Page 15 of Scores Of The Heart

“We had a fight,” I say. Hoping that will get her to back off until I get my head around what happened and be able to talk about it. I feel so annoyed and angry inside that I have to cover for Damon and Jessica. Masking my own feelings in the process.

But why should I? I haven’t done anything wrong!

The last straw is in church on Sunday when Mom forces me to go along. She doesn’t seem to care that I’m feigning an illness and have been in bed all week because of my breakup with Damon. I finally told them I broke up with him. I just haven’t revealed what happened yet. However, Mom isn’t buying my stomach bug story.

It’s awful having to go to church where I’m supposed to feel safe, knowing the two of them will be there.

It makes my stomach lurch, and all I can think about during the whole sermon is how their skin slapped together and the disgusting noises they were making.

I know I have to talk to him and end it once and for all.

I’m pretty sure ignoring his text and calls all week long is a sure-fire example of the way I’m feeling. Surely he doesn’t think he’s just going to come crawling back?

I mean, does he still want to be with me? And if so… what is he doing with Jessica? If he wanted to try out the fruit before he got bogged down into married life with me, then he should have made it clear and broke things off with me.

I had no prior warning. I knew he was struggling with waiting for marriage, and we had ways to go yet before we made it official—but couldn’t he have said something if he had doubts?

I ignore him the whole time at church, though I could feel him looking at me from the two rows in front and kept turning his head to look at me.

I try to slip out after the sermon as fast as I can while the adults linger, chattering like they usually do. That’s when I feel a hand grab me by the arm, trying to exit out the back door.

“Cindy, wait!”

I gasp when I spin around to see a very contrite looking Damon standing in front of me. Darn it, he’s still cute with his shaggy black hair over his eyes and blue as the ocean eyes. “Get your hands off me!” are the first words out of my mouth.

“Cindy, I need to talk to you. You won’t return any of my calls or texts.”

“Can you really blame me?” I fire back at him. “What the hell would I need to talk to you about? It’s over, Damon.”

“Over?” He splutters.

Is he for real right now?

“I caught you red-handed having sex with Jessica in the utility room, then you try to tell me it wasn’t what it looked like!”

He shakes his head and runs his hand across his face. He doesn’t seem to have so much to say now. “I’m sorry, Cindy. If you could only believe me.”

“Sorry you got caught,” I mutter.

“What the—” We both turn when we hear a noise behind us.

Oh God. It’s my dad.

“Umm, dad…”

He’s standing with his hands on his hips, glaring at Damon. “What did you just say?” He spits. I’ve never seen my dad look so mad, and he can be a little scary sometimes when he’s had a bad day at work.

“Nothing, umm Mister Carter… I mean, Sir.”

“Say that again, Cindy?” It’s my turn to get dad’s icy glare pointed towards me. I wished he would shift it back to Damon. I’m the innocent one here.

“Dad, how much did you hear?”

“Enough!” He does not look happy either.

“It’s all a big misunderstanding!” Damon says, waving his hands in front of him, like he’s trying to reassure himself more than my father.

“A big misunderstanding!” I blurt out. Now I have my hands on my hips.

---