Melanie.
The foul name echoed through my mind as I sat motionless on Niall’s couch. He’d abandoned me for the kitchen about thirty minutes after my emotional breakdown. Part of me was angry that Niall just left me sitting there, I was his guest after all; the other part of me understood his actions, though. Although I was someone he invited into his home, I was still a stranger.
I was staring blankly at the TV screen before me, barely watching the rerun of How I Met Your Mother. Melanie’s name was racing through my mind, causing my blood to boil. I was over the whole sad part of Spenser’s cheating, the anger was finally settling in.
How dare he, I thought to myself, after I all used to do for him! I couldn’t grasp the fact that Spenser had, in fact, cheated on me while I lay in comatose state. As I was on my death bed, that bastard was fooling around with some skank a few counties over.
As I popped my knuckles anxiously, I listened as the microwave beeped loudly from the kitchen. Although I’d never been in the large house before, I moved gracefully through the rooms, following the sound of Niall humming and banging around, until I finally reached the kitchen. I hovered in the doorway, trying to be as motionless as possible. I couldn’t contain my smile as I watched Niall swaying back and forth on his feet. His light hair bobbed up and down as he hopped around the room, dancing around. The phrase “dance as if no one was watching” came to mind immediately.
He popped open the microwave and was just about to yank its contents out whenever I cleared my throat loudly. “That’s going to be hot.” Startled, Niall flinched and spun around to face me. His pale eyes grew wide as a smile spread across his face.
“There you are!”
Smiling sheepishly, I glanced behind him. “What were you heating up?”
“Some old Chinese food,” he replied, averting his attention to the food. He grabbed a potholder from the tile countertop and pulled out the white carry-out box. “I figured you’d be hungry.”
Now that he mentioned it, I was hungry.
Before Niall could empty the container into the two bowls he’d set on the counter, the doorbell rang. His back tensed as he exhaled deeply, “That must be Mara.”
Mara.
Upon hearing her name, a wave of sadness washed over me. She’d known about Melanie too…
“I don’t want to see her!” I hissed, fleeing from the room.
“What do I tell her?” Niall asked, quick on my heels. I raced across the house, reaching the bathroom I’d been in only hours before. Hovering outside the door, my back to him, I sighed.
“Tell her I don’t want to see her.”
“She’s your best friend, Cahlan. She won’t believe me.”
I turned around and faced him, our bodies only inches apart. “Then think of something.”
He ran a hand through his hair and sighed, closing his eyes. Mara rang the doorbell again. He groaned loudly before turning on his heels and heading to the door. For a moment I thought about hiding in the bathroom, but figured that’d get boring quickly. Instead, I slipped into the dark room across from it.
I don’t know what exactly I expected the room to be—an office, maybe?—certainly not Niall’s bedroom. I flipped on the light and shut the door quickly, making sure to lock it before I took a look around. I was immediately drawn to the bed; it was large, king-sized, and housed many thick, warm-looking blankets. Instinctively, I wandered to the bed and sat on its edge.
It sat along one of the navy-colored walls, its size dwarfing the entire room. A window stood to the right of me, allowing me to peer out across the darkened backyard. Niall had a nightstand on either side of the bed; one housed a tall stack of books, whereas the other was the base for a lamp and alarm clock. A large, flat screened TV was hanging on the wall parallel to the bed; beneath the large television stood an even larger dresser. Magazines, cigarette boxes, and old Coca Cola bottles were scattered across the wooden top.
He only has the bare essentials, I noted. I stared at the rain drops as they pounded against the bay window. Footsteps echoed down the hallway as Mara and Niall drew near. Earlier, after Spenser had admitted to cheating on me for the entirety of our relationship, I’d hung up the phone and sat there motionless, tears streaming down my face.
“He doesn’t deserve you,” Niall had said, lighting a cigarette. “There are so many other guys out there.”
Like you, my mind whispered.
“Will you call Mara?” I’d asked.
“Sure thing.” After calling Mara, he’d disappeared into the kitchen, leaving me in the living room.
She’d finally arrived, immediately searching for me. “Cahlan?” She called out, knocking on the bedroom door. The door handle rattled loudly, causing me to flinch. I kept my gaze fixated on the water droplets slipping down the window. I used to love storms, watching the rain fall; now, it only reminded me of the waterfall of glass from the accident.
“Will you please open the door, Cahl? Please?” Mara tapped on the door.
She knew all along, I reminded myself as I moved towards the door. My moves were robotic, slow, as I unlocked the door and pulled it open.
Mara stood there, her blonde locks soaking wet. Her eyes were full of tears, her bottom lip trembling. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, glancing at the floor. “I’m sorry I—“
“Don’t worry about it,” I mumbled. “Just don’t worry about it.”
Niall let out an odd-sounding gasp. “Are you serious?” He questioned. “You’re going to let her off the hook that easy?
Mara’s brows furrowed and she turned swiftly to face him. “It wasn’t my place to tell her,” she defended, crossing her arms over her chest.
“You have got to be kidding,” he scoffed. “You knew your best friend’s boyfriend was cheating on her—while she was in the hospital, I might add—and you kept it a secret!”
“It was for her well-being,” Mara replied flatly.
“My well-being?” I blurted. “How the hell was that for my well-being?”
“Uhh…” Mara mumbled, biting her bottom lip. “I…Uhhh…”
“A real best friend wouldn’t hide something like that—especially for years at a time.” I stated, clenching my jaw. I rolled my eyes and scoffed, “Who am I kidding, you weren’t much a best friend at all.”
“I don’t know what possessed Spenser to do it,” Mara spat, narrowing her eyes. Any traces of sadness, any guilt, was long gone. She stepped towards me, making sure I noticed that she was looking down on me. “Maybe it has something to do with that bitchy personality of yours. No wonder he wanted to leave.”
Stunned at my “best friend’s” words, I froze. My breath caught and it felt like my heart did as well. Mara Lange, the girl who I’d always referred to as my best friend, had betrayed me on so many levels. So many unforgiveable levels.
“You need to leave,” Niall growled, stepping between the two of us. Mara’s eyes never left mind as she allowed herself to be dragged away by the arm.
“Never talk to me again,” I called, my voice cracking.
Mara yanked her arm away from Niall and laughed. “Oh honey, don’t you worry about that.”
Hovering outside of Niall’s bedroom, I listened as Niall escorted Mara from his home.
“Don’t you ever step foot in this house again,” he hissed. “You aren’t welcome here.” Before Mara had a chance to retort, Niall slammed the door closed. I slowly worked my way back to the living room, where he was standing.
“I’m sorry you had to be pulled—“ I was about to apologize for dragging him into the whole Spenser-and-Mara mess, whenever he interrupted me.
“It’s okay,” he insisted. “Someone had to be the peacemaker!”
Nodding, I ran a hand through my damp hair. I was beyond ready to go home.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked, raising a pale eyebrow.
Fighting back tears, I hugged my arms tightly to my stomach and nodded. For a moment he just stood there, watching me. His blue-grey eyes were full of sadness, of sympathy. I don’t want your sympathy, I wanted to say, but I knew that once I started the sentence, the tears would spill over and ruin the remark.
“Well, let’s get you home.”