Page 6 of Don't Puck Your Best Friend’s Girl

"For how you're going to dump his ass and reclaim your life." She heads to the kitchen. "I'm thinking Rocky Road for the ice cream."

I laugh despite myself. "You just want ice cream."

"No, I want you to break up with him." She returns with a tub of Rocky Road she apparently already had stored in the freezer and three spoons. "But seriously, Saylor. How much longer are you going to let him make you feel like this?"

I dig into the chocolate ice cream, considering. "I don't know. Part of me keeps hoping he'll wake up one day and remember why he fell for me in the first place."

"And the other part?" Chloe prompts.

"The other part knows I'm just scared to be alone. To start over." I take another spoonful. "What if no one else wants me?"

"Are you kidding?" Mina waves her spoon at me. "You could have any guy on campus. Remember last week when that grad student asked for your number at the library?"

"He was just being nice."

"He walked into a bookshelf staring at you," Chloe points out. "That's not nice, that's smitten."

"Still." I shake my head. "Breaking up with Byron would be this whole thing. I just thought––"

"Screw what you thought would happen because this is the reality, Saylor," Mina says. "What do you want?"

What do I want? I want to feel desired again. Wanted. Important. I want someone who chooses me over a video game, who notices when I dress up, who touches me like they can't get enough.

"I want to be happy," I finally say.

"And Byron makes you happy?" Chloe asks softly.

The silence that follows is answer enough.

My phone shows no new notifications when I wake up. No good morning text. No apology. Nothing.

For a while, Byron used to send me something every morning––a heart emoji, a stupid meme, even just "hey." The messages stopped being consistent two months ago. I realize now that's when it really ended.

I remember the exact moment. We were at a brewery for Trivia Night. Byron was texting under the table instead of helping with answers. When I asked who he was talking to, he just said, "the guys" and put his phone face-down on the table. He'd never done that before.

That was it. The moment I knew but refused to see that him and I were already going separate ways.

The shower runs cold before I fully process this. I step out, wrapping myself in a towel, and find Mina already at the bathroom door with coffee.

"You look like you've had an epiphany," she says, handing me the mug.

"Two months ago. Trivia Night." I take a sip. "That's when Byron checked out of our relationship."

Chloe appears behind her, hair in a messy bun. "You're just realizing this now?"

"I knew. I just…didn't want to know." I grab my robe from the hook. "No texts from him this morning."

"Because he's a dickhead," Mina states matter-of-factly.

I follow them to the kitchen, where Chloe's already making toast. My stomach churns at the thought of food.

"You need to eat before Stats," Chloe insists, sliding a plate toward me.

"Byron's in Stats." The toast suddenly looks even less appetizing.

"All the more reason to eat and have your energy when you dump his ass," Mina says, already heading to my closet. "I'm thinking the blue dress that makes your legs look incredible."

"I can't break up with him in Stats class."

---