To Find the Lie, We Must Discard the Truth

“Cause when I'm with him I'm thinking of you”

I woke up early on Monday to get ready for school. Veronica was still sleeping and I decided to let her be until 6:30 if she didn’t wake up herself. Though, when I finished getting dressed, she woke up.

“what time is it?” she asks, sounding exhausted.

“6:15,” I answer, slipping on my watch.

“why are you up so early?” she climbs out of bed and walks over to her closet.

“I’ve got school at eight, as do you. I thought it’d be easier if I woke up first so we wouldn’t be fighting over the bathroom.” I explain.

“oh, thanks.” She grabs her clothes for the day.

“so while you get ready I’ll go make breakfast, anything specific you want?” I ask.

“I, uh, don’t usually eat breakfast.” She says.

“you do here.”

“fine. Um, bacon sounds good.” I nod and leave the room down to the kitchen.

It wasn’t until 7:00 when she came down ready for school. I had just set out the plates that had eggs, toast, and bacon on them. “do you drink coffee?” I ask her when she takes a seat.

“nope.” She says.

“good, cause we don’t have any. Though we do have tea, juice, milk, and hot chocolate. Which do you want?”

“um, Earl Grey if there is any.” There was so I poured the boiling water over a tea bag and set the cup down in front of her before taking my own seat.

“not that I’m complaining, but why do you do all of this?”

“what? Cook?”

“cook, shop for food, clean the house…it just seems like that’s what I’m supposed to be doing.”

“well you’re not so I thought I would. Unless you want to cook or clean.”

“no, I can’t really cook all that well. Or at least nothing like this.”

We were quiet for a little bit, eating our food. “so, do need a ride to school?”

“nah, I can drive.”

We both walk out of the house and I lock the door. “you have your key with you, right?”

“yes I do.”

“okay then, have fun at school.” I tell her, getting into my car.

“you too.”

And with that, we both drive our opposite ways to school

~~~

Damien quizzed me all through our math class together, “so is she cute?

“yes.”

“and you get to live with her?”

“yes.”

“are you guys f-“

“don’t finish that question Damien and the answer is no.”

“oh.” His voice sounded disappointed. “when are you going to pick up your stuff?”

“after practice today I’ll just swing by and grab what’s left. You going to be able to survive on your own?”

“I don’t know man, it’s going to be quite a pig sty without you there.”

I laugh as we walk out of class and too the locker rooms.

Practice went by quickly and smoothly. Damien kept asking questions about Veronica and I’d choose to either answer them or not. usually the ones I wouldn’t answer were quite inappropriate. But that’s just Damien. After practice finished up I went back to the dorm with him and cleared out the rest of my stuff.

“if you ever feel the need to clean, don’t be shy to stop by.”

“ha ha. Very funny.”

“I wasn’t joking, but whatever. see you tomorrow in math.”

“yup. Tomorrow.” And I left my dumb dorm then, going back to the house.

“Sweetie I’m home!” I call out as a joke when I enter the house. There wasn’t any reply so I just assume she’s doing homework or something. I set down the bag of groceries I got on the counter and tossed my backpack into the office.

Since the wedding was in August, I thought it would be best to call Blake and tell him now. I mean, he won’t let the secret out, I know that, plus he’s gonna be my best man and all, he deserves to know.

While I call him I make my way upstairs to grab my computer from the room. There still wasn’t a door so not only was I quick to see what was going on in the room, but I could also hear.

And what I heard was a specific ring tone that I put as mine on Blake’s phone. What I saw was Veronica making out with some guy on the bed. Put the pieces together and I think it was quite obvious.

“Blake?” he jumps away from Veronica and lands on the floor. She looked up at me pissed.

“what the hell Ryan?!”

“what the hell? You’re the one making out with my best friend on our bed and you’re asking me ‘what the hell?’!”

Blake stands up, “whoa. Stop fighting for a second. Am I going to get killed here?” That was typical Blake.

“no Blake, you’re safe. It’s Veronica who’s in trouble here.”

“we’re not married yet Ryan, you can’t tell me who I can and cannot date.”

“actually.” Blake says, “he kind of can in this situation Ronni.”

“you’re not helping here Blake!” she screams at him and he takes a step back.

“look, Veronica, you and I don’t have a choice here. Do you understand that? We don’t have a choice. I’m fine if you’re dating someone for awhile. I’m not fine coming home to you guys on the bed and I’m not fine that you’re with Blake.”

She glares at me, “so I can date any guy but Blake? Is that what you’re telling me?”

I glance up at Blake and he nods, giving me permission to break the news to her, “you’re not dating Blake, Veronica. He’s just being all nice to you so that you’ll have sex with him and then he’ll dump you for the next girl. And he’s pulling it off so easily because you’re new to the school and don’t know the reputation he has. And none of your friends have told you because they all want Blake to themselves and consider it lucky that you get to have a piece of him.”

“you don’t know anything.” She tells me, making me laugh.

“Hear that Ryan? You don't know me.” Blake was laughing with me and Veronica didn't look too happy. “Next time, Veronica, please tell people who you're with. No one at school wants to mess with Ryans girl. Especially after last time.”

Veronica's facial expression changed quickly from anger to sadness. “wait? He wasn't joking.” she was on the verge of crying and Blake was on his way out.

He slaps me on the shoulder when he leaves the room, “she's all yours man. I'll call you later so you can explain things to me.”

I nod and he leaves the house. This is how it went for years. He'd break a girls heart and I'd be there to help her get through it. Well, me or Nate. And it's not like we'd do it for sex or anything, we'd just feel bad that our best friend did this to girls. But for some reason, standing here in the doorway, looking at Veronica, I didn't feel one bit bad.

Though I still wasn't a jerk so I walked over to the bed and sat down next to her. “go away!” she screams into the pillow she was holding to her face.

I pull the pillow out of her grip and set it on the other side of me. “come on Veronica, at least he didn't use you and toss you aside like all the other girls.”

“is that really supposed to comfort me?” she asks, looking up at me with her now puffy eyes.

“come on, let's get that broken heart taken care of.”

“I don't want to move.”

“well then...” I stand up and life her up in my arms bridal style, walking the both of us down to the living room.

“you're weird.” she comments through her tears. I set her down on the couch and then walk over to the movie collection I had organized yesterday. I take out Hot Tub Time Machine and put it in the DVD player, pressing play.

“what-*hiccup*-did you-*hiccup*-put in?” Veronica asks as I sit down next to her on the couch.

“You'll see.” I tell her. By the time the movie was over she was laughing and had forgotten all about Blake.
♠ ♠ ♠
Title Song: Thinking of You by Katy Perry
comment.subscribe.befriend.promote.
please.
<3 justrealizelife
p.s. if you haven't already, and you're of an appropriate age, watch Hot Tub Time Machine