Young Writers Society

Chapter Three

Even though the night of the art show had been a whirlwind it made Shelia and James’s friendship even better. Now they were best friends, every free moment was spent with the other, and their days were filled with nightly phone calls.

All of this didn’t go unnoticed by Regina, the whole idea of them communicating made her furious. It was just the principle of the thing, the fact that her sister shouldn’t of been so close to her ex-boyfriend. The idea of them bonding or possibly talking about her made her go crazy. She didn’t think about it always because she was happy being with Delyn but it still really bothered her.

It did occur to her to tell her sister how she felt about it, but she thought that Shelia should of known better. Finally Regina stopped thinking about it entirely.

Then came the major blow to her life.

She was meeting Delyn for dinner one night in a nice restaurant at the end of town. He said he had to discuss something with her, she had assumed it was something good, or maybe something sort of bad. Like maybe he was transferring schools for next semester?

` If that was the case what would she do without him? Delyn was practically everything to her. Every time her heart beat it was for him, he was the reason she breathed the reason she existed at all. Being away from him temporarily would be hard to handle but Regina could do it. It wasn’t like she would be loosing him.

Then it occurred to her that maybe he actually wanted to propose to her. It seemed deathly soon, but Regina would accept whole heartedly. They could have a nice reception in Vegas with their closest friends and then have the honeymoon there too. Or maybe a more conventional wedding would be better? They could have the reception in a year invite every single person that they knew and say their vows on the alter with a pastor. And maybe her maid of honor could be…well certainly not Shelia, but who else would it be?

“Hey Regina.”

Delyn smiled at her kissing her on the cheek and then sitting down across from her. They talked in their usual intimate way, he was slightly distant but Shelia hardly noticed. Every moment of being with him was like a dream.

Regina had forgotten that he wanted to discuss something with her, she ordered her dinner with ease. The food came and their conversation got more and more steep.

Regina began to notice his unease and his nervous expression.

“What’s wrong with you tonight?”

“There’s something I have to tell you.”

Regina sighed, so he had bad news, this couldn’t be good.

“What is it?”

“I think we should break up.”

Regina sat there looking at him for a full minute, “You can’t be serious.” She heard herself sob but she didn’t care , her entire heart was breaking into pieces.

“I know that me and you have been something to each other for a long time now. And I know that I’ve jerked you around in the past, it’s like I break up with you only for us to get back together again…But the truth is that I do care for you and I always will. And I did love you, it’s just that when I’m with you…” He stopped for a moment breathing in, “It’s like you bring something out of me, don’t get me wrong I am always and completely myself with you, I’m just not the best me I can be. Me and you we’re so alike we share and nurture each other’s flaws. I look around and I see myself being the kind of man I don’t want to be. I think that we both need people that bring the best out of us and lift us up. We just can’t do that with each other.” He grabbed her hand, “I hope you understand Gina, this is the last time we can ever be together I won’t play with your emotions anymore. I think after tonight we should just be friends.”

“You can’t, you can’t really mean that. I love you! Don’t you understand I love you more than anything else, if we have problems we can work them out but don’t just leave me like you always have. Me and you belong together, you’re my soul mate.” Regina was crying hysterically now, she took her hand away from his getting up from her chair and took her exit.

For Regina it might as well have been her exist from heaven and straight into hell.

Regina didn’t know what do without him, she felt worse than a motherless child. Her only way of easing her pain was to rely on another like she had done in the past. James had always loved her and now he would have to be her second best, her purgatory.

It had been a couple of weeks after her break up with Delyn. James and Shelia were in the kitchen cooking together. Regina walked in predatorily.

“What are you guys doing?”

James looked at her like a injured deer in the headlights, Regina could see in his eyes the love he always possessed for her.

Shelia turned to look at her surprised, “Oh, we’re cooking some snacks and then watching some movies.”

“That sounds kind of fun, can I join you guys?”

Shelia was taken aback at first, James had already turned away. “Of course you can that would be great.” Shelia was just happy her sister had actually wanted to spend time with her, it didn’t reach her mind that she might feel protective over James.

