Tangled Web

I stared out of the car window in complete disbelief at the turn my life had taken.

My brother Sebastian was right; I was in no state to drive, I felt numb.

There was an arm wrapped around my shoulders soothing me. I knew it had to be my best friend Jordan. There was mumbling, which meant his girlfriend Tatiana was rambling again as always.

I loved her to death, but there were times when I wished she would just keep her damn mouth shut. I knew exactly what she was talking about, and I honestly didn't want to hear it, much less discuss it. It was already playing on repeat in my head.

He had fooled me. Again.

Jarod had manipulated me many times in the past, but this was icing on the cake. This was unforgettable. I was not one to hold onto animosity, but there was no way I could forgive Jarod for this one.

I felt like someone had ripped my heart out; the pain was unbearable. I couldn't cry anymore, because frankly, crying would not change the facts, and I had already wasted enough tears on that man.

I just have to face it and figure out where I go from here. How did I get myself into this situation? How could I let him betray me like this again?

***Flashback***

Jarod and I had been tiptoeing around each other for weeks.

Hell, if I remembered the exact details of our disagreement. I just knew that bitch Veronica was more than involved. The first time I saw them together, he told me they were just friends hanging out. I was with Jarod's sister, so it didn't seem strange for him to go to Marissa's side of the car instead of mine when I pulled up to his hangout spot. We had spent all night together and there was nothing more to discuss. I also had no reason to question Jarod's friendships, as we both entertained friends from the opposite sex.

In hindsight, everything was laid out for me. I was just too blind to see it.

I was close to Jarod's sisters, Kate and Marissa, so being at their house without him being present was a normal thing for us. Jarod came home that evening and had insisted that I remain at the house while he went out to 'hang with friends.' Since our argument earlier in the week, things between us had been strained, but he told me he wanted things to get back to the way they were in the beginning of our relationship. I didn't mind waiting at the house, I would have simply been home reading or, on a rare occasion, heading off to the soccer field to see my best friend, Evan, instead. If I couldn't be with Jarod, it was nice to be around his sisters who I thought of as my own sisters.

The girls and I were watching a movie when the phone rang.

"Hey Sky, can you get that? You're closer to the phone anyway," mumbled Kate, without even looking up from the television. "It's probably your lover boy, checking up on you."

"Ha! Whatever. You're just jealous I have a lover boy." I stuck out my tongue at her before giving the phone my full attention, "Wentworth residence, how may I help you?"

"Ah, yes, is Jarod home?" asked a female voice I could not place.

"He's not here right now. May I ask who is calling?"

"Um, does he have a number where I can reach him?" This heightened my interest. Jarod had a lot of female friends, more than I was comfortable with, but I knew most of them. So why would a woman that I did not know, call the house asking for him and then ask for his number? If she was a friend, she would have had it already.

"Yes, he has a cell phone number, but I'm certainly not going to give it to someone I don't know."

"Okay, I get it. This is Jane's sister. She was in an accident, and I just wanted to let him know," she replied too casually.

Jane?

This was not the first time I had heard her name in connection with Jarod. I went to high school with her, and my friend Chelsea had told me she saw Jane with Jarod a few weeks prior. When I asked him about it, he gave me the usual song and dance about them being just friends, and he was giving her a ride, because she didn't drive.

How does someone that doesn't drive get into a car accident? Oh, maybe she was a passenger.

"Why would he need to know that?"

"Because Jane is his girlfriend, and I think he would want to know."

My heart began to pound rapidly in my chest. My hearing became muffled. All of a sudden, I felt extremely hot, and the room began to spin, and I had to grab a hold of the counter to keep from falling.

Not again.

"Hello? What the hell? Are you going to give me a number or can you get him the message?" By this time, she was beginning to sound angry.

"Well...um...this is the first time I've heard that Jane was his girlfriend. I mean, being that I'm his fiancée, you think it would be important information for me to have." I have no idea how I was able to respond so calmly. Even my insides felt like they were being shredded.

Seriously, what else can I say to news like this?

The girls whipped their heads around and began staring at me. Kate was by my side in a flash reaching her hand out for the phone. I refused to give it to her.

"What? Bitch, I don't know who you are or what kind of games you're playing, but this shit is not funny. Fiancée, my ass!" She sounded more upset about the 'fiancée' revelation, than I was about the 'girlfriend' comment.

This gave me the jolt I needed to respond with the same amount of animosity in my tone.

"You don't know who I am, but you're the one calling my fiancé's house and accusing me of lying? I'm answering his damn home phone?" I paused to let the ridiculousness of her statements absorb into her mind before continuing, "Don't worry. I'll be sure to deliver your message. However, I highly doubt that Jane will be seeing or hearing from Jarod tonight. He'll be too busy explaining why a man who is engaged to be married would need a girlfriend."

Kate wouldn't take no for an answer anymore. She grabbed the phone from my hand, while Marissa came behind to hold me for support. I didn't realize until she touched me that I was on the verge of collapsing.

"Who the hell is this?" Kate inquired. "Well, Janine, you can tell Jane my brother is not here, and don't call this fucking house again. He has a fiancée who can call here, is welcome here, practically lives here, and I am pretty sure the bitch knows that already. Their engagement is not a motherfucking secret, unlike Jane's relationship with Jarod."

I could hear yelling coming from the phone.

"Yes, this is his sister! Kate! K-A-T-E! That was his fiancée, Sky. Do you want me to spell that one, too? Okay good, just making sure you got it all correct to relay back to your whore of a sister. Do you need me to repeat any of it for you? No? Then get the hell off my phone!" With that she slammed the phone down, muttering obscenities under her breath.

"Sky, are you okay?" Marissa asked.

I couldn't respond. All I saw was red. The words kept playing over and over in my head.

'Jane is his girlfriend.'