Page 80 of Midnight Dissonance

She nodded through tears. “Thanks.”

The spare bedroom wasn’t much. Just a full-size bed, a hand-me-down dark wooden dresser, and a scarred matching nightstand with a single lamp. It wasn’t what she had gotten used to in the penthouse, but it had its own bathroom. And it would give her the space she needed to formulate the best path forward.

“I’m going to order a loaded supreme pizza. If you decide later you want to eat, it will be in the fridge. And I’ve got a bottle of Patrón I’ll set out on the counter if you decide you want to go that route and drown your sorrows.”

“You really are too good to me. Why couldn’t I be attracted to you and vice versa?”

“Honey, I adore you, but you’ve got the wrong equipment. Are you sure there’s no salvaging the relationship?”

“No. It’s done.” And she was perilously close to tears again.

“I’m sorry. But I’m going to let you get settled. If you want a shoulder, I’ll be right out in the living room.”

She hugged him briefly, so thankful they met when she returned from college, scared about her new path, and answered the ad for a lead vocalist and guitar player spot in their band.

The moment he left, she crumpled onto the bed, not caring that she was fully clothed. Her life resembled a dumpster fire. And the tears she’d kept bottled up flowed. She fell asleep sobbing. Nothing felt right. Not when the one person she believed was the one for her turned out to be the biggest disappointment of her life.

Had any of it been real?

22

On Saturday, Cliff pulled his battered Ford into her sister’s driveway. “Are you sure about this? It’s not too late to change your mind.”

“Yes, I’m sure.” Even if it felt like her heart was breaking all over again. She’d pawned her guitar to pay for a plane ticket to get her back to Northwestern. And while she couldn’t start taking classes until the summer session, she needed to get out of dodge.

Every place she went reminded her of Josh. The Java Hut, Cliff’s place, her sister’s house, the Eros Pit—all of it, even the guitar she no longer had, reminded her of everything that happened.

And she couldn’t stay here. It was too hard. She hated that she was running back to school. Her old roommate and friend was going to let her crash on her couch for a few weeks until she could move into the dorm.

The thought of dorm living made her grimace. But it was only for half a year.

And her parents couldn’t be more thrilled with promises to give her access to her trust upon her graduation. She wasn’t going to fight them on the trust. There was no point. Her sister wouldn’t help her. She was their parents' mini-me.

“Damn, we’re going to miss having you play with us.”

“It’s only until December. Then I get my trust, and I’ll come back. If you guys want me back.”

“We need you. We’ll find a temporary replacement. But it won’t be the same. And it sucks that you won’t be playing with us at Red Rocks this summer.”

She couldn’t even think about everything she’d be missing with her band. They got the invite to play at Red Rocks with a huge band. And she’d miss it. “I only need about fifteen minutes to gather my stuff.”

“If you want to take some time, I can go grab a coffee from that shop we passed and come back in thirty minutes.”

She sighed and nodded. “Yeah, if you want to do that so you’re not just sitting out here waiting for me. I’ll be done by the time you get back.” And it would give her time to make sure she got it all. Because she was never coming back here.

“Good enough,” he murmured as she shut the car door with the extra duffel bags she’d bought with what was left over once the plane ticket was paid for.

Using her key for what would be the last time, she entered Lisa’s house. Her sister was in the living room.

“You’re home? There’s a big surprise.”

“Just packing my things. I’m moving out.” She stormed down the hall with Lisa sputtering behind her.

She was still so pissed at her sister. She’d gone behind her back to Josh to tattle on her. Just like she had when they were kids. It was like she had to be the best and do whatever it took to make herself look better.

In the room she never considered hers, only a place to lay her head at night, she started emptying drawers and shoving stuff into the three duffle bags she brought with her. She’d worry about organization once she got back to Cliff’s place. Right now, speed was of the essence. She didn’t want to be here any longer than necessary.

She cleared her stuff out of the bathroom too. It might take her a hot minute to find work and start getting a paycheck. This way, she wouldn’t have to worry about things like shampoo and conditioner with the big liter bottles she’d stockpiled the last time they went on sale.

---