I love the girls who hate to love because they're just like me

Do you ever wonder who people really are? What they really intend by their actions? And if they really are who they say they are?

As I sat in the bathroom stall I stared at words, names, and phrases scribbled on the walls surrounding me. Some were etched, like they wanted to make a statement, and others were just written loosely, as if they didn't care.

Julie is a skank!
www.myspace.com/bmth
Call Cindy for a good time: ***
Tamara + Omar forever <3

I thought about who wrote these things and if the things they said were true. I wondered who these people were and if they really, truly meant the things they'd written.

Was Julie really a skank, or was someone just insanely jealous of her? Did anyone ever call Cindy, or was she left to have 'a good time' by herself? Were Tamara and Omar still together or...were they ever really a couple in the first place? Maybe he was just her fantasy. Or maybe Omar cheated on Tamara and left her crying in a bathroom stall somewhere...

"Avery?" My heart ripped out again, hearing the sound of his voice from the other side of the door. I blinked hard, clearing the tears from my crystal blue eyes and stared ahead. The cool tears trickled down my pale cheeks and settled on my chin, dripping off slowly onto my pale jeans, leaving dark spots to remind me of this later when he tried to get me back.

"This is the girls' bathroom," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, "get out." I didn't want him to know I was crying. I wanted to hate him so badly, to despise him with everything in me, but couldn't stop the hurt long enough for revulsion.

"Avery, come on out. Please, baby?" I wasn't about to let him sweet-talk me and he sure as hell was not going to call me baby anymore.

"Go away Tony!" I shouted, wiping my cheeks with the back of my sleeve. He didn't deserve a chance to explain and I didn't want to hear his whining apologies anymore.

"Can we at least talk about this?" He sounded desperate, but I wasn't going to fall for his pathetic act.

"Why don't you go talk with Tellie?" I asked, rather calmly. I actually surprised myself by the thoughts that were running through my head, all the anger, frustration, and regret. It all just came out in a livid flood of text. "Oh wait, I forgot, she can't even hold up an intelligent conversation. That's why she's so good at laying back and spreading her legs, but I suppose you two deserve each other." He didn't waste any time, pretending like none of my words mattered and that he still loved me.

"It's not like that, just let me explain." I looked up from the floor and saw his new converse sneakers poking under the door. He was the type of guy who dressed for everyone but himself. He didn't like scuff marks and little, loose threads annoyed him.

I looked up and saw his fingers hanging from the top of the bathroom door as he leaned against it. His cuticles were ragged from all the times he'd tried to bite away his boredom.
"Avery..." His voice was quiet now, sounding feeble and relinquished. He seemed upset and I wanted to see the look on his face when he knew it was over.

I stood up from the closed toilet seat and unlocked the door. Tony stepped back as I walked out of the stall but the look on his face was not the one I was expecting.

He had a look of triumph as he took a step towards me. He smiled but I put a hand on his chest, shaking my head to clear up his confusion. If he thought his whiney pleads had won me back, he was severely mistaken.

"This is over." I turned away from him and walked out of the bathroom, just as a woman dressed in a suit passed by me, stopping dead in her tracks upon noticing Tony in the lady's room.

"You're not supposed to be in here," I heard her say snootily, and I made my way back out to the front of the store. I sniffled slightly and patted down my green apron, trying to compose myself as I returned to the till behind the counter.

There were no customers in front of me and I began to panic, praying for anything to distract me from what my eyes had just seen moments ago. I began to fumble around with the chocolates and gift cards that sat on the counter, when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"You okay, hon?" I turned around to face Chloe, our barista. I took in what she was saying and nodded slowly. She had been standing next to me when the whole mess took place.

I looked back towards the door, hoping desperately for a customer to walk in, but there was nothing. I didn't want to talk about this and I hoped she wouldn't get all sensitive on me.

She let her hand fall from my shoulder, reading me like a book, and I sat down on one of the stools we kept behind the counter. I felt sick to my stomach. I let my head fall into my hands and felt her hand on my knee this time.

