Destroying the Wrong

  “Maybe because he’s your boyfriend?” She glared back at me before stomping into the dining room.

  Matt was sitting down with everyone at the table, talking to Alissa's mom. Alissa took a seat on the other side of the table and pushed her phone under her leg. I was about to sit down next to her, but Dillon patted the empty chair next to him. I felt myself blush as I took the seat. He took my hand under the table and gave me a small smile. I looked over at Alissa who glared at me and mouthed, “Traitor.”

  I mouthed back “Sorry,” but I didn't mean it at all.

  We ate pie and talked about random things. No one mentioned what happened at the gym, which I was thankful for. Matt kept looking at Alissa with a warm smile, but she would just look away. I felt bad for Matt because he was really trying.

  Alissa's dad kept kissing her mom’s hand. My mom looked at them with envy and I made a mental note to try and show her a little more affection. I couldn't imagine how lonely she felt being around Alissa's parents.

  My favorite part of the night was opening presents. I never had enough money to buy anything extravagant for anyone, but it was fun trying to be creative. I bought Alissa a journal for her writing and in the front, I wrote a short story about the two of us. She hugged it and said it was perfect. Alissa bought me a couple new outfits, along with some new boots, all of which were trendy and probably expensive. She wanted me to try them on immediately, but I promised later.

  I wasn't sure if Dillon would think my present was lame, but when he opened the photo album decorated with Army stuff he leaned over to kiss me on the cheek. It made me happy and he seemed to like it. I would do anything for another kiss.

  “Now, it's your turn,” Dillon said, handing me a small box. I looked at what appeared to be a jewelry box in my hands, afraid to open it. I never wore jewelry, so it took me a minute to plan the perfect reaction as to not look disappointed. Inside the box was a small diamond necklace. It was so simple, but so beautiful. He took the box from my hand and slipped the necklace over my head. “Now every time you look down, you'll think of me,” he said.

  “It's perfect, Dillon.” I meant it, too. I loved the way it felt around my neck and I didn’t plan to ever take it off. Alissa watched our exchange, grinning, her dad winked at me, and our moms said, “Awwww!” at the same time.

  “My turn,” Matt said. I looked at Alissa who was sitting on the other side of the room. She didn't move from her seat, so Matt got up and walked over to her, handing her a large bag. “I hope you love this as much as I love you, Alissa.”

  Alissa opened the bag and pulled out a blanket. She stood up and the blanket unfolded, revealing a large picture of Matt and Alissa looking very happy. “You fall asleep on the couch so often, this will keep you warm and this picture of us is my favorite.” Matt’s smile was warm.

  “Thank you, Matt. That's very thoughtful,” Alissa said as she folded the blanket back up. She didn't even look at him when she thanked him.

  I watched Matt’s disappointment spread across his face and couldn’t bear to watch that Christmas spirit die in front of me. “That was such a great idea, Matt. So cute!” I sounded a little too peppy, but I was trying to make him smile and ease the pain.

  Everyone joined in with the compliments and continued opening presents. Alissa bought Matt some books. I got a new purse from Alissa's parents and decided to save it for a special occasion. Before I knew it, it was time to go home.

  Matt left first after Alissa gave him a hug but she refused to kiss him in front of everyone. My mom and I were saying our own goodbyes when Dillon offered to walk me to our car. She gave me the keys so I could start up the car and get the heater going but I suspected she knew I wanted a couple minutes alone with Dillon. He helped put on my jacket and opened the front door for me. When the cold air hit my skin, I almost ran back inside from the shock but Dillon grabbed my hand and walked me to the car.

  “Thank you again for the necklace, it’s beautiful.” I kissed his cheek.

  “Listen, Kat, my leave is almost over and I'm not sure what's going to happen after that whole thing with Walt. Promise me you'll keep in touch no matter what?” He squeezed my hand.

  “Of course. It’s not like we'll never see each other again soon. I mean, you are my best friend’s older brother.” I winked at him. “You'll have to come visit us at college when we get all settled in. It may be a couple of years, but it will happen.”

