Always & Forever (Nick & Bailey #2)

23. Bailey

"He needs to treat you better."

My eyes snap to hers. "He does. He's the best guy I've ever dated, most of the time."

"But look at how he talks to you, that's not okay."

How do I explain Nick and I to someone else? How do I say that we are two halves of one whole? How do I tell her how my sun rises and sets within him? What can I say to make her realize that this isn't a typical teenage romance? I can't just break up with him. He would take too much of me with him. There would be nothing left.

Abby continues. "I got advice once when I was in a really shitty relationship the summer before senior year, and I've used it ever since. I was trying to decide what to do. I knew he wasn't good for me, but I couldn't seem to break away from him. My sister told me 'Imagine if it were your friend in this relationship, what would you want her to do? That's what you should do.'"

If I ever heard someone say the things to Abby that Nick has said to me today alone, I'd tell her to get the hell out of that relationship. So why am I not holding myself to as high of a standard?

Because even though he takes me to my lowest lows, he also gives me my highest highs. I love him.

"I know I need to do something, Abby. I can't go on like this. I just don't know yet."

She smiles at me sadly. "You do what you need to do. But know that I and those crazy kids in there will be right behind you."

I look behind her shoulder to see Derek and Missy stepping outside to join us. "Speak of the devil. I'm officially done being sad tonight, I promise."

"Today was too badass to have sad night," Derek says. "Now bottom's up."

I look at my phone and see that 1. Nick hasn't called and 2. it has somehow become one in the morning.

The four of us have been out on the balcony since they joined me after my fight with Nick. We played cards for awhile but have mostly just been talking. I haven't seen Abby or Missy for a month, so they're catching up on their lives.

Around midnight, Missy stood up, announced she had to pee, and we watched as she promptly crashed into her bed. She was snoring within seconds.

"I hope she's not going to piss on our bed," I say. My words are slow coming out of my mouth. I needed to get Nick off my mind tonight, and I had succeeded.

My fears of a wet bed were squashed when we saw Missy get up twenty minutes later, go to the bathroom—without shutting the door—and returning to our bed.

"Okay, I'm going to check and make sure she didn't piss all of the floor or something," Abby says, leaving Derek and I alone.

We're silent until Derek startles me by blurting out, "Do you want my advice?"

"About what exactly?"

"You know what." He pats his chest. "You're having boy troubles, and guess what? I'm a boy."

"Since when?"

"Ha ha. I'm not going to ask what you two were fighting about today because it's none of my business, but I saw how upset you were. I didn't like it."

"Me neither," I admit.

"Now listen, Robinson is cool. I've always gotten along with guy, and sittin' here, I really can't think of a single thing that bothers me about him. But he can't treat you like that, and you can't let him."

"I know. I just—"

"Let me finish. You know I'm usually a pretty laid back guy, but I was dating this girl once—you wouldn't know her. And I really liked her, like really." He looks up at me to emphasize the last word.

"I started getting jealous and shit, so unlike the usual me. And do you know what she did?"

I shake my head.

"She broke up with me."

"But I can't just—" He holds out his hand, stopping me.

"I'm not saying forever. I'm just saying that in my situation, that's what she needed to do to get me to see how I was acting. She could tell me all day long, but until I saw the real consequences of my actions, nothing was getting through. And after I came around, she took me back."

"What happened with her?"

"I caught her cheating on me two weeks later. It turns I had a valid reason to be jealous the whole time."

I sigh. "And the point of this story is..."

"The point is that you've got to show him what he can lose. Some guys need to live it before they believe it."

I nod silently. Derek's given me something to think about, at least.

"And I also have a favor to ask," Derek leans in closer to me and whispers.

"What is it?" I whisper back.

He looks into the hotel room over my shoulder before answering. "I am totaling digging Abby, but I think I'm in the highest level of friend-zone. Do you want to help me out with that?"

My mouth drops. How had I not noticed? But before I can answer him, Abby returns to the balcony. "So...what were you guys talking about?"