Everything Changes

Chapter Eight: Brittany Rivera

Brittany wasn't sure what to make of college thus far. She thanked her life drama for keeping her somewhat sane, as without it she'd probably cry herself to sleep because she missed home.

But she was thankful enough to say things weren't so bad and everything was going according to plan. Dream college? Check. Her father was so proud of her. Cheerleading team? Check. After two intense rounds of tryouts, she could proudly say she made the co-ed cheerleading team. Attending the same college as her ex-boyfriend and her family friend? That too... check.

But the biggest check on her list was rooming with her favorite cousin, Isabel. It calmed Brittany's nerves knowing that she was living with family. That way, she could be a bitch to her cousin without apologizing. If she was living with a stranger, she wasn't sure how long she could pretend to be nice for. Probably only a few hours, if that.

Isabel was just like Brittany. It made sense. Their fathers were brothers. She was outspoken, bitchy, determined, and entitled. A picture from her ten-thousand dollar sweet sixteen sat on the bedside table of their dorm room, which was just five-thousand dollars above Brittany's, who celebrated her birthday in Miami.

The only thing that differed between the two cousins was the topic of boyfriends. Isabel was attracted to boys, yet at the same time, hated them. She didn't believe in having a boyfriend in college. She thought the only purpose boys served was being an annoying accessory. Therefore, it didn't sit well with her that Brittany was entering college with Trevor still wrapped around her finger.

"Break up with him."

Brittany looked into the blue eyes of her cousin, who was stretching out her legs on the mat before cheerleading practice.

"What?"

"With Trevor," her cousin clarified, even though Brittany didn't need that type of clarification. It was obvious who she was referring to.

"Obviously you meant Trevor," she sassed as she stretched her arms above her head. "You need to stop telling me to break up with him. It's not going to happen."

Isabel shook her head in disappointment as she stood up from sitting on the mat. "I'm just being realistic," she told her cousin. "I think you should break up."

"Shut up," she hissed. She wasn't sure how many times she had to keep telling her to stop saying that. She wasn't planning to break up with Trevor anytime soon. There were things that Isabel didn't see - like how well she and Trevor communicated and how much fun they had when they were together. She didn't want to lose those moments with someone special to her just to be single in college. It wasn't worth it, at least not to her. And... yeah... even if she and Trevor argued, they always worked them out. That was why they got back together in the first place.

Isabel rolled her eyes at her cousin's behavior. "Fine," she said as she began to stretch her arms. "Don't break up with him. It's not my life." She then smiled. Brittany tried to understand why she was suddenly smiling. This topic wasn't exactly funny to her. "At least that means I can officially fuck Toby."

Brittany paused once hearing those words come out of her cousin's mouth. Anger formed in her eyes as she was quick to speak. "What? Don't go near him."

The smile stayed on Isabel's face. "I'm not," she assured her. She wouldn't want to be eskimo sister's with her cousin, anyway. And even though she thought Toby was incredibly good looking, she was just trying to prove a point. "But you can't get that mad when someone actually does."

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Instead of going out and partying like Isabel, Brittany decided to say in and talk to Trevor on the phone. Her conversation with her cousin had been getting on her nerves all day, and she knew the right thing to do was tell Trevor how much he meant to her.