  “Can I call you sometime?” Twin flags of color raised to his cheeks that had nothing to do with the cold and I had to keep from making a comment about how cute he looked.

  “I’d really like that. Call, text or email anytime.”

  He pulled me in and kissed me. It was so cold outside in the snow, but his lips were warm. His arms went around my waist as our tongues flicked teasingly at each other, mouths open in our ardor. I couldn’t stop my hand from reaching up and grabbing his head to pull him closer, my fingers curling around to the back of his neck to prolong the contact. Dillon groaned softly, the sound ricocheting from the bottoms of my feet to the top of my head and pooling somewhere deep in my belly.

  For the second time that day, a delicate cough ended our moment and we broke apart to see my mom trying valiantly to look down the road and give us time for a little composure. I don't think we would have stopped kissing if we hadn’t been interrupted.

  Dillon waved as mom backed the car out of the driveway and began the short drive home.

  “The two of you look good together,” my mom said very matter-of-factly. She reached over and squeezed my hand, smiling at me.

  “I think so, too. It feels good.” I watched Dillon in the mirror until we turned the corner. I held on to the necklace around my neck and let the joy wash over me.

  Chapter 17

  Alissa

  Christmas Day was relaxing at my house. We all sat around the windows with our coffee, watching the snow-fall. I thought about Scott a lot, wondering what he was doing and who he was spending the day with. We texted back and forth, flirting with each other. Dillon stayed on the phone with Kat for a couple hours and my parents took a nap, so I had plenty of time to think about what to do about Matt.

  I knew I needed to break up with him because I couldn’t continue feeling angry at him all the time. I didn't want to deal with the breaking up part, though, and wished he would just leave me alone and disappear without an argument. Talking to him would be pointless because I knew he would beg for me not to leave but doing it over email or text wouldn't work either because he would just show up at my house. I needed to make him break up with me so I could guarantee he’d leave me alone.

  The next day I decided to go to the gym, taking the risk of running into Matt. He’d been giving me my space by not calling, but he did text occasionally. I wore my best-looking workout outfit knowing I would run into Scott. Black was always my favorite color to wear because it didn't show sweat. I learned after the second day that even though I looked good in red, it showed the proof of my exertions in high definition.

  The new girl at the front desk of the gym was having trouble with the computer, so we had to use a sign-in sheet. The name above my signature belonged to Kelly Martin and I stopped to stare at it. I’d never seen her around here before and the thought of running into her made me nauseous. We were required to stay away from each other after our little argument at lunch. Maybe I could talk to Scott and have her banned from the gym.

  I turned the corner past the entry-way and there she was, standing up against the wall, laughing with Scott. I stopped in my tracks and glared at her. I wasn't close enough to hear what they were talking about, but she obviously thought he was funny because every time he spoke she laughed out loud.

  Kelly looked my way and her smile disappeared the moment she saw me. Scott followed her eyes and saw me, too. I stood in my spot and watched him end the conversation. The moment he turned his back to her and walked in my direction, she flipped me off and walked into the weight room. I wanted to r
un after her but getting kicked out of the gym for smacking someone wouldn’t make me happy.

  Scott came up real close to me and smiled. “Hey, doll. I was wondering when I would see you again.”

  “Well, here I am and there you were talking to Kelly.” I looked at him with my eyebrows arched up to let him know I was not happy. He looked back at me with a blank expression and I immediately felt stupid. “I'm sorry. I can't tell you who and who not to talk to. I just don't like her at all and I know she doesn't like me. I was just surprised to see her here and even more surprised she was talking to you.” I wanted to punch her in the face.

  “Part of my job is to talk to everyone.” He gave me one of his gorgeous smiles. “I kind of like seeing you jealous.”

  “I wasn't jealous,” I said, trying to sound convincing. “I just don’t like her. She makes my life hell and she bullies Kat, which I could strangle her for.”

  “Would this be the same Kelly from school that you almost fought in the lunchroom?” He looked amused.

