Avoiding Goodbyes ~Slow Updates~

Chapter 26 - Avoiding Goodbyes

My stomach dropped and suddenly I felt like I had to throw up. "What?" I asked, again, my jaw dropped.

She was starting to cry. "I wasn't supposed to say anything to you, but I couldn't help but see him up there making you cry with what seemed like a beautiful love speech, when it was fake and made up. He just acted out that whole damn thing, knowing you would like to hear it. They had sex at Ray's party and again times before."

I felt a tear slip down my cheek. Bailey hugged me tightly. "I'm sorry, Keaton, I'm so, so sorry."

I stepped away from her, my legs getting wobbly. All of it was a lie? Everything?

"I need to go home," I told her with a blank expression on my face. 

"We're on a boat," she reminded me. "You can't go anywhere except back down there."

I felt a sob coming and when it reached the surface, I let it go. "I thought he loved me," I croaked, covering my face with my hands. "Why would he do this? He's not like that!"

"This is why I told you Ray was better for you," Bailey whispered into my ear.

"Don't blame this because I decided to date Noah rather than Ray!" I spat. She blinked at me. I hurt her feelings.

"I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean it like that," she apologized.

The wind blew our hair in front of our faces. Bailey moved hers behind her ear, but I left my hair alone. I didn't even care anymore.

"I should've waited till tomorrow. I know I just ruined your birthday," she told me holding my hands after we pulled away from the hug.

"No," I denied, my voice getting softer. I couldn't blame this on her. She was the one who told me anyway. "You didn't ruin it. He did."

She looked at me. "You don't deserve this, Keaton."

"How do you know?" I asked her, ignoring the previous sentence. "Is he actually cheating on me?"

She nodded. "Kayla came to his house after you left one day. He invited her. She sent me screen shots of their conversations over text, I-I could show you them," she offered. "They did this, like, every weekend. And they hook up behind your back. Noah said that before you guys had sex the first time, he told Kayla yesterday at Ray's, you kept refusing and so he's been using Kayla to fulfill that desire. And, knowing her, she would do it in the blink of an eye."

"Are you really sure? Before I confront him, I need to know the real truth," I told her.

"Keaton, I know we've had our troubles, but I wouldn't lie to about something like this. I can go get Andrea and she'll tell you the exact same thing. I think even Hannah knows, and maybe even Ray. Kayla gushes about it nonstop. No one wanted to tell you. Everyone can see just how in love you are with Noah, and everyone loves you guys together."

"When did this thing start? We just had sex two days ago," I admitted.

She nodded. "He was mad before you guys had sex, more mad than I've ever seen him. I guess he just wanted you that bad, but he sort of went crazy. I know you couldn't notice it, but he hid it really well around you, but when you weren't there, he was insane. He would just be like, 'Why won't she do it? I thought she loved me! Does she not love me anymore?' Everyone probably thought he should go to a mental institution. Even I did."

I sniffled and chuckled at the last sentence, but it didn't help my pain. It was just too much to take in. I thought Noah was more than that. I thought he didn't care about sex, I thought all he wanted was just my love, not my body. He was using Kayla, of all people, just because he couldn't wait for me. Even when I finally did do it, he still had sex with her, the next day.