The Way You Loved Me [Under Edit]

"If Only"

I never talked to Mara Lange again. Well, I never talked to her during the next few weeks.

            She tried texting me, and even went as far as asking my mother about me, but I never shared her interest in mending the friendship. I never told my mother or stepfather about what had happened with Spenser. I told them that things had just fallen apart with time, and let them believe whatever they wanted to. Things seemed easier that way: allowing everyone to fill in the blanks themselves, never having to answer all of their questions.

            It wasn’t until I got a job at the local diner, that I was forced to interact with Mara, Spenser, or any of the new friends they’d made—including the infamous Melanie. For some reason the manager had decided we only needed three people working that night: the cook, the janitor, and me. Of course I wasn't going to say anything to my manager, I did want to keep my job.

         Everything was going fine until I saw Mara's car pull into the parking lot. At first I thought it was just her mother, or even one of her sisters, but then she climbed from the car--with Spenser, and who I believed was Melanie, in tow. Mara was wearing a tie-dyed t-shirt that I'd gotten her during our senior year of high school. Well actually it was mine; if you looked on the inside tag it read Cahlan in big, scribbly letters.

         Besides my shirt, she was wearing a pair of cut-off jean shorts--which just happened to be her favorite pair-- as well as a pair of aviators. Her blonde hair had gotten longer, and she'd chose to wear it loose and wavy. I always thought she resembled Blake Lively when she wore her hair like that. Of course, she didn't think so. She preferred to be compared to "more serious actresses, like Charlize Theron." She looked nothing like Charlize. She never would.

     I didn't bother looking at Spenser or Melanie. It still hurt to think about the two of them going behind my back and spending countless nights together. If he was so unhappy in our relationship, he should have just ended it. It's that simple. But no, he had to string me along and make me believe that all was okay. Douchebag.

         I was washing a table off whenever they entered the restaurant.

    "Oh Spenser, you're so funny!" Melanie squealed. Oh my gosh, her voice. She sounded like Janice from Friends. I could barely contain my laughter as I grabbed a few menus and sauntered up to their table.

     "Welcome to Gretta's," I said as cheerfully as possible. I shifted my weight between my feet as I waited for at least one of them to reply. Mara and Spenser merely glanced at each other and then at me. Melanie, on the other hand...

    "Oh my gosh!" She squealed. "I looooove this place! It's so cute!"

     I glanced around at the old, very worn diner. It was a small restaurant, with about ten booths and a few bright red tables. The floors were made of black and white tiles, and there were tons of Elvis memorabilia scattered across the walls. It was definitely a retro-looking place.

    "Umm, thanks," I mumbled, raising an eyebrow. I handed them their menus, purposefully avoiding eye contact with Spenser. I hadn't talked to him ever since the night I found out that he'd been cheating.

     "Are you from around here?" Melanie asked, smiling brightly. She had long black hair that stopped right below her chest, and even darker eyes. She was petite and wore a lot of makeup.

    "Yep," I replied. "I've lived here my entire life."

   "Oh really! Do you know Spenser and Mara, then?" I watched as she wove her fingers between Spenser's. For a moment my eyes were locked on the two of them. She honestly didn't know that Spenser and I had dated, which meant she didn't know that she'd been with a cheater for the entirety of their relationship. While most girls would have jumped at that chance, to ruin her ex boyfriend's new relationship, I chose not to. Someone had to be the bigger person, right?