  “One in the same. I should probably go so we don't make a scene. We can't be in the same room together without at the very least arguing.”

  “No, don't go.” He grabbed my hand but quickly let go. “How about we just go talk in my office?” he said.

  It probably wasn’t a good idea but it beat sitting at home. Besides, maybe I could ask his advice on what to do about Matt. “Lead the way.” I said, but he waved me on to go ahead of him. We walked with a few steps between us, as not to make it obvious.

  I walked into his office and threw my bag down by the door. I felt Scott come up behind me and I got chills all over my body. He grabbed a section of my hair, putting it up to his nose and inhaling.

  “You smell amazing, doll. You have no idea how much it turned me on seeing you get jealous. Now you know how I feel every time I see Matt touch or kiss you. It drives me insane knowing I can't touch you, but he can.”

  I closed my eyes and steadied my breathing. Being that close to him made my body feel like it could explode from the energy generated between us. I was so aware of his closeness that I could feel the wetness gathering between my legs.

  He moved around me without a touch. I opened my eyes and tried to breathe normal, but acting natural around him was beginning to be a real challenge. The more time I spent near him, the more I wanted to throw myself at him.

  Get it together, Alissa.

  “Do you have big plans for New Year’s?” I walked over to the couch and sat on the far end.

  “I got invited to a couple of parties, but I may just stay home and read. I'm not a drinker. How about you? Big plans with Matt for the midnight kiss?” He always tilted his head slightly when he asked me questions. However, when he asked about Matt, he kept his head straight, like he was uncomfortable.

  “Actually, I was going to ask you for some advice about Matt. Have you ever broken up with someone but in a way that makes the other person think it's them breaking up with you?” I hoped he understood what I was trying to say without actually having to explain it in detail.

  “Yes,” he said without elaborating.

  “Okay. How did you manage that?” I crisscrossed my legs and leaned forward, nodding at him to keep going.

  “Everyone is different in how they handle situations.”

  “Okay, not helping,” I said, throwing my hands in the air.

  “If you want to break up with Matt, it needs to be your decision. How you do it needs to be your decision as well.” He looked down and I could tell by the way he pursed his lips that he was trying not to smile. “I'll help with whatever you decide, but I can't make decisions for you.”

  “I know that makes sense, but I was really hoping you could help me figure out how to do it.” I pouted hoping he would feel sorry for me but he didn't say anything. He was so hard to crack. “He hasn't done anything other than drive me insane. That's not something I can tell him without starting an argument or a begging session,” I said in a frustrated tone.

  He crossed his arms and chewed on his lower lip for a moment. “What could he do that you would not forgive him for, no exceptions?”

  “Cheat on me. Lie to me.” I looked Scott directly in the eye so he knew I was serious. It was a warning to him for future reference.

  Scott nodded. “Can’t blame you for that.”

  “I wish I knew what happened to his last long-term girlfriend,” I said.

  “He never told you?”

  “Nope. He never brings her up. When we went to a party, the moment he found out she was going to show up, we left,” I replied.

  He sat down on the other end of the couch. “She broke up with him after his football career ended. He started drinking after that,” Scott said, rubbing the space between his eyes.

  “How do you know?”

  “Matt and I are close.”

  That surprised me because Matt never mentioned him unless he was talking about his training sessions.

  “He began hanging out with some unsavory guys. They were into drugs.”

  I looked at Scott, not sure how I felt about this new information.

  “He still blames her for pushing him over the edge,” he added.

  “The last thing I want to do is cause him to do something stupid,” I said.

  “Don’t stay with someone just because you’re afraid you’ll hurt them. He’s a big boy who makes his own decisions.”

  I nodded in agreement. “You’re right. I’ll wait until after the new year to break it off.”

  He smiled at me.

  “Thanks for letting me know. I promise I won’t repeat any of it.”

  “Time to move on to better things. You come first, don’t forget that,” he stood up. “I need to get moving, Alissa. If I don’t see you, have a very happy New Year and I expect we'll be keeping in touch,” he said, giving me a wink.

