Betrayed

Aunt Linda arrived around 8:45 and Bear was already yawning. She gave Neche and knowing look before hugging us and smiling. We waved as they backed out of the driveway before shutting the door. Neche sighed and sat down on the couch.
“Sit!” she pointed to the lazy boy chair next to the couch. I obeyed and sat in the chair, staring off into space until Val, Erin and Delaney showed up. I was planning on keeping my mouth shut about the whole situation, but no. Neche had other plans.
“Girl are you out of your fucking mind?” Delaney cried, jumping onto my lap.
“Why would Jason do something that dumb?” Erin took a seat next to Neche. Val just stood in the middle of the room looking from me, to Neche, back to me before shaking her head.
“Mina… honey. I wish you could see the way he looks at you…”
“Brian or Jason,” Neche cracked. Val glared at her and Neche shut up.
“Jason loves you. More than you could possibly know.”
“But why would Brian say something like that?” I said miserably.
Val knelt down in front of me, “Because you’re the one girl he couldn’t have.”
That hit home. I knew I should have listened to my sister when she said that… but I guess I needed someone else to tell me. I sat there in silence, thinking as the girls talked among themselves. They were planning a party to celebrate the guys coming home. Neche stood, walked to the kitchen and returned bearing alcohol. She handed me a bottle of Crown and I stood up to grab some coke. Hopefully this would help me take my mind off things.

Two hours later, we were all talking and laughing. There was no better therapy than booze and girlfriends. Currently, Delaney was telling us about how she and Zacky met.
“It was at that photoshoot. You know, the one where Johnny was bitching about wearing eye-liner.”
We all laughed and Erin grinned. Leave it to Johnny to find something to bitch about.
“Anyways, I was helping my brother, and I saw Zacky… and something in me changed. I couldn’t stop looking at him,” she blushed, “And he kept staring at me. After the shoot, he came over and told me I was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. We’ve been together ever since.” She beamed.
Neche tousled her orange and blonde hair before we turned to Erin.
“All right cutie… let’s hear about you and short shit.”
“Well… you were all there,” she smiled shyly.
“Yeah, but it’s fun to tell each other. I’ve told Neche and Mina how I met Matt about fifty times each now,” Val offered.
“Alright. Well… I had been bored out of my mind when you all came into Red Lobster.”
“I don’t even like seafood…” I mumbled and they laughed and shushed me before turning back to Erin.
“There was just something about him. I knew I had to meet him. When I went to take your order, he blushed and Jimmy started giving him shit. When you guys ran out on him when the bill came, he asked me for my number.”

Soon, we were all too tired to keep talking. The girls went to the guest room and Neche and I went to our own rooms. While laying in bed, I couldn’t help but think of how Jason and I had met. It was the first day Neche and I had flown into town. I’d had no idea I’d be with him for five years. I buried my head into his pillow. All the girls stories made me realize how much I loved Jason, and how much I missed him. It was then that I decided I would ask him all about the cheating rumor when he got home from tour. Until then, I would put it behid me and pretend like nothing had happened…