Broken Hearts May Have Their Doubts

"That we do," Max agreed, his eyes fixed on the road in front of us. Cars whizzed past, and people were staggering around drunkenly, giggling or shouting about something. One girl was even puking into the bushes that decorated the outside of the building. I gagged slightly as the smell drifted across to us.

"Max, you're going to have to tell me what's wrong. I can't read your mind. Not that I'd want to. I don't need to know your dirty thoughts," I said, sighing and waiting for him to fill me in.

"Josh. It's about Josh."

I groaned at the mention of his name. In my head I'd decided to call him He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, even though it makes him sound like Voldemort. And we all know that Josh isn't half as evil as that fictional character. But it didn't matter, it fitted into the situation.

Max shot me a dark look, then turned back to face forwards, carrying in with his explanation. "He's been really miserable without you, and I'm guessing you were miserable without him. So now you've got the chance to get back together and he's avoiding you and your off with Lucas, who's up his own arse."

"Max, you don't even know Lucas. So please don't judge him like that."

He raised one eyebrow. "But he is. I'm telling you the truth and you can't handle it. Neither can Josh though. You both do my head in, it's unbelievable. Your all 'oh my god I miss Josh, I love Josh' and he's the exact same, yet you both fuck things up with each other! I just wanna get your heads and knock them both together! But you know what? I'm not even getting involved anymore, because he's my friend and he's hurt. He misses you like you wouldn't believe, and you don't seem to care. He's too good for you."

I swallowed hard, taking in everything he'd just said to me, whilst flinging his arms around dramatically, to prove his stupid points. "Does Josh know you're saying all of this to me?"

"No. He doesn't. He knows what I think about you though. I used to like you, I thought you were funny and you made Josh happy, and that's all that mattered, but now he's a mess, and it's all your fault, Bliss. Right now, I can't stand you."

"You can't stand me?" Anger was bubbling up inside me, and I could feel myself shaking, about to blow on him. "It's not me who kissed Josh when I had a boyfriend!"

"What?"

"The other day when we went to talk, he kissed me and then Jenny came trotting up the corridor. You'd think she'd be the last person he'd be with, after the things he said about her at the school prom."

Max stood up, shaking his head at me. He looked straight into my eyes, holding my gaze. I shivered under his cold, dark glare. "Josh isn't with Jenny. She's not his girlfriend. He's not her boyfriend." He walked off into the darkness of the night, ignoring my calls for him to come back and explain.

"Bliss?"

I turned around to see Harmony standing in the doorway, blocking the exit for some people, until she moved aside and slowly walked towards me, sitting down on the cold concrete step beside me. "What was that all about?"

"Once again, I get first prize for screwing everything up. I still love him, Harmony, no matter how much I try to convince myself I don't. I do. And I can't help it, and it hurts. And now it's over forever," I said quietly, tears starting to stream down my cheeks.