Good Girl

Nothing good had come out of their first argument, and many more arguments came after it. Mallory wanted to hate Matt, but most of all, she wanted to hate herself. She wondered what had gone wrong that would make him cheat on her. Of all the people in the world, she thought Matt was the last person she had to worry about. She’d always trusted him.

She couldn’t lie and say that it didn’t hurt. It hurt a lot but she continued to stay with him for two weeks after the fact, only because she wanted him to be honest with her. She was just waiting for him to be honest, and she couldn’t understand why he refused. She was sure they could work it out, no matter how upset she was. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, she thought.

Mallory sighed, biting down on her lip. She watched Matt from across Zacky’s backyard, conversing with the guys with a beer in his hand. She wondered how he could carry on with a smile on his face, like nothing had happened between them; like he hadn’t admitted to cheating on her; like he hadn’t been caught.

It was all about keeping up the image, Mallory guessed. The two of them were supposed to be the perfect, soon-to-be married couple. They had silently agreed to not let their problem slip out, in case they actually worked it out eventually. Besides, it was no one else’s business but theirs.

“You alright?”

Mallory turned her head to see Brian sitting next to her, his shades covering his eyes even though the sun was setting. He had a beer in his hand too, but that was just Brian. He always had a beer in his hand.

“I’m fine,” Mallory said, lifting her bottle of hard lemonade to her lips. The tangy beverage was refreshing.

“You’ve been quiet today,” Brian mentioned, staring straight ahead.

“I’m just a little tired, Bri,” She gave him a weak smile.

“You wanna go inside and lay down?” Brian asked. “Or I can take you home?”

“Brian,” She put a hand on his shoulder, trying to be convincing, “I’m okay.”

He shrugged, “Alright. I was just checking on you.”

She thanked him before he got up and found Erin. Normally, she would enjoy their group get-togethers, but she just couldn’t this time. She leaned back in her chair with a deep exhale, watching everything go on.

The guys were taking turns at the grill. Hopefully they wouldn’t burn the food or catch anything on fire. Rock music played over the speakers, but it was turned just low enough to have a conversation. It was still warm and humid even though the sun was starting to set, and Mallory was glad she’d doused herself in bug spray before she left home.

Tess soon came into Mallory’s line of vision. She held a red cup and ambled across the backyard over to the guys. It was one of the few times that Tess had accepted their invite since last month. They didn’t talk much. There wasn’t much to talk about. It was as if Tess was purposely distancing herself from Mallory, and Mallory wondered if Erin had something to do with it.

Mallory sat up straight in shock when Tess pressed a flirtatious kiss to Matt’s lips. Even Matt looked shocked and pissed as hell for a moment. Tess only stepped back, and her obnoxious giggle traveled throughout the yard. Mallory was livid now. With everything that had been going on the past couple of weeks, she couldn’t trust anyone.

Mallory stormed up to Matt and Tess. She grabbed Tess by the upper arm, yanking her away from Matt. The strong liquor from Tess’s cup spilled onto the ground. She stared at Tess and then to Matt. “What the hell was that?”

“It was nothing,” Matt said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“The hell it wasn’t,” Mallory said, still holding onto Tess. “You don’t fucking kiss him, Tess. That’s not fucking cool.”

“Whoa, whoa,” Zacky said, walking up to diffuse the situation. He effortlessly took Tess from Mallory’s hands. “Since when do you manhandle people?”

“Since I-” Mallory caught herself about to spill their business. “Am I the only person that just saw her kiss Matt dead on the mouth?”

“She’s drunk off her fucking ass, Mal,” Matt said. “She probably doesn’t know who the fuck I am. Let’s move on.”

“No,” Mallory shook her head defiantly. “I’ve seen Tess blackout wasted, and I know she’s not that drunk to forget that you are mine.”

“Mal, have you been drinking too much?” Zacky asked, raising an eyebrow and looking at her funny. “You’ve been acting weird all day and now you’re fuckin’ possessive of Matt.”

“Don’t you think I have the right to be possessive, Zack? I have the right to speak up when another woman kisses my fiancé, even if it’s Tess,” Mallory snapped at him. “She just kissed him on the fucking mouth and you’re telling me she’s just drunk!”

By now, the group of friends had quieted down and was looking on at the four of them. Zacky was holding onto Tess to keep her upright while talking to Mallory and Matt just stood in between them.

“All I’m saying is, I’m sure Tess will know that she made a big fucking mistake in the morning and you’re going to forgive her like you always do,” Zacky shot back in Tess’s defense.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Mallory yelled at Zacky.

Erin jumped in between the two of them, turning to Mallory. She looked at Mallory, her expression hard but somber. She gave her the straight-up answer with no hesitation. “It means that Tess has been fucking your man, Mallory.”