  I nodded in agreement while smiling like a goofball. “I hope you do as well. Where are you going so fast, though? Sick of me already?” I used my flirty voice hoping it would keep him from leaving. It was much harder flirting in person versus over the phone.

  “I'll never be sick of you, doll.” He turned and walked out of his office.

  I sat in his office, gathering my thoughts. The scent of his cologne still lingered in the air, masculine with a hint of sweetness. Taking a deep breath, I tried to memorize the uniqueness of it before I grabbed my bag and headed home, thoughts of Scott heavy on my mind.

  ~*~

  Kat and I decided to order pizza and watch a movie for New Year’s Eve while sitting around in our pajamas. My parents took Kat's mom to one of my dad's lame work parties and Dillon decided to have a video game marathon with his buddies, so it was just Kat and I.

  A lot of kids our age like to sneak drinks and party, but I don't like the taste of beer or wine. Matt had asked me to go to some party with him, and of course, I said no. He was so disappointed, he’d shown up at Kat's place on his way to the party to give me a kiss.

  Fifteen minutes to midnight, my text alert went off. We paused the movie because Kat needed to use the bathroom and I used the opportunity to look at my phone.

  Scott: Check your email.

  Alissa: Okay. Happy New Year’s by the way! If some girl kisses you tonight, I hope she has bad breath.

  He didn't respond back.

  I yelled at Kat through the bathroom door that I had to borrow her laptop for a second. I only had one email from one of my former journalism classmates. It looked like he’d sent a mass email and my initial thought was that something had happened to someone we’d gone to school with. I was wrong, though. The email was just a bunch of pictures from the party with funny quotes. I recognized most of the people but couldn’t care less about how much fun they were having. The second to last picture was the only one that caught my attention. The picture captured Matt holding a bottle of beer in one hand and his other hand was tangled up in Kelly's hair while they kissed.

  Shock and anger suddenly
boiled through my veins and I thought I was going to puke. It was the excuse I had been waiting for, but it still stung. Part of me hadn’t thought Matt capable of ever cheating on me and I’d resigned myself to the thought that I would be the one to end it, but the proof was right in front of me.

  And he’d cheated on me with Kelly of all people.

  “What are you looking at?” Kat came up behind me and gasped when she looked over my shoulder at the picture of Kelly and my former boyfriend. “Oh, hell, Alissa! What is he doing kissing her?” She grabbed the laptop out of my hands and stared at it like I had been doing. “Is this real? Is it from tonight?”

  “I think it is.”

  Remember, Alissa, you wanted a good excuse.

  Kat closed the laptop and pulled me in for a hug. “I'm so sorry. I can't believe he would do that to you!” She stood back up and paced back and forth on the floor.

  I couldn't make myself cry, but I could play the stunned role to perfection. There was no way I could tell Kat I had wanted it to happen.

  But shit, it still hurts.

  “Alissa, say something! Do you want to go kick his ass? No, really, I will.” Kat got back down on the floor with me. I still hadn't said anything. “I don't know what to say or do. Please, tell me what you're thinking.” Her voice cracked as if she was about to start crying.

  I shook my head, snapping myself out of my thoughts. “I'm fine, Kat. Really, it was bound to happen anyway.”

  “What does that mean?” Her eyes widened because she was a little taken aback by my statement.

  “He's just a boy, Kat. Boys do that crap until they grow up and finally know what they want. He obviously didn't want me anymore.” I shrugged.

  “Don't give him excuses. He's dumb and Kelly deserves him if he's going to do crap like that. I'll go get the chocolate.” She stood up and stopped in the doorway. “If I ever see him again, I will kick his ass, don't think I won't.”

  I opened my phone, hoping to see something from Scott, but I didn't have any new messages. Had he been behind this, or was it just a coincidence that it had happened so soon after our recent conversation?

  Kat came back with chocolate and a noisemaker for each of us.

  “One minute ‘til midnight.” She pulled her phone out and stared at the time, counting down the seconds until it hit 12:00. We both blew into our noisemakers a couple of times, laughing at how pathetic they sounded.