Page 84 of All's Fair in Love and Blackmail

“Found you,” I whisper, my fingers tugging the folder out before I can even question whether it’s a good idea.

Because I know, in the back of my mind, that she probably wouldn’t want me to read whatever she wrote. She didn’t tell me she’d interned here. She never mentioned writing anything. And now she’s told me she has feelings for me. I’m an idiot about a lot of things, but I can put two and two together.

I tug the clipping out anyway, the paper whispering delicately into my hands, and I begin to read.

How to Get Over a Playboy

(After You’ve Already Wasted Too Much Time)

by India Marigold

So you met the man of your dreams…and the man of her dreams…and the man of her dreams, too. What do you do when your heart is set on forever with someone who has no intention of settling down?

This author decided to do a bit of research in hopes of leaving behind her very own playboy crush. You know the type—gorgeous, flirtatious, a smile for every woman he meets.

Is he fun, witty, charming? Definitely. But is he going to stick around forever? Definitely not.

So what’s a lovesick girl to do?

I’ll tell you. You ditch him, of course. You don’t need a garbage, scummy commitment-phobe in your life. Try these four easy steps to get over him and get on with meeting someone new!

Step 1: Be a little mean.

Hear us out! Is your playboy the worst person in the world? No, probably not. Most likely he’s just not the one for you. But if you need to think of him scathingly for a while, just until you move on, allow yourself to acknowledge his faults and shortcomings—privately or not-so-privately. You might feel better if you tell him to his face, and he might even deserve it. We’ll let you make that call.

Step 2: Get rid of all reminders of him.

The old photo of the two of you? Burn it. The sample of his cologne you keep under your pillow? Toss it. If he’s not going to be a part of your life, his belongings don’t need to be either.

Step 3: Keep yourself busy.

Go out with your girlfriends. Try a new book, or even a new genre. Learn a new skill, like how to drive a motorcycle. Dive into all the things that will (safely) take your mind off him.

Step 4: Do not let him back into your life—unless you’re prepared to be hurt all over again.

“Things will be different this time,” you say. “I’m over him by now.”

Well, you might be right. But you might also be wrong. So if he comes knocking in the future, ask yourself these questions: Has he changed? HaveI? Am I ready to be heartbroken again? Can I handle the pain if our relationship goes poorly?

Only you can determine if a relationship is right for you. But remember this: If you’ve made him your choice while he’s only made you an option, you can probably find someone better suited to you. After all, the best way to avoid getting hurt by a playboy is to avoid falling for one in the first place!

Best of luck from your friends at the Gazette!

I stare, dumbstruck, as my mind reels and spins and whatever else frazzled brains do. India Marigold wrotethis—this brutal indictment against time-wasting men, a blatant condemnation of anyone who likes to play the field. I have to say, it’s a little hurtful.

Except…

A shadow of something heavy and thick gloops at my insides. It’s the same feeling I had at the store when she reminded me what I’d said about her not being my type; it’s similar, too, to the discomfort I had at Crow Point when she was talking about love, or the way I felt when she wasn’t surprised I didn’t know how I felt. My eyes dart back over the article and catch on one word:

Scummy.

That’s how I feel. Scummy, and gross, and maybe even guilty.

I swallow, trying to get rid of that emotion, at least for now—because I’m at work, and I don’t have time to soul-search, even if it’s something that probably needs to happen.

Move on for now. Just move on.

So I tear my eyes away from that word and look at the rest of the article instead, searching for India’s telltale voice, for the wit I know so well, the dry sense of humor.

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