6 August 2012
-TIFFANY-
"How could she do this to you? She's so manipulative, I just can't believe it! I bet she set this all up! I'm so angry!" Kim said, pacing and stomping around the room.
"You're not helping" Milly said, sitting alongside me on our bed and putting her arm around my shoulders.
I was leaning up against the headboard, on Nate's side of the bed, curled up in a ball, hugging my knees close to my chest. I was trying to imagine that Milly's arm was Nate's, but it wasn't working: hers were far skinnier than his and I didn't feel nearly as safe or comforted as I did with him.
"I just can't believe he's doing this to you, in your condition too!"
"I brought it upon myself" I said to Kim, wanting her to just calm down and sit with me.
"Do you want me to go and see him?" Milly asked me, brushing a hair off my face.
"He needs time. Maybe tomorrow" I said, burying my head back into my knees."You can go you know, I should probably finish my coursework anyway..."
"No way!" Kim demanded "I'm happy to stay here for tonight"
"So am I" Milly agreed, soothingly
"You've got training and lessons tomorrow, you need a good night's sleep. It's really sweet of you, but having you here won't make me sleep any better. Thank you, but you can go"
"Nope, I'll go and get our duvets and pillows and we'll all stay awake together. We're not leaving you, T"
"Thank you" I said, smiling at how caring these girls were being towards me.
Just as Kim left to get her and Milly's things, my laptop beeped, indicating that I had a new email.
"I'll just look at that" I said, dragging myself over to my laptop and lifting up it's lid. After scrolling up my list of emails from various well wishers, I reached my newest message.
It read: 'I'd like to see both of you in my office tomorrow morning at 8. Mrs Henderson' and it was CC'd to Nate's email.
"Mrs H wants to see Nate and I tomorrow morning" I said, closing my laptop and crawling back into bed.
"That's good right? You'll be able to see Nate?"
"How do you think she found out?" I asked, genuinely intrigued.
"You had a pretty huge argument in a corridor, at the same time the teacher's walk through to go to their rooms, I'd say that was pretty self explanatory"
"I suppose. What if we never get back together again?"
"You will. Just look at your finger and that should convince you" she said, stroking the ring on my left hand.
"Would you mind going into that drawer there?" I said, pointing to the bedside cabinet next to Milly.
"Sure, what do you want?"
"I want the jewellery box, the scan picture and his swim team sweater" I said, tearing up as these precious items were pulled out.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Milly asked, handing them to me nonetheless.
"I need to feel like he's with me. He's in these items you know" I said, pulling his sweater on over my blouse and pressing the picture into my chest.
"Tiffany, I'm so sorry" Kim said as she walked back in, arms laden with belongings.
"What are you apologising for?" I said from within the large sweater.
"Two things: one for being so long and another thing..."
"That's fine, and what else?" I asked.
"I don't want to tell you this, but you have to know. I went down to the first floor, just to see if anything was happening and I saw Nate coming out of her room"
All hope suddenly drained from my person, and I looked down at my once tanned hands that were now white as a sheet.
As I uttered the last words I remember, I felt all the blood rush from my head and my eyes go misted and lazy "I've lost him"
-NATE-
As I crawled back into Charlie's room that night, I thought about what I'd just told Mollie in my second visit that evening.
"I can't do this. I can't lead you on so I have to tell you straight: I'm not in love with you. I'm in love with Tiffany and that's how it's always going to be. I'm sorry Mollie, but I can't let you raise your expectations only to have them crushed. And I'm still interested in being your friend again, I just can't see you crushed by me when there's nothing I can do. Forgive me for leading you on once?"
"You didn't, it's fine. Maybe in a few weeks we can try again at being friends, but until then I need space. Thank you for being honest" she said, dismissing me.
I walked back from her room head held high, knowing I'd done the right thing. There was a slight niggling feeling that I was being watched though, but I was happy to know that I hadn't done any wrong, so I didn't mind the mystery person seeing.
As I lay in bed, Charlie began to murmur in his sleep, and I thought about how distraught he'd be if he knew Mollie had only wanted me when they were together, and I decided that I'd try and avoid the subject as much as possible with him, to save him the heartbreak that I'd just caused Mollie.
I figured that I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, so I picked up my iPhone from on the floor and initially checked my emails, picking the one from Mrs Henderson up about seeing her in the morning, then starting to listen to some music. I decided to utilise Tiffany's method of shuffling to determine your mood, and as I did so, the first song convinced me about how I really felt.
'Signs' by Bloc Party came in, making me immediately reminisce back to the last time if heard it: our first dance.
I thought about the look she'd had in her eye, and how beautiful she'd looked in her dress, and about how proud I'd been that day: the happiest man in the world. And now, almost two weeks on, I was lying in a bed that wasn't hers, pondering whether our relationship would survive until the morning.
Just as I closed my eyes and took myself back to where I was when this song played, the music faded out and was replaced by the usual Apple ringtone, that startled me a little.
The number on the screen was unrecognised, and I considered ignoring it, but I finally decided to answer, not really caring who it was.
"Hello?" I whispered down the phone to the mystery caller.
"You're the last person I wish I was speaking to right now, but you need to come to Tiffany's room now" a British voice said to me.
"Milly, what's happening? I'm trying to sleep" I lied.
"It's Tiffany. And possibly the baby. I'd come quick if I were you"
Love You Too: PART EIGHTY NINE • Opuss № I