she’d just come out of, then yanked me towards mine. I barely got a word in. I decided to just ignore it for now.

This isn’t unusual.

One of those friends I mentioned is Chiara Perez. Also in the glorious A-class. Though she’s a beta. She doesn’t have to deal with heat or being moved by someone’s pheromones. Rich too. But unlike Chelly, Chiara is an angel.

“WHERE DID THAT BITCH GO?” I heard someone yell as I unlocked my door, and Chiara pushed me in. She slammed the door behind us and leaned against it.

Well, an angel to anyone she isn’t sleeping with.

I shook my head and scanned the room. It was larger than most regular dorms. The space was enough for four people, but it was designed to fit two people. To beds, two desks, to large closets. A free space where you could lounge. It’s a fancy school for a reason.

Jade was on her bed, tapping away at her laptop while mumbling to herself. She looked up like she could feel my stare, and immediately shut her device. She was out of the bed in seconds.

My second friend is Jade King. She’s an omega, and yes, in that great class of A for absolutely perfect.

Other than Elio, these girls are my best friends. I’ve only known them for a year. They’ve treated me better than most people. They’re the definition of rich but not spoiled.

“Darling, you’re drenched. What happened to your umbrella?” She asked, running to the connecting bathroom to grab a towel. Jade brought it back and began patting me all over. “Oh god, what if you get a cold? You should have called. I’d have driven to get you.”

Something about her kindness and worry took away the numbness I’d been feeling since I arrived.

“Elio dumped me.”

“WHAT?!”

We both flinched at Chiara’s shriek.

“Be quiet.” Jade shushed her.

“I’m sorry, but I wasn’t expecting that.”

Jade nodded in understanding. “You need a bath, Darling. Take one, then we’ll talk.”

I reached for the hand that held the towel and stopped it. I pulled out my phone, thankfully it was still working. I unlocked it and pulled up the chat. I handed the phone to her and stumbled towards the bathroom.

I took the longest shower of my life. The warm water eased all the cold out of my skin, but did nothing to stop the ache.

Once I was done, I dried off and walked out to find some clothes. My friends were seated on the couch in the free area. I pulled on some sweat pants and one of my baggy t-shirts.

Halfway through i realized it was Elio’s. I yanked it off immediately and picked something else. I could smell him. He was here last night. Just last night, we were talking about all the things we wanted to do. Last night he had dinner with me and Jade.

Last night he kissed me and promised we’d hang out again today. I need to burn his clothes.

“Darling.” Jade’s voice came out soft, and I realized I must have been standing there looking like a crazy person. I turned around, forced out a smile, and made my way over. I sat between them and waited to hear what they had to say.

“It’s not Elio, right? It doesn’t sound like something he’d type. Sure, I saw him at Rosco’s with Chelly—”

Chiara cut me off. “Chelly Anderson? That bitch?”

Jade was still holding onto my phone while I nodded. “You saw them?”

“Yeah, but they didn’t kiss or anything. I could be overreacting,” I said, my throat feeling constricted. They shared a look, then Jade brought out her phone.

She typed something, then her eyes turned deadly. She turned the phone towards me.

It was Elio’s social account. He’s posted a video. Nineteen minutes ago. In his hand was a fist full of ass. The ass of a girl in a short black dress.

His friends were cheering. The caption was a knife to everything I thought I knew about him.

‘Finally, cut out the dead weight. I’ve upgraded.’

I looked away. Dead weight.... that’s what he’s calling me.

I fought back tears; I’ve cried enough. I don’t need to cry again.

“Darling, this isn’t right. His messages... what the fuck is wrong with him?”

“He has upgraded,” I muttered, feeling my cheeks get wet. No, I don’t want to cry. I started wiping my cheeks aggressively. My hair was still damp; I’d forgotten to dry it. I must look like shit. I don’t need to cry.

Chelly would never cry. She can have anything she wants.

All those times she joked that Elio could do better, and he would shut her down, saying he had everything he needed with me. They were all lies. How long have they been sleeping together?

“Don’t cry. God, Darling, don’t cry, that bastard doesn’t deserve your tears.” Chiara said, and soon a box of tissues was in front of me. I cried even harder. I couldn’t help it.

Elio was everything. Everything to me. We’ve known each other for a decade. How could he leave me? How could he do that to me?

I felt their arms engulf me, they said nothing else. As though realizing words couldn’t fix this. I hope this is a nightmare. I hope this is a bad dream that I can wake up from.

This can’t be real. I just want to know why.

I didn’t do anything to him. I was content being friends. He asked me out. He said he loved me first. And now he’s throwing it all away?

Why?