Page 17 of How to Get Revenge on a Cheating Ex
I hate that I’m relieved that it’s out there. I hate that I’m glad I’m not the only one who knows.
And as she scrambles for the door handle and I watch her climb out?—
I hate that I just broke this girl’s heart.
SIX
AFTERMATH
Bailey
I hateZack Myers more than life itself.
The words race through my brain like some sort of toxic mantra as I race toward my house.
As if I can outrun Zack’s words. No, hislies.
Heislying. Of course, he’s lying.
I fumble with my house keys as I let myself in and slam the door shut behind me.
He’s clearly lying. But why? I squeeze my eyes shut and blood rushes to my head. My temples throb as a roaring sound fills my ears.
I have proof.
My stomach heaves like it did back in the car. Like it always does when I ride Windy Falls’ highest coaster and it tips over the edge.
Saliva pools and I clap a hand over my mouth. Oh crap, I’m going to be sick. I dart through the family’s living room. My mom doesn’t look up from her book as she calls out a hello, andmy dad is watching the news so intently I’m not even sure he sees me.
I make it to the bathroom just in time, and the contents of my stomach come out in one massive heave.
“Oh. My. God.” My sister Jane’s voice in the doorway makes me groan.
I sit back on my heels and flush, reaching for a towel to wipe my mouth.
“Did Saint Bailey actually get drunk at a party?” My younger-by-one-year sibling gasps. “But that would mean you actually had fun, and that’s...well, that’s just impossible to imagine.”
“Shut up,” I mutter.
She is sonotwhat I need right now. But Jane follows on my heels all the way to the room we share at the end of a narrow hallway. Our little brothers share the room to our right and our parents are across the hall.
It’s no secret that Jane is counting the seconds until I move out and she can have the room to herself. She actually crosses off days on a calendar with giant red X’s that make me think that if for some reason I don’t move out next fall, she’s gonna make me disappear.
“So what happened?” she asked as I lay down on my bed. “Did Grayson finally convince you to let loose with a wine cooler?”
Jane’s purple-streaked hair is in my face as she bends over me like she’s examining a lab rat.
“Leave me alone.” I cover my face with my hands. She doesn’t move.
I can hear her breathing over me as seconds tick by.
But mostly I just hear my heart pounding, and I am trapped somewhere in the back of my mind. Like I’m watching myself from a distance.
I’d say it was an out-of-body experience except that I haven’t escaped my body. I feeleverything. My muscles are too tense and my chest feels like Jane’s sitting on my ribcage, even though she’s not. She’s just hovering.
And then she’s cursing under her breath and the bed sinks beside me. “Are you having another panic attack?”
“No.” Yes. Probably. But this is worse than any panic attack I’ve ever had because it’s not only my nerves that are frayed, and it’s not just my mind on the fritz.
