Chapter Text
You wake up with a smile on your face when you feel the warmth of the sun hitting your skin. As you open your eyes and the realization of your messy life comes over you and your smile quickly vanishes and your eyes start to water. You tell yourself maybe you deserve everything that’s happened to you in the last few weeks because you are so stupid and pathetic. How did you not notice that your fiancé Chris and your best friend at work Nancy were having an affair for a whole fucken year. Ugh you were such a fool for giving up so much of yourself for a man that didn’t deserve it. You open your eyes fully and you look around the room that will become your new home. The spare bedroom in your girlfriend Liz’s apartment in New York. The room where you have run away to because you are a pathetic loser.
About a month ago you noticed that there was a substitute teacher covering Nancy’s class and you found it strange that she had not texted you because you guys usually texted each other when one of you would be out. You texted her and asked her if she was ok. She simply answered you with a
-Yes, I just got an upset stomach. See you tomorrow.
You really didn’t think much of it and actually felt really bad for your friend. So, you decided to cancel your after school tutoring session and decided to swing by her place to check on her since you knew your fiancé Chris would be home late because he had a business meeting. You stopped to get her some soup and medicine as well as some gossip magazines since that was both of your guilty pleasure and you knew that would cheer her up. When you got to her apartment you rang the doorbell and you heard a male voice yell,
-“Babe the food is here, I’ll get it”
At that moment you were met with a shirtless Chris wearing only boxers. You froze when your eyes met your brain started to overload because you thought this must be a hallucination. Why would your fiancé be here and practically naked? You both stood there for what seemed to be like an eternity until you heard Nancy approached wearing a lacy nightgown with a silky robe.
-“Babe don’t forget to tip the deliv… oh my god Emily!!! whaaat are you doing here?!”
That’s when Chris finally spoke.
-“Emily, babe let me explain” he dragged you inside the apartment because you were still frozen. You just kept on looking back and forth at them. Until you dropped all the stuff you were holding for your lying ass friend and then you finally spoke up.
-“How long Chris?” The coward asshole just stood there. Then you turned to her.
-“How long Nancy” She also just stood there with a stupid look on her face. That’s when you lost it.
-“One of you shameless assholes tell me how long have you been fucking!” Nancy approached you and reached for your hand as you pushed it away she started to say.
-“Babe please I know you’re upset but please let us explain. Were in love and we just didn’t want to hurt you.”
This time you saw red.
-“Fuck both of you.”
-“I don’t need your pity.”
-“I never want to see either of you again!”
Chris ran up to you and said,
-“Em I know you’re upset right now, but in the long run you’ll see that we’re not a match anymore.”
You slapped him across the face and yelled.
-“You fucken gutless asshole. You could have talked to me about not being in love with me before you started sleeping with my friend.”
-“Chris you are a real piece of shit you know that I gave up so much for you and this is how you repay me.”
He was massaging his face where I had slapped him and said.
-“Oh, here we go with that shit Emily. It's my fault you didn’t move to New York with Liz to become a “famous writer” He said famous writer with air quotes and that just pissed me off even more.
-“Fuck you, you know that I never threw that in your face. I was happy staying here and taking the teaching job to help you get your business off the ground Chris because I loved you and that’s what you do for love.”
-“That’s just it Emily I didn’t ask you to sacrifice yourself for me because I didn’t want to feel like I owed you all my life.”
-“Ugh, I just can’t anymore with you selfish bastard. I want you out of the apartment by this weekend. I don’t ever want to see either one of you ever again.”
You turned around and ran out of the apartment to your car. When you got in your car you drove away aimlessly crying until you could not cry anymore. You parked your car and started thinking about what a waste your life had been the last 3 years. You thought of Liz your best friend and thought you should call her, but what would she think of you. Would she even want to talk to you or even feel sorry for you? You cried again.
You were roommates in college and quickly became inseparable. Liz was everything you were not. She was tall, blond, and beautiful, but besides the physical differences your personalities were also complete opposite. Liz was very outgoing and sure of herself people just gravitated to her and wanted to be around her. She came from a high middle-class family her parents were both professionals and being an only child, she never went without. You on the other hand were a petite curvy girl not the ideal body type, but always felt like you were at least a 7 definitely not a 10 like Liz. You were quiet and reserved. You were the oldest daughter of a Mexican immigrant family. You only had a brother that was 1 year younger than you. Your parents were very hard working and always wanted your brother and you to go to college to have a better life than they did. Even though you and Liz were so opposite you hit it off from day one. When your parents died in a car accident your senior year in college. Liz and her family basically took you in. Her parents assured you that you and your brother had nothing to worry about and will always look after you because they loved you as family. You were so glad that you had your best friend and her family during that difficult time. Having them really helped you get through it all. During this time was when you met Chris and you became exclusive very quickly. In the last weeks you’ve wonder if the death of your parents was the reason why you got so close to him and why you had been willing to give up on your dream to become a writer and instead you let Chris’s dreams become yours.
Chris was a business major and you were a lit. major. Your dream was to become a writer. Everyone always said you had a lot of talent to write great stories that drew the readers into an alternate world. In high school with the encouragement of your English teacher you entered a short story contest and to your surprise you won. You never thought that a daughter of Mexican immigrants could accomplish anything like that and actually win a full scholarship to attend college. All through college you dreamed of moving to New York and working at a publishing house and eventually getting your novels published. But the death of your parents, not wanting to leave your brother, and Chris kept you in LA after graduation and instead taking an English teaching job at a high school. You helped Chris build his business supporting him with whatever he needed. Your brother ended up moving to England with his girlfriend after graduating college. And Liz followed through with the plans you and her had made while in college. She landed a paid internship at a financial company in New York and after a year got hired full time. That was 3 years ago.
As you sat in your car you realized you were all alone and missed Liz so much. So, you reached for your phone and dialed your best friend.
The phone rings 3 times when Liz answers with a sobbing breath you say
-“Liz, I need you.”