Page 59 of Exes That Puck
Kara:I can’t lie to his sister.
Lola:Of course you can.
Kara:What if I go there and tell her the truth? And she’ll hate him too.
Lola:Haha idk but be careful.
I open up Zeke’s messages, and I start typing.
Kara:I just finished homework. Be there soon.
The Uber ride feels endless. Ava has always intimidated me. Not because she’s mean, but because she’s so confident, so sure of herself. She knows what she wants and goes after it without apology. Everything I wish I could be.
When I walk through the side door, I find her on the couch, tears streaming down her face. The sight stops me cold.
“Kara,” she says, opening her arms wide.
I’m looking at my reflection. The same puffy eyes, the same defeated slump in her shoulders. I glance at Zeke, who looks helpless and defeated himself.
“What’s going on?” I ask, moving toward her.
She pulls me into a tight hug, and I feel her tears soak through my shirt. “Willy and I broke up, and it’s for good. It’s been over for a long time, but it’s just... really fucking hard.”
When she starts sobbing, the parallel hits me like a punch. It’s almost darkly funny, like this is some sick joke.
“I know how you feel,” I say, rubbing her back.
She pulls away, wiping her nose with her sleeve. “What do you mean?”
I look at Zeke, and he’s watching me cautiously. I admit, “I broke up with Zeke a few months ago.”
“A few months ago!” She whips around to stare at her brother. “You fucking liar!”
Zeke runs his hands through his hair. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to be upset.”
“Months, Zeke? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” She looks between us, eyes wide with disbelief. “Why did you guys break up?”
Silence fills the room. Ava’s staring at me expectantly, waiting for an explanation.
“Why did you break up with him?” she presses. “I know my brother isn’t stupid enough to break up with you.”
I look to Zeke, giving him the choice.
He meets my eyes for a moment, then looks at his sister with a blank expression, like he’s mentally checked out. “Because I’m a fucking asshole. I’m controlling, I’m jealous, and we were fighting nonstop. Kara deserves better. She did the right thing by breaking up with me.”
I don’t know why but hearing him say that has my emotions tangled up. Maybe he has changed. I look at him with admiration. I really do love him. He’s admitting all his faults. This is good.
Ava pushes him hard enough that he actually stumbles back a step. “You fucking asshole!”
He’s over six feet tall and solid muscle, but he still flinches from his sister. It’s kind of cute to see how scared he is.
“Do you want to know why I broke up with Willy?” she shouts, hitting his arm. “Because he’s a controlling, jealous fucking dickwad! And I couldn’t handle it anymore. I was fucking suffocating!”
She stands abruptly, grabbing my hand. “Come on, Kara. We’re leaving.”
I look at Zeke, and he looks utterly defeated when he nods.
Confused, I let her pull me toward the door. I call an Uber while she grabs her jacket. Zeke follows us to the front porch, watching silently as we wait for the car.
