tonight, aren’t you?” Ella prods.
My face turns hot immediately. This is not me. This is totally not me. But I so want it to be.
“Bailey, you have to. Do something out of the ordinary. Do something for you.”
I look down at my fingers that I am wringing in nervous energy.
“God, I want to,” I admit quietly. I’m done being a good girl. I’m going to do this for myself.
Sitting in the quiet car on the way to Andrew’s house gives me a minute to think back to when I found out Jessica was cheating on Andrew and the secret that I held onto for her.
“Andrew, I just walked in the door. I haven’t seen Jessica all day.” I said into my phone as I juggled my book bag, project, and purse shutting the door behind me. “I’ll tell her to call you as soon as I see her.”
“Thanks Bailey, I’ve been trying to get ahold to her for two days. Later.” Andrew said before hanging up.
I headed back to my room after putting everything down on the couch. As I pass Jessica’s room I noticed she’s not alone.
“Jessica!” I screamed.
Jessica jumped at my voice and pushed the guy she was with off her then slammed the door in my face. She was cheating on Andrew. I couldn’t believe it. I paced up and down the hallway waiting her her to come out. As soon as the door opened, I pulled her by the arm toward my room and shoved her onto the bed.
“Are you out of your mind? What are you doing?” I said desperately trying to keep my voice level.
“What?” she asked shrugging her shoulders. “I’m just having a little fun.”
“A little fun?” I shrieked. I paced back and forth across the room with my arms flying through the air. I glanced over at Jessica as she was just casually lounging on my bed like she had no care in the world. “What about Andrew?”
She shrugged again which kicked up anger again. “What about him? What he doesn’t know won’t kill him.” I turned on my heel and stomped up to her getting in her face.
“You have to tell him.”
“Like hell I do, and you’re not going to either,” she answered with just as much anger. “No need to break his precious little heart.”
I’m shaking my head before she got the whole sentence out. “I can’t believe you could do this to him.”
“I can. Did you see that hottie I was just with. Yum!” Jessica purred as she stood and walked toward the door.
“End it now or I’m telling Andrew,” I called after her.
She turned toward me and it looked like she was about at argue but instead shrugged one final time. “Fine,” she replied as she walked out the door.
She didn’t end it. She continued to see several guys for the rest of our senior year. I struggled with my conscious for weeks over whether I should tell Andrew or not. Now all of that guilt is coming back to me again.
“You look deep in thought,” I say as I put my hand on her knee.
“You knew she was cheating on you?” she asks quietly.
I nod. I look at her out of the corner of my eye. “You knew too,” I say because I can tell by the look on her face that she feels guilty.
She lets out a shaky sigh and nods back at me.
“I kinda figured you did,” I reply after a second.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you. I went back and forth about it for weeks.”
“What do you have to be sorry about?” I ask.
“If I would have told you maybe,” she paused.
“Maybe nothing. I knew from the first time she cheated that she did it and I still married her. You not telling me was really a good thing. I didn’t have to worry about being different around you. You were my safe haven.” I grab her hand and kiss her knuckles.
Time to change the subject. “So, did Ella yell at you for leaving with me?” I ask to get her mind off of her misplaced guilt.
“No,” she laughs. “She was congratulating me. She smacked me on the butt and told me to go get some, have fun, and get wild.”
“I like her,” I laugh.
“You would have liked her