The call with Julie lasts about two hours. Everything she says is a lot for me to take in.
My dad didn't just cheat on Julie, but apparently does some really sketchy business. Julie is always kept out of the loop of course, but she does notice some weird documents laying around every once in a while. She doesn't elaborate on that topic, and I'm glad about it.
After my dad and Julie had talked everything through, he went back to that girl again, not caring about Julie one bit. Also, he's apparently drunk every day and Julie suspects that he even slept with a prostitute every now and then.
I feel heavy once we end the call. I'm glad I ended it, I couldn't have taken another thing Julie wanted to say. She said so many things, yet she still wasn't done. We could have talked for hours and hours. I get that she's upset, I really do, but I view my dad completely different now. I don't want to believe her every word blindly, but I'm so angry and upset that my dad would do this to Julie, treat her this way. I guess he's not the man I thought he was. Maybe I don't even know him at all.
Wondering if my sister Ava has talked to Julie already, I decide to call her.
"Hey you" she answers as she picks up.
"Hey... I just spoke to Julie" I get right to the point.
"Yeah..." Ava drifts off. "We talked too, earlier today."
"Crazy, right? I don't even know what to say about the things I just heard" I sigh.
"I know, me too. I honestly don't know what to feel. I can't believe we're being dragged into this again" she says.
"Me too... I just wanted to hear what you think about all of this" I say, laying down on my bed to breathe normally for the first time in hours.
"I'm mad. It's like, he's not the man I thought he was" she says. I can hear in her voice that she's just as confused as me.
"That's what I thought right after the call" I let her know.
"Let's just not overthink it. Let it sink for a few days. It's not really our business after all" Ava suggests.
I feel the same way, I don't want to worry about another thing that isn't for me to worry about.
"Yeah, sounds like a good idea. What are you up to these days then?" I ask her trying to forget everything else.
"Same old. Work, traveling to see Ryan some weekends" she says.
Ryan is Ava's boyfriend, they've been together for about four years. He recently moved to Southern California, so their relationship just became long distance. It's not easy on her, I can tell. He goes off and does his thing while she has to travel back and forth for him if she wants to see him at all. He doesn't really make the effort, but again, not my business.
"You've been keeping busy with a certain Jace, I hear?" she asks me.
I can tell that she's smirking.
"Mom told you?" I ask as my cheeks turn red.
"Of course she told me" Ava laughs. "You don't have to tell me anything, do it when you're ready" she says, not pressuring me.
I love that about Ava. As kids and teenagers we never really got a long, we used to fight a lot and basically hated each other's guts. Then we both spend some time abroad and when we reunited, we were inseparable. We still are today. She gets me and my situation completely. She does have her own issues, but deals with them pretty well. Today, she's always there for me, even though we don't talk too often. I'm just happy to have her in my life, she's my best friend.
"Just tell me one thing" she adds. "Does he treat you good?" she genuinely wants to know.
"He does" I say and smile to myself. She doesn't have to know about the little obstacles we had.
"Good" she answers, probably smiling too. "Well, I got to go. Try not to think about dad too much, okay?"
"Yeah, you too. This was nice, let's do it again soon" I suggest.
"Absolutely. Love you sis" she says and hangs up the phone.
Talking to Ava made me feel a lot better, yet I'm still sat in this empty room not knowing what to do with my thoughts.
When I check the time, I see that it's only six in the evening. I feel like it should be midnight by now. I'm confused, upset, but mostly tired and worn out. My battery is on empty. I know that I don't want to be alone tonight, but I don't know if I should call Jace or not. Maybe he's busy and doesn't even want to see me.
Here we go again, I'm starting to overthink everything. I feel a headache coming already. I can feel that my body is not going to let me rest, anxiety is slowly starting to creep up on me. I contemplate if I should call Ava back... or maybe my mom?
No, Mila. I need to get my mind off everything, but I can't always call someone when I have a problem. I'm a grown ass woman that needs to get her shit together. I take off my uncomfortable jeans and put on my yoga pants, with a big comfortable sweater to keep me warm. I grab my laptop, put some Jeremy Zucker on and decide to close my eyes for a second. After a few moments, tears start rolling down my cheek.
I do that a lot. Play sad music to heighten my emotions. I don't know why, but it feels so good. For some reason, it keeps me sane to fall apart for a little while. As my dad used to say, sometimes you just need to cry it out until you feel better.
After about fifteen minutes, I'm much calmer again. Not my thoughts, but my phone vibrating distracts me from the peace I was slowly starting to feel. Please don't be Dad or Ava, I can't deal with any more drama right now.
I take a look at my screen and smile when I see Jace's name popping up.
"Hey" I say softly once I press the green button on my touchscreen.
"Hey back" Jace says. "How was the call?" he states bluntly.
He's sweet for checking up on me after the call he knew I was dreading.
"Heavy" I say to Jace, leaning up on my bed.
"What'd she say?" he wants to know.
So I explain everything to him. The apartment my dad rented, the sketchy business, the alcohol, the prostitutes.
"Wow. What a dick" Jace says once I'm finished. "Sorry" he adds once he realized what he just said.
"Don't worry. I'm angry too. I don't know what to believe anymore" I explain.
"Why didn't you call me if you were feeling like shit?" he asks bluntly once again.
"Well... I didn't want to be a bother" I say, deciding to go for the truth. "I just wanted to try dealing with it on my own" I add, explaining further.
"Bullshit. You don't have to be alone. Call me next time" Jace says sternly. "I'm on my way. Your place or mine?" he asks, while a smile is forming on my lips.
He's right, I guess I should've called him. I think about his question. I think I would prefer a comfortable bed and a nice shower in the morning.
"You wouldn't mind picking me up?" I ask, just to be sure.
"You even have to ask?" he scolds back at me. "Be there in ten" Jace adds and hangs up the phone.
I'm glad I don't have to be alone tonight. Honestly, there's not a person I'd rather spend my nights with, ever.
While I grab my purse and my bag for uni tomorrow, my phone vibrates once more. I really want to throw it in the trash right now. I'm not in the mood to socialize any more today.
Dinner tomorrow? Austin, Jace you and I? I read Bree's message and have to smile.
Her and Jace are the only people I can be around when I feel down and I'd love to have dinner with the two of them tomorrow, since we didn't go on Sunday. I think it's time I officially meet Austin.
I'm just about to go outside to see Jace in the parking lot, when I hear a knock on the door. I know it's him, so I open it without thinking twice.
"Hey beautiful" a groggy voice says, before the dreading smell of alcohol and cigarettes hits me.
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Who's at the door?
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