Page 4 of Sincerely, Your Enemy

Theo and I went to high school together. Truth be told, I had the biggest crush on him growing up. We spent most of high school casually hooking up when all I wanted was to be his girlfriend.

He strung me along for a hot minute before I realized he didn’t like me enough to actually commit to me. Then he met a girl—blonde, thin, gorgeous, you get the gist. And apparently,shewas girlfriend material.

Did it hurt? Like a bitch. But then my dad died, and I had to grow up, and the next thing I knew, Theo was the last thing on my mind. I made peace with that part of my past. I think, in a way, Theo’s rejection shaped me into who I am today.

Maybe we all need a guy to treat us like crap at least once in our lives. That way, we know what we deserve and what we’ll never tolerate again.

I still hang out with Theo every now and then since we’re friends with the same people. He apologized for leading me on a little after college started, but I don’t need the apology anymore.

Hell, with everything that had happened since high school ended, my obsession with Theo seems like another lifetime ago.

“TJ, is that you?” I ask, even though I know the answer.

“Huh, yeah? How do you know my name?”

“It’s Lacey.”

No response.

“Lacey Mattson? We go to the same school? I’m friends with your roommate?” It occurs to me that the correct term here would beex-roommate since TJ moved out of the party house where he, Theo, a guy named Everest, and another named Chance lived last semester.

“Sorry,” he says.

“Brown hair, green eyes. We have the same friends?” I continue.

A few seconds elapse before it clicks. “Right, you’re Dia’s friend, the one who’s too cool for parties. How’ve you been, rich girl?”

I cringe at the nickname.

It’s a common misconception that I’m loaded because my family is extremely wealthy. What people don’t know is that my mom cut me off after I decided to “throw my life away to take care of my cheating father’s kids”—her words.

As for the antisocial part, I wish I could deny it, but he’s kind of hit the nail on the head with this one. Iwasantisocial last year. I barely went out as I tried to adjust to my new reality as a parent.

I’d go to class, go to work, and then come straight home to help Oliver with his homework. I was too busy struggling to keep my head above water to embrace the college experience. I didn’tdate, didn’t go to parties, didn’t even have a drink for an entire year.

My close friends, Aveena and Diamond, were aware of my situation and very understanding, but I get why others would think I’m some sort of people-hating hermit.

I’ve made it a point to put myself out there this year. Parties, events, whatever the college life throws at me. The thought of leaving Oli alone at home is a lot less troubling now that he’s older.

I don’t even bother answering TJ’s question. “Where are you exactly?”

“At Theo’s,” TJ says.

That’s good. That’s a ten-minute drive, tops.

“Okay, and do you see my sister anywhere?”

“What’s she look like?”

“She’s short, like, five-two. She has brown hair, and she wears too much eyeliner.”

“Oh,her. Yeah, she and her friends were here earlier, but they left.”

“How long ago was that?”

“Like, twenty minutes?”

Shit.

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