"You can go home if you want, sweetie. I'll cover for you," Chloe said. She was kneeling down in front of me, resting a caring hand on my knee. I thought that would be the best decision right now. I wasn't being very productive and I needed comfort. Something I was getting none of at the scene of the crime.

"I have to call Brett first," I said and Chloe nodded, getting up as a customer entered the store. I stood up slowly and began to undo my apron as I walked into the back room.

I pulled the green uniform from my waist and hung it up beside the door as I walked into the break room. I made my way over to the wall, next to the lunch table, and picked up the black phone that hung crookedly against the floral wallpaper. I dialled Brett's number and held the receiver to my ear as it rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Brett," I said quietly, my voice shaking. He sounded a bit tired. I had forgotten he'd been out until 3:00am the previous night.

"What's wrong, Avery?" he asked, sounding more awake by the second. The sound of my voice was worrying him.

"Can you come pick me up?" I sighed. I felt guilty for doing this to him, but I really needed my best friend right now.

"I thought Tony was coming to get you?" he asked and silent tears began to fall from my eyes again. I wished they would stop. He wasn't worth this by a long shot.

"Long story," I sniffled, wiping the pestering tears away quickly. With that one tiny sound, that little sniffle, Brett knew instantly that something big was going on.

"I'll be there in a few,"he said quickly and I thanked him, hanging up the phone. I leaned up against the wall with a sigh and slid to the dirty, linoleum floor.

Tony was a liar. He had said that he loved me, that he would do anything to make me happy, but that was a lie. I started wondering how long he'd been sneaking around for, but I decided to let it go since it would probably just make me more upset.

I stood up slowly and grabbed my green zip-up sweater from one of the chairs that surrounded the lunch table. I pulled it on over my black Motion City tee and grabbed my messenger bag, heading out of the lunch room.

Brett lived only a few blocks away from the small shopping centre, host to Starbucks, Chapters, and Pier 1, so I figured he'd probably be here by now, especially if he was speeding, which was more than likely.

I made my way behind the counter and rested a hand on Chloe's arm, drawing her attention away from her customer momentarily.

"Thanks," I said quietly, giving her a sad smile. She smiled in return, letting me know it was okay, as Chris, the new guy, looked over discreetly in confusion.

Chloe turned back to the man standing before her and I made my way to the front of the store, passing the lounge chairs and magazine racks. I pushed open the wooden-framed door and walked out onto the sidewalk. I looked around for a second and Brett pulled up in his silver '69 Camaro, leaning over and opening the passenger's side door for me.

"Come on," he said, waving me over as he sat upright again, putting both hands on the steering wheel. I walked over to his car and hopped inside, shutting the door with a sigh. I looked towards Starbucks and saw Tony walking out in a hurry, looking around in all directions, most likely looking for me.

"Drive," I said quickly, pulling my hood over my head as I looked towards Brett with urgent eyes. He didn't ask any questions as he pressed the petal to the floor, speeding out of the parking lot. I fastened my seatbelt and rested my head in my lap, groaning in frustration, confusion, and anger.

The car ride home was silent as Brett waited for me to speak. He knew I'd open my mouth when I was ready. Brett's the kind of best friend that's extremely amazing.

We pulled into the driveway of Brett's house and he shut off the car. We both kind of just sat there, staring at the grooves of the yellow garage door in front of us. It totally clashed with the pale bricks and blue shutters of the house, but we had an amazing time painting it and it was full of memories. Brett had been bored of the colour white, that warm summer day, so we had made a short trip to the hardware store.

"He cheated," I said, taking my eyes away from the yellow and looking over at Brett. He unbuckled his seatbelt slowly and turned towards me, leaning over and wrapping his arms around my body. I had been relatively okay until that moment.

I wrapped my arms around my best friend and the tears began to flow. My body shook as I cried. I cried for all the times Tony had held me in his arms and told me that he loved me. I cried for all the times he had told me he cared. I cried for every fucking lie he ever spewed, just to keep me with him. Brett was the only one who really cared about me and I knew his love was real.

