Page 21 of Never Ever Getting Back Together

“I… think her problem’s mostly with me,” I say carefully. “I dated Jordy not long after she did.”

“Maybe she thinks you stole him,” Kim suggests.

“Oh, fuck off,” Francesca says. “Who has the energy to get that worked up about a guy?”

Kim bristles. “I would’ve thought you did. You flew across countries for one.”

Francesca rolls her head to the side. “I came here because it sounded like good craic. It’s not that deep.”

Kim takes a deep breath, twisting her hair into a pretzel. “Well,someof us are here because we really care about Jordy.Someof us take this seriously.”

“We’re here for the ‘right’ reasons, you mean?” Lauren teases.

“You never know,” Francesca says. “I might fall desperately in love with him tonight. Don’t count me out yet.”

Kim looks distinctly ill at the thought.

“So, you’re not invested either way?” Lauren asks Francesca.

“I mean, Jordy and I didn’t exactly date or anything. We hooked up when he was on holiday and, like, a month later they asked me to come on this show. Honestly I think they were scraping the barrel with me a little.”

Kim’s smile is so tight it looks as though it might snap at any moment. Even Lauren appears alarmed at the news. “Wait, so you were his most recent… huh.”

“Just his most recent hookup,” Francesca clarifies. “Honestly, we’ve barely even talked.”

“So, you don’t have feelings for him?” Kim asks.

“I mean,” Francesca says, “no? But he was a good lay?”

Lauren chokes. “Oh, wow.”

“Are you guys all into him, then?” Francesca asks.

The rest of us exchange uncomfortable glances. Actually, I wouldn’t mind knowing the answer to that myself. We all had different relationships with Jordy, and some of those relationships would have been briefer, or longer ago, than others. It stands to reason that there would be a whole spectrum of emotions in this room.

Kim is the first to break the silence. “I was Jordy’s girlfriend last year, while his family was in Liverpool. He was friends with my best friend, Vivaan. It didn’t work out because of him moving around, but I don’t think we would’ve broken up if he hadn’t moved. I’ve got to be honest here, I don’t love the thought of people coming on the show when they don’t even like him.”

Francesca frowns. “I don’t really know him. But I’d like to. And he asked me here himself, so, obviously he feels the same. I’m not here to screw anyone over.”

“No one thinks you are,” Lauren says quickly, shooting Kim a warning look as she opens her mouth. Kim shuts it reluctantly as Lauren continues. “And Jordy was my first boyfriend. It was pretty short, but we were really young, so, who knows? I actually think this is fate. I’ve always kept track of the royal family. Even Jordy said it when he called me. He said they’re gonna film an episode at the palace, and he was excited for me to feel like royalty for a day.” She smiles dreamily and bounces back on the bed. “It’s a little like a fairy tale, isn’t it?”

“I’m sure Hans Christian Andersen was just about to start on the tale of the six princesses who battled to the death for the prince who’d already dumped their asses once,” Francesca says drily. “That’s some real magical shit, there.”

I cover my laugh behind my hand and turn it into a cough.

Kim focuses on me as I train my expression back to blank.“What about you, Skye?” she asks. “Do you still have feelings for him?”

All eyes in the room are on me, suddenly, like my answer is a make-or-break. I don’t know what, exactly, it’s making or breaking, but it feels significant. “Jordy meant a lot to me once,” I say, choosing my words with care. “It’s hard to say if anything’s still there. But that’s why we’re here, right? To find out?”

Francesca gives a nod of approval. “See, at least that’s rational.”

“Who’s being irrational?” Kim asks sharply.

“No one’s being irrational,” Lauren says. “Francesca, you’re a wonderful person, but knock it off.”

It occurs to me that’s the most diplomatic way I’ve ever heard someone tell someone else they’re acting like an asshat. I take notes.

“I just had a thought,” Lauren says, before rolling off the bed. “I’ll be back in one minute.”

---