Page 71 of Wrecked
“Hey Ems!” I try to sound as cheerful as I can. “I was thinking me and Nate can leave the dance early and come back here for a romcom movie night. What do you think?” I was so excited for our night away, but nothing is worth Emmy being sad and alone at home.
“Oh. No, that’s okay. You guys…you guys have fun.” There’s an ounce of concern in her voice that has me confused. Why is she worried about me? I’m supposed to be the one worrying about her.
“Nate’s in his room.” She turns around and walks up the staircase. I follow behind her, my heart thumping a little bit louder than before. Something isn’t right. Something feels very wrong.
We reach the top of the staircase, and she turns around to face me.
“He’s in his room,” she repeats, “but…”
“But what?” I giggle, more of a nervous habit than genuine humor. My heart is beating out of my chest. I feel like I am going to cry, and I don’t even know why. My skin starts to prickle, my instincts are screaming at me to run away and protect myself.
I already know.
I know when I open that door, my world is going to be turned upside down.
“Never mind. Just…never mind.” Emmy rushes toward her room at the end of the hallway and slams the door shut. She’s angry, mad at Nate. But why?
I take a deep, shuddering breath and walk toward Nate’s bedroom door. I steel myself for whatever is on the other side. Did he hurt himself? Did he take his mom’s pills? Did his dadbeat him so badly he couldn’t possibly show his face at the school? Whatever it is, I’m ready. I’m going to mask my fear and anger, and I’m going to be there for him. I’m going to get him through this.
I open the door, walk inside, and close it behind me. I expect to see Nate lying crumpled on the bedroom floor. What I see instead has me struggling to breathe.
My hand flies to my chest, the sudden weight of it has me trying to fight off an invisible mass sitting on top of me. I can’t breathe. I can’t think. I can’t speak. I just stare…straight ahead at Nate’s bed.
There’s a girl.
A gorgeous blonde girl, laying underneath his comforter. The same comforter I spend every night beneath. She looks at me with wide eyes, but her smile is smug, like she knows something I don’t.
“Who…who are you?” I question, much like my mom’s question earlier. One I don’t truly want the answer to. My eyes start to burn, but I desperately fight against the sensation.
There’s an explanation.
There has to be. Nate wouldn’t do this to me. To us. If I cry now, I’ll ruin my makeup. He hasn’t even seen me yet. He has to see me with my makeup!
“Who am I?” The girl laughs. “Awe sweetie. I’m the cheerleading captain. The homecoming queen. The girl who’s about to fuck your ex-boyfriend.All. Night.”
No.
No.
Pain. Visceral fucking pain.
Pain so pure, so uninhibited, it has me clutching my stomach as I’m racked with nausea. My heart feels like it’s being electrocuted. The sharp stinging of each beat takes my breath away, causing me to bend over to try and rid myself of that feeling.
“Ex-boyfriend?” I whisper. It feels as if my heart cracks inhalf, crumbling to pieces and turning to dust. My throat feels like it’s closing, like a clamp is tightening around my trachea, preventing me from getting enough air. I’m suffocating, but I don’t even care. The pain in my chest is so much worse than my need for air.
He wouldn’t do this. He loves me. He’s told me so many times that he loves me. This has to be a mistake. A cruel joke. Nate wouldn’t hurt me. Not like this. Never like this.
Unwelcome tears slide down my cheeks, smearing the foundation I applied to perfection. The salty liquid lines my lips, but I can’t taste it. I can’t feel anything. It’s like I’m here, but I’m not. My body no longer functions. My heart no longer beats. I can’t feel, or see, or hear.
“Oh. Did you…did you not know?” she asks, her tone filled with fake sympathy. “I guess Nathan decided he was done playing with little girls. You were probably just a joke to him, yah know. The whole school knew it, sweetie. That you were just a prank he took a little too far. He wants a woman in his bed,Aly. Not the ugly duckling of the sophomore class. So, so sorry you had to find out this way.”
She stands up from her spot on his bed.Myspot. That’s always beenmyspot.
She’s naked.
She’s not wearing a stitch of clothing.
She’s naked in Nate’s bed.