Regina sat with them eating popcorn and baked goods watching movie after movie in the living room. Shelia laid down on the couch falling asleep. James sat next to Regina on the floor, the only thing between them being a bowl of popcorn.

At the end of the third movie James looked at Shelia and he smiled. “Well she’s out.”

“Yeah, I guess she can’t hear what we’re saying then?”

James looked uncomfortable, “I guess not.”

“James I have to tell you something, and I hope that you won’t be angry at me.”

“Just say it.” He said impatiently, evidently aware that Shelia could probably hear them talking anyway.

“I love you.”

“What?!”

“It’s true.”

James got up grabbing the popcorn bowl and stomped into the kitchen while Regina followed him closely. His back stayed turned to hers.

“How could you say something like that to me after everything? Do you get some sick joy out of playing with my emotions?”

“No, you don’t understand. I was wrong before when I said I didn’t love you and when I choose Delyn over you. It was hard for me to move on from him, but now I have. I broke up with him a while ago and I’ve been waiting for the right time to tell you how I really feel. Because I honestly do love you James.”

He faced her now, the most vulnerable expression on his face. Regina came close to him with her best weapon, her kiss.

Shelia woke up alone in the living room that morning with the strangest feeling of loneliness. She looked around for James craving him like a small child does for it’s teddy bear. But James must of gone home late last night, she wondered if Regina stayed up with him.

Exhausted Shelia made her way upstairs to her bedroom. She flopped down on her bed she rested there for a couple more hours. During which she heard her sister’s bedroom door open and heavy footsteps sound off down the hall and stairs heading out the front door.

At breakfast she was surprised to see her sister come downstairs.

“I thought I heard you leave this morning?”

“No I didn’t leave this morning, must have been mom or something.”

“Oh.” That’s when Shelia had the plummeting feeling in her stomach for the first time.

A week went by and Shelia didn’t hear from James. She assumed at first that he must have been too busy to call her so she waited patiently before deciding to call him.

It was eight o’clock on a Thursday night and he wasn’t answering, Shelia hung up the phone not even bothering to leave a voicemail.

The next day she texted him in the afternoon, she didn’t get a reply until late that night. All she got from James were vague replies but he did agree to go with her to the movies the next day.

Shelia waited for him outside of the Cinema Central but he never showed up, to add insult to injury Shelia got stuck in the rain. Depressed she decided to dry off and see a movie alone. She ended up seeing an action movie. It was boring and didn’t really capture her attention but it was kind of smoothing to sit their in the dark and munch her pain and embarrassment away on snacks.

When Shelia got home she made her way into the living room where she was surprised to see James. He stood up politely when he saw her and she hugged him.

“Hey James, why didn’t you met me at the movies I was waiting for you! Did you think we were meeting here?”

“Uh, no…I’m sorry I forgot.”

“Oh, so then what are you doing here?” Shelia asked extremely confused.

“James, I’m ready.”

Shelia turned to see Regina coming down the stairs dressed up and looking sexy. “Ready?” Shelia asked but neither of them heard her.

“Okay let’s go.” James smiled at Regina taking her hand nodding to Shelia as he began to exist the house.

“Where are you guys going?” Shelia demanded.

Regina looked at her with a sinister smile, “We’re going on a date.”

Shelia knew life wasn’t always fair but did it have to be this way? She didn’t care that her sister had him first. Shelia had a claim on James and then Regina stole him away. She broke his heart over and over again and how she was using him.

Trying to steal James away from her sister wouldn’t of been right. But Shelia did still want to be his friend, at least have him anyway that she could.

Except that their friendship became nonexistent, it was like Shelia wasn’t allowed any part of him and Regina consumed him whole. James didn’t call her at night anymore, he didn’t randomly text her while he was work and she was at school. He acted as if their friendship didn’t matter to him anymore. Shelia had once been foolish to think that he might have been falling in love with her, and the fact that she had been wrong seemed unacceptable now.

James was everything she never thought she could have. He was supposed to be her best friend, he was supposed to support her and love her the way she needed to be loved. No one else could love her the right way not her father and not her mother and especially not Regina.

Shelia felt so empty without James, he had been like sunlight in her dim dull life. After weeks of moping and feeling sorry for herself, Shelia had a revelation.

