Free Two Weeks by Andrea Wolfe Page A

"That's a cruel fucking game they're playing, Ally. It's pretty sick."
    "I know it is," I say. "I think I might have actually forgiven him if it only happened once or whatever. I guess I'm kind of pathetic like that." I hang my head shamefully.
    Liz scoffs. "Oh, hell no , especially not if it was your best friend he was cheating with. That's crossing a line, Ally, and you know it. You don't cross that line."
    "Yeah, I guess."
    "I'm so sorry this happened to you," she says. "I gotta say though, this is pretty unusual. You were about to settle down with him and so he just settles down with someone else instead, behind your back. Is he religious? Is he obligated to stay with her or something?"
    I let out a nervous chuckle. "He's not. But that would make this easier," I say. "At least it would explain his behavior."
    "It's so weird," she says.
    "So anyway," I say, "I'm not all that thrilled about going back. I don't really want to go back, honestly. Not yet. I wish I didn't have to."
    Liz nods. "I get you. So what have you been doing since you got the news?"
    All of my remaining walls break down and I explain to her my miserable, lonely Saturday night and then my jogging this morning. "I jogged with Jackson, actually."
    She grins at me. "The hottie from the bar the other night? The Hulk? "
    "Yeah, him." I pause. "I kind of accidentally fell down a hill and knocked myself unconscious. He took me in his arms and carried me to safety. It was kind of romantic," I say giddily.
    Liz is taken aback. "Whoa, Ally, that's like knight in shining armor material," she says.
    I start laughing. "Yeah, it was definitely weird." I feel myself loosening even further. I start blabbing more than planned. "I think I've got a little crush on him. But it feels stupid with all of that's going on with me."
    I think about when I kissed him, but I actually omit that part in the retelling.
    "What a crazy morning," she says.
    "It actually kept me pretty distracted from my miserable life," I confess. "It wasn't until I got home that I even remembered that Max is a cheating, lying asshole that chose my best friend over me after impregnating her."
    We sit in silence until I see Liz's face light up like a light bulb. "That's it," she says confidently. "I've got it."
    "What are you talking about?" I ask.
    "Do you have any vacation time saved up?" she asks.
    "A couple weeks, I think. I haven't gone anywhere in years."
    Liz gives me a devious smile. "Okay, I know exactly what you need then—and you don't need to go anywhere ."
    I take a deep breath; I'm nervous about what she might say. "What do I need, Liz?"
    "You need a rebound. You need a break, and you need something to distract you from all of the bullshit in Boston. Stay here and screw around with Jackson and then go home when you're feeling better. Let down your guard and have fun."
    "That's the stupidest thing ever," I say, the first words that come to mind.
    "Have you ever tried it?" she asks firmly.
    I realize she's got me. "No," I say weakly. "But that's kind of screwed up, isn't it?"
    "Not if you're clear up front. Make rules. And then it's over when you leave. I mean, I definitely saw the way he was looking at you at the bar, and I have a good feeling he'd love to play along." She gives me a sleazy wink.
    "I don't know," I say. I'm tense when I think about running into him at the bar; I relax when I think about him carrying me in his arms to safety. Huge contrasts.
    "You'll just have to trust me, Ally," she says. "Men can be total assholes, so sometimes you need to just... well, use them back. "
    "That's ridiculous." I shake my head in disbelief. "I don't want to use anyone."
    "That came out wrong," she says apologetically, but I don't think she's really sorry. "I guess it's more like seeing things from their perspective. Let loose and have some fun and stop worrying about everything that sucks in the world because there is a hell of a lot of stuff in the world that sucks and honestly, you could spend