Page 78 of Going the Distance
“I know. Look, text me when you get home and I’ll come over and see you, and we can talk about it more then, yeah?”
“Okay.”
“Say hi to Levi for me. See you later.”
“Bye,” I said, hanging up and dropping my cell back into my purse. I looked up at Levi.
“What was that all about? Is everything okay?”
I shook my head and wasn’t surprised when my eyes filled with tears. I blinked them away, but one fell down my cheek before I could get rid of it. “Noah’s bringing Amanda home for Thanksgiving.”
Levi just pursed his lips, and said, “Oh crap.”
• • •
I had the same conversation with both Lee and Levi, and now I was having it again with my dad. I just needed to vent about it. A lot. Repeatedly. Like a broken, bitchy record.
Brad was taking a shower before bed, so it was just me and my dad sitting downstairs in the living room with mugs of hot chocolate as I told him exactly how much I hated Noah. I’d told my dad we’d broken up because of the distance, but now I told him everything. I was too furious to keep it in.
“I mean,” I said for the billionth time, “he knows how much trouble she was causing between us. She’s practically the reason we broke up. First the photo, and then the phone call. I knew they were close, and I wanted to trust him when he said he didn’t cheat on me with her. And I was kind of expecting them to get together once I broke up with him, if they were that close, but the fact that he’s bringing her home when he knows I’ll be there…Like, okay, maybe if she’d come to visit around Christmastime, then fine, because Imighthave moved on by then. But it’s only been a couple of weeks.”
My dad wasn’t saying much; he just nodded and went “Mmm-hmm” in the right places and let me get it out of my system.
He nodded again now, while I paused to draw breath.
“And the fact that he’s moved on so quickly that he’s already close enough to her to bring her home for the holidays really gets me. I mean, he can’t have beenthatupset about our breakup if he’s already with her seriously enough to do that.”
“Didn’t Lee say that they’re just friends, though?”
I scoffed. “That’s what Noah told hismom.I justtoldyou about the phone call I overheard. They’vegotto be together. I mean, she’s really pretty. She’ssopretty. And she’s smart, too. They have all these classes together. She can talk about all kinds of stuff with him I just wouldn’t get. When are guys like Noah ever not with girls like her?”
“Elle, I know I’m not the best at this, but, well, maybe you’re looking at this the wrong way. It didn’t work out with you and Noah. And you need to move on, like you’ve said. This can be your chance to show him you have.”
“But I haven’t.”
Well. Notreally.Just because I’d wanted to kiss Levi earlier didn’t mean I’d moved on from Noah completely.
“And if he’s bringing his new girlfriend home for the holidays, do you want him to know you’re still hung up on him?”
I hadn’t thought about it like that.
“So…pretend that I am over him?”
My dad shrugged. “If it makes you feel better.”
I let myself imagine it in my mind: me greeting Noah and Amanda really politely, with a big smile that said I didn’t care if they were dating now because I was totally over it, and Noah’s let-down expression when he realized I wasn’t chasing after him anymore, that I didn’t miss him, actually. He could bring her home to flaunt in front of my face, and I would show him how little I cared about him in return. See how he likedthat.
“I guess I could do that.”
“It might help youactuallyget over him,” my dad said.
“Maybe.”
