We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

“How was your night?” Mom asks as we take a seat for lunch. Cody and I exchange a glance.
“Yeah, it was great,” he answers. “We all just hung out at the hotel bar.”
“You didn’t let him drink, did you?” Mom interrogates, leaning forward on the table a little more.
“I bought him a beer. He’s eighteen. It’s not like he won’t drink in college next year.”
“Speaking of, have you decided where you’re going yet?”
Cody nods and takes a large gulp of his water. “Towson. It’ll be easier to commute to.”
“Commute?”
“It’s cheaper to commute,” Cody continues. Mom furrows her eyebrows. “Mom, Gin doesn’t have the kind of money to pay for housing. I only got a scholarship for two grand a year, and housing alone costs way more than that.”
“Cody,” I warn. He glances at me, and I just shake my head.
“No, Gin, she’s gotta know what’s been going on.”
“What are you talking about?” Mom wonders.
“Virginia works two job, almost 80 hours a week now, just to make ends meet. You realize what that’s done to her, right?”
“Cody, stop,” I plead.
“Absolutely not, Gin. You work way too hard, and it’s unfair that Alex is the only one willing to help you.”
“Alex? What the hell is going on?”
“Alex pays the rent of my apartment so I can pay for Cody’s tuition,” I confess. “I can’t pay for everything, even with Cody’s job. We live paycheck to paycheck.”
“Since when?”
“Since I moved out her, Mom. I’ve lived like that since I moved out here because you were so damn upset that I wanted to go to school somewhere other than USC. I couldn’t even live in my own apartment for a while because I couldn’t pay for it.”
“And because you didn’t want to live with Rachel,” Cody adds.
“Is that why Rachel moved back?” Mom seems entirely shocked at all of this new information.
“Rachel moved back because we’re not friends anymore.”
“What?!”
“And that’s my life since I’ve moved out,” I conclude, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms over my chest.
“Honey, I had no idea…” I shrug.
“No surprise there.”
Mom pulls out her wallet and pen, scribbling quickly. “Well, here. Consider this your first monthly check.”

“Why do you always pick some public place to talk about important things?” Alex wonders, sitting across from me at the Starbucks.
“Because we can’t start screaming at each other in the middle of a coffee shop without causing a scene, and I’d rather not cause a scene.”
Alex nods. “So, I did speak with Danielle.” I nod and look down at my coffee cup. “Babe, please look at me.” I slowly tear my gaze from the coffee cup. “All I know is that I didn’t sleep with her.”
I can tell the honesty is killing him because he already fucked up drunk once, but he knows lying to be would make things a million times worse.
“According to her, I was drunkenly upset that you made a new friend last night—some blonde chick—and ran to the bathroom with her. So, Jack and I were doing shots at the bar because I guess I understood it as you were leaving the club entirely. Jack said he remembers you coming back just to tell me that you were about to pass out and needed to go to bed. So, Zack took you upstairs.”
“Where were you when this happened?”
“I have no idea. I don’t remember a single thing from last night, Virginia. I don’t know what I did, and I know I’ve already fucked up like this before…”
“Do you think you hooked up with her?”
He sighs and rubs his face with both hands. “I honestly don’t know. She insinuated that it happened, but that’s the type of person she is. Granted, I think she’s even more terrified of you now that you got in her face this morning.”
“I don’t know what that’s supposed to me, Alex.”
“It means the more she’s afraid, the more she fabricates. I want to tell you that I just passed out last night as soon as I got to that hotel room, but I don’t know anything for sure.” I can already feel my throat burning and my chest aching. “You know that the last fucking thing I want to do on this earth is to hurt you again.”
“I know.” I run a hand through my hair. “I don’t know what to do, Alex. This isn’t like last time; this is your ex-girlfriend. I know I went upstairs without you last night, and though I’m fairly certain this mystery chick and Zack had sex, Zack said I went straight for the bathroom when I got back. I remember throwing up last night, but I don’t know how long I was in the bathroom for.”
“I already talked to Zack. He said he woke up around 7 and went for the bathroom; you were passed out on the toilet. So, he put you in bed.”
“So that just leaves the Danielle situation, and we may very well not know the truth of it.”
My phone rings on the table next to my coffee cup. I frown at the number flashing on my phone, and Alex watches in confusion as I answer. “Hello?” I greet unsurely.
“What the hell was your fucking boyfriend doing in my hotel room with my girlfriend?”
“Dear god, how are we all in the same fucking hotel?” I marvel. “Listen, if you could shed a little light on this situation, it’d be fucking great, Jordan, because that’s a question I’m trying to find the answer to.”
“I walked in, and he was stumbling around drunk off his fucking ass. Dani was hanging off of him, and I’m not okay with that.”
“You think I am?” I hear Jordan sigh. “What happened after that?”
“What the fuck do you think happened? I got pissed, Dani insisted it wasn’t what I thought it was, and…” He stops, and I hear something slam.
“And what?” He doesn’t answer, and I know him well enough to know that’s what he does when he knows he’s wrong. “He never did anything, did he?”
“Fuck if I know, Virginia!”
“Well, from my understandings, it was all Danielle.”
“I’m just wondering if you know what happened.”
I purse my lips. “No, thanks for the useless phone call. And tell your whore of a girlfriend to get a fucking life.” I hang up the phone and rise to my feet.
“Virginia…” Alex’s face is empty, eyes broken, corners of his mouth pulled down.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do, Alex. We both know how you are when you get drunk, and I’m not sure I can see past it this time.” He opens his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. “I know we don’t know what happened for sure, but I need time to figure it out.”
He nods. “So, maybe Rachel was right.”
I glance out of the Starbuck’s window and watch the passersby for a moment. “I’m not ending this now, but I need time to figure this out. And I hope you’ll respect that.”
Alex nods. “You know that even if anything did happen, I didn’t mean it, right?”
“I know, but if something did happen, is it really a surprise?”