Venus

I couldn’t believe I had finally done it, I broke up with him. But… why did it hurt so badly? It’s been a week and I couldn’t shake away the feeling of sadness. I sighed and snuggled up into the sofa, I had been living with my friend Carly for free but it was time I started looking for an apartment of my own. The beaten-down couch had been so worn that it hurt my back to sleep on it but I couldn’t bring myself to get up and actually do something.

I sucked in a breath and pulled myself up; I had to look for a new job too. I was lucky enough to have Carly letting me live here for free but I couldn’t burden her for much longer, though it wasn’t as if I was eating up all of her food. I had dropped three pounds in the past week from my lack of appetite, but I didn’t care too much. What was the point? Ever since I broke up with Justin I had felt better, but I still missed him and have almost gone back to him twice in the past few days.

We were together for a whole two years, and it was only in the last few months when he started drinking and becoming violent, and it wasn’t his fault. He was just stressed from getting fired, that’s all… Maybe I should go back to him—

“Are you thinking about Justin again?” I jumped, and let out a small yelp. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and saw Will, Carly’s boyfriend, sitting in his work clothes with a coffee cup in his hand looking at me with a worried expression on his face. “You can’t go back, V.”

I sighed, “But—”

“But nothing, V, he hurt you! Carly’s told you, and so have I, we’ll help you for as long as you need the help as long as you stay away from him. We live three hours from where you two did, isn’t that enough to mentally help you too?” He scratched his head; the hair was finally starting to grow back. Will was tall; maybe a little less than six feet and he had shaved his gorgeous head of curly chocolate hair completely bald because of a lost bet with Carly.

“But Will you don’t get it, we were together for two whole years,” I said, pleading with him. He got up and sat next to me, his coffee bean colored eyes looked back at me.

“I know it’s hard, but you can’t go back to him.” I sighed in response and pushed the fire truck red hair out of my eyes. “Carly’s left for work already and I’m leaving now, do you need anything before I go?” I shook my head and he hugged me goodbye. The scent of this cologne lingered in the air as he shut the front door.

I plopped back down and pulled up the handmade quilt to my chin. Maybe I’d go down to the mall and see if any of the stores were hiring; how that I was out of school I could work full time. I nodded and decided that was what I was going to do; I looked at my new phone and frowned. New phone, new number, new town, new everything just so that Justin couldn’t track me down easily. I got up and put on fresh clothes, the soft cotton of my favorite striped sweater gave me a little boost of confidence as I walked out of the apartment complex.