Familiar Breath of My Old Lies

Against my better judgment, I let Jackie into the house.

“Let me go get him for you,” I said to her.

I walked into the kitchen. Austin was drinking a glass of milk at the time.

“Austin, there is some girl named Jackie here to see you,” I said.

He choked on his milk, “What?”

He sat the glass down and walked into the living room.

“Stay here for now,” I told Brooke. She just nodded and I followed my brother into the living room. Cody and Kelsey got up and walked into the kitchen. They knew it was about to get ugly.

"Hi, Austin…” Jackie trailed off.

“What are you doing here?” He asked.

“I just needed to see you…..to see if the rumors were true,” She replied.

“What rumors?” I asked.

“The rumors about Austin being a dad.”

I laughed, “Yeah, hun, they’re true.”

“So are you his girlfriend?”

I gagged, “I’m his younger sister. Who are you to Austin?”

Austin sighed, “She’s an ex-girlfriend…like the girl I was dating before Brooke and I hooked up.”

“Wait, you’re Jackie Hanson?”

“Yeah,” She replied.

I rolled my eyes.

“Please don’t start drama with my family.”

“I’m not here to start drama. I just needed to know everything was over…..for closure,” Jackie said.

I just nodded, “I’ll be in the kitchen.”

“Who was that?” Kelsey asked.

“Jackie. Austin’s ex,” Cody replied.

“You left my boyfriend in there with his ex, are you crazy?” Brooke asked.

“Go in there with them then, geeze,” I replied.

Brooke rolled her eyes and handed me Peyton. Then she walked into the living room. Peyton fell asleep in my arms. I heard them talking, but they weren’t arguing so maybe it would be okay for them. Me on the other hand, I got a rude awakening when I got a call from Val.

“Delilah?” Val asked as I answered the phone.

“Yeah, Val, what’s up?”

“I need to tell you something and you’re not going to like it.”

My stomach was in my throat at that point. I knew it was bad.

“What?”

“Brian…..cheated on you with Michelle.”

“No, he didn’t. There’s no way he would do that to me.”

“Delilah, hunny as much as I didn’t want to believe it, he did.”

“I’m calling him.”

“Okay, I’m so sorry Lilah.”

I hung up the phone.

“What’s wrong?” Cody asked.

“Brian….cheated on me.”

“Oh god, I’m so sorry,” Kelsey said pulling me into a hug.

“If they ask, I’m upstairs.”

I took the stairs from the kitchen and walked up to Austin’s room.

I cried for a few minutes before I got the guts to call Brian.

“Did you cheat on me with her?” I asked.

“Delilah, I…”

“Brian, did you cheat on me with her?”

I heard him sigh and I knew he was probably biting his lip, “Yes.”

I broke down, “WHY? WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!?

“I’m so sorry.”

“No you’re not. Its over Brian. Don’t talk to me, don’t think about me. Nothing. I hate you. As far as I’m concerned, our relationship never existed.”

I shut my phone and then threw it against the wall. I heard people running up the stairs.

“Its over Brooke. He cheated on me with her.”

Brooke was angry and so was Austin. Brooke sat down next to me after she put Peyton in her bed.

Nothing was said or heard but my sobs for the next two hours.