[Complete] Noise and Kisses {chicklit}

51

As Ben works to come to terms with Lizzi's bombshell, he withdraws from me. I pretend it doesn't bother me that he's been spending more time with her. He keeps telling me that he's trying to do the right thing and I don't want to be selfish or jealous.

I can feel him pulling away, but I'm powerless to stop it.

It's difficult for me to be apart from him, but I know how he feels about his own dad... and he was clear that there's no way he's going to do the same thing to his own child. I just hope we can figure a way through this together before it tears us apart.

On Friday, after not hearing from him in two days, I wake up and give him a call.

"Hey" I say softly when he answers.

"Hey." His tone is flat and distant.

"How are you doing? You coming to uni today?"

"I'm cool... nah, I told Lizzi I'd go and see her. She's been really sick..."

"Oh, ok. Well, can I do anything to help?"

"Thanks, but it's cool, I've got it."

"Ok... are we ok?"

"...Yeah, fine. I'll speak to you later."

"Bye."

Deflated and emotional at the distance in his responses, I take my time get dressed and head into class.

At uni, I decide to get a cheeky coffee before class starts. I've not been sleeping well, and I never really need an excuse to drink coffee. As I wait patiently in the queue, Lizzi's friend, Sam approaches me.

"You're Holly, right?" I nod.

She looks uncomfortable. "Do you have a minute? I really need to talk to you."

"Erm, I've got class in a bit..." I reply, unsure.

"It won't take long, I swear." She gestures over to a table, and we take a seat.

"Look, if this is about the stuff with Lizzi and Ben, I don't really feel comfortable talking about it..."

"It is, but... it's not what you think. She'd kill me if she knew I was doing this, but she's gone too far. I love Lizzi, but she tends to fuck with guys for the hell of it. She picks the ones that have issues and then uses it to her advantage. At first, it was kind of funny... seeing these guys fawn over her and give her whatever she wanted, you know? But then, she messed with this guy, Adam... and he fell for her big time. He came from a messed-up home and probably had some mental health problems that hadn't really been addressed. Anyway, she did her usual thing, but he loved her, so he let her just ruin him. And when she'd had enough, she dropped him and... well, he couldn't handle it. He tried to kill himself. Luckily, he was found before anything... and when Lizzi found out, she just laughed and called him pathetic. I felt so bad for him..."

"What does this have to do with Ben?" I ask carefully.

"When Ben dropped her first, Lizzi was fuming. He was her cash cow, her way to get high and drunk... and when he dumped her, she vowed revenge."

"Sam, what are you getting at?" I ask, my anger clear.

"She told us she was going to pretend she was pregnant, convince Ben it was his and then hook him back in again. She said he has daddy issues and wouldn't want to leave the baby without a father."

I can feel the anger rising within me. "That's fucking ridiculous... Ben will realise she's not pregnant soon enough. What's the point?"

"She's going to pretend she's had a miscarriage or something, hoping that by that time, he'll be locked in and feel like he needs to stay with her. Once she's had enough of him, she'll drop him... and fuck all the consequences. But I can't sit by and let her ruin someone else's life again for her own amusement."