Brett just held me tightly and let me dampen his favourite sweater with my tears. My body stopped shaking and the tears all ran out and I felt foolish. Tony was a jerk and he didn't deserve my tears, but I couldn't help the fact that it still hurt anyway.

I loosened my grip on Brett and he pulled away slightly, looking me in the eye. Seriousness filled his face and it worried me slightly.

"Avery, I love you," he said clearly, his strong voice and words full of truth, acting as a blanket that wrapped around me with comfort.

"I love you too Brett," I whispered and he gave me a small smile. He ran his hand through my hair and pulled me to him, kissing me softly on the cheek.

"Let's get you inside." He sat upright again and turned away from me, opening the driver's side door. He stepped out onto the driveway and shoved his keys into his pocket, closing the door with a metallic thump. I unbuckled my seatbelt and pulled the door handle hard, stepping out of the car as well. The passenger side sticks sometimes.

I shut the door and Brett made his way over to my side of the car, reaching his hand out for me to take. I grasped his palm and we walked up the driveway, onto the short stone walkway, and up the steps to the front door of his quaint, little home. Brett reached out and grasped the handle, turning the silver knob and opening the front door for us. We stepped inside the house and shut the door, following our entry.

Actually, I'd call it more of a home than a house. I had spent many nights, and practically lived here, most of the time.

I kicked off my vans and pushed them into the corner with Brett's. I stared down at them for a second and Brett tugged on my arm lightly, pulling me out of my trance. I looked up at his worried expression and gave him a false smile, hoping he couldn't tell the difference.

He seemed to smile back as he led me down the short hallway and into the living room, on the right. He sat me down on the large, black couch and let his hand slip from mine slowly. I looked up at him, not wanting him to leave me, but he gave me a reassuring smile, just before he turned around and made his way into the kitchen across the hall.

I leaned back into the soft couch, the cushions forming around me like marshmallows as I put more weight into them. I leaned my head back and looked up at the ceiling, sighing quietly as I tried to count the little white spikes that protruded from the rough tiles. Brett re-entered the room when I got to sixty-four.

I sat up straight again as he walked towards me, a large tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream in his left hand and two large spoons in the other. I grinned widely and he smiled, happy his plan was working.

"The perfect snack-" he said, placing the tub and the spoons on the coffee table in front of me. He turned around and grabbed a DVD from the vast collection on the shelf by the TV and held it up, "-for the perfect movie." I squinted to try and examine the Rogers Video case, but it told me nothing. I scanned my mind, trying to think of which movies Brett didn't own, but the short list brought nothing to mind.

I smiled in confusion and Brett grinned, turning his back to me as he knelt down, turning on the DVD player. He popped the disc into the machine and I leaned forward, grabbing the remote off the coffee table to turn on the television.

Brett sat down next to me and I handed him the remote. He placed it on the coffee table and grabbing the tub of ice cream, placing it on the couch between us. The cool bin rested against my thigh and made me shiver slightly. My mouth began to water. Brett sat back into the couch and held a spoon out in front of me, grinning playfully.

"Thanks," I said, taking the spoon gladly. He stuck the other spoon into his mouth and popped off the ice cream lid, tossing it onto the table like a frisbee. I laughed lightly and shook my head, sticking my spoon into the cold, creamy goodness. It slid through the soft cream like a knife through butter and I hoped it tasted as good as it looked. Brett smiled and turned back to the TV, grabbing the remote and selecting 'play' from the main menu.

"Breakfast Club," he said, setting the remote down next to him again.

"Our favourite Brat Pack film," I smiled, leaning my head on his shoulder momentarily. "I don't know what I'd do without you, boy." I sat up again, looking over at him, and he smiled at me. He stuck his finger into the ice cream and grinned, rubbing it on the end of my nose. I laughed as he licked it off and I spooned him some ice cream in return.

We both leaned back into the couch and sung Don't You Forget About Me, eating ice cream and forgetting all about stupid boys.