After He Cheated

r in secret for a year, I was finall

, I went with my best frien

aw him holding hands with the ca

nagged the campus queen just l

"Hubert and his girlfrien

reached Hubert Ashton's lab, the

he wall, he lit a cigarett

glanced down. A text from him,

ired he looked,

and the pressure of his

a break-I didn't want to disturb

nds, I was about to go over whe

Carter-the campus belle-walked

eated skirt and gave him a

xclaiming, "Aaaaah, Valerie

cause the one who wa

ad been togeth

but he treated me well. Thin

at to myself

out his cigarette the m

n a smoker

r his health, whining and c

smell of smoke and never ev

of Rosanna, he put

mack, and he held her ha

t the courage

, dragged me out fr

a relationship from

second when he saw us, but

you say you

osanna's hand. In fac

mething good and insisted we

hbox in my hands, and suddenly

ad spent the whole afternoon in

in my life, and now my fingers we

was my mom's so Jace wo

said sweetly, "But Hubert and I already mad

gs-fiery, saucy, an

To suit his taste, we always ordered th

oday was just plain bak

ogether, silent. The

the tension, "It's fine, you tw

ou two been together?"

hind him as she replied

pt in the dark f

"He's really something-bagged t

. "He actually chased m

took my hand after his last birthday and,

lping him study, spent nights talki

d as he said he would propose to

future with him, he was getting

ht and told me he was sleepy... was h

e cheerfully shook my arm.

own trembling voice, "Yeah... Hubert and

student and campus queen. Much more o

ert occasionally chimed in, all do

t scare Rosan

barrassing stories from w

t me to take you to

.

ng anymore. In a haze,

he couple ke

and still sneak one in? I'm

t help it. I swear I'll quit f

hat he couldn't

t to quit for some

was Hubert'

th our relationship at his birthday party

dating, it was his ide

're so tight with my sister. It'd ju

wait until things were stable b

th anticipation and said, "Your birthday'

tting my head

t busy, burie

for the occasional "Good

r a sleepless night, I looked at the

had bought with money

ybe, once this busy stretch p

at wasn't going t

ce-first ont

ne rang. It

o me since yeste

my birthday dinner

little laugh. "W

areful, "Valerie, I do want you to come. I mean... in my

g, and all I got in t

ally call to

nform me that

were never

he was about it. As long as no one eve

t even a pro

a j

ne into my voice. "

l be there t

worry. I won'

r end of the line-like he had fina

o called me baby just two days ago

wrapped gift box, and put on some

r campus. Tons of his classm

one of them. He had never in

joked with her, calling her "Mrs. A

tion I caught, I pieced t

rt had liked her

d hard to approach. He never

nder the same professor for a research projec

ubert stood beside her, smiling, shieldi

lf an hour sin

dn't looked

well that I wasn't the type to make

s secret girlfriend for a year and got dumped for the

owned one cocktail after another. Jac

sighed and said, "Wait here. I'll run t

when I got up and wa

ked forward to most would turn

nt to talk. I didn't w

int packed with people. The last time

eally wanted

ng head and asked th

"Sorry, it's peak hours, and you're so

ds, couples, clusters of people

t like a s

r drunk anything all da

rong-boyfriend cheated on me, and now

cosmi

sitting alone at a

g slowly, de

s black hoodie was from ou

. Maybe I could ask

nly alcohol can provide, walked over, leaned down

look up. "Not givi

'm alone too. The place is packed and they

right? Don't worry, no matter how much yo

ed up, eyeing m

n I really s

r tech-heavy school, guys this good

ooked so good I nearly lost my bala

my arm jus

he ground, but noth

pilled food and frowned.

ickly. "Tot

e buffalo wings I hadn't had in forever, drenched in

the street, Hubert wa

nd wiped my

cret glances would give you

s tears you coul

the first bite before

ared, then silently slid

ffing wings in my mouth, and him quietly passing