"I have a what?"

When Mel, Stella, and I got to Mel’s house for band practice, Drew was half way through setting up his drum kit. I set my backpack on the ground and Drew looked up and smiled at us.

“How was Hell?” he asked grinning.

“I want to graduate already,” I smiled back.

“You’ll be fine Teg,” Drew said and I gave him a thanks smile, “Hey where’s the other half of you?”

“Talk to Candi,” Mel sneered.

“Should I be worried now?” I asked looking at Mel’s face and from her tone.

“Kyle never told you,” Drew said shocked.

“About what?” I asked now really confused.

“I thought you knew!” Mel exclaimed and now I was confused.

“About what!?” I yelled.

“Candi and Kyle used to date,” Stella said quietly, “They were together up until junior year last year. They broke up on the last day of school. They started dating in sixth grade.”

I took a deep breath to keep the tears from falling and the hurt from my voice.

“So they broke up,” I said my tough exterior taking over.

“Did Drew tell you what he was going to talk to Candi about?” Mel asked and I thought about it and shook my head no.

I then started jumping to conclusions and I had to calm myself down to not get worked up.

“Let’s hope I don’t cut his balls off,” Mel said angrily, “Such a dick move.”

I giggled lightly at that and we tuned up the guitars and basses waiting on Kyle. We waited for an hour when Kyle didn’t show up.

“I won’t be late for practice,” Mel said pretending to be Kyle as we started packing up.

“Maybe things aren’t clearing up for him and Candi,” Stella said trying to be positive for me.

“Or they’re obviously fucking,” Mel muttered and I pretended not to hear Mel.

I was helping Drew put in drum kit into car when Kyle’s car pulled up and we saw Candi sitting in the front fixing her hair.

“Why are you guys packing up?” Drew and I heard Kyle’s voice.

We both turned around and I had to keep my voice calm and level. There staring at me in the face was Kyle’s white t-shirt covered in red stains in the shapes of lips. I then looked up at his hair to see it was a mess.

“Well we were waiting for you,” Drew said and we both walked to the garage.

Kyle then grabbed my hand as I was walking behind Drew and turned me to face him.

“What’s with the silent treatment?” he asked confused.

“Have a nice makeout session with your ex-girlfriend?” I asked.

He then looked down at the ground and then back up at me.

“I was going to tell you,” he said quietly.

“When?” I asked, “When I figured out you were trying to play both of us Kyle? If you still loved her you should’ve told me instead of asking me out.”

“Wait,” he said and I turned around to look at him.

“I don’t love her,” Kyle said and I smiled lightly at him.

“Then you wouldn’t have kissed her back and been late for band practice,” I replied, “Just know that we can still be friends because I don’t want Mel, Stella, and Drew to choose. We just need to be adults and not act weird around each other.”

“Tegan,” he said as I walked away.

I didn’t turn back and I walked into my garage and grabbed my backpack. Mel, Stella, and Drew were all in Mel’s house so I didn’t have to explain myself as to why I was leaving. I walked down the driveway to see Candi smirking at me and I rolled my eyes. I had to laugh because she thought she won and in a way she did. She did break Kyle and I up but I had a feeling karma was going to come back and bite her in the ass. I pulled my iPod out of my backpack and pushed to play to hear Almost Lover by A Fine Frenzy and the tears I held in started leaking out. I soon started singing lightly to the song.

Your fingertips across my skin
The palm trees swaying in the wind, images
You sang me Spanish lullabies
The sweetest sadness in your eyes, clever trick

Well, I’d never want to see you unhappy
I thought you’d want the same for me

Goodbye, my almost lover
Goodbye, my hopeless dream
I'm trying not to think about you
Can't you just let me be?

So long, my luckless romance
My back is turned on you
Should've known you'd bring me heartache
Almost lovers always do

We walked along a crowded street
You took my hand and danced with me in the shade
And when you left you kissed my lips
You told me you would never ever forget these images, no

Well, I’d never want to see you unhappy
I thought you’d want the same for me

Goodbye, my almost lover
Goodbye, my hopeless dream
I'm trying not to think about you
Can't you just let me be?

So long, my luckless romance
My back is turned on you
Should've known you'd bring me heartache
Almost lovers always do

I cannot go to the ocean
I cannot try the streets at night
I cannot wake up in the morning
Without you on my mind

So you're gone and I'm haunted
And I bet you are just fine
Did I make it that easy to walk
Right in and out of my life?

Goodbye, my almost lover
Goodbye, my hopeless dream
I'm trying not to think about you
Why can't you just let me be?

So long, my luckless romance
My back is turned on you
Should've known you'd bring me heartache
Almost lovers always do

When the song was over, I was standing on my front porch and I saw that everyone was here. I then sat on the steps so no one would see me and stopped crying but the minute I stopped crying I became angry and needed to be alone. I opened the front door, slammed it shut, walked past the living room and kitchen, and headed straight to my bedroom to slam my bedroom door shut and walked straight to my computer in my room and turned up my iTunes and volume on my speakers and put on my music so I wouldn’t be able to hear my mom pounding on my door or anyone else for that matter.