Friday June 1
Tanner's P.O.V.
My mom and I have finally arrived home. She is helping me unload my things from the car when Janae arrives home with her parents. I feel butterflies starting to flutter around in my stomach. We haven't talked ever since the day that we broke up... Yeah, I've wanted to talk to her, but I knew it would always be a bad idea. I just wanted to know why she did it and why she would hurt me like that. I tried to convince myself that it was for the better, since she DID cheat on ME. It was really hard having classes with her and attempting to completely avoid her too.
I think the part that hurts the most, is the fact that I didn't find out on my own. I found out through a text from someone else. One day at school I just opened up a text message and poof there it was! A picture of Janae, my girlfriend at the time, kissing some senior guy. Couldn't I have been the one to find out first? I don't even know how long it was going on.. Maybe our whole relationship was just a joke to her. I don't trust a Harris anymore.
My mom and I finish unloading the car without saying one word or glance at the Harris family. Ok, so maybe that's not true, I glanced a few times, but honestly, would you blame me? I walk up to my bedroom and sit on my bed. Hmm.. What to do? I look around my bedroom, but I still don't know what to do. So bored!
Thoughts of Janae start to interrupt my thinking. What's she up to? Does she miss me? Does she regret her actions? Part of me feels I shouldn't be concerned, the other part of me is incredibly curious. I leave my room and walk downstairs and sit out on the front porch. Janae and her parents have stopped moving her stuff back into the house.
I sigh. Well, this was a waste of time. I'm soon ready to get up and go back inside when she comes outside. She is carrying a book and takes a seat on the swing sitting on her porch. I watch her carefully as she opens her book and starts to read. I watch her read for about ten minutes. I'm trying to figure out if something is off with her, but I can't seem to pick up anything strange. All of a sudden, she closes her book and stares right at me, glaring.
No one else is outside nearby, so I can hear her voice perfectly clear as she speaks. "Are you spying on me Collin?"
I'm stunned. Crap. Tanner pull yourself together. I quickly compose myself. "Nope."
"Yes, you are. Stop it. It's annoying."
"I'm not spying on you."
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm not."
"Then what's so interesting that you've been staring at for the last ten minutes?"
Busted. Tanner think!
I come up with the first thing that comes to mind. "I'm staring at your house. I'm going to draw it."
She raises her eyebrows at me. "And where exactly is your paper and pencil?"
"I'm that good that I don't need any. I just take a mental picture and draw it later."
I can tell she didn't buy it for one second, but I'm pretty proud of my quick comeback. I could've come up with something a lot worse, or nothing...
"Huh. You're a man of many talents aren't you Tanner? I guess that's why girls were always all over you, right? Also how you were pushing yourself onto some girl when we were dating?"
Huh? What is she talking about? "What girls? I never cheated on you, you cheated on ME."
"The ones who would always stare at you and still do. Yeah, right, because I was throwing myself onto guys I didn't know," she sneers.
Why is she accusing me of cheating on her? She was the cheater, not me! I'm the victim! Not her! I don't know how she thinks it's ok to blame me for our break up.
"What are you talking about? I never cheated on you with anyone!"
"Oh yes you did!"
"Did not!"
I'm not taking her crap anymore. If she wants to act like this than she can act like this by herself. I get up to go back inside.
"Apparently you're very popular with the girls. Really good at kissing, although I highly disagree. I wonder what Rachel would say about that. She's quite the physical type, isn't she?" Janae taunts.
That's it! I quickly spin around. I can tell by the expression on her face that she knew I'd turn around. Darn it! "Look, Janae. For your information, I'm an excellent kisser and we both know that. And don't you dare go bringing my girlfriend into this."
"Ah, so you're going to defend your precious Rachel? Ha! Do you know she's been cheating on you and complaining about how you never want to get physical enough for her? I do believe she's been telling everyone that you're just too timid for her liking."
As soon as the words are out of her mouth, I cross the street and stop right before her porch. I give her the best glare I can gather. "What's your problem Janae? Haven't you done enough damage? You cheated on me and now you want to blame me for our break up! And what, now you're so jealous that you're trying to break me up with my girlfriend? Rachel isn't cheating on me. She never has and she never will."
In a flash, she stands up and puts her book down. "I never cheated on you! I loved you, but YOU cheated on ME because you couldn't keep your lips to yourself! And you know what? All those things I said about Rachel are true. She. Is. Cheating. On. You."
By now, both of our hands are clenched into fists. Why is she doing this?!
"Just stop! Stop pretending to be the victim here! We both know you cheated on me! I never did anything to you! I loved you and then I got a text with a picture of you and some senior guy making out! What else can that be? Huh? Just some friendly conversation?"
Janae walks down to meet me and stops right in front of me. She looks up at me and glares. "A text? How low are you going to go to make me seem like the bad person here?"
What the heck! I reach in my pocket and grab out my cell phone. I quickly find the text where I got the picture. Yeah, I kept it. I'm not sure why, but it's good to have proof. I scroll down to the picture and place it right in front of her face.
"Now what do you have to say for yourself?"
She glances at the picture and then looks up at me. Her face pales.
YOU ARE READING
Cotton Candy
Teen FictionChelsea's older sister, Janae, and Jake's older brother, Tanner, used to date but had a bad break up. Tanner and Janae refuse to let their little siblings talk to each other. Jake and Chelsea have been friends since they were kids. Now what will...
