"Ro, please just let me explain!" Talon exclaims as he catches the door. I stare stunned for a second before my senses kick back in and I try again to slam the door.
Talon stuck another arm out stopping me. If only I was stronger. I looked up to him glaring. There was no way I could let everything go so easily.
"Go away." I try again to force the door close but nothing happened.
"Have you told him?"
I stopped pushing knowing exactly who he meant, but I decided to play dumb. "Who?"
Talon sighed looking down but keeping one hand pressed against the door. "Jack. Have you told him about what I said at the party?"
I grimaced. Knowing that the longer I wait to tell Jack about Talon the angrier he'll be when he gets home. But he gets home tomorrow and I don't want to spoil his trip. He's doing his thing, living his dream. I'm not going to ruin that for him. At least not yet. "No, I haven't yet, but that's none of your business!" I say pushing again as hard as I could against the door. This time it budged a lil bit.
"Ro, please? Everyone is mad at me. I can't take it if you cut me out too." He says letting his arm droop in defeat.
I couldn't help it. I let go of the door letting it rest there between us. "Tal, I can't do this. I thought we were friends, only friends. I thought you loved Becka and now you've broken her heart. When Jack gets home I'll have no choice but to tell him unless he already knows. I don't want you to face his wrath, but I also don't think that the way you handled things should just be forgotten. That's not how you break up with someone Tal. You were only leading Becka on, and that's not something you do to someone you care about."
Talon scoffed. "And it's okay if you did it to me."
My mouth dropped at his tone. He was accusing me of leading him on when I've only ever thought of him as a friend? We used to hate each other for Christ sakes. "Since when have I ever led you on? My attention has been soley on Jack."
"Maybe that's your problem." Talon mumbled under his breath but I still caught it.
"What did you say?" I asked hoping he'd repeat it.
"Maybe loving Jack is your problem!" Talon roars taking a step closer to me but I'm too angry to be frightened. I hold my ground and place a hand on his chest and push him back over the threshold.
"Get out and stay away, Talon. You're not welcome here anymore!"
I slammed the door in his face. I was beyond angry and I felt tears coming. Everything was messed up and it was his fault. I leaned my back against the door taking a moment to breathe.
I wanted to hit him for saying what he's said. This Talon is foreign to me. I'm beginning to wonder if I ever really knew Talon at all. The guy I know would never betray Jack like he's done or just use a girl for distraction. How can he not feel sorry for Becka?
The guilt I felt at the party when he confessed is still fresh on my mind. I want to apologize for Talon, but Becka told me to keep my distance. And why did I need to apologize for Talon. I did nothing wrong. I let out a growl of frustration and ran a hand through my hair.
Turning I checked the peep-hole to see if he was still there. The porch was empty and Talon's truck was gone.
"Thank God." I whispered to myself.
I left the door and went back into the living room. My phone was where I left it on the couch and I picked it up checking for any messages from Mom, Jack, or Gerogia. There were none from Georgia. She was probably sound asleep still even though it was almost eleven. Jack was busy with training and practice until late tonight. But there was a voicemail from Mom.
I unlocked my phone and played it.
"The baby arrived just fine, well, you knew that thanks to all of your Aunt's facebook posts about her baby girl. We're staying for a few extra nights. I haven't seen my sister in so long and I just can't pull myself away from this baby. She's so precious! You'll have to meet her." My mom squealed. "Anyway...I hope everything is going alright at home. Call me if anything comes up. Addie says she misses you, and we both will see you soon. Love you!"
I smiled. It was lonely at the house, but a few more nights wouldn't hurt. Jack gets home tomorrow and with my mom gone that allows for him to stay over again, and maybe we could finally...
I stopped myself from going that far. I don't know how Jack will react when he gets home. I have no clue how I'm supposed to tell him about Talon. Jack will feel threatened. That's just who he is. Then he'll doubt my loyalty, especially since I waited to tell him.
I quickly went to my messages to text him that we needed to talk. I was about to hit send when I froze. I can't do it over text. Maybe I can't do it or maybe I just won't do it.
I tossed my phone aside. It should be so easy to tell him, but it isn't. If it was Rafe it'd be simple, but this is Talon. Jack's bestfriend. The one person he could trust to watch me and not try anything. While Talon did watch over me, I don't think him admitting he has feelings for me was what Jack had in mind.
"Ugh!" I exclaimed. I needed to stop thinking and the best way to do that was to go to the rink. But that was the last place I wanted to be. Talon or even Rafe could be there.
Standing from the couch I went up to my room and changed into a tank and some shorts. I threw my hair into a ponytail and slipped on my tennis shoes. It wasn't long until I was out the door and on the street. My headphones plugged into my ear as music sang into my ears. I took a look at my house, all clean from the toilet paper but somehow different, and then I ran.
*****
"Ro, you cannot eat that whole chocolate cake by yourself." Paisley laughed as she brought in the milk and bread.
After I had gotten back from my run it was well past noon and so I decided to get some groceries. With Georgia still out of it, I hit up Paisley.
She was eager to leave her house because her parents were having a cookout with all the old people on her block.
"If I hear one more old person tell me to keep my baby face for as long as I can, I'm gunna scream." She exclaimed when I had picked her up from her house. After a rant about old people she suggested we drive into Portland to go to their Target.
And 3 hours later we made it back to my house with some bread, milk, pop tarts, new bikinis for the summer, and chocolate cake.
I set the cake on the counter and laid the swimsuits on the dining room table. "Watch me." I said opening the cake and dragging a finger into the icing and then licked it off.
"You're ruining it!"
"Maybe, but I'm just insuring that the whole cake will belong to me." I teased.
Paisley reached her hands up to her hair and pulled it up into a bun. She glared. "If you think your dirty hands and saliva are gunna stop me from eating some of that cake, you are mistaken."
I put my arms around the cake protecting and hissed. "Never, it's all mine." We glared at each other for a few seconds before we broke out into laughter. I pulled my arms away from the cake but not before taking another swipe it. It was too good. "Grab me some plates and forks."
Still grinning Paisley turned to the cabinets to fish out two plates. While she was getting them my phone buzzed. It was Georgia, finally awake.
"My rents made it a whole 12 hours before they started yelling at eachother again. Can I come back over?"
I responded telling her to head over and that Paisley was here and that we had cake.
Suddenly, two plates were set down in front of me along with two forks. "Cake me."
*****
"Am I crazy for feeling so guilty about Talon and Becka?" I ask as I took the last bite of my third piece of cake. Georgia had made it and now all three of us were sitting on my bedroom floor pigging out on cake while a record played on in the background.
Georgia was laying on the ground tossing a tennis ball into the air while Paisley was sitting cross legged, almost like she was meditating.
"I wouldn't. It wasn't you're fault. Talon needs to get his shit together." Georgia says catching the tennis ball before throwing back up again.
"Becka will get over it and Jess will too. They both know its Talon to blame here not you, it's just... hard for them to see that right now. But don't feel bad hun, besides you got us." Paisley calming says opening her eyes to wink before closing them again.
I giggled pushing my plate to the side to spread out my legs. A new song played on the record and Georgia sprang up, the tennis ball forgotten. "Turn it up."
I reached up to the knob, turning it. 'Girls just wanna have fun' played and I gasped. I forgot this record had this on there. It was a gift from my mom with 80's hits on it.
Paisley's eyes opened wide. "Is this-?"
I nodded and grabbed her hand pulling her up. Georgia grabbed onto her other side. "Yep, and we're dancing!"