A Boyfriend Like Him

Walk of Shame

Chapter Thirty-Nine
Walk of Shame

I turned to Kathy as Taylor sauntered away and she was glaring at him so hard it could have given me a headache by proxy. After a moment her gaze slid to me and it softened.
"Shit, Lucy," she sighed and opened her arms for me to fall into her. The moment my head touched her shoulder I sobbed. She held me long enough for me to get my shit together. "Do you want to go home?" She asked, rubbing my back. Pulling back, I nodded while sniffing and wiping my face.
"Just, why?" I asked, looking at her and she gave me a sympathetic frown.
"If I knew, you'd be the first person I tell. That wasn't Taylor, I don't even know what that was. He calls things off civilly, face to face. I've never seen him that cruel." That really didn't help things.
"You don't have to come with me. You're here with Tom, you should go back," I told her and she gave me an angry look.
"After the shit Taylor just pulled, you expect me to just leave you alone to jump in a bathtub and cut your wrists or wrap a sheet around your neck? No. Simply, just no. I know how much that asshole means to you, you're not alone tonight," Kathy glared at me. "Tom can go fuck himself if he gets annoyed."
"You told me the night I found the message on Jakes phone that you wouldn't hold me if I cried," I reminded her and she laughed.
"Oh baby girl, Jake and Taylor are worlds apart. You didn't look like you'd had your ovaries ripped out without anaesthetic when I found you at Taylor's after Jake. If you could have seen your face as he ate that bitches face, you'll know what broken dreams look like." She was still rubbing my back. She was being nice, sympathetic even. Un-Kathy like. It was as pleasant as it was unnerving. She was honestly worried about me. "If you weren't crying when I got to that room after you had time to process what had happened, you never were going too."
"I did cry that night," I told her, quietly.
"Not like this," She pointed out. "You didn't stop existing the moment you found out about Jake. I saw the look on your face as you watched them just then, Luce."
"Fine. Let's go," I sighed and she nodded.
"I'll get our stuff and we'll leave out the back. No one needs to see you like this, he's embarrassed you too much tonight. You're not doing a walk of shame through the bar. He doesn't get to put you through that too." I nodded and she left me.

Now that I had a moment without anyone else, it filtered through my head again and everything I should have said and done came to mind. Things like 'you're a fucking asshole' and 'I deserve an explanation, you asshat'. And you know, I could have maybe socked him right in the jaw, or snuck up on him to begin with and kicked him in his Voldemort. Really announced my presence. But no, I stood there like a sack of shit and let him rip me apart. My god, I'm pathetic.

I woke up the next day and I was full of misery and snot. It shouldn't have hurt this badly. Taylor was being Taylor, carefree, selfish, everything he had shown me the first time we met. I knew better than to be surprised and hurt by this. He was being himself. I shuffled through my morning ritual, only able to give girls leaving the showers as I entered them, brief half smirks. They knew what had happened. Everyone did and the pity on their face was more than I needed to deal with right now. My mind centred on one fact; We had Marks class today. I also had another class with Taylor. I couldn't escape him because as shit as I felt, I wasn't ruining my education because he was an asshole and he was too much of an asshole to skip class for my benefit, I figured. Hoisting my bag on my shoulder and standing up as straight as I was able, I put my big girl panties on and left my room. Kathy was walking up to the doors as I came to walk out and shoved the biggest coffee available on campus at me.
"Geez, you're up," She looked me over with an impressed look on her face. "I thought I'd have to kick you out of bed and roll you into the shower."
"The world doesn't stop just because Taylor proved he is as big of an asshole as I first thought he was," I murmured before taking a sip of my coffee. "Thank you for this, I need it."
"You guys have classes today, right?" she asked and I shrugged.
"Have to face him sooner or later," I grimaced at the thought.
"Doesn't make it easier," Kathy confirmed my own thoughts.
"We'll consider it character building and just get on with it," I sighed.
"I like your style," she laughed. "Message me if he starts on you, I'm itching to shove a porcupine up his ass." The visual made me legitimately smile for the first time today.
"I'll message you, if he even so much as glances at me," I assured her and she grinned her Kathy smile at me.
"Want me to walk you to class?" She asked and I nodded.
"If you have the time, the distraction and protection would be nice," I replied as we set off in the direction of my class.
"I have a confession to make," Kathy chewed her lip as we walked.
"Can't feel any worse than I already do, so lay it on me," I rolled my eyes.
"Girls have been messaging me about you and Taylor," She murmured.
"Uh huh," I rolled my eyes again as I sipped my coffee.
"...Like since you guys got together. There have been polls and betting and all sorts of shit going on in regards to you and Taylor."
"This isn't getting weird," I murmured, sarcastically.
"People were sceptical to begin with," she admitted. "There were bets on how long you guys would last and how long it'd take him to root and boot you. They have a private Facebook chat set up for it."
"Of course they do," I sighed.
"The group as nearly a collective don't like what he did to you," Kathy murmured. "The first couple of days the polls and bets were pretty cynical, but when, uh. Someone..." Kathy had the decency to look guilty.
"Someone?" I eyed her knowingly.
"Someone," She shrugged, innocently. "Told them he'd taken you to meet his parents, the tone of the page changed."
"Uh huh," I wasn't sure where this was going.
"They like you," Kathy sighed. "They like you and Taylor together. I mean, you guys doing what you were doing was kind of romantic-novel-in-real-life fun. These girls read stupid love novels and apparently like seeing the bad boy come good right before their own eyes."
"So what do they think of the turn of events?" I asked and she smirked.
"Let's just say I wasn't the one that originally came up with the idea to shove a porcupine up his ass," She laughed. "They're kind of pissed at Taylor, but not for hurting you. They're pissed he's hurting their fantasy of your guys' relationship." I stared at Kathy and she shrugged back.
"I'm sorry," I stopped walking and looked back from where we came. "Did I miss the turn to my class and end up lost in Gossip Girl?" I demanded and Kathy laughed.
"I just wanted you to know before you found out in a much creepier way," She gave me a half smirk.
"How is there a creepier way? This is right up there with child touching. I'm officially creeped out no matter which way it's presented to me."
"Sorry," she held her hands up.
"Can you at least invite me into the group to see the stalkers I need to stay away from?" I asked and Kathy looked at me alarmed.
"Uh, hell no. You're not meant to know this group exists," I glared at her and she glared back at me.
"The best I can do is sending you edited screenshots of posts."
"Fine," I rolled my eyes. "I expect them during class," I told her and turned and left her there.
"You're welcome for the company," She yelled out obnoxiously as I continued walking. Raising my arm I gave her a quick wave before heading through the buildings front door.

