The Taunting (College Life #1)

Until you met Adam, everything was different

"After what happened with Dean, did you think that it was possible to fall in love again, or like, trust a guy?"

I see her pause and think about my question. She finishes washing a dish and then answers my question.

"Yes and no. Look, I know that not every guy out there is like Dean, one point in time, I thought they were. Then I met Adam, and everything changed. He's not like Dean, he listens to me, hell the guy writes me love letters! Who in the hell does that! He's the best. I never thought I would love another person like Dean, never thought anyone would love me as he did. That's why I went to meet with him at the Lucky Barn because I thought he was the only guy I could have until I met Adam."

"Until you met Adam." We both share a smile.

"Relationships don't last forever, it's not how the world of relationships works. You and I fell in love with our high school sweethearts, and thought it was going to last forever."

I bow my head, "We were naïve."

"No, we were young and thought the world was our oyster. We never felt real, true pain before until we were both cheated on. But now we're in our twenties and are wiser than we were at 16. You and I saw the pain and ate off of it, fucking each other thinking that we could numb the pain. Yes, the sex with you was amazing but didn't keep our thoughts quiet. Maybe yours, but not mine. I was closed off after everything, it takes the right person to make you open up, see the other side of things, and realize that you can be happy. I didn't feel that way until I met Adam."

"Until you met Adam. We all don't have an Adam."

"I think you do, otherwise you wouldn't be sitting here asking me these questions. You're in love, Andreas Chen. Tell me who she is."

"It's Elizabeth, Bridget's sister."

She snickers, "I figured."

"Mhm."

"You are so fucking blind, not just you but guys in general. I saw what she was doing when I was over at your house, flaunting her boobs in front of your face, she wanted your attention away from me and on her. At one point she was dragging me in too, her boobs were amazing." Don't I know it? I miss them as much as I miss her. "And the fact that you asked for Milk, fucking hilarious."

"Don't judge me, I was being seduced."

"I was there, I saw it all. What happened between you two, anyway?"

"I cut things off once I realized that it was more to her than sex. I told her she was a distraction and I only wanted her for sex."

She finishes washing her dishes, then starts washing out the sink. "Get your lazy ass up and start helping me clean."

"You said you didn't want help."

"I lied, start sweeping the floor."

I grab the broom from the corner and start sweeping, "You said that to her?"

"Yeah."

She chuckles, "I always knew you were a dumbass."

I grumble, "You sound just like my sister."

"She is the smarter one out of the two of you. Go to Elizabeth, tell her how you feel if you don't you will regret it. She'll find someone soon enough, she isn't an ugly girl, I'm sure you know that. Don't miss this opportunity for happiness."

"But I don't know what to say."

She pops her hip, "How about you start with I'm sorry and then everything else will follow up after that. You fucked up, Andreas."

"I know Juliette, trust me, I know."

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When I get back to the house, I don't eat dinner, just go to my room and shut the door. I shuffle through my backpack, looking for a notebook and pencil. Sitting on the edge of my bed, I start making a list of what I can do to make it up to Elizabeth. The only thing I have on the list is to apologize, and that's it.

I end up falling asleep with the notebook on my chest and a pencil dangling from my fingers.

Under apologizing Elizabeth, I write down one more thing before I fell asleep.

1. Apologizing to Elizabeth.

2. Andreas, you're fucked