Page 87 of Crazy for this Girl

I sigh, exasperated that he just won’t let me do this. “No, and I don’t want to.” Obviously, I’m going to have to go for stern and harsh here to get his attention because his brows clash together.

“Why? Do you not like him?”

“It’s not that. I just came over here to tell you that I can’t—” The Corgi comes trotting in the room, stealing the attention from Troy and my conversation yet again.

“Aw, there he is.” Troy scoops him up and begins petting him. “He was the sweetest one of the bunch.”

“I’m sure he is. Troy, this isn’t easy for me…I think you’re so great.”

He smiles, the two dimples on his cheeks deepening as he does. “Thanks, babe. I think you’re pretty great, too.”

I run my clammy palms down my leggings. “But I can’t do this anymore. I’m really sorry.”

“Do what?”

I inhale a deep breath. I’ve never broken up with someone before. I don’t know the proper decorum for something like this, but I’m aware it’s not over the phone, which is what I wanted to do.

“I’m breaking up with you,” I impart quickly from my lips and watch his entire face fall straight to the floor.

So does my heart for being such a bitch.

“Why would—why?” he stresses, his hand pausing over the corgi’s head. “What did I do?”

I shake my head. “You didn’t do anything. I swear. It’s me.”

His face twists, and it’s then that I realize that was such a cliché thing to say and not the right thing at all. “We’re going with that? Are you dating someone else?”

“No, no. I’m not.”

“Well, how would I know? I never see you.”

“Because I’m always in school.”

“Yeah, and ever since Switzerland, you’ve been off. So did your new boyfriend not want you to go. Did you go anyway?”

“I was with you the next day, Troy. When have I ever disappeared for a long amount of time?”

He waves his hand dismissively in the air because, in this, I’m right. “In your head, you’ve been ions away.”

“I never wanted to hurt you. I’ve really tried to be in the present with you, and I know I haven’t been fair.”

His voice drips with immediate disgust as he holds the animal in his hands. “I bought you a fucking dog.” He then holds it away from him like it’s infested with fleas and he can’t be bothered with him anymore.

Well, that act of kindness was a load of bullshit.

“I didn’t ask you to,” I retort through my teeth. “And if you didn’t like him, why did you buy him in the first place?”

“For you,” he leers as if the whole reason why I dated him in the first place was to get this very dog. Not to get over my old best friend, which isn’t any better, but it’s the truth. “You just hinted about it for weeks.”

“Troy, never did I ever say I wanted a dog within my possession. I’m going to school—”

“You can get the fuck out of my house,” he carps out, putting the dog safely down. “I don’t have time for this fake ass apology.”

Wow.

I’ve never seen mad Troy before.

And this is definitely not what I imagined. He’s always been sweet and kind, compassionate and driven, but get him on something he’s not happy about and here we are. I knew this was too good to be true.

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