He was in his usual spot. Our spot.

I forced myself not to flinch at the sight of him or stop dead in my tracks in the door way. I forced myself to casually walk as I weighed up where I should sit. I then forced myself to not care and just sit where I have always sat in this class. Sinking down next to him I could feel his eyes cast over my entire self as I tried to look as casual as possible, grabbing my note pad and pen and taking a sip of my coffee.
"You got more balls than I thought, buttercup." Again, it sounded like an insult as his sentence was said with a cocky edge that didn't belong to my Taylor.
"Go fuck yourself," I bit back without looking at him as our class started.

Kathy was sending me screen shots from the Facebook group with the girls profile picture and names taken out, throughout the class. Starting from two weeks ago when the poll was 'How long before Taylor dumps Lucy on her ass?' to this morning's poll: 'How much pain can we put Taylor through before he passes out?' That was where the porcupine came into things. The comments were vicious. Ranging from I was too naive to keep Taylor satisfied from the start of last week, to Taylor needed a home job de-balling for how he behaved last night and this person had the rusty kitchen knife for the job.
It was an ego booster, at the least to know I had people on my side. Even though I wasn't meant to know they were on my side.

As the class rounded up, Mark asked the most shattering question I could hear today.
"How's it all going, Taylor?"
"Great, I think I've really covered all aspects of what I set out to achieve," Taylor smirked, sitting back with arms crossed.
"All aspects?" Mark questioned.
"The wooing, the get together, the sex, the relationship, and the break up." I knew it had been coming, but I couldn't help but flinch at his words.
"Oh," Mark stopped and looked from Taylor to myself cautiously. "So you've finished your experiment?" He asked slowly. "You still have until the end of the week, by my count."
"Didn't need it," Taylor shrugged easily. Mark studied Taylor for a long moment before looking back to me. The entire class was focused on this conversation and it was the most embarrassing moment of my short life.
"Uh huh." Mark was still pinning me with his stare as I became more and more uncomfortable with his scrutiny. "How do you think he went, Lucy?" Damn it.
"Great," I managed to murmur without look up. "He did great."
"Did he?" The question was open ended. I was expected to elaborate on my answer and somehow not hyperventilate, pass out or sob in the process.
"Yeah, he did great. He wooed and fooled me into thinking I meant something to him. So, I never saw last night coming and it has left me thoroughly guttered," I was talking like a robot, devoid of any emotion because I would fall apart if I let myself feel it. "He won. He broke my heart, so he won." The entire class was staring at me and I knew it. I could feel the pity and embarrassment on my behalf coming off every person in that room that wasn't Taylor, in waves. I gnawed on my bottom lip as I felt those fucking asshole brown eyes piercing me from beside me and I felt the little bundle of control in my stomach starting slip. Without so much as grabbing even my pen, I stood up from my desk, left everything behind and walked out of the class room without looking back. They could all kiss my ass.

Moments later as I gasped for air, in an empty room I could fall apart in, without an audience my phone vibrated in my pocket. Through teary eyes I opened the message from Kathy. It was another post from the Facebook group.

'She just fell apart in class when the teacher asked her about them. I actually want to hurt him for being responsible for the look she had on her face. She loves him, you guys. He needs to die slowly and painfully. This isn't fun to watch anymore. He's just cruel.'

It already had a dozen likes and twice as many comments. I buried my hands in my head and breathed through my hurt.