Page 6 of 4th and Goal
“What the fuck is this?” She waves my phone about, glaring at me. “Why is he speaking to you like this? You know what, doesn’t matter. There is NO scenario in which this is appropriate. Especially for a long-term girlfriend!”
“I broke up with him on Monday.”
“As you should, he’s slimy and apparently unhinged.”
“What?” I’ve never heard her say that before. “What do you mean slimy?” With a heavy sigh, Jenna sits back down.
“I don’t know. It’s just—” My stomach flips unpleasantly.
“Jenna? Did something happen?”
“I don’t know. Just something that’s bothered me.” I get up from behind my desk, sit in the seat next to her, and grab her hand. I need an anchor, because the look on her face has dread sitting like a ball of lead in my gut. “A few times he came to visit you; I found him wandering around.”
“Oh. Well. That’s not too bad. He was probably curious about a college athletic facility.”
“Outside the women’s cheer locker room?” I swallow hard, unable to explain that one. “He claimed he got turned around the first time.”
“First time?”
“Second, he said you encouraged him to have a proper look around.” I did not do any such thing. “Third, fourth, fifth, he didn’t even bother to come up with an excuse, just ignored me.”
“Jenna. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because he didn’t actually do anything wrong, not that I could see. I didn’t want to raise the creep alarm too early. You seemed happy.” Jenna shakes her head instantly. “Not happy. You were pretending to be happy. And I bought it at first.” She nods at my phone. “I love you, Lilly. You’re my best friend. I thought if I spoke against him without any,” she smirks, “concrete evidence,”I chuckle when she throws my words back at me, but the levity is short-lived, “you’d dig your heels in, or think I was trying to sabotage you.”
I stare openly at her for several moments, blinking owlishly. “Mean girls in high school?”
“And college. And the bedroom next to mine growing up.”
“Your sister is a bitch.” Jenna throws her head back in laughter.
“I know!” She stops cackling a minute later. “Sometimes, we need to be hit over the head with something to fully believe it. I figured you’d get hit soon and I would provide an ice pack and some comedic entertainment when you did.”
“I think you might be right.” Jenna engulfs me in a hug, and I lay my head on her shoulder, letting it all sink in.
“I think I was living in denial.”
“You were the mayor of denial.”
“Only the mayor? So many people have taken up residence in denial, surely, I would be governor or president.”
“Perhaps a dictator.”
“No, I’m a fan of democracy. Besides,” I start, sitting back and wiping under my eyes, “I can’t pull off the sashes and medals dictators always wear.”
Jenna’s brows slant severely, as her lips turn down into a fierce scowl. “You have to tell Brody.”
“That I don’t like sashes?”
“No, you twatwaffle. About Creepy Conner.”
“I don’t like how easily that rolled right off your tongue.”
She shrugs. “It felt right.”
“Why would I need to tell Brody about Conner?”
Jenna looks at me like I’m dumber than Lloyd Christmas. “In which part of Creepy Conner did I lose you? He’s unhinged and dangerous.”