She was always hurting herself by expecting to much from people. She wanted everyone to save her and love her more than anything. The truth was she had to learn to stand on her own, and love herself more than she ever had before.

During those months of torment seeing James with her sister, always creeping out of her room at all hours of the night, Shelia gained her independence. Had James given her the fantasy love she had desired she might have been obsessive and vulnerable. Now relying on herself she was free and strong.

James loved Regina, he had always loved Regina. He could never love anyone else the way he loved her. He had always known this but a while when he had been spending most of his time with Shelia he thought he had been wrong.

It only took that one kiss, and those three words from Regina to make him feel completely sure again.

James was in heaven, he had finally had Regina and he couldn’t of asked for more. Everything else in life seemed less significant, work and school were just a blur. He no longer had many hobbies he’d always find a way to spend time with Regina or simply talk to her on the phone. ‘

And nothing was more perfect when they made love all night. James thought that each time it just got better and better. It was like he couldn’t get enough of her, like he would never have enough.

The thing that became the least important to him when he was with Regina, was Shelia. She was almost invisible to him now, she didn’t matter at all now. He couldn’t retain his friendship with her not when their had been a day where he thought maybe he felt something for her. Spending time with Shelia would only make Regina upset, and that was the last thing James was going to do.

His infatuation and love for Regina, was like her actual affections for Delyn. James never suspected Regina’s true intentions, that he would never be the one she loved.

Regina was with James, only out of loneliness, for the sex and for the revenge.

She tried to achieve the latter at a party on campus one night. She had James with her and she was partly drunk. She danced with him, and constantly kissed him, all under the watchful eye of Delyn who stood at the other side of the room. The best part was when Regina grabbed James’s hand and began to lead him to the bedroom.

Regina took in Delyn’s reaction and then her face fell. Delyn wasn’t even looking her way, he was smiling? No, he was actually laughing and grazing noses with a petite brunette girl.

Regina realized that he hadn’t been jealous at all, he barely noticed her presence there. He was oblivious to her, he was even moving on to another girl. A prettier, and sweeter girl.

James asked her what was wrong, and Regina began to cry. James noticed Delyn standing across the room finally.

“Is it because of him?” James asked softly, and way too understandingly.

“I don’t get it. I’m practically all over you and he doesn’t even care.”

“What?”

Regina although drunkenly went on, “You think I really want you, really love you?” She laughed at the idea, “Your good in bed though that’s one thing you’re good for, but you’re not so good at making other guys jealous!”

James’s face fell and his composure seemed to make him slump with despair, “You don’t mean that…you can’t possibly mean that.”

“James you are so easy to use. It’s like I can pick you up when I want and drop you when I want. You know what this is over, the only reason I really wanted you was to make Delyn jealous. Just get out of here, we’re so over now.”

James was speechless, and he ran out of the party like a hurt little puppy Regina always knew he was.

James didn’t go outside of his dorm for five days straight. He seemed to be sitting on his desk most of the time in shock. Regina said she loved him, he believed her he loved her more than anyone else.

The degree of pain he felt was unable to register, and he felt useless and pathetic. After almost a week of putting himself down for being so stupid, he tried to call Shelia.

For some reason she was the only person he wanted to talk to, she was the only person he really could talk to. Maybe she could snap some sense into him, and make him feel like a man again. Shelia seemed like the only real friend he had in the world.

James had to call her about three time before she finally picked up.

“Hello?” Shelia sounded surprised and curious on the other side of the phone.

“Hey, Shelia this is…James. I just need someone to talk to.”

“What makes you think I want talk to someone like you? You’re the one that acted like I didn’t even exist and just threw our friendship under the bridge. And now that my sister dumped your ass you want talk to me?!”

“I’m sorry I was a jerk.” James admitted, “Just please I need someone to talk to, you’re the only one I want to talk to.”

“Well you’re the last person I would accept an apology from, let alone talk to.”

The dial tone sounded off into James’s head boomeranging around down to his achy heart. He had accepted the one woman that didn’t love him, and then casted out the one that did care about him.

James was one sorry son